Snake Plant (Sansevieria trifasciata)

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In the Bahamas we called this plant "Mother-In-Law's Tongue" because once it gets started, you can't get rid if it! The color pattern on this stemless plant resembles the skin of a snake. Following the "Doctrine of Signatures" this also indicates one of its uses in bush medicine: For snakebite! Rashes and skin sores can be helped by bathing them with water in which the leaves have been boiled. Some people place leaf juice in water for chickens, which helps prevent diseases. (If you get bitten by a Dangerous Snake in Belize, don't rely on Bush Medicine, get to a clinic immediately!)

Soursop / Guyabano (Annona muricata Linnaeus)

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To reduce fever, a tea made from Soursop leaves can be taken internally. Leaves added to bathing water has the same effect. The crushed fresh leaves can be applied on skin eruptions to promote healing. A poultice of young Soursop leaves is applied on the skin to alleviate rheumatism and other skin infections like eczema. The tea has also been used as a wet compress on swollen feet and other inflammations. The juice of the fruit can be taken orally as a remedy for urethritis, haematuria and liver ailments.

Other uses: A thick tea can be used to kill bedbugs and head lice. Mixing pulverizing Soursop seeds with soap & water is an effective spray against caterpillars, armyworms and leafhoppers on plants.

Guiana Chestnut Tree Medicinal Uses

By Liliana Usvat
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(Guiana Chestnut Tree - at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden Miami Florida, USA)

Pachira aquatica is a tropical wetland tree of the mallow family Malvaceae, native to Central and South America where it grows in swamps. It is known by the common names Malabar chestnut, Guiana chestnut, provision tree, saba nut, monguba (Brazil), pumpo (Guatemala) and is commercially sold under the names money tree and money plant. 

 

It is very often called Money Tree and is one of the feng-shui plants. It is supposed to be the plant that will bring good luck and money into your home. 

 

It has five leaves on each branch, symbolizing the 5 fundamental Feng Shui elements : Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth. Often they are grown as a clump of 5 intertwined trees.

 

Before modern medicine developed laboratory drugs, our ancestors all over the world used herbs and weeds for health. In many parts of the world today, they are the only treatment available and sometimes work better than manufactured drugs. Many plants exhibit the "Doctrine of Signatures" which is a concept that there is some physical characteristic about a plant that signals what it could be used for on the physical body.

The genus name is derived from a language spoken in Guyana. The species name is Latin for "aquatic". It is classified in the subfamily Bombacoideae of the family Malvaceae. Previously it was assigned to Bombacaceae.

Pachira aquatica in fruit.
The fruit, a nut is of a brownish colour and can measure up to 12 inches (300 mm) in length and 2.5 inches (64 mm) in diameter. Seeds grow within until such time as the nut bursts, sending the seeds forth and propagating. The nut is edible and often eaten raw or roasted, with a flavor similar to a European chestnut; it may also be ground and made as a hot drink. The fruit is not eaten.
 
The name "money tree" seems to refer to a story of its origin, where a poor man prayed for money, found this "odd" plant, took it home as an omen, and made money selling plants grown from its seeds.

Medicinal Uses

Provision Tree bark is highly regarded as a blood tonic. A tea made by boiling its bark is used to help anemia, low blood pressure, fatigue and to generally build strength. 

TIME OF YEAR

 Flowers late fall or early winter, fruits in the spring

ENVIRONMENT: 

Does best in areas of periodic flood, or if water heavily often. It does not like dry wind, may endure temperatures briefly down to 28F.

METHOD OF PREPARATION: 

Seeds edible when the pod cracks open, raw or cooked or ground into flour. Seeds raw taste similar to peanuts. Roasted or fried they taste similar to chestnuts.  Young leaves and flowers edible cooked, usually by boiling.