Potions, Poisons, and Panaceas
Author: David E. Brussell
Publisher:
Published: 1996-12-31
Total Pages: 200
ISBN-13:
DOWNLOAD EBOOK →In this complete ethnobotanical study of the flora of the Caribbean island of Montserrat, David Eric Brussell provides an engaging scientific catalog that is rich in information about the plants and the integral part they play in Caribbean culture, economy, history, and folklore. Including twenty-four color plates and fifty-two black-and-white photographs, this book contains an exhaustive list of 378 botanical entries, featuring 282 species of ethnobotanically important plants and representing seventy-eight families. Recent eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano on Montserrat have made the data collected for this book especially important. After summarizing previous botanical research on the flora of Montserrat -- particularly that conducted by early scientists and explorers -- Brussell describes his own collecting methodology and looks at the significance of the area's geography, climate, vegetation, and history. His extensive catalog of the plants and their uses makes up the major portion of the book. The appendix includes a listing of all the collected plants as well as Brussell's field collection records. Of particular note is Brussell's investigation of the flora in regard to the Caribbean cultural environment. As a result of his assimilation into the culture and his extensive interviews with the West Indian people, he was able to observe their myriad uses of the plants in voodoo rituals and practices, and as medicines and foodstuffs. Some plant species are also used as aphrodisiacs and poisons, insecticides and insect repellents, dyes, building materials, and industrial chemicals. Many species were collected in the area devastated by the volcano. It is still too early toknow how many plants can still be found on the island. Moreover, the deaths of elderly informants, each with his or her unique and irreplaceable knowledge of ethnobotanical data, have made the information contained in this book all the more precious.
