Earth and Spirit: Medicinal Plants and Healing Lore from Puerto Rico

By Maria Benedetti and Hrana Janto

An inspiring work of oral history, Earth and Spirit explores and celebrates Puerto Rico's tradition of botanical medicine as it was practiced up to the 1980s. This lively and deeply personal glimpse of Caribbean healing presents the voices of dozens of people who knew, loved and worked with medicinal plants and island earth lore. Ten interviews feature traditional curanderos, a granny midwife, spiritual healers, natural beauticians and others. Remedies are presented in an extensive recipe section organized by health condition, ranging from Alcohol Addiction to Warts. The author's foreword and epilog place the work in cultural and ecological contexts, and all plants are cross referenced with their English, Puerto Rican and scientific names. Rich in practical wisdom, anecdotes and humor, Earth and Spirit inspires love and respect for the living world of plants and for the resourceful people of Puerto Rico who have helped keep this tradition alive. A timeless and beautiful experience, a thought-provoking, fun and useful reference. For your kitchen. For your bedroom Salud

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0963344013
• ISBN13: 9780963344014
• Release Date: June 1998
• Publisher: Verde Luz
• Length: 290 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

The human spirit is what makes this book a must have!

I found this book on a recent to Puerto Rico to visit family. The book creates an immediate respect for the land of Puerto Rico. The interviews bring you right there to glimpse into the lives of the midwifes (curanderos) and healers. Maria Benedetti, a NewYorican empirical herbalist, paints a beautiful picture of what it was like to go "home" for the first time in 1987 to work on this book. Her love for the people presented in the book shine through. She illustrates the need to "conserve Puerto Rico's herbal wisdom and resources." The book also contains a section on medicinal plants and how to prepare remedies, two indices on medicinal plants by name and family (Spanish and English) and a Puerto Rican glossary.If you are intersted in green medicine, the Caribbean or enjoy the human experience, this book is a MUST!!!