Healing Powers of the Jamaican Bush

I recently learned that it's time to go green for better health. My recent trip to the Fern Tree Spa in Rose Hall, Jamaica, tucked inside the exclusive enclave of the Half Moon Resort, offered a lesson in wellness using natural herbs picked right out of the garden. Plagued by a nasty cough and need for a little R&R, I thought that it was time for a Jamaican getaway.

Less than 24 hours later, I was unpacking inside a beautiful ocean front suite with a spa-like bath and gorgeous hardwood floors with white sheer fabric billowing throughout. I walked over to my bedroom window covered with white shutters to invite the ocean inside. I retreated to my living room realizing that I was well on my way to discovering the secret healing powers of the "bush."

My road to recovery began during lunch with Spa Elder Stella Gray. She noticed that I had a persistent cough that just wouldn't go away. So she created a spa menu with ingredients from land and sea just for me. Stella has been using herbs from her garden for more than 30 years to heal the sick. So it wasn't surprising when she went to her garden to pick fever grass, Cerasee, akee and sour sap leaves to heal me. Together with ginger, thyme, bamboo and allspice, she crushed the plants and herbs in a homemade pouch for my Jamaican bush bath. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical, but I wanted to try it. As instructed, I went back to my room and dropped the pouch in hot water to steep. I poured the potion in my bath and lit a candle. The blended herbs aid in internal and external cleansing to heal and revitalize the mind and soul. As the water began bubbling around me, I began to witness the healing powers of the bush. So I stepped into the tub with water jets and let nature take its course. It was truly an awakening. The lemon grass and ginger helped to eliminate toxins, while bamboo and Cerasee nourished and hydrated my skin.

The next morning, I woke up and found that I wasn't coughing. That nagging cough had simply disappeared. As I sipped ginger tea on my deck, I looked out to the ocean and watched the waves crash against rocks grouped around the water's edge. The peacefulness made for a heavenly escape. And all of my worries just floated back out to sea. Who could ask for more? Certainly not me.

Have you ever gone green for better health?