Herbal remedies
Simple balms, butters and lotions
Benjamin Boone Bostdorf
Modern medicine may offer the benefit of space age technology, but often simple balms, butters, and lotions work wonders too. Herbal extracts are plentiful in the Caribbean, where the healing and restorative power of plants and nuts has been passed down for generations.
Larry Sewer, an herbalist who lives in St.Thomas has been studying and working with herbs for many years. Sewer, who has a Masters degree in elementary education, is a former teacher, as well as a writer and historian. His roots in the U.S. Virgin Islands run deep and he says his love for plants began when he traversed the reef Bay trail In St.John with his former teacher, Doris Jadan, during an environmental studies program. Later, n the military, Sewer traveled to Puerto Rico, Korea and Vietnam and studied the medicinal plants in these regions too.
Using his extensive knowledge of herbs, Sewer has developed creams and lotions, using aloe vera and other extracts, which he markets under his Jewel of the Isle label. He offers a multipurpose skin cream, which is manufactured on St.Thomas, using medicinal and herbs, native to the U.S. Virgin Islands, which include aloe, prickly pear, yellow love and acacia. Sewer says that this cream provides relief to cuts and dry skin, itching, minor burn and rashes, as well as mosquito bites, poison ivy and sore muscles.
During the past seven years Sewer has built a loyal following for his Jewel of the Isles cream, which is available at pharmacy and stories thought the U.S. Virgins and was named by Conde Nast Traveler in a pick of the Caribbean's coolest products.
He now offers a clear aloe based lotion for those with oily skin, a special compound for swelling called Bonkonko, a cough syrup he has named Bambuey and a four power tonic which he says boosts kidney function, helps the reproductive system of both men and women and increases energy.
Sewer says there are about 135 herbalists in the region.
Benjamin Boone writes frequently for virginvoices.com
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