Page 10 - AHATA

A9
LOCAL Monday 18 SepteMber 2023

Lessons from our elders:

Plants and fruits for medicinal use

(Oranjestad)—Though also add prunes for a bit of
western medicine is now sweetness. Arrowroot sha-
widely used for common lup is also good to treat an
illnesses and to keep our unhealthy gut or for diar-
bodies healthy and happy, rhea.
it is still very common in
every household in Aruba To make arrowroot shalup,
(and around the world) to boil a bit of water and add
have staple home rem- stones. When ripe, the fruit one tablespoon of arrow-
edies that is passed on can be used for poisoning root powder and stir con-
through generations. Here in the gut and can help tinuously until you reach
are some tips that our el- treat rheumatic diseases, porridge consistency. If you
ders have passed on to us like arthritis. make a shalup with milk,
over the years. add a pinch of salt. Raw
However, breastfeeding arrowroot powder can be
Pineapple women who cannot pro- used to powder babies.
Pineapple has more uses duce much milk are ad-
than topping it on your vised not to consume too Eggplant/Aubergine
Christmas ham. According pineapple, and people Eggplants, or aubergines,
to elders, the skin of a pine- with acid reflux are recom- are easy to find in super-
apple is great to use to re- mended to not consume markets around the world
fresh your body. Clean the any pineapple at all. and can be grown all year
skin thoroughly and make round on the island. Relat-
tea or warapa* with it. It is Arrowroot ed to potato and tomato,
said that this tea can also Arrowroot is native to tropi- eggplants are good to
be drank after an opera- cal America and can be calm nerves. It can also be
tion on the ovaries or uter- sold as a powder or whole. used to lower blood pres-
us. This gets rid of irritation It is said that you can take sure, by steeping its leaves
and inflammation. arrowroot powder and in boiled water and drink-
make a “shalup” (porridge) ing it. You can also make
When the fruit is unripe and for stomach pain or when eggplant juice to help puri-
green, this can be used to you’re feeling weak. You fy your blood. However, do
stimulate menstruation flow can make it with milk too, make sure to drink slowly;
in women. This also stimu- but it is advised to best let it mix with your spit and
lates the passing kidney use just water. You can then swallow.

Eggplant kataplan* can
also be used to treat skin
tumors, abscesses and
hemorrhoids. Eggplant kat-
aplan can also be used ex-
ternally to treat arthritis.

*warapa: term referring to
a water and sugar solution,
a.k.a simple syrup.
*kataplan: porridge-like
mixture used externally for
wounds or parts of the body
that are painful or swollen.