Page 9 - HOH

A10 LOCAL
Monday 29 SepteMber 2025
Lessons from our elders: Plants and fruits for medicinal use

ORANJESTAD—Though western medicine is now be drank after an operation on the ovaries or
widely used for common illnesses and to keep uterus. This gets rid of irritation and inflamma-
our bodies healthy and happy, it is still very tion.
common in every household in Aruba (and
around the world) to have staple home rem- Arrowroot
edies that is passed on through generations.
Here are some tips that our elders have passed
on to us over the years.

Pineapple

Eggplant/Aubergine
Eggplants, or aubergines, are easy to find in
Arrowroot is native to tropical America and can supermarkets around the world and can be
be sold as a powder or whole. It is said that you grown all year round on the island. Related to
can take arrowroot powder and make a “shal- potato and tomato, eggplants are good to
up” (porridge) for stomach pain or when you’re calm nerves. It can also be used to lower blood
feeling weak. You can make it with milk too, but pressure, by steeping its leaves in boiled water
it is advised to best use just water. You can also and drinking it. You can also make eggplant
add prunes for a bit of sweetness. Arrowroot juice to help purify your blood. However, do
shalup is also good to treat an unhealthy gut or make sure to drink slowly; let it mix with your spit
for diarrhea. and then swallow.q

To make arrowroot shalup, boil a bit of water Eggplant kataplan* can also be used to treat skin tu-
Pineapple has more uses than topping it on and add one tablespoon of arrowroot powder mors, abscesses and hemorrhoids. Eggplant kataplan
can also be used externally to treat arthritis.
your Christmas ham. According to elders, the and stir continuously until you reach porridge *warapa: term referring to a water and sugar solution,
skin of a pineapple is great to use to refresh your consistency. If you make a shalup with milk, a.k.a simple syrup.
body. Clean the skin thoroughly and make tea add a pinch of salt. Raw arrowroot powder can *kataplan: porridge-like mixture used externally for
or warapa* with it. It is said that this tea can also be used to powder babies. wounds or parts of the body that are painful or swollen.

Aruba’s neighborhoods; the meaning

behind their names; Ayo & Alto Vista

eralizing word. If you were to its location and history.
change a part of the word At Ayo, you can find some
“Ayo”, namely ‘Yo’, to ‘Yu’ of the most well known rock This neighborhood’s abbre-
and make ‘Ayu’, it would formations. These formations viation is; A.

ORANJESTAD – Just like With this series, we want to mean “white.” became a well loved and
any other country, Aruba take you on a journey of dis- visited attraction at Aruba Alto Vista
has unique and beautifully covery, where you’ll learn However, as we now know, that is held in high regards This word combination can
named neighborhoods that not only the beautiful names the name of the neighbor- by both tourists and locals be roughly translated to a
all form a part of its culture but the history behind it that hood is ‘Ayo’. The word ‘Yo’ alike. ‘high point of view’ and the
and development. Many gives it life and meaning. stands for Yocahu, which is neighborhood received this
of these names have a his- another word for ‘creator’ If you’d like to know more name from the Hill.
torical background and Ayo in Arawak/Taino and in the about the rock formations at
meaning that teaches us Ajo, or Ayo, is a word with Papiamento spoken today, Ayo, stay tuned for our article In the surrounding areas, Do-
about the island and its rich Arawak-Indian origin. A (or ‘Ayo’ means ‘bye’. where we tell you all about mingoAntonia Silvestre built
culture every day. Ha) is an Indo-Antillean gen- his by his own means the very
first chapel or church of Aru-
ba. The walls of this church
were made with rocks but
the roof was made of dry
corn stalks. The church was
inaugurated by father Pablo
Algemesi.

If you’d like to know more
about the Alto Vista Church’s
beautiful history, stay tuned
for our article where we tell
you all you need to know
about it for when you visit it.

This neighborhood’s abbre-
viation is; AV.q