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LOCAL Wednesday 20 november 2024

Lessons from our elders:

Plants and fruits for medicinal use

(Oranjestad)—Though western consume any pineapple at all.
medicine is now widely used for
common illnesses and to keep our Arrowroot
bodies healthy and happy, it is still Arrowroot is native to tropical
very common in every household America and can be sold as a pow-
in Aruba (and around the world) to der or whole. It is said that you can
have staple home remedies that take arrowroot powder and make
is passed on through generations. a “shalup” (porridge) for stomach
Here are some tips that our elders pain or when you’re feeling weak. good to calm nerves. It can also be
have passed on to us over the You can make it with milk too, but used to lower blood pressure, by
years. body. Clean the skin thoroughly it is advised to best use just water. steeping its leaves in boiled water
and make tea or warapa* with it. You can also add prunes for a bit and drinking it. You can also make
Pineapple It is said that this tea can also be of sweetness. Arrowroot shalup is
Pineapple has more uses than top- drank after an operation on the also good to treat an unhealthy eggplant juice to help purify your
blood. However, do make sure to
ping it on your Christmas ham. Ac- ovaries or uterus. This gets rid of ir- gut or for diarrhea. drink slowly; let it mix with your spit
cording to elders, the skin of a pine- ritation and inflammation. and then swallow.
apple is great to use to refresh your To make arrowroot shalup, boil a bit
When the fruit is unripe and green, of water and add one tablespoon Eggplant kataplan* can also be
this can be used to stimulate of arrowroot powder and stir con- used to treat skin tumors, abscesses
menstruation flow in women. This tinuously until you reach porridge and hemorrhoids. Eggplant kata-
also stimulates the passing kidney consistency. If you make a shalup plan can also be used externally to
stones. When ripe, the fruit can be with milk, add a pinch of salt. Raw treat arthritis.
used for poisoning in the gut and arrowroot powder can be used to
can help treat rheumatic diseases, powder babies. *warapa: term referring to a wa-
like arthritis. ter and sugar solution, a.k.a simple
Eggplant/Aubergine syrup.
However, breastfeeding women Eggplants, or aubergines, are easy *kataplan: porridge-like mixture
who cannot produce much milk to find in supermarkets around the used externally for wounds or parts
are advised not to consume too world and can be grown all year of the body that are painful or
pineapple, and people with acid round on the island. Related to po-
reflux are recommended to not tato and tomato, eggplants are swollen. q

Aruba’s neighborhoods; the meaning behind their names

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