Page 5 - AHATA

A9
LOCAL Saturday 24 auguSt 2024

Lessons from our elders:

Plants and fruits for medicinal use (part 2)

plant sweet potatoes them-
selves, mostly because of
how easy it was to do so.
Cut the end of a sweet po-
tato let it sit in shallow wa-
ter until it starts to sprout.
Then you may plant it in the
ground. Sweet potatoes
need plenty of water to
grow, especially in the first
week in the ground. It was
said that once you start to which the answer is based for our health. According
notice the ground crack on harvest time. Tiny trees to customs, pomegranate
underneath the flowers, it is produce tinier pomegran- skin tea can help those that
time to harvest. This should ates that can be harvest- suffer from diarrhea. Dried
(Oranjestad)—In last blood pressure were ad- happen around month 3. ed early on. Contrarily, pomegranate skin tea is
week’s edition, we shared vised to eat sweet potato 2 big trees produce bigger also good for people who
with our readers some me- to 3 times a week. Howev- Pomegranate pomegranates, but they have worms. Pomegranate
dicinal use for plants and er, if you have high blood Pomegranates are also need enough time to fully flowers can be boiled to
fruits, passed down from pressure, it is best not to eat one of the easier fruits to ripen before harvesting, make a drink and this can
our elders through genera- too much sweet potato, as plant and harvest. Origi- otherwise you might end be used for irritated gums;
tions. This week, we present this raises blood pressure. nated from Persia, this up with bitter seeds. Pome- just take a swig and let the
two more uses of fruits and Sweet potatoes are also plant can grow almost ev- granate trees are also very tea sit in your mouth for a
plants for medicinal use. great for people who work erywhere. In Aruba, there easy to plant. In essence, couple minutes. q
hard labor jobs, and it’s are many homes that have if you just throw the seeds
Sweet potato been said to be aid blood a tiny or big pomegranate on the ground, they could Source: Remedi i Kustumber
According to our elders, circulation in the body, tree. You may be wonder- grow into a tree. di nos Bieunan (Medicine and
sweet potato is mostly use- as well as help those with ing what the difference is In terms of medicinal use, Customs of our Elderly) by
Dinah Veeris
ful for low blood pressure. hemorrhoids or diarrhea. between a small and big pomegranate skins are
People who suffer from low Many of our elders opted to pomegranate tree, for said to have a few benefits

Prohibited by law: leaving the island with seashells, white sand or corals

(Oranjestad)—Often times, the customs fore leaving. This is surely not a pleasant
department at the airport intercepts many experience for the tourist. This also leads
tourists leaving the island with seashells, to a negative reaction which can put our
white sand and/or corals as souvenirs. tourism in a negative light.
Though we love to accommodate our
Conforming to the international treaty of visitors, let’s all give nature the respect it
CITES and our local law which protects deserves by protecting our environment.
our Flora & Fauna, it is absolutely prohib- Stop collecting seashells, white sand and
ited to take any seashell, sand and coral corals from our shores and stop buying or
outside of Aruba. This is to protect our en- accepting these from local sellers or com-
vironment. The high number of seashells, panies.
coral and amount of sand confiscated is
very strange and it is suspected that our We want our future generations and visi-
own locals are the ones selling these to the tors to enjoy the beauty of our beaches,
tourists, which is unacceptable. shells and corals in a sustainable way, with-
Upon confiscation at the airport, you can out destroying or disrupting the Aruban
also face a fine that they have to pay be- ecosystem. Help us protect what is ours!q