Page 16 - AB

Thursday 9 November 2023 locAl
A10

Lessons from our elders:

Plants and fruits for medicinal use (part 2)

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

Visit the natural bridges of Aruba!

(Oranjestad)—After you’ve also a frequently visited
visited the Alto Vista The bridge was formed dur- beach, as the bridge had
Church, the Bushiribana ing thousands of years, cut a small opening through
Gold Mill Ruins and the and crafted by the wild which the water would flow
mini natural pool that is lo- waves that crash into the into the tiny beach.
cated right next to it, you’re coral stone walls of the
next up around the north- coast. Before its collapse, Unfortunately in 2005, the
ern coast line must be the this bridge measured 30 bridge collapsed, and the
Natural Bridge. Once the meters in length and 7 me- little beach dried up. De-
largest natural bridge in the ters in height, making it the spite this, this site remained
Caribbean, this bridge has biggest natural bridge in a tourist attraction, with
been a tourist attraction for the Caribbean at the time. many visitors walking along
many years. For many years, this site was the coral cliffs of the bridge
to see the spectacular view
of the northern coastline
and the Caribbean Sea.
Visitors can also still visit the
souvenir shop on the left of
the bridge entrance.

While the natural bridge
no longer is functional,
there is now a smaller nat-
ural bridge very close. This
bridge is often called the
“Baby Bridge” or “Daugh-
ter Bridge”. q