Bush Medicine - The Leaf of Life

Leaf of Life

Taking Bush medicine is a common practice here on the Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua. This isn't the "witch-doctor" type of medicine common in some places but, rather, traditional medicine using leaves and plants.

For the past few months Pat has had a cough. It reminds us of the cough he used to get when we lived in Southern Ontario - his annual allergy cough. He has been ignoring it and it has been getting worse. On Saturday he finally broke down and decided to visit the Clinic here in Pearl Lagoon - but, guess what? The Clinic is only open for emergencies on the weekend and so he came home without seeing a doctor.

It was suggested to him that he try a local leaf (Bush medicine) to try and bring some relief to his cough. He decided to give it a try - so the hunt was on for some "Leaf of Life" which is found in many backyards in Pearl Lagoon. A neighbor was found to have a plant and he gave Pat enough leaves for two days. He was instructed to blend two leaves with some lime and salt and drink it down. Not one to follow directions, he made a slightly different mixture. He took two leaves and blended them with a little orange juice and some Concentrate of Borojo (a local fruit full of vitamins). After just two treatments there was a noticeable change in his cough. He wasn't coughing as much and it was "wetter" - I guess loosening up the "phlegm".

Although his cough hasn't disappeared it is definitely better. We will be searching out some more information on this particular "Bush medicine" and he will likely continue his treatment.

Concentrate of Borojo

Leaf of Life mixture ready to be processed

Bush Medicine ready to be processed

Bush medicine - ready to drink

Pearl Lagoon takes aim at mosquitoes!

fogging the exterior for mosquitoes

I've always hated mosquitoes. Mainly because they've always liked me. I am always the one that gets bit - they ignore Pat and head straight for me! Mosquitoes carry a number of serious and potentially fatal diseases including dengue and malaria which are very common in Nicaragua. There have been 1,543 reported cases of dengue and 4 deaths so far this year due to dengue. So, I wasn't too sorry when I heard that the town of Pearl Lagoon had decided to visit all the barrios and KILL the mosquitoes.

We've seen the procedure a number of times when we lived in León - a couple of men walk around the homes with a "fogger" filled with insecticide or some ladies stop by and sprinkle some powder into any standing water you have on your property.  The method here in Pearl Lagoon is a little bit different in that they not only fog the outside areas but they also enter your home and fog inside too. This is a logical step since most homes here don't have any screens on their windows and the houses are filled with mosquitoes.

In preparation for the treatment we made sure that all food was safely stored away in the refrigerator and that all dishes were tucked away in the cupboards. Also, we moved Pancho outside so that he didn't become a casualty of the poison. Although the procedure itself took less than 5 minutes but we had to stay out of the house for at least 20 minutes to allow for the smoke to dissipate. When we re-entered the house there was still a very strong chemical smell and so we set the fan on to clear out our bedroom before it was time to go to bed.

fogging the interior of the house

the house is filled with "smoke"

smoke still pouring out the windows

What are some practical steps you can take to prevent yourself from being bitten by mosquitoes?

Using mosquito repellent is a good step but you may not want to be wearing it all the time - especially if you are just relaxing in your home. When we moved into this house in Pearl Lagoon we purchased a roll of nylon screen material in Bluefields and put it up on all of our windows using a glue gun to affix it to the window frame. We also decided to have screen doors made so that we could have the nice cool morning and evening breezes without having to worry about mosquitoes and flies. Granted, our landlord didn't cover these expenses but we feel that for our own peace of mind and comfort it was money well spent. Another important step in preventing mosquito bites is to sleep with a mosquito net. We were able to purchase one here in Pearl Lagoon for less than 300 cordobas but I understand they are cheaper in Bluefields or Managua.

Queen size mosquito net for our bed

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Is the water safe to drink in Pearl Lagoon?

Typical water bottle and dispenser

The availability of drinkable water is a common concern when people are visiting or living in Pearl Lagoon. And no wonder since so many people get sick each year from drinking contaminated water.

Although the town has a water purification system there still is concern about the quality of the water that it produces. Therefore, many people - ourselves included - opt to purchase bottled water. The problem is that this water is shipped in from Bluefields and during the hottest months bottled water is in huge demand. There have been a number of times in the past few months when our bottled water has run out and there hasn't been any water to buy in town and a shipment wasn't due for a day or more. Pat has literally picked up the water at the dock when it arrived and on a number of occasions we have been only able to replace two of our empty bottles rather than the three .

How much does a 5 gal bottle of purified water cost? The cheapest that we have found is at the Moravian Church where they sell the water for 45 cordobas. A group from the US are currently installing an extra filtration system to purify the town water so that it will be unnecessary to have the bottles shipped in from Bluefields. It is anticipated that this will reduce the cost of the water. There are a few other locations in town that sell the bottled water and the price varies from 50 - 75 cordobas. It certainly pays to shop around!

What can you do when your bottled water runs out and there isn't any available in town? For us the option is to boil the water and let it cool. We've had no ill effects from doing this at all. Another option is having a backup clay filtration system like you see in the pictures below. We haven't seen these kits available here in Pearl Lagoon but have found a website that advertises them for sale: Filtron Water Purifier

Clay Water filtration system

Instructions for using your Clay Water filtration system