From Bush Tea to Herbal Tea: Current Trends in the Medicinal Plant Trade in Trinidad and Tobago

The market demand for complementary and alternative medicines, including plant-based remedies, has increased globally.  In Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), a high-income developing country in the Caribbean, there is a thriving trade in botanicals and botanically-derived formulations.  Interviews conducted with herbalists and herb suppliers across the twin-island republic revealed a demand for “herbs” to treat dozens of conditions and complaints including diabetes, infertility, arthritis, and constipation.  The majority of the interviewees claimed to supply over 100 different herbs or herbal formulations.  Yet only one in every three herbalists indicated that they supplied or recommended locally available plant-based remedies, which are traditionally termed “bush-medicine”.  This presentation will address some of the likely reasons for this and other related trends.  We will also discuss concerns and implications for the retention and transmission of T&T’s traditional knowledge of local remedies.