Cleansing and Detoxification in Ethnomedicine – Myth or Reality

Plant families of major significance in the practice of detoxification and cleansing in Barbados were identified and theoretically assessed for their preventative phytochemical value.

The families of plants used for purging, blood purification, postnatal cleansing and general cleansing ritual were extracted from a survey of plants used for medicinal applications in rural communities in Barbados.  The classes of phytochemicals produced by the representative species were identified and their detoxifying capacity analysed.  

Twenty-two species, representing nine families, were found useful in this tradition. Three families featured prominently, Poaceae, three species, Apiaceae, three species, and Lamiaceae with four species. Prominent phytochemicals present in the leaves of all of the cleansing plants included polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins and tannins.  Polyphenols and flavonoids are potent antioxidants, scavengers of free radicals and possess the potential to form conjugates with toxins. The teas of these plants likely augment natural detoxification systems, hindering diseased states and promoting good health and longevity.