The period of slavery on the island of Barbados left an indelible mark on the society in all spheres of activity. It is notable that the population of Africans, brought to the island to provide forced labour on the sugar plantations, had to rely on their knowledge of plant usage for healing to soothe the many ailments that arose from the harsh system. Plants were used mainly for cuts, wounds, ulcers, digestive and skin disorders.

In our mobile museum we dedicate this exhibit to the sixty plants that have been documented in Slave Medicine and Plant Use in Barbados by Jerome Handler, noted Caribbean Historian.

The image at the head of the page was obtained from the Wellcome Collection https://wellcomecollection.org/