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Jamaican Washout Remedies

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Jamaican Washout Remedies | Jamaican Senna HerbJamaican Washout Remedies | Jamaican Senna Herb

by Sheree-Anita Shearer | Associate Writer

For generations of school children, the end of summer signifies a lot. For some, it is a terrifying time to return to school for a new school year in a new class. But in Jamaica, the end of summer notifies you of a terror far greater than just back-to-school, though this great evil is a by-product of the impending school year.

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Jamaican parents believe that all the junk of the summer remains in your body until the week before school reopens and a special concoction is created in the kitchen to remedy this problem.

Not only are these remedies usually not the best tasting, but in most cases, they loosen your control over your bowels (and in some cases, bladder) which never leads to an exciting time for anyone.

The medicine of choice varies but they all have the same effect, these are the Jamaican washout remedies of both the retired greats and the current favourites.

Molasses - A not-so-difficult choice, this elixir is one we can usually get through, The mixture of molasses and lime juice introduces nutrients such as iron and calcium into the body while flushing impurities on their way out.

Jamaican Washout Remedies | Aloe VeraJamaican Washout Remedies | Aloe Vera

Aloe vera - We are now moving into more dangerous territory. Aloe Vera is often mixed with orange, grapefruit or honey in a vain attempt to improve the taste. My advice, pinch your nose, close your eyes and drink it in a hurry. Though the taste isn’t the most looked forward to, it will do the job of cleaning your colon for you.

Senna - Senna is often a heavily sought-after plant as well. Before, the taste of the bitter plant had to be endured in the strong tea made from the leaves - without sugar as that would feed the worms we are trying to rid.

In more recent times though, it has been made into powdered form and into capsules and tea bags which are far more manageable. It is often paired with ginger or fennel (another of the more dreaded plants) for a more rounded cleanse of the dietary system.

Zentel - Now this is a dewormer (worm-out medicine), I can advocate for when it comes to taste. It comes in a tiny white bottle and goes down easy. And if you don’t drink it for the taste, then you’ll at least drink it for the catchy TV advertisement.

Tyrax - Of all medicines or remedies for deworming children this is the worst tasting. Vile is the best word to describe it and it wasn't easy to persuade a child to take this medicine at all. My mom reported that this was her most dreaded moment of the back-to-school preparation.

Smoke Contractor - Not sure why nearly all worm remedies need to taste horrible but they do. This weed was served up in a tea form to help your body say goodbye to the worms but the taste was as offensive to the child as it was to the worms.

Roasted Dry Coconut Flesh - With a drink of gin was an older remedy which worked like a charm. The unfortunate thing though was that the dreaded worms were expelled whole and alive. Not sure that it could be any more frightening or revolting than this.

The consensus is that the best time to administer the washout treatment was limited to three days before or after the full moon. A washout was generally followed by a relieving round of tonics to build up the immune system. These were received with a considerably higher degree of appreciation than the washout.

A word of caution just in case you decide to try these Jamaican washout remedies.

A washout is to be approached with caution as it may result in unwelcomed complications such as prolonged diarrhoea, vomiting, severe loss of salts from the body, nausea, abdominal pain, and dehydration. These may sometimes result in a trip to the hospital.

Deworming is not generally harmful if it is limited to once every six months and the child is no less than two years old.

If the child is unwell or has non-communicable diseases you need medical advice before carrying out the wash-out

If you are familiar with this concept, what was your most feared Jamaican washout remedy? We can all complain about the vile taste but we can never question their effectiveness.

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References & Sources For Jamaican Washout Remedies

  1. Senior, Olive, Encyclopedia of Jamaican Heritage, 2003
  2. Wallace & Robinson, Creating Jamaica, Our Early Years, Carlong Publishers
  3. Black, Clinton V. History Of Jamaica, 2005
  4. Simpson, Joanne, M. Why Heritage, "A Guide To The Importance Of Our Jamaican Story"
  5. Sherlock, Phillip & Bennett, Hazel, "The Story Of The Jamaican People" (independence)

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