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Arvilla Payne-Jackson

Jamaican Folk Medicine: A Source Of Healing Paperback – Illustrated, November 30, 2004

by Arvilla Payne-Jackson (Author), Mervyn C. Alleyne (Author)

18 ratings

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This pioneering work is multi-disciplinary in approach as it examines the rich folk medicine of Jamaica. Payne-Jackson and Alleyne analyse the historical and linguistic aspects of folk medicine, based on their research, which included extensive fieldwork and interviews. They explore the sociological and ethnological dimensions of common healing and health-preserving practices which rely on Jamaica’s rich biodiversity in medicinal and nutritional flora.

As is the case with other aspects of Jamaican traditional culture, Jamaican folk medicine is largely misunderstood and subject to negative pejorative attitudes. This comprehensively study challenges some of the myths and misinformation. Particular attention is paid to cultural transference from Africa and the use of herbs in African-Jamaican religions.

The work has an appendix and a glossary as well as a detailed bibliography.

Print length

240 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University Press of the West Indies
Publication date

November 30, 2004
Dimensions

6.08 x 0.56 x 9.1 inches
ISBN-10

9766401233
ISBN-13

978-9766401238
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Arvilla Payne-Jackson is Professor of Anthropology and Linguistics, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Howard University.

Mervyn C. Alleyne is Emeritus Professor of Linguistics, University of the West Indies, and Visiting Professor, College of Humanities, University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University Press of the West Indies; Illustrated edition (November 30, 2004)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9766401233
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9766401238
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.6 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.08 x 0.56 x 9.1 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,114,721 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #228 in Caribbean & Latin American Literary Criticism (Books)
- #1,378 in Holistic Medicine (Books)
- #73,500 in Medical Books

Customer Reviews:
18 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		75%
4 star		17%
3 star 0% (0%)		0%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		8%

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Top reviews from the United States

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E Shipp

A fascinating glimpse into medical healing and how it interacts with practicing of Caribbean magic

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2016

Verified Purchase

This is very interesting for anthropology enthusiasts and those interested in the Caribbean, medicine, or magic. It fully details traditional healing practices in Jamaica and how they interact with spirit possession faiths such as Myal and magical traditions such as Obeah. It also examines the effects of colonialism, the difficulties of communication and understanding between English speaking Westernized Jamaicans and Jamaican dialect speaking ordinary Jamaicans, and discusses the effects of budgetary cutbacks on medical access. This is mostly for targeted readers, but also is surprisingly fun for those interested in supernatural shows such as The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, because it explains what vervain and Obeah are, which are mentioned on those shows.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Stephanie Rose Bird

Valuable Information for Herbalists

Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2005

Verified Purchase

"Jamaica Folk Medicine: A Source of Healing" is a very informative book on Jamaica's folk medicine traditions. A variety of styles and practices are explored including Jamaican bush doctors, balm yard healers, kumina, obeah, myal and mother healers. "Jamaica Folk Medicine" is an in-depth study by two Ph.D's with input from their students, in short, it is built on solid scholarship. The book highlights Jamaican healing methods but also discusses its connections to other forms of healing in the African diaspora and elsewhere. The only thing readers might have to get past is the dry writing style--once you get past the lackluster presentation, there is much to learn. This is the type of book you will want on your book shelf rather than taking it out of the library--readers interested in this topic, will return to this dense book again and again.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

Zach

Find out about the origins of Bush Master

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2018

Verified Purchase

Very informative book. I like to imagine it's a prequel to the second season of Luke Cage.

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Great read.

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2016

Verified Purchase

Great info. Had to buy for my anthropology and nursing course.

One person found this helpful

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Keith Moreno

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2015

Verified Purchase

Rarely are the sciences of the Caribbean or Africa shared. This is an important book.

5 people found this helpful

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candace smiley

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

Great book

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W. Wedenoja

An authoritative account

Reviewed in the United States on September 12, 2010

This is a comprehensive, detailed, and scholarly account of `folk medicine' or `ethnomedicine' in Jamaica, largely from the perspective of medical anthropology. Payne-Jackson is an American anthropologist and Alleyne a Jamaican linguist. They demonstrate an extensive knowledge of the published literature on the subject and, in addition, have done extensive field research. The book effectively covers herbal, spiritual, and magical causes and treatments for illnesses and misfortunes. Jamaicans still utilize a large number of herbal treatments, along with magical oils, incense, and powders. In most cases, their folk medicine is intimately tied to religious beliefs and practices. Traditional healers are still common in the population. Even though the medical profession and government institutions ignore the folk sector, the authors argue that folk medicine is increasing in popularity, partly because of the difficulty of accessing and affording mainstream medicine but also because of the faith people hold in it. The book is well-organized, clear and easy to follow. It is also definitely the best source of information on the topic.

8 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

JayBee

Never judge a book...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 11, 2011

Verified Purchase

I bought this book after spotting it in a library review abroad and was interested in the subject matter. Unfortunately I made the mistake of literally flicking through the pages without propery reading a segment of it. So although the book is informative it seems to be the backbone of the authors university studies and is not an easy font of knowledge for everyday use. My fault and not the authors, but will be digested when I have the time and the inclination. Jamaican Folk Medicine: A Source of Healing

2 people found this helpful