As I look back on my life, I realize that every time I thought I was being rejected from something good, I was actually being re-directed to something better.
Cerasee, scientifically known as “Momordica charantia,” is a very bitter herb, but like every other bitter herb, it purifies the blood and the body.
It is a native to Africa and the Middle East and can today be found in almost every parts of the world. The yellow fruit with the red seeds, know as bitter melon, can be eaten as well as they can be cooked, which is popularly used in Chinese dishes. Back then, the leaves and fruit were used to make soups and stews, which was mostly done by people in the Caribbean. In my country Jamaica, the herb can be found in every parish, it is the most popularly used herb here, and has proven to work for whatever it is used for. I can say with confidence that it really work based on my own personal experience with it. Older folks tend to use it more that younger folks and will most times recommend it for whatever ailment they think it is good for.
Here are some medicinal benefits of cerasee that has been practiced not only in Jamaica, but in other parts of the world.
HEALTH BENEFITS:
The number one medicinal benefit of cerasee is for the cure of abdominal pains. A small bundle of the leaves with vines and some ginger, boiled to make a tea with a little sugar or honey added is very effective. Some people like it better without any sweetener, which is in fact the best way.
A tea made from the leaves and vines is used to treat parasitic worms, liver problems, as a tonic, and as a blood and body cleanser. This herb has detoxifying properties and is used as a wash out to purge the body.
The leaves crushed and rubbed (to get the juice extracted) in a bath with water is used to bathe in to treat skin ailments such as rashes, atopic dermatitis (eczema), sores, and naturally to give your skin a cleaner more refined look.
Very effective in relieving constipation, fevers and colds in children.
The tea decreases menstrual cramps can also treat urinary tract infections.
Cerasee, when consumed as a tea by pregnant women, is said to purify the baby’s skin giving it a very beautiful look after birth.
Oh, what a happy occasion it was for all woman to see Empress Menen Iceive her crown and staff after her Emperor and King. Let all woman remember that day when the ruling nations of the world paid homage to the African woman.
A Queen! A Queen! A Queen of Queens was crowned that day, Hear what I say.
Empress Menen’s coronation has taken us out of the dust where wicked men placed us to be trampled on by everyone. Long Live the Queen!
The Ethiopian race is saved, The Ethiopian race is preserved, The Queen Mother is crowned.
So come mek we commemorate, come mek we celebrate the crowning of the Mother and the birth of the daughter.
A tiny look into my background and persona. It’s conversational style so don’t kill me for the structures of these sentences lol. I was just thinking back on old kid things and explanations of present characteristics… Enjoy!
I think it’s beautiful to look back on your childhood while you’re still young and remember the small details of it. If you ask anyone who knows me well they would tell you I love almost all film and I love reading books that appeal to me and I enjoy taking or being in pictures. It’s amazing to realize I had been this person since I was a child. I moved to America when I was about 5 years old and I did not know how to speak English and I remember being confused in school. I hated it; In my country I was considered very smart because I knew how to read and write decently at an extremely young age and I was always praised for it, and coming to an English speaking country really set me back. I hated the feeling of not knowing what was going on around me so I watched a lot of television and spent a lot of time at libraries. By the next year I had achieved my goal and was even able to skip 1st grade. Which was awesome but kind of annoying because no second grader wanted a 6 year old in their class. I’ve always felt like I was gifted in some areas and totally lacking in others. I really enjoy the way I understand literature and what imagery means to me but I can’t do normal things like swim or ride a bike. You know? I wore diapers at night for a while because I had bad bladder control, things like that. But I loved art.
I think having the privilege of growing up in New York City was a blessing because it shaped my vision and my appreciation of beauty. I come from a traditional Dominican household except with a single mother so it wasn’t the most luxurious experience but I think I prefer it that way. I lived in an area called Washington Heights and went to school right across the street so I was rarely exposed to the other parts of the city, but when I was, you could tell how excited I got. Every Sunday my family and I would go to church and then head out somewhere different to eat or to let the kids play at a park. Embarrassing fact? My favorite getaway in New York was a Wendy’s fast food restaurant. I thought it was so amazing and exclusive, I used to beg to go there every time I did something good at school or anything. I still love Wendy’s. The biggest thing for me as a child was how I spent my weekends.
I spent most with these boys my grandmother babysat, they’re like my brothers; I think being around boys so much affected me because I never had a chance to be a girly girl, my mom isn’t like that at all, so when I was able to I really went all out. I love(d) modeling and dancing and putting outfits together and having my mom take pictures of me like I was a superstar. My favorite picture is one where I styled myself with a jean jacket and the matching pants, these strappy sunflower sandals, and a ponytail with messy bangs, and I remember planning with my mom to go out when it was the sunniest because I thought my hair looked best in the sun. I have that picture on my wall behind my mirror so even as I get older and go through different looks I can always have the genuine decisions of wanting to look like that as a kid.
When I was about 7 yrs old my cousin married this girl who became really close to my family and was eventually trusted with taking me out on the weekends. That’s when my personality truly developed. We’d always plan to go do the same thing, go to a movie and eat afterwards. Living the lifestyle I did back then didn’t really give mom as many opportunities to shape my exposure to media culture as she would have liked, so I really appreciate her letting me experience that with someone else. I will always remember the first day we went out together. We took the subway and she bought our tickets for Chicken Run (2000). We had some time to kill before it started so we went to a library that was nearby and I lost myself in there. I felt like I had died and went to nerd kid heaven lol. I went through the children’s section as fast as I could before we left. It really left an impression on me. We saw the movie, which I loved. That was the first time I had been in a movie theater and I really liked the feeling of all these people coming together to share this one thing. A room full of strangers who if one day ran into each other would all have that experience in common. Anyways, she began taking me to more movies and I spent more time at libraries and it was the thing I looked forward to most. For my 11th birthday I only got 2 gifts and I was ecstatic. I got Mean Girls and The Lizzie McGuire movies on DVD. Best birthday ever.
The whole point of me telling all this is just to express how the most random activities as a kid have shaped my mind as an adult now. And it really keeps me cautious of what I expose myself to whether it be music, movies, fashion, or literature wise, because I know these things will go on to affect me when I’m older and even my children. I try to make sure it’s all beautiful or hilarious or amazing to me.
Caribbean people, of all races, became Caribbean in the painful crucible of Western capitalism and the racism on which it was built. Understanding the implications of those realities constitutes a formidable challenge not only for self-understanding but is a pre-condition for constructing alternatives for our future.
