Remedies concocted from barks and roots of trees, herbs and plants grown in the Turks and Caicos Islands are referred to as bush medicine. For centuries, the indigenous people passed down the knowledge of the healing properties of local plants and herbs to help cure their ailments. Bush medicine continues to be widely used, especially in Middle and North Caicos. Traditionally, herbs, flowers, plants, barks and roots were boiled down to extract the active ingredients, and then strained or mixed with other extracts. Two of the more popular plants utilized are basil and thyme. Basil, used as a tea, is meant to aid in relieving headaches and calming the nerves. As a bath, it helps to alleviate stress and fatigue, and also acts as a natural deodorant. When prepared as a tea, thyme typically is used as a pain reliever for kidney stones, and also is said to be effective for asthma and whooping cough.
Source: The Department of Economic Planning and Statistics, Turks and Caicos Islands.