For the past six years, my husband and I have been exploring the medicinal herbs of Nicaragua. Talking to the locals hasn't helped much as the knowledge seems to be lost. There's one fella on local radio that claims to be the Nica expert, but considering what comes outa' his mouth sometimes, I expect he's more hype than fact.

We have scoured books and the internet, scoured the local landscape, spent hours on wild goose chases, and done some experimenting of our own. I can finally say that we have made some success towards reaching our goal of a good understanding of Centra American medicinal herbs.

Here are some of the herbal plants that we use to keep us happy and healthy, as well as to help out some of our poorer neighbors who can't afford to go to the doctor and pay for prescriptions (although they are ridiculously cheap compared to prices in the US).

Four O'Clock roots treat mosaic virus in tomatoes.

Canna roots cure athlete's foot.

Aceituno cures malaria and influenza.

Cola de Alacrán treats allergies and has replaced aspirin in my medicine chest.

Guapinol bark is a caffeine-free stimulant.

Guava leaves cure dysentery.

Hoja Santa leaves get rid of ticks and head lice.

Lemon Grass soothes sore throats.

Mexican Tarragon cures hangovers.

Trumpet tree leaves dry secretions and work instantly on a runny nose.

Wormwood cleanses the liver.

Epazote (in bloom on left and pictured center as well) kills intestinal parasites, anamu (pictured top right) kills cancer, and broadleaf plantain heals wounds.

There are several other local plants we harvest for medicinal cures, mostly trees growing nearby like the guacimo and cashew, but there's much more to learn. There's never a boring day in Nicaragua!