ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the use of bush and other home remedies amongst Afro-Caribbean women in Britain. It provides the findings which are based on in-depth interviews with thirty-two Afro- Caribbean women living in Hackney. The most frequently mentioned bush was Cerasee. Everyone had heard of this and most women had used it, many regularly. It was clearly 'good' for just about anything and was perceived as both preventative and curative. The cleansing aspect of Cerasee was repeated in many descriptions of home remedies. It is worth turning to some of the most frequently mentioned categories and considering in more detail how home remedies are used. 'Washouts' constituted the most frequently used remedies as well as the longest list of both herbs and proprietary brands and most of the women had, at some point during their lives, used a washout regularly.
