RAS MOSES WILL BE CELEBRATING his 70th birthday this year a picture of good health. He says it is all about how he treats his body; what he puts into it.
Born George Jackman, the Rastafarian follows a vegan diet and says he uses local herbs to heal, cleanse and protect his body.
He boasts of knowing over 500 herbs found in the Caribbean and their medicinal properties. This knowledge was gained while living with other members of the Rastafarian community at Foster’s Funland on the east coast, or “in the hills”.
There they live close to nature. For 25 years he lived off the land – eschewing clothes and in the natural environment. Hae left that life when he was 53.
Today he is a herbal and botanical healer and educator who makes a variety of products at his Half Moon Fort, St Lucy home. He makes herbal tonics that claim to correct a variety of ailments – tonics for male sexual enhancement, to strengthen the prostate, ease joint pains and back pains, for diabetes and heart problems as well as detox cleansers and repellents.
He is also using the popular moringa – reputedly a miracle plant – to make tea bags.
Ras Moses’ herbal journey started at age 14 when he met a man who said he could heal a dislocated a joint in Ras’ ankle. Eventually Ras Moses gained knowledge himself to heal his own foot. This gave him the impetus to use his knowledge to help others.
“Word got around and people would come to the hills to get help for all types of problems, even tourists would come when the locals bring them.”
Ras Moses boasts that in the hills he was known as the pharmacist, but he would also counsel people on how to approach life in a holistic way.
“When the young people come and they have a sexually transmitted disease, then I have to counsel them too and show them life,” he said.
The herbalist cautioned that not every remedy he offers was for everyone to use, so he educates people on the various herbs available, what they can be used for and how they would interact with the body.
“Everything has to be done in a balance; if it is not balanced you will get confusion. You have to understand that it is an individual thing, because each body is different.
Ras Moses said keeping the body healthy starts with eating the right foods.
“The Almighty is so good that he put all the right fuel for the body here on earth, but we want to eat things because it looks good and it tastes good but it has no vitamins or energies so it leaves the body full of toxins,” he said.
He encourages the consumption of more alkaline food, and most importantly cleansing of the blood.
“If the blood is unclean you will get all types of symptoms and people call them different diseases according to how it manifests but all that is needed is for them to cleanse the blood.”
Ras Moses has called on government to put aside land for growing natural and organic food.
“The [fast] foods that the younger people are eating right now they are not going to live long, I see the diseases that our parents had when they were 69 years old the children are catching at 12 years old,” he said.
Ras Moses added that he studied herbal medicine in Canada under Dr Allan Bortnick. His products are available on Sundays at Holder’s Market, St James where he cultivates a garden to show the different herbs and educate on their properties.
He laments not having the land to do his own herb garden where he can source the materials to create his products. He now travels to places where he knows herbs grow naturally and chemical free.
