Medicinal Farm and Volunteer Work

The Farm
    The Berrocal Sandoval family owns a large and well-known farm located in Zeta 13 near La Fortuna. The owner, Cristina, primarily uses the farm for growing medicinal plants, but also uses it to raise chickens and grow vegetables. In addition to maintaining her farm, Cristina is also part of The Ecological Group of Women Abanico (GEMA). GEMA is an organization that was created to have a community of women who come together and share lessons that were passed down by their mothers and grandmothers on medicinal plants and remedies. To this day, there are 10 women who are part of GEMA and Christina is one of them. On each farm there are approximately 29 different medicinal plants. The women use GEMA’s machinery to package the medicinal herbs and teas to sell them. Christina specializes in making a homemade shampoo through a process she performs right on the farm. The eggs from her chicken coops are used at the local eco-hotel that her sister owns. Christina strives to make the farm as sustainable as she possibly can.














Medicinal Herbs and Uses
    Medicinal plants have been used for centuries to cure diseases as well as relieve physical suffering.

These medicinal herbs are also known to be trophorestorative, which means that they reach to the deepest level of positive energetic qualities and healing. In a study, it was concluded that these medicinal plants actually benefit us by transferring information to our bodies on a genetic level.   Using medicinal plants as medicine rather than modernized medicine is much healthier for the body and brings balance to it. This is because our bodies are more used to natural options than the chemicals we find at a pharmacy.
    The medicinal plants on the farm ranged from plants that could simply help stress and relax you to plants that could relieve the pain on arthritis. Christina explained the taste of each medicinal plant as well as what it can do for you body and how to prepare the herb. Some of the medicinal plants included: Naranjo agrio (Bitter Orange) - used for the brain against altered nerves, insomnia, and headaches;
Hierba Buena (Spearmint) - strengthens the stomach against colic in children and adults; Oregano - condiment that relieves bronchial infections, asthma, and coughs; Malva (Common Mallow) - used as digestive tonic to work against inflammation of tonsils; Salvia Virgen (Salvia) - helps asthma and calms the nerves when it relieves headaches and other sicknesses.




Volunteer Work
 

 


The volunteer work that was participated in was cutting down plants for the chickens, feeding them, and supplying water for them. The plants that were fed to the chickens needed to be cut down with machetes. Once they were cut, four different piles were created which were then tied together to hang within the chicken coop. The plant that was used to feed the chickens holds many nutrients that keep the chickens healthy. With helping hands from the volunteers, feeding and giving water to the chickens was an easy task compared to normal. It was extremely helpful for Christina to have the volunteers because on a regular day she would be doing it alone.

                                                                                                                     AUTHOR: Sierra DiMartino