You can’t miss him. He’s the man behind the stand with all the herbs and plants and people all around. Like many Mauritians and tourists do, we headed to the Central Market to meet Jay Mootoosamy.
For renowned French author Voltaire, “the art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease.” Nature, however, needs time. If you ask Jay Mootoosamy, he’ll convince you that his medicinal plants require a full 28-day lunar cycle to work their magic.
After having greeted his clients with a smile, Jay Mootoosamy gets down to business. What are they suffering from? What are the symptoms? “It is important for me to know what ailment the person is suffering from, so as to offer the appropriate treatment. There is no miracle. Good habits and the right medicinal plants will give the best results,” he says.
His vast knowledge of medicinal plants is a family heritage, transmitted from father to son for four generations. That and his pharmaceutical training allow him to collect medicinal plants in the country’s forests and mountains, and concoct an array of herbal teas.
Lemongrass, eucalyptus and baume de l’île Plate are a few of the numerous plants whose secrets he has come to know.
“We work with some sixty plants. In my forefathers’ days, they had around 600 different plant species. The times have changed however, and many plants have disappeared,” he adds.
He himself doesn’t know if someone will succeed him in his work. But as long as Jay Mootoosamy sets up his stand at the Central Market, he will have the herbal tea you need.
A cure for every ill
Something to help you slim down, sleep better or fight stomach inflammation, kidney stones, renal conditions, asthma, diabetes, psoriasis… and even something to boost your sex drive. Whatever it is you are suffering from, the odds are you will find what you need at Jay Mootoosamy’s stand. He’ll even mail it to you if you want to continue the treatment once you’re back home.
Map
