Fultec Systems Harvesting Vervain and Lemon Grass for Public Consumption

Since Monday, Fultec Systems Limited has been giving away free packets containing vervain and lemon grass. The packets are boiled and then you drink it as you would a tea. It is said that the tea helps with several of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 and so today, we found residents taking advantage of the offer, while supplies last. News Five’s Duane Moody went to find out more.

Duane Moody, Reporting

It contains about two hundred and fifty species of annual and perennial herbaceous or semi-woody flowering plants and is found in the wild, but vervain, as it is known, is a slender plant with small, pale lilac flowers borne on leafless spikes.  It is used traditionally by herbalists to treat jaundice, gout, kidney stones, headache, depression, anxiety, and insomnia. A search online says that vervain is also considered an astringent, bitter digestive tonic, and a diuretic. Most recently, it is being used across the world in the form of a tea to help with symptoms associated to the novel coronavirus. Recovered COVID-19 victim, Jenny Bonilla says that a tea made from the herb helped her through to recovery.

Jenny Bonilla

Jenny Bonilla, Recovered COVID-19 Victim

“I took what the hospital recommended, the package that they give you when you go and get tested, but also I used a vervain tea which was a mixture of the vervain, the yellow ginger, garlic and honey and also some cayenne pepper and that was what I medicated myself with for the time that I was out with COVID.  I think it was very soothing to the fact that I had a sore throat as part of the symptoms of COVID-19 and it was very soothing whenever I drank it.  It helped a lot.”

Over the weekend, Fultec Systems Limited harvested a bunch of vervain and lemon grass, commonly known as fever grass, and began packaging them off.  They are providing it free of cost to the public at their branches on Coney Drive in Belize City and Macaw Street in Belmopan – one package per household as long as supply lasts.

Patricia Vansen, Senior Sales Executive, Fultec Systems Ltd.

“We decided that we wanted to do something to give back to our community and to people suffering from COVID-19. And so since we had access to both the vervain, locally known as vervain, as well as the lemon grass, we decided to harvest them and package them and given them back to people who are in need of it. In reference to the vervain, those grow wild and I think a lot of people don’t realise the magnitude or how helpful it is and so we reap them. We actually had access to the lemon grass at Kiki Witz. And so we did both and we packaged them off and get them prepared for customers.”

Nadine Nembhard

The contents of the packet are boiled in water and you drink it as you would a tea.  Today, a number of persons stopped in at the Belize City office having found out about what was going on.

Nadine Nembhard, Resident, Belize City

“I saw a little commotion here and I saw some good looking stuff and I paid attention and I realised it was Fultec giving away fever grass and I said wow, I was amazed that that was happening. To tell yo di truth, I no really grow up on much of the traditional medical stuff, but I know fi sure I does drink serosi but I never like taste it. So I neva look fi any type of thing to drink. But I know my family mi di tell me about the fever grass during the COVID-19 and I think it scarce if I noh mistaken because I have family members weh di look for it right now to send to foreign, to the U.S.”

Patricia Vansen

Patricia Vansen

“You don’t need to purchase anything in the store. It is actually available for free; we have it at our security booth at both branches in Belize City and in Belmopan. You just need to come and request one at no charge.”

Duane Moody for News Five.