Cuba's green revolution: the balm to the Achilles heel of Castro's Revolution

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  August-Sept, 2004  by Geoff D'Arcy

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Looking out across the organic medicinal herb farm in the Pinar del Rio province of Cuba, I am intoxicated by the scent from endless rows of German chamomile, calendula, and Japanese mint. This state-run 200-acre organic farm, known as the "Vinca Provincial Plantes Medicinal," grows medicinal herbs used by the Cuban Ministry of Public Health for distribution throughout pharmacies, hospitals and clinics in the Cuban healthcare system. This is one of the largest medicinal herb farms in the 14 provinces of Cuba, and, according to its director, Sergio Travieso Sanchez, this farm and many others like it are growing by 20 to 25% a year.

Beginning in 1990, Raul Castro, brother of Fidel Castro, wanted to rescue the Cuban tradition of herbal medicine to provide natural medicines for its healthcare system. The immaculately maintained farm has grown from a modest four crops in its first year to a spectacular 45 crops in 2003, and has continued to grow with a small staff of only 45 workers and with no machinery. (By government mandate, only oxen are permitted for use in the fields.) As I watched the soft crimson sunset bathe the fields in a golden light, I could almost feel the purity of the herbs and the power of their medicinal value.

This State farm has to be independently profitable; its main contracts come from the Ministry of Health. The major herbs grown for use by the Ministry this season include oregano, calendula, Japanese mint, German chamomile, aloe vera, eucalyptus, banana leaves, and turmeric. Director Sanchez tells us they have two seasons that are carefully planned around the Ministry's crop requirements. He hopes that with more land and the possibility of using machinery in the fields, he may be able to keep up with the growth and success of his country's "green medicine" (medicine verde) revolution.

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Green medicine in Cuba is not a gentle holistic trend, but born of the stark reality of economic collapse, as pharmacy and hospital shelves became empty of expensive pharmaceutical drugs. For the last ten years, the Cuban government has endorsed and aggressively promoted the cost-effective medicine provided by herbs, homeopathy and acupuncture.

Before the economic crises of 1990-92, Cuba had a "sweet" sugar deal with the Soviet trading bloc, which virtually turned the island into Russia's sugar "plantation." From 1960 to 1990, Cuba was highly dependent on the Soviet bloc, importing petroleum, pharmaceuticals, equipment, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and food (even importing up to 57% of its calories). Amazingly, the sweet deal with Soviet trading bloc had made it cheaper for Cuba to export sugar and import all of its basic foods.

Then in 1990 came the political and economic implosion of the Soviet Bloc and Cuba's sweet sugar deal turned really sour. Almost overnight, Cuba lost five billion dollars' worth of Soviet support, and its Soviet-style agriculture, with its heavy use of chemicals, ground to a halt. The Torricelli Act further tightened the screws of an already existing US trade embargo, curtailing shipments of food and medical supplies from subsidiaries of American companies. Food was scarce, pharmacy shelves were empty, and there was little fuel for transportation. Life got tougher when, during the hot, humid Cuban summer, only a few hours of electricity per day were allowed to run fans and refrigerators.

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Cuba's response to the "Special Period" was already bubbling under the surface of its culture. In medicine, acupuncture training was already established in military hospitals. In rural areas, the use of herbal medicine was growing, and in agricultural communities, young scientists were agitating for less dependence on agrochemical imports and wanting to explore organic farming techniques. This crisis, caused by financial dependence on the Soviets and importation of food and medicine, was the unforeseen weak-spot in the Revolution, and ironically is what turned it "green." The green revolution in agriculture and medicine, along with tourist dollars, has become the healing balm to the "Achilles heel" of Castro's Revolution.

In 1995, under the direction of Dr. Leoncio Padron Caceres, within the Ministry of Public Health, the new Office of Natural and Traditional Medicine was created. Dr. Padron is committed to an accelerated program of growth for the development of holistic medicine, as well as its integration with conventional medicine. Throughout Cuba, each neighborhood has what is called a "green pharmacy," where alternative medicines, which compensate for unaffordable pharmaceuticals, are made and sold. Doctors write prescriptions for medicines like oregano extract (used to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures), and 'Imefarma,' a traditional Cuban herbal formula for asthma, that is made from eucalyptus and banana leaves.

Green medicine has taken hold in a healthcare system dominated by a scientific approach. Physicians and nurses are now offered four-year specialty training in Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as two-year master's programs and various courses and seminars for the "barefoot doctor" approach, all taught by expert doctors from China, North Korea and Vietnam.