Despite the availability of mainstream biomedical healthcare in New York City (NYC), community-based ethnomedicine practices remain a low-cost, culturally relevant treatment for many immigrants. Previous urban ethnobotany research in NYC has established that several Caribbean communities continue using medicinal plants for women’s health after immigration. This study sought to address to what extent: (1) NYC Haitian women continue using medicinal plants for women’s health after migration; (2) their plants and the conditions treated were similar to those identified in an earlier survey with NYC immigrants from the Dominican Republic. Through an ethnobotanical survey, 100 Haitian women living in NYC and born in Haiti were interviewed about their knowledge of medicinal plants for women’s health conditions. Reported species were purchased based on local names in NYC Haitian stores and markets, vouchered, and identified. Nearly all Haitian women (97%) reported using medicinal plants while living in Haiti. Most Haitian women continued using medicinal plants after coming to the USA (83%). The 14% decrease, although significant (z = 3.3; p = 0.001), was mainly due to logistical difficulties with sourcing plants after recent immigration. Popular medicinal plant species reported were primarily global food plants, re-emphasizing the intertwined food-medicine relationship in Caribbean diasporas. Comparison with data from NYC Dominicans identified childbirth and puerperium, gynecological infections, and vaginal cleansing as priority Haitian women’s health concerns treated with plants. Our findings support the global nature of Caribbean migrant plant pharmacopeia, predominantly centered around food plants and adapted to transnational urban settings. They underscore cultural diversity, dispelling the notion of one uniform traditional knowledge system labeled “Caribbean.” The importance of preventative medicine for women’s health, particularly the regular consumption of “healthy” foods or teas highlights the role food plants play in maintaining health without seeking treatment for a particular condition. Cross-cultural comparisons with other NYC Caribbean immigrants emphasize the importance of conducting ethnobotanical surveys to ground-truth plant use in the community. Such surveys can also identify culture-specific health priorities treated with these plants. Healthcare providers can leverage these insights to formulate culturally relevant and community-tailored healthcare strategies aligned with Haitian women’s health beliefs and needs.

中文翻译：

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纽约市的海地妇女利用全球食品植物来维护女性健康

尽管纽约市 (NYC) 提供主流生物医学医疗保健，但对许多移民来说，基于社区的民族医学实践仍然是一种低成本且与文化相关的治疗方法。纽约市先前的城市民族植物学研究表明，一些加勒比社区在移民后继续使用药用植物来促进妇女健康。本研究试图在多大程度上解决：(1) 纽约海地妇女在移民后继续使用药用植物来维持妇女健康；(2) 他们的植物和处理的条件与早期对来自多米尼加共和国的纽约市移民的调查中发现的相似。通过一项民族植物学调查，我们采访了 100 名居住在纽约并出生在海地的海地妇女，了解她们对药用植物对妇女健康状况的了解。报告的物种是根据纽约市海地商店和市场的当地名称购买的，并有凭证和标识。几乎所有海地妇女（97%）都报告在海地生活时使用过药用植物。大多数海地妇女在来到美国后继续使用药用植物（83%）。14% 的下降虽然显着（z = 3.3；p = 0.001），但主要是由于最近移民后采购工厂的后勤困难。报告的流行药用植物物种主要是全球食用植物，再次强调了加勒比侨民中相互交织的食品与药物关系。与纽约市多米尼加人的数据进行比较，发现分娩和产褥期、妇科感染和阴道清洁是海地妇女使用植物治疗的首要健康问题。我们的研究结果支持加勒比移徙植物药典的全球性，主要以食用植物为中心，并适应跨国城市环境。它们强调文化多样性，消除了标有“加勒比”的统一传统知识体系的概念。预防医学对女性健康的重要性，特别是定期食用“健康”食品或茶，凸显了食用植物在保持健康而不需要针对特定​​病症进行治疗方面所发挥的作用。与其他纽约加勒比移民的跨文化比较强调了对社区植物使用情况进行民族植物学调查的重要性。此类调查还可以确定使用这些植物治疗的特定文化的健康优先事项。医疗保健提供者可以利用这些见解来制定符合海地妇女健康信念和需求的文化相关且适合社区的医疗保健策略。