The number of people affected with chikungunya is said to be dropping dramatically. Yet, those bitten by the aedes mosquito several weeks ago might still be feeling its effects. Aching joints are said to last long after the disease has gone from one’s body. And for those who no longer want to have chemical products in their body, there is another solution, said to work as well as traditional medication… You can find this treasure at Nature Verte in Curepipe, a supplier of herbal medicine…

“Many people who have had chikungunya come to the shop after they have heard anti-inflammatory medicines can have side-effects on their health if taken over too long a period,” explains Nicole who has been working in the shop since it opened two years ago. In such cases, Nicole explains the benefits of Harpadol, Bamboosil or blackcurrant capsules; the first one fights the pain, the second one aims at mineralising the joints while blackcurrant is a diuretic, which eliminates the toxins.

Sophie Halbwachs, the shop manager, makes it clear that “plants are not meant to replace medicines. Both methods are useful and plant-based capsules are sometimes only a complement to medicines”. As for chikungunya, for instance, the first symptoms of the disease – most often fever and severe pain – have to be cured with medicines. “But instead of swallowing too many chemical products that can have side-effects, people can then swap to plants,” she further explains.

Nicole gently reminds that, as this is soft medication, the effects might not be felt immediately. The shop manager nevertheless points out that soft medication does not always mean a long process. All this depends on the person and the problems that need to be solved. Because the shop doesn’t sell only capsules against the effects of chikungunya. Nature Verte has products for all diseases that are not considered as “excessively serious”…

After the first shop two years ago, Nature Verte opened a second one near Monoprix in Curepipe last November and intends to have a third one in Port-Louis within a few months. Would this be a sign that the business is doing well? “Even though we opened our first shop just two years ago, we have been in the pharmaceutical sector for 20 years. We were actually placing all our products in pharmacies throughout the island until we finally decided to open our first shop,” explains Sophie Halbwachs. So they did not have much of a problem attracting customers, as many already knew their products.

<B>Warm welcome</B>

Hence, opening her own shop meant much more to Mrs Halbwachs than just providing a few products to customers. The warm welcome and the precious advice Nicole gives to the customers are part of an overall atmosphere, aimed at making them comfortable. You might even be given the ‘instruction book’ of the shop, which is a handbook on herbal medicine with full details on the herb that should be taken for each condition. “This is our bible,” acknowledges Nicole.

With the book in your hand and Nicole next to you to guide you, just go around the cosy shop and make your choice… The wooden furniture and the filtered light add to the charm of the place… You might discover that the thyme that you cultivate in your own garden can cure lung infections or those bad coughs that you catch during this mid-season when winter is starting to show its first signs… But don’t be mistaken! A few leaves are not enough to fight an infection; “you would need a whole cargo of thyme to have the equivalent of what is in a single capsule. It is because the herb is concentrated that it has such a positive effect,” points out Nicole with a broad smile.