Harriott swears by herbal remedy
When Jerome Harriott left Jamaica decades ago for a new life in Florida, he never imagined he would one day return to take up his father's mantle.
His father, the founder of Delightful Garden, had spent 14 years crafting herbal and natural remedies, a tradition Harriott once resisted but now upholds with pride.
But in 2016, when his father's health began to decline, Harriott came back to Junction, St Elizabeth, where the roots of their family's herbal legacy were planted. His intention was to help care for his dad, but during their interactions his father taught him about the healing power of herbs.
"My father wasn't the type to go to doctors, so we had to drag him," Harriott told THE STAR, recalling the man's long battle with colon cancer.
"He had that colon cancer from 2004, and he survived on this for years."
The "this" he refers to includes the very herbs and concoctions he once dreaded as a child.
"I always hated it because it smelled awful," he laughed. "If you've ever gone by a cow pasture and blended that cow pasture with water, that's what it smells like, but the benefits from it are extraordinary."
One of their flagship products is a blend called Aloenoni, a fermented mixture of aloe, noni, and tuna (prickly pear cactus), which Harriott says works as a powerful prebiotic.
"It helps your gut bacteria, helps with acid reflux, blood pressure, and five top non-communicable diseases," he said. "It builds back your immune system to fight those diseases alongside any medication you might be taking."
Another product is Moringa capsules, packed with nutrients from the famed "tree of life." But what sets Delightful Garden apart, Harriott insists, is how their remedies are made.
"All the ingredients are grown right on our farm," he said. "We don't use any herbicides, weedicides, or insecticides and everything is fully organic. We even use rainwater to water the plants. The only machine we use is a mixer but everything else is done by hand," said Harriott, now 58, who also considers himself a walking testimony to their power.
"I had really bad respiratory issues, sleep apnea, high blood pressure. I was borderline diabetic. I had a torn rotator cuff and a crushed disc in my back," he listed. "When I came back, I started taking these, and it changed everything."