Locustberry is a native plant to Florida that grows throughout the Caribbean. Used for medicinal as well as traditional uses, it can grow as tall as a small tree closer to the Florida Keys or remain smaller as a shrub as it grows in the mainland. Interestingly enough, if seeds are collected from plants closer to the water, these will grow into taller plants than those collected from plants in the mainland!
Locustberry tends to bloom white to pink flowers that turn into brighter reds as they age and have fruits that are both edible to animals and humans.
A beautiful plant with such strong and powerful spiritual abilities. In Santeria, Doncella belongs to the Orisha or deity, Ochun, a river goddess that assists with love and riches as well as the Orisha Eleggua, the gatekeeper between the world of the deities and the physical world that intercedes and aids in opening our roads and removing obstacles.
Doncella is an herb that can be used to attract love and joy just as its flowers do! It is an herb that carries positive energy and vibrations while assiting in boosting self-confidence and being “the center of attention”.
In Palo Mayombe, a diasporic religion in Cuba that arose from the traditions of the Kongo, Doncella is used as a powerful ingredient for love spells and to dominate a lover. A bath is prepared with leaves of the plant, parsley, marjoram, honey and perfume.