 His home is a wooden cabin, painted in a single coat of green and perched at the entrance of the Foster Hall Woods in the eastern parish of St. John. It's noon, yet the cabin is enveloped in a canopy of shade, and one feels as if nature's peace and serenity abide right here - right now.
Surrounding the cabin is a wild garden of trees, flowering shrubs, and small plants. This is the home of Orlando Mayers, a Rastafarian who describes himself as "a botanist, a herbalist and a gardener" and who is better known to the rest of Barbados as Ras Ils (pronounced Ras 'I-els').
Rastafari is an East African religion which promotes the use of natural herbs as medicines, and over the past 20 years Ras Ils has committed himself to learning about the medicinal value of the plants found here in Barbados.
"I was born into a family with ancient African beliefs", says Ras Ils - his long, matted dreadlocks creeping down the back of his dark and slim frame. "This is my mother's ancestral village, and I believe that much of what I know about the herbs and their medicines, is from knowledge that has been passed down in my blood from generations ago."
We step outside, and the close-up beauty of this sprawling wild garden comes alive. The plants look like untamed weeds to the untrained eye, but each has a purpose and a value to the herbalist. "Here we have Mosquito Bush, Duppy Basil, and Wonder of the World," he says, pointing to a collection of shrubs.
"Wonder of the World is also called the Leaf of Life and you can beat the leaf and give it to children to help cure colds. It is also a medicine that can be used to treat heart conditions." The fact is, this plant has even received attention from the scientific medical community, and its medicinal properties are recognised in many regions of the world.
Growing in the shade alongside the cabin's front porch is a low-lying carpet of the Aaron's Beard plant. "This can be used as a salad", explains the herbalist. "It's delicious, and also has medicinal value for treating the symptoms of gout."
The large Poppa Gun tree has hand-like leaves that can be made into a medicine for high blood pressure. And the fruit of the nearby Noni tree, which look like pale, pimpled potatoes, can be made into a juice recommended by the local herbalist for the treatment of some types of breast cancer.
There also grows in this garden the Mexican Poppy, used to combat urinary tract infections, and the large Barbados Aloe - a natural cure for a host of ailments ranging from dandruff to sunburn to haemorrhoids.
Spearmint leaves were once popular, he says, for the making of gripe water for babies, and the aromatic mint and lemon grass leaves were once commonly steeped for teas.
Ras Ils has received a National Award for his environmental achievements, and he currently works with Oschune International to promote organic products and ecological research in Barbados. He is a man of rich and ancient knowledge, and is widely respected in Barbados for his commitment to his cause - to keep the traditions of ancestral medicine alive for generations to come.
Article written in 2004 and compliments of "Ins and Outs of Barbados" Magazine
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