Proyecto Jardín Community Garden: Traditional Medicine & Health Among Latinx in Boyle Heights

Urban Farm DB summary

This ethnographic dissertation, conducted at Proyecto Jardín community garden in Boyle Heights, California, documents the development of a medicinal garden, its design, and herbal remedy workshops. Based on observations and gardener conversations, it argues that Latinxs at Proyecto Jardín choose herbal modalities for self-reliance and to revive traditional medicine, not solely as alternatives to an inaccessible medical system. The study, though limited to a few participants, highlights the complex interplay of culture, socioeconomic factors, and identity politics in traditional medicine choices, and the garden's function as an informal health education space.