As the old state apothecary loses its purpose, a nearby parish hands out medicines free of charge to sick people who cannot find them
14ymedio, Sancti Spíritus, Mercedes García, November 1, 2026 / The old ceramic jars still sit in their place behind the wooden display cases, as if nothing had changed at the historic natural medicine pharmacy in Sancti Spíritus. On the counters, however, where for decades neighbors came looking for passionflower, linden and other traditional remedies, small plastic containers of shampoo, hair dye, peroxide and detergent are now lined up. The apothecary retains its centuries-old appearance, but it has lost what gave its existence meaning: the medicines.
Located at number 38 South, Máximo Gómez Street, opposite the Iglesia Parroquial Mayor and very close to the Hostal del Rijo, the establishment occupies a building constructed in the 18th century. Its stone floors, its large dark-wood cabinets and its porcelain containers are part of a heritage that has survived the passage of time, though not the deterioration of pharmaceutical services.
“This pharmacy has always been here, for as long as I can remember, with natural products that were in demand among the population,” a neighbor who regularly came to buy passionflower and linden for her mother tells 14ymedio. After finding the premises closed on several occasions, she managed to get in this week and discovered that the remedies she was looking for were no longer there.
“Now they sell products that seem to be criollo (domestically made and artisanal), like shampoo, hair dye, peroxide, detergents and mosquito repellent lotion,” she explains. The woman also points to the way the goods are presented, in small plastic bottles with rudimentary labels. “I have nothing against them selling those things, but losing access to natural medicines is something I don’t like at all,” she laments.
The photographs taken by this newspaper show long rows of blue, yellow and white containers on the pharmacy’s old furniture. Behind them, protected by glass cases, sit the ceramic vessels with inscriptions recalling the names of plants and medicinal preparations. Some shelves are practically empty. The traditional jars seem to have been left behind as decorative pieces in a business that now offers other merchandise.
The transformation is especially striking given the building’s history. A heritage guide to the city notes that the building was restored in 1986 and fitted out as a green medicine pharmacy, with furnishings inspired by the town’s old apothecaries. The recovery of traditional medicines was expressly listed among the objectives of that restoration.
The case of Sancti Spíritus is not unique on the island. In September 2026, the Peralta Pharmacy, in Holguín, had also been turned into a sort of variety store, with private products sold on consignment and barely a handful of medicines available. One customer who went there looking for drugs found that the offering came down to a few bottles of eye drops.
The disappearance of natural remedies has been underway in Cuba for some time. In July 2025, a pharmacy in Matanzas presented a similar picture of empty shelves. “They have no bottles, they have nothing,” a customer summed up at the time, recalling the days when the establishment itself used to make its own preparations.
In September 2024, the pharmaceutical authorities in Camagüey acknowledged the difficulties in obtaining garlic, onion, oregano, aloe vera, sugar and alcohol, as well as imported raw materials essential for making syrups, extracts and creams. The collapse of agricultural production had ended up affecting even the remedies that for years were promoted as an alternative to industrial medicines.
The irony is greater in Sancti Spíritus, where, just a few steps from this old pharmacy, the Catholic Church distributes medicines free of charge to patients who cannot find them in state establishments. Every Saturday, chronically ill people and their relatives come to the parish with their prescriptions in search of treatments for hypertension, diabetes and other ailments. Anyone who walks into the Máximo Gómez apothecary today looking for a remedy to relieve a headache may leave, at best, with nothing but a bottle of shampoo.
Translated by GH.
______________________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.