Chidubem Okwuo

I grew up in the rural village where herbs are considered to be sacred and as such only the so called “Dibie”- Native doctors, herbalist are meant to administer it. Some hold the idea that some plants are mobile in nature and as such they can uproot themselves and travel and afterwards come back to their original locations. All these are myths that are not verified but people have been made to believe the myths due to what the herbalist wants to protect and hide from the general public to scare them not to venturing into the knowledge of herbs.

In my village precisely in Africa, due to these beliefs that herbs should only be used when the gods are consulted and given approvals, It made the practice of herbalism limited to few individuals. Some also say that herbs speak and unless you possess the ability to hear them, you will not know what they are used for.

I also believed during my days in the village that the use of herbs is only meant for the Native doctors coupled with the fact that these native doctors are also involved in rituals and consultation of spirits, I also believed that the stories and ideas behind herbs as they say it was true. But I have come to know that such herbs usage has no association with consultations of spirits. In my family, there used to be different kinds of plants around the compound and most of them are planted by my father. Some looked odd and some have no usefulness so far as I know. The climate favoured plants and almost in raining season you are bound to be surrounded with diverse species of herbs which we were taught in school to be called weeds and so they are unwanted and we are never told that they are important in the healing of sicknesses.

I think the adoption of herbalism in schools will help to understand that these green vegetation are not just there for nothing but have been created to do a job for humanity waiting for humanity to explore them. Most times I saw my father pounding the root of Moringa Oleifera and wrapping it with “Ogirisi” leaves. At another time, he will be inhaling some roots at intervals to combat cough, cold and catarrh. Sometimes he will go and get the leaves of “Utasi” and chew and another time another type of herb. All these were not my concern and never attracted me since he will give us Acetamorfen for fever or some antimalarial drugs when malaria symptoms manifests. My distant uncle was known as a native doctor to the core. When you get to his compound, you will immediately notice that the environment is filled with herbs of many colours as well as some diabolical marks and writings over the entrances and a shrine where he does his sacrifices. Since ritualism is synonymous to herbalism in our belief and coming from a religious background as Christian, we are always avoiding to relate with him freely and even condemn the acts. The sites of his worship were also scary but all those don’t mean anything to me as a child. My great-grandfather was also a known herbalist who died at a very old age and did not show any sign of decay for days when keeping corpse in morgue has not been adopted.

Time went by and I left the village for urban settlement and from there have nothing to see in the usage of herbs but also approached any sickness with medical drugs especially antibiotics to the extent that a laboratory technician told me that I am resistant to all available antibiotics in the market. She said that I have abused it. She sought and found out that it was only the early time antibiotics that responds to treatment and she advised that I should be taking much fruits and vegetables. She gave advice that I should concentrate more on diet and lifestyle changes so as to strengthen my immune system to fight off infections on its own.

Today, I can categorically say that i have witnessed the power of herbs in combating diverse kinds of ailment without side effects. My experience with chronic diseases made me to dedicate my time and energy to studying herbs and it has been very interesting to see that herbs are the future line of treatment.