A herbalist is a person who heals using plants. Although some practitioners are also referred to as medical herbalists, these practitioners are not medical professionals. While traditional medicine men are similar to herbalists, they are members of an indigenous community that are well-versed in the magical and chemical properties of various substances (medicines) as well as the rituals used to give them.
Long before modern medicine was established, herbalists and traditional medicine men were the doctors that we had in Africa. These men who know the different types of plants, how they worked, what they were used for, their side effects and even their compositions were revered. Many of them were seen as Gods. Because of their vast knowledge of healing and their claimed( for some) connection to the Gods, most of them were not questioned on their actions. There were others who performed healing rituals claiming that their patients needed spiritual cleansing and if their lives were lost, they would simply say " it is the will of the Gods" when in reality the nature of the illness was not understood by the medicine man.
It was easier for our people to trust these herbalists and medicine men because they didn't understand how these plants work, the famous saying: knowledge is power, and indeed power was given to them. They were as important as kings.
The practise of traditional medicine dates back to 60,000 years ago and it was most popular in Africa and Asia. It was also very effective but considered unsanitary and unsafe in some communities. The under civilised regions of Africa made use of herbalists and medicine men more so than the others and it wasn't until colonisation before herbalists and medicine men were frowned upon
By the time most African countries gained their independence the white men had opened their eyes to modern medicine but some communities remained faithful to traditional medicines and their herbalists. The acceptance of modern medicine was slow as many Africans stayed faithful to their traditions but with the help of education and knowledge many began to understand and accept modern medicine. The numbers of herbalists and traditional medicine men began to drop and the few that remained went into hiding as their practices were now frowned upon.
Many herbalists and traditional medicine men have now evolved into farmers or pharmacists. It is believed that pharmacy is a much more refined way of using nature to heal people all the while earning a lot of money from it, compared to how traditional men and herbalists practised it.
The early man believed that whatever illness that assailed him is due to violation of rules and taboos of his society. These beliefs are deeply rooted and contribute to his daily life , lack of rain , bad harvest , ailments , diseases and other life grievances are attributed to the god(s) wrath and anger . All these are believed to be reversible when sacrifices are made for atonement, consequent changes are noted which further ingrained these beliefs , whether these events are coincidences or the god(s) truly came to the rescue cannot be outrightly disputed .
According to Webster dictionary, an herbalist is a person who practices healing by the use of herbs. A significant percentage of the world's population rely on the ability and services rendered by traditional healers .
Shamans are some of the earliest herbalists , they are the indigenous doctors or as the case may be ,the medicine keepers of the tribe . They are known for their trances and ability to see beyond the earthly realm to the spirit world . Shamans communicate with deities of the tribe in order to heal their people and their land. Also , they are perceived as the messenger of god(s) through which the gods show vision and reveal insights on the world around them .
These patterns persist in many cultures of the world and the customs are passed down orally from one generation to another to be taken up by a progeny , relative or anyone with the gifts to do these things . Until man began to study and observe that sicknesses and diseases that affect man are not as a result of the gods being angry but merely an imbalance in the internal body system . A German physicist put forward that the human body is a whole system with ability to maintain homeostasis and a breach in the immune system brings about sickness with signs and symptoms . Before man realized the medicinal use of herbs , it was mostly for food (spice) and since the few ones known were not recorded but were passed down verbally , it was quite a hurdle to collate information or achieve much as there was secrecy and little to no information had on the existing ones .
Following the development of writing system , there was a noticeable improvement in the field as texts could be written and exchanged to further research. As herbs were not planted but rather grow wildly to be discovered by trial and error method , popular herbs and their uses were known to the public but then there were wise men and women with extensive knowledge of herbs that rendered services to the community they reside . These individuals for their vast knowledge to identify medicinal plants and their uses become the community healer . They are another set of herbalists without the supernatural fanfare ,but are rather skilled in implementing herbal plants to heal and cure diseases .
Herbalists have a way of blending cultural traditions and botanical plants for wellness of everyone and the name "herbalist" does not connote evil or dark powers as portrayed in movies . As it is in many cultures of the world , the independence on traditional healers is profound and absolute simply because they are seen as a sage , an empath , a healer , a skilled , versatile and vast source of insights rendering solutions to health care problems.
Nowadays , there are ethno medical practitioners who combine their knowledge of herbal and traditional medicine with the western medicine to deal with the healthcare system of their community . Herbalists were the first doctors , they were able to cure many diseases even before synthetic chemistry came to be and make personalized prescription to patients .
Moreover , the Yorubas say " ogberi o gbodo mawo " which simply means that the business of being in this field is established on secrecy and should not be let known to the non– initiates as it is the oldest profession of man . In Nigeria , herbalists are addressed by different name according to varying tribes , "babalawo" is what the Yoruba tribe know them as , Igbos call them "dibia" and they are addressed as "boka" in Hausa.
Herbalism is deeply rooted and it is a pioneer of every medicine known to man now . Despite many attempts to put an end to its use , it is still widely used and in high demand due to its accessible and affordable health resources . The gradual changes and improvement over the centuries has been all worth it , from carved drawings to few hundreds recorded texts but now there are academies and school of thoughts dedicated to studying and discovering new plants for Man's use.
Long before modern medicine was established, herbalists and traditional medicine men were the doctors that we had in Africa. These men who know the different types of plants, how they worked, what they were used for, their side effects and even their compositions were revered. Many of them were seen as Gods. Because of their vast knowledge of healing and their claimed( for some) connection to the Gods, most of them were not questioned on their actions. There were others who performed healing rituals claiming that their patients needed spiritual cleansing and if their lives were lost, they would simply say " it is the will of the Gods" when in reality the nature of the illness was not understood by the medicine man.
It was easier for our people to trust these herbalists and medicine men because they didn't understand how these plants work, the famous saying: knowledge is power, and indeed power was given to them. They were as important as kings.
The practise of traditional medicine dates back to 60,000 years ago and it was most popular in Africa and Asia. It was also very effective but considered unsanitary and unsafe in some communities. The under civilised regions of Africa made use of herbalists and medicine men more so than the others and it wasn't until colonisation before herbalists and medicine men were frowned upon
By the time most African countries gained their independence the white men had opened their eyes to modern medicine but some communities remained faithful to traditional medicines and their herbalists. The acceptance of modern medicine was slow as many Africans stayed faithful to their traditions but with the help of education and knowledge many began to understand and accept modern medicine. The numbers of herbalists and traditional medicine men began to drop and the few that remained went into hiding as their practices were now frowned upon.
Many herbalists and traditional medicine men have now evolved into farmers or pharmacists. It is believed that pharmacy is a much more refined way of using nature to heal people all the while earning a lot of money from it, compared to how traditional men and herbalists practised it.
The early man believed that whatever illness that assailed him is due to violation of rules and taboos of his society. These beliefs are deeply rooted and contribute to his daily life , lack of rain , bad harvest , ailments , diseases and other life grievances are attributed to the god(s) wrath and anger . All these are believed to be reversible when sacrifices are made for atonement, consequent changes are noted which further ingrained these beliefs , whether these events are coincidences or the god(s) truly came to the rescue cannot be outrightly disputed .
According to Webster dictionary, an herbalist is a person who practices healing by the use of herbs. A significant percentage of the world's population rely on the ability and services rendered by traditional healers .
Shamans are some of the earliest herbalists , they are the indigenous doctors or as the case may be ,the medicine keepers of the tribe . They are known for their trances and ability to see beyond the earthly realm to the spirit world . Shamans communicate with deities of the tribe in order to heal their people and their land. Also , they are perceived as the messenger of god(s) through which the gods show vision and reveal insights on the world around them .
These patterns persist in many cultures of the world and the customs are passed down orally from one generation to another to be taken up by a progeny , relative or anyone with the gifts to do these things . Until man began to study and observe that sicknesses and diseases that affect man are not as a result of the gods being angry but merely an imbalance in the internal body system . A German physicist put forward that the human body is a whole system with ability to maintain homeostasis and a breach in the immune system brings about sickness with signs and symptoms . Before man realized the medicinal use of herbs , it was mostly for food (spice) and since the few ones known were not recorded but were passed down verbally , it was quite a hurdle to collate information or achieve much as there was secrecy and little to no information had on the existing ones .
Following the development of writing system , there was a noticeable improvement in the field as texts could be written and exchanged to further research. As herbs were not planted but rather grow wildly to be discovered by trial and error method , popular herbs and their uses were known to the public but then there were wise men and women with extensive knowledge of herbs that rendered services to the community they reside . These individuals for their vast knowledge to identify medicinal plants and their uses become the community healer . They are another set of herbalists without the supernatural fanfare ,but are rather skilled in implementing herbal plants to heal and cure diseases .
Herbalists have a way of blending cultural traditions and botanical plants for wellness of everyone and the name "herbalist" does not connote evil or dark powers as portrayed in movies . As it is in many cultures of the world , the independence on traditional healers is profound and absolute simply because they are seen as a sage , an empath , a healer , a skilled , versatile and vast source of insights rendering solutions to health care problems.
Nowadays , there are ethno medical practitioners who combine their knowledge of herbal and traditional medicine with the western medicine to deal with the healthcare system of their community . Herbalists were the first doctors , they were able to cure many diseases even before synthetic chemistry came to be and make personalized prescription to patients .
Moreover , the Yorubas say " ogberi o gbodo mawo " which simply means that the business of being in this field is established on secrecy and should not be let known to the non– initiates as it is the oldest profession of man . In Nigeria , herbalists are addressed by different name according to varying tribes , "babalawo" is what the Yoruba tribe know them as , Igbos call them "dibia" and they are addressed as "boka" in Hausa.
Herbalism is deeply rooted and it is a pioneer of every medicine known to man now . Despite many attempts to put an end to its use , it is still widely used and in high demand due to its accessible and affordable health resources . The gradual changes and improvement over the centuries has been all worth it , from carved drawings to few hundreds recorded texts but now there are academies and school of thoughts dedicated to studying and discovering new plants for Man's use.
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