Natural herbs have no side effects and are less expensive than Western-based medication
Thabo Mohlala
The rapid spread of Aids, combined with the expense and difficulty in obtaining Western medicine, is forcing more people to consult traditional healers in search of a cure. But do the government and other players in the medical fraternity appreciate their role? Put differently, are there any concrete measures in place to benefit from their rich stock of knowledge of the healers and from their cures for a variety of illnesses, including the deadly Aids?
Prudence Mabele (30) is among the growing number of Aids sufferers who believe traditional herbs have medicinal properties that could help in the search for an Aids cure. She says that ever since she started taking traditional medicines she has regained her appetite and has even improved physically.
It was while studying for a diploma in electrical engineering at the Peninsula Technikon in 1991 that Mabele was diagnosed with the virus, putting paid to her dreams of being one of the few women trailblazers. “I was still young then and brimful of ideas of what I would do when I finished my studies. But when it dawned on me that I have Aids I was so traumatised.”
Her situation was made even worse as the institution, ill-equipped at the time to deal with her condition, showed her the door. But she was fortunate as “I got support from virtually every one I interacted with, starting from my family, friends, members of my church and just about everyone who came to know about my situation.”
Why did she turn to traditional healers, whose methods of treatment were not only perceived as obscure but also unscientific? “Because traditional healers use natural herbs, which do not have side effects. They are also readily available.”
She says she “pays as little as R50 to get traditional medicine, while I have to spend thrice the amount to get Western-based medications. Traditional herbs have sharpened my appetite and also rid my system of foreign substances.” Perhaps more importantly, “I find traditional healers to be more genuine, humane and caring than some of the nurses in the government hospitals and clinics who display this uncaring, arrogant attitude to Aids sufferers.”
However “this will not preclude me from using any stuff whatsoever that has been proven to prolong life”.
Mabele is spot on. For a wide range of these potions are readily available on the market. Traditional healers who sell them are careful not to describe them as cures but as something that can boost the immune system by clearing toxins from the body. In fact, before prescribing, they try to establish the extent of the illness.
Prescription is followed by clear and specific instructions on how to administer each one of the substances they give out. One of these is the African potato, which you cook, add sugar or salt and then drink the liquid; another is mbiza, a concoction sold in different quantities, depending on how much a buyer needs. And there are many more. All of these share common ingredients that are believed to stabilise the body to deal with opportunistic illnesses.
Mabele says traditional healers are doing a fine job; however they need to coalesce and work as a team so that they are a force to be reckoned with. “This will enable them to have their own laboratories, own land to cultivate herbs, package them properly and even learn something about dosage.”
Good news for Mabele is that such plans are already under way. According to Nomsa Dlamini, the public relations officer of Traditional and Faith Practitioners/ Healers, her organisation has mobilised more than 3 000 traditional healers in Gauteng. She says the “formation of this structure enables the government to deal with us as one entity, as opposed to the fragmented entities that we used to be”.
Dlamini says: “We have been able to foster a strong working relation with the provincial health department and we will extend this to involve other provincial government departments, such as education and arts and culture, to mention two. So far we are the only organised body of traditional/faith practitioners that has a fairly well-equipped space from which to operate. Our wish is to see this replicated in other provinces.”
She says the organisation currently focuses on capacity building and literacy so that members can learn about ethics, code of conduct and counselling to HIV/Aids patients.
The level of enthusiasm shown by the members encourages her. “I can tell you now that since we formed this organisation we have achieved quite a few basic things that we are proud of … Members are also open to acknowledge to clients that they do not have a cure for Aids and it is this candidness that has won them respect from clients.”
Such is the importance they attach to literacy that “some time next year we will build an educational institute where traditional healers will receive formal education and will at the end be rewarded with diplomas”. Dlamini reckons that once traditional healers are literate, they can contribute and interact meaningful with their Western-trained counterparts. “Negotiations are also under way with the Department of Agriculture to purchase a piece of land where we will grow our herbs as well as food gardens.”
Dr Liz Floyd of the Gauteng Department of Health confirms the partnership between her department and the traditional healers. “We have a very strong relationship and, in fact, traditional healers have been active participants and are also one of the members in our Aids Council.
“At local level there is also collaboration between traditional healers and the local clinics. Traditional healers link up with other components of the [broader Aids] programme such as hostel residents, who use dance as a tool to mobilise and educate hostel communities about Aids”. She says most hostel residents still maintain strong links with rural areas and so are able to spread the message to rural communities.
The programme also saw traditional healers touring prisons and the last group they interacted with was the taxi industry. The collaboration, she says, has enabled them to change the public attitude and perception towards the epidemic and traditional healers.
Rebecca Rogerson, one of the few white traditional healers, estimates that about “85% of the African population depends solely on traditional African healers for all health-care needs, with approximately 300 000 practising traditional African healers in South Africa alone, placing them at the forefront in the fight against STDs, HIV and Aids”.
She says often Western-trained medical practitioners scorn the methods used by the traditional healers, but the two should pool their resources and expertise in the best interest of patients.