Is indigenous health knowledge converging to herbalism? Healing practices among the Meru and the Maasai of the Ngarenyanyuki ward, Northern Tanzania (original) (raw)
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Is indigenous health knowledge converging to herbalism?
Geoforum, 2013
Globalization and cultural interaction, new lifestyles, the diffusion of ''modern medicine'', the transformation of traditional religious practices and beliefs, have profoundly challenged and modified indigenous health systems. This paper questions whether due to these changes traditional healing systems are to some extent converging into ''herbalism'' and losing ties with their original cultural systems.
Tropical Medicine and International Health, 1997
Traditional medicine in Africa is contrasted with biomedicine. Most traditional medical theories have a social and religious character and emphasize prevention and holistic features. Traditional medical practices are usually characterized by the healer's personal involvement, by secrecy and a reward system. Biomedical theory and practice show an almost opposite picture: asocial, irreligious, curative and organ-directed; professional detachment, public knowledge and -until recently -'free of charge'. It is suggested that local communities do not expect that basic health care will improve when traditional healers become integrated into the service. They ask instead for improvement of basic health care itself: more services with better access, more dedication and respect from doctors and nurses, more medicines and personnel. Fieldwork needs to be done at the community level to arrive at a better understanding and assessment of the community's opinion concerning a possible role of traditional medicine in basic health care.
Abstract: This paper is based on the theoretical background of a recent Australian anthropological research project describing persistent use of complementary, alternative and traditional medicine (CAM) by poor people, in a first-world country where CAM is positioned as marginal relative to dominant biomedicine. Studies found CAM’s sidelined status was especially prevalent in context of consumers supporting their own wellbeing while receiving conventional HIV/AIDS treatment. Due to ongoing medicalisation processes, a construed CAM marginality is also extended to traditional medicine use in resource-poor countries in Africa, despite pharmaceuticals often being unaffordable. Anthropological studies describe traditional medicine’s diminished social location in light of cultural considerations, and relevance to issues of poverty and socio-economic development. A growing body of ethnobotanical and laboratory research demonstrates potential uses and effectiveness of traditional indigenous and naturalised African herbs, for allaying hunger and ameliorating serious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, pneumonia, diarrhoea, and other infective, nutritional, and metabolic conditions. Traditional herbs may be protective where reduced dependence on expensive internationally-sourced pharmaceuticals is common, and reinforces the significance of cultural heritage in planning new developmental directions in challenging circumstances. The author acknowledges recent research about African herbal medicines, and suggests traditional herbal medicine is appropriate in African healthcare contexts, whether for treatment, maintenance of wellbeing, or to improve preventative care and health promotion. She highlights its prospective contribution to poverty alleviation and realisation of development goals.
Background: African Traditional Medicine continues to strive and contribute to health care for many indigenous people in Africa. Within this system, Traditional Health Practitioners are the custodians of traditional health, knowledge and practices and play various roles such as counselling and teaching. There are unique ways to name, diagnose, treat, and manage ill-health in African Traditional Medicine, which makes this system unique. However, most concepts are loosely used or translated literally by researchers and scholar without their proper application and contextualization. This study was undertaken to explore and describe how Traditional Health Practitioners define African Traditional Medicine, in their own accord and understanding.Methods: Qualitative, explorative and descriptive design was adopted. Data was collected from eighteen (18) Traditional Health Practitioners who were sampled using snowball technique. Individual semi-structured interviews were done and audio record...
Indigenous Medicine and Traditional Healing in Africa: a Systematic Synthesis of the Literature
Philosophy, Social and Human Disciplines, 2019
Literature on traditional medicine in Africa is diverse and broad but most are country based, regional based or time based. There is the need for a systematic review that focuses on the nature of traditional medicine and its healers, the impact of the changing society on traditional medicine, and an analysis of same based on scholarly literature. African Traditional medicine, a mixture of herbal (physical), mystical (spiritual) and social elements of society, is quite varied but share similarity in its dependence on the socio-cultural and religious indigenous knowledge systems of the people. Indigenous traditional healing in Africa has always been a highly contentious subject matter due to its nature and a source of disagreement between the different colonists and Africans. What has enabled this practice to survive is the secrecy technique employed by the healers as well as the inability or unwillingness of colonial and post-colonial governments to provide a better or sometimes a more advanced alternative. In order to do this synthesis of literature and analyses of same, diverse books and scholarly articles were consulted. Using a purely qualitative method of research, this study does a retrospect cross examination and an analytical review of pertinent literature on traditional medicine and healing in Africa.
Recognition and development of traditional medicine in Tanzania
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2008
The aim of this paper is to trace developments in Traditional Medicine (TM) and legislation concerning conservation and use of biodiversity in Africa, with Tanzania as a case study. Based on field trips, interviews with different actors, site visits, and literature we explored the history, current status, re-establishment, and development of TM. A summary of laws and regulations concerning forests, access and benefit sharing is presented. During the last decade the Government of Tanzania put forth legislation to address national health needs, traditional knowledge, and the resource base for TM (e.g., practitioners, biodiversity). Our findings indicate that TM is the most common form of health care, and that the HIV pandemic has highlighted the need to work across health sectors. New legislation has facilitated this need. In Tanzania TM is experiencing a renaissance in being formally recognized, integrated into mainstream health care, formal establishment of practitioners, and gaining the interests of different sectors. More studies on bioactivity, safety, domestication, and sustainability of use of medicinal plants are needed. Development of TM can also, other than making a significant contribution to health care and livelihoods, provide income possibilities. It is however yet to be seen if the recent regulations can be made fully operational and implemented.
The Place of Traditional Medicine in the African Society: The Science, Acceptance and Support
American Journal of Health Research, 2014
Traditional medicine (TM) has been described by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the surest alternative means to achieve total health care coverage of the world's population. In most African societies, traditional medicine plays an important role in the lives of millions who cannot access western medicine. In some areas, TM is part of the first set of response mechanisms for medical emergencies whilst in others the whole health system of the community is hinged on medicines rooted in local practice and belief. Although the relevance and values of TM is begining to gain recognition, African traditional medicine (ATM) still faces some challenges which underscore its scrutiny. This paper thus analyses the issue of science, acceptance and support for successful implementation of ATM and present the contemporary measures that are being taken to raise its standard to the level of western medicine.
Traditional Medicine in Contextual African Society: On-Going Challenges
Open Access Journal of Oncology and Medicine
The role of traditional medicine in contextual African society cannot be overemphasized. Due to the less financial implication on the part of patients(s) patronizing the medicine to treat a particular ailment. In recent time, attention by government and relevant stakeholders in the health sectors in African tend to shift their compendium effort to improve modern health medicine, this has yielded little effort. In light of this a greater percentage of African population still resorts to traditional medicine due to the less financial implication and accessibility. Over the years, traditional African medicine seems to face some ongoing challenges. It is due to these recurring mitigating challenges that this paper intend to explore and map-out modalities to surmount the challenges. The challenges farfetched by the researcher were lack of usage of information communication technology (ICT), lack of adequate funding, lack of sufficient awareness, religion/cultural interference, unethical practices, deforestation of plant medicine. Similarly, way forwards out the challenges were map-out. It was concluded that, the possible solutions as pointed-out by the researcher if given prior attention will help to remedy the bedeviling challenges facing traditional medicine.
UPINE PUBLISHERS Traditional Medicine in Contextual African Society: On-Going Challenges
The role of traditional medicine in contextual African society cannot be overemphasized. Due to the less financial implication on the part of patients(s) patronizing the medicine to treat a particular ailment. In recent time, attention by government and relevant stakeholders in the health sectors in African tend to shift their compendium effort to improve modern health medicine, this has yielded little effort. In light of this a greater percentage of African population still resorts to traditional medicine due to the less financial implication and accessibility. Over the years, traditional African medicine seems to face some ongoing challenges. It is due to these recurring mitigating challenges that this paper intend to explore and map-out modalities to surmount the challenges. The challenges farfetched by the researcher were lack of usage of information communication technology (ICT), lack of adequate funding, lack of sufficient awareness, religion/cultural interference, unethical practices, deforestation of plant medicine. Similarly, way forwards out the challenges were map-out. It was concluded that, the possible solutions as pointed-out by the researcher if given prior attention will help to remedy the bedeviling challenges facing traditional medicine.
Traditional medicine in sub-Saharan Africa : its importance and potential policy options
1991
This report indicates that about 20 percent of Africans who seek medical care first consult traditional healers. Patients tend to consult modern health care services for infectious or acute diseases, or those for which modern health care has been shown to be highly effective. But patients tend to consult traditional practitioners for chronic diseases, for diseases related to psychological or