Imagine this story appearing in the news headlines in the near future:“Once, not too long ago, psychoactive substances were seen as a threat to society; now, scientists are scrambling to find out how a traditional African psychoactive medicine called ubulawu can open ones intuitive capacity and self awareness. This in the face of an epidemic […]
“Imphepho (the flowers of the everlasting family Helichrysum), is an important and widely used plant as a ritual incense in South African traditional medicine. Bundles of the dried flowers are often seen on the medicinal plant markets in Johannesburg where they are sold to the public and to healers alike. The dried flowers and stems […]
Jean-Francois Sobiecki* Khanyisa Healing Gardens Organization, Johannesburg, South Africa *Corresponding author: Jean-Francois Sobiecki, Khanyisa Healing Garden NPO, Johannesburg, South Africa. E-Mail: phytoalchemist@gmail.com Abstract Much has been written on how Ayahuasca heals and its role in shamanic healing. Yet, there appears to be a broad lack of attention in the West to the role of […]
Many people think alternative medicine is quackery and those into alternative medicine are often seen with some scepticism as being different or weirdo’s by some people. But this is probably because Alternative is a poor word used to describe what should mostly be equated to Holistic medicine, (that is those treatments that can show for […]
Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus): The Andean Antibiotic Flower. Did you know…That nasturtium is an Andean (South American) plant in origin and was used by the Andean people as a wound healing plant and as an expectorant (helps clear phlegm with coughing) for sinus, coughs or blocked nose infections. It is a very good herb for sore throats and so […]
The use of psychoactive plants in southern African traditional medicine has been a neglected area of ethnobotanical research. However, recent reviews have demonstrated the significance of psychoactive plant medicines in the healing practices of the southern African traditional healers, and ethnopharmacological studies indicate numerous species of southern African plants with psychotro- pic activity for treating […]
By Jean-Francois Sobiecki B.Sc. (Hons) Ethnobotany Most people commonly think of psychoactive substances as “drugs”. Yet, most of the foods we put into our bodies affect or modify how we think, feel and behave, which is the definition of what a psychoactive substance is. For example, milk and rooibos are psychoactive substances that both have […]