For many centuries, long before there was scientific medicine, traditional medicine was born. Cures were available for all sorts of ailments and diseases, ranging from little stomach upsets (now comparable in modern science to dysentery, gastritis, menstrual disorders) to yellow fever, jaundice, hypertension, diabetes, ulcers, among other major illnesses.

Although in those early times many illnesses were associated with witchcraft and demons, the community nevertheless had to discover cures to either save lives or to bring peace of mind among them. To that end, heavy if not total reliance, was placed on herbs, roots, leaves, and other arboreal properties. The other part of the reliance was placed on prayer to God or invocations to specific ancestral spirits, or spirits of the woods.

Gradually the art of traditional medicine became developed into a science, and applied more widely and with greater authority.

Traditional medicine has now therefore increasingly attained greater recognition and pride of place in the world of medicine. Major strides have been recorded in China and India where entire hospitals have been built and dedicated to the practice and promotion of traditional medicine. In Africa, the practice has been long-standing though submerged by the more preferred and advocated Western medicine. In recent times however, the advancement and recognition of traditional medicine has become irrepressible as more and more cures have been put to wide use, and more practitioners are establishing both themselves and their reputations.

This column has made some attempts to gain some initial information on the subjects of traditional medicine and practitioners. One such practitioner is Serign Wann of Nema Nassir, Kombo North.

Our brief interview with him follows:

Q: What is the background and objective of your trade or profession?

A: The mission of all medicine is to heal and be healed. We heal; and the sick get healed. It is a two-way process. As our elders have so aptlyy put it: “Man is man’s best medicine”; this is to say that it is through the mediation and intervention of man that man himself gets cured. And by this I mean ‘cured of any illness’ be it physical, psychological, or spiritual. Of course all is done in the name of Allah. I do nothing except in the name of Allah, although Allah himself has also provided the plants that cure, which we employ in our traditional medicinal practice.

Q: You are saying that plants do have medicinal and curative effect, Allah permitting?

A: Yes, exactly! This is the basis of our traditional practice. It is the philosophy upon which traditional healing practice is based. We heal and Allah approves. But I want to tell you something we should all note well : ‘there is no plant on earth that does not have medicinal/curative value. They all do have it, in a different degree and in different manifestations. There are herbal cures for everything; it will depend on the healer’s knowledge of plants and herbs to know what and what herbs or plants to mix, and in what measure or ratio. Combinations and ratios are usually imperative and critical in our cures. This is where the true Curer stands miles apart from the Charlatan.

Q: Yes, how is this determined?

A: Some cures can be straight forward whilst others will require combinations of inputs. For example whilst cures for malaria, toothache, dysentery, constipation, can be straight forward; those for ulcer, diabetes, hypertension, piles, impotence, asthma, could be more involved. But whatever one’s illness, it can be cured within the space of 3 minutes or 3 days or 3 weeks depending on the type of ailment. No cure goes beyond 3 months, for even the most malignant of conditions.

Q: What diseases and conditions can you cure?

A: I can cure stomach and duodenal ulcers in a matter of 3 to 7 days; importence in 7 days, and sexual dysfunction in a matter of 3 days. I can cure piles, growths in the female reproductive organ (‘sochette’),  and diabetes in 7 days, and also high blood pressure all within 7 days. I will cure barren-ness / infertilty, disposition to miscarriages, menstrual disorders and other gynaecological disorders etc. We cure all sorts of ailments within a few days.

Q: What guarantee do you have? What medical evidence?

A: There have been witnesses to these cures. Patients of mine have been rid and cured of various illnesses but I cannot mention their names unless they give me due authorization. And I think that is fair enough.

All those telephone calls you heard me answering to during this interview with you, have been coming from various patients of mine, either informing me about positive results or asking me guidance on how to proceed to the next stage of a treatment. I believe you overheard those exchanges.

Q: Yes. How much are your fees and charges, or do they depend on the gravity of the complaint?

A: Exactly. But more so, it depends also on consultation and my evaluation of the illness and the victim’s general condition. For some cases I do not ask for payment at all. It all depends on what is before me.

Q: What is your curing background? Did you receive any formal training or education?

A: I did not inherit it from anyone. In fact when one inherits, one is able to cure only some bits, and not others. My ability was given to me by an old man I once met in very mysterious circumstances. He spoke to me about the world, and passed on knowledge about human conditions and cures. Since that time I have been curing people.

Q: Speaking of knowledge, how have you developed your own knowledge of traditional cures, and plants?

A: The answer is ‘research’. I have never stopped researching since I acquired the first knowledge. As you heal, you come across differences in conditions; and you research more.

Q: Have you found how disease enters the human system?

A: Yes, I can tell you with certainty that all sickness enters human beings in one of these three ways; through food eaten, liquid drunk, or entry through openings in the human frame e.g. pores of the skin, nostrils, ears etc. colds/pneumonia, and gonorrhea, syphilis, are examples of these latter cases. It is for man to protect himself from all of these problems using the appropriate precautions e.g. dressing sensibly, guarded sex, and such preventative measures.

You have to watch what you eat and what you drink, and how it might affect you. Take everything in moderation so that it will not affect you adversely. I want to tell you that many of these conditions come from our life-styles: fatty foods, sugar, rich foods, air conditioned cars and offices, sedentary life-styles. Many of them are more prevalent in colder climates: illnesses such as piles, develop from too much sitting down.

Q: Diabetes is getting common. Are you able to treat that condition?

A: Diabetes can be treated. But first, I would ask patients to carry out tests at the hospital so as to be able to measure my cure and its effect. Did you know that diabetes is not caused by sugar? No; sugar merely exacerbates and promotes the condition. Sugar acts as a triggering agent. Diabetes itself is a state where the stomach grows exceptionally dry; then everything gets dry; the body system and mechanism gets dry, and the victim gets a feeling of inner desiccation. Then he begins to lose weight more and more.

Q: Can weight loss in diabetes be arrested?

A: Yes. I can cure this condition; weight loss can be arrested and even reversed. The basic treatment is 7 days; and as I said earlier no cure goes beyond 3 months.

Q: Well no cure goes beyond 3 months and most cures are 3 days to 7 days. How can you be consulted?

A: ‘My residence is in Nema-Nassir, just off the Tabokoto-Wellingara road. Ask for the main mosque and I am just opposite Sawaneh – Kunda. Of course I could also be reached by Phone:  9753538 or 7048814.

Q: Thank you for sharing your time and knowledge.

A: Thank you for giving me the privilege.