Nature provides us with everything we need. Unfortunately, most of us are living such urbanised lives that we know only of medicines that come in bottles and plastic containers. Here are eight bush remedies for some natural healing.
1. Caught in the bush without a toothbrush? The twigs of the magic guarri (Euclea divinorum) make a nifty toothbrush. The white ash from burning its wood can be used as toothpaste. The ash contains salts and can be used to season your braai meat.
2. The mountain aloe (Aloe marlothii) has a multitude of uses. Roots can help with stomach problems and worms, while the bitter, yellow juice from the leaves is great for wounds and burns. The sweet flowers, which bloom in winter, are energy boosting.
3. The shepherd’s tree (Boscia albitrunca) is a real gem. The roots are edible and, in powdered form, they’re used to make porridge, beer or as a substitute for coffee. Root extracts are used to treat haemorrhoids. The fruit is edible and leaves infused in hot water can be used to clear up eye inflammations.
4. The powdered root of the sjambok pod (Cassia abbreviata) is used to treat numerous ailments, including abdominal pain, toothache and even impotence.
5. The Kei-apple (Dovyalis caffra) makes a good garden hedge and could help prevent seasonal sniffles. The edible fruits are high in vitamin C.
6. Constipated? An African weeping wattle (Peltophorum africanum) has everything you need and its bright, yellow flowers make it easy to spot in summer. Make a tea with or chew a piece of the roots, then walk round the tree 10 times and your digestive problem should be solved. An added bonus? You can use the leaves as toilet paper.
7. The beautiful sausage tree (Kigelia africana) has various uses. Bark and root infusions are used to treat pneumonia and snake bites, while a bark extract is gargled for toothache. The crushed fruit is antibacterial and used for sores, acne and ulcers. Never use the unripened fruit, however, because it’s poisonous.
8. The gum of the well-known sweet thorn (Acacia karroo) can be used to treat oral thrush and mouth ulcers. Steep bark and leaves in hot water to treat colds, convulsions, colic, conjunctivitis, diarrhoea and dysentery. As if this wasn’t enough, you can also chew the roots as an aphrodisiac.
Don’t try to use any plant if you’re not completely sure you have the right one. Using the wrong plant could be deadly.
Source:
Healing Trees and Plants of the Lowveld by David Cumes, Rael Loon and Dries Bester. (Struik Nature, 2009)
