IT was not easy for a Catholic nun, Sister Yullita Chirau, to establish herbal clinics in Chinhoyi, Harare and Chikwaka in Mashonaland East Province.

The venture began in 1994 when Sister Chirau was appointed diocesan health co-ordinator for Chinhoyi Diocese.

By then, Sister Chirau, who now holds a Diploma in Herbal Medicine, did not have a medical background. 

She was not medically trained and busy with religious works.

In the Diocese Commission, she was working with other nuns;  visiting the sick, assisting and praying for them.

She would also pay for their medical bills and medication.

The project was well-funded, with enough medication for the mission hospitals and home-based care programmes serving the poor and needy, including those with HIV and AIDS-related illnesses.

However, in 1997, the donor funds fizzled out.

“The donor’s inability to fund the project was a huge blow to the health project,” said Sister Chirau.

“It was a very difficult time for everyone, especially those who were on the home-based care programme. It was a distressing time.

“I experienced the trauma of meeting poor patients who were dying with prescriptions in their hands simply because they could not afford the needed drugs.”

Sister Chirau said, as an African, she grew up using traditional herbs for several ailments. She, therefore, went back to the basics and began pursuing that line to help patients.

She approached Bishop Rector who was in charge of Chinhoyi Diocese to discuss the use of herbs to cure various ailments.

She was asked to make a comprehensive research on herbal medicine and how it could benefit people.

Sister Chirau got invaluable information from a local herbalist on how to plant, harvest and process the herbs.

Permission was granted by the Bishop Rector .

The project commenced with outreach programmes in communities, using a give-and-take approach.

“We would go into the communities and teach people about herbal medicine while they shared with us what they knew,” Sister Chirau said.

The project was ‘blessed’ with a piece of land which the Bishop Rector offered for planting of herbs.

The herbs would later be processed and used to take care of the sick who were in home-based care programmes.

“Much to my delight, all patients who were given the herbs would come back within a short time, cured of headaches, stomach aches, ulcers, high/low blood pressure and diabetes, among other ailments,” she said.

Sister Chirau’s further research in herbal medicine convinced her to go herbal in a big way to serve more people in the community.

“Nature is a pharmacy indeed as medicine can be found in the fields and forests around our communities,” she said.

“Herbs are a gift from God which we need to embrace and treasure.” 

However, the success of the herbal medicines did not win over all the members of the community.

Sister Yullita met with reservations from people who felt it was not proper for a Catholic nun to use herbs to cure the sick.

The Bishop Rector told Sister Yullita that the herbal project had brought confusion and chaos into the diocese.

Some Christians could not differentiate what she was doing from the work of traditional healers whose methods are closely linked to the spiritual world, in ways contrary to the Christian doctrine.

“Herbs were serving the community; they were easily accessible and affordable. However, the Bishop received several anonymous letters and telephone calls condemning herbal medicine practice.

“Herbal medicines have generally been stigmatised as they have been associated with African traditional healers who are considered to be minions of the devil.

“Criticism came from all corners — laypeople, fellow sisters, brothers and priests,” said Sister Chirau.

Fortunately, the Bishop Rector valued the project which was saving many lives.

“He suggested that I write a book detailing the growing, harvesting and processing of herbs to educate the resisting Christians. The bishop offered to assist me with the writing,” she said.

The first herbal manual was published in 2003.

The highly informative book sold very well and enlightened the ‘ignorant’.

“The sale of the book was a clear indication that people were eager to know more about herbal medicines and this invigorated my enthusiasm for the herbal project,” said Sister Chirau.

In May 2004, a herbal clinic was established in Chinhoyi.

The clinic was the first of its kind to be run by a Catholic organisation.

That year, 2004, Sister Chirau was transferred to Harare Diocese.

In Harare, she struggled to establish herbal gardens due to water challenges. 

Father Muller SJ, who was Father Superior at Makumbi  Mission, came to the sisters’ rescue by offering them a piece of land at Makumbi Mission.

The sisters managed to drill a borehole which provided adequate water for the garden and processing of herbs. 

In 2007, Sister Yullita founded Blessed Hands Herbals Organisation.

“This organisation was born out of a deep desire to help the under-privileged and disadvantaged in the society and also as a  response to the challenges of bridging the gap between Western and traditional medicine in Zimbabwe.

“We are fully aware of the difference between the traditional healers and the Western medicine doctors.

“From the outlook, it appears as if doctors feel threatened by traditional healers. It is as if traditional healers are taking business away from them, yet the two should complement each other.Herbs are more on the nutritional side. Herbs are more like food than medicine,” said Sister Chirau.

The organisation has built a clinic in Harare and another in Chikwaka.

The general public’s avid response to herbal medicines has encouraged Blessed Hands to start a herbal hospital project.

The organisation has already acquired land in Harare for the hospital and is making frantic efforts to raise funds for construction.