By Elliott Siamonga

THE BaTonga herbalists collect their medicines from the bush where they search for special plants, dig roots and collect leaves and bark off trees.
The herbalists have different preparations for herbs used for skin incisions, nasal instillations, powders used for insufflations, inhalations and ointments.
According to the BaTonga elders the herbalist, sometimes self-trained, cleans what he has gathered before setting about the actual preparation of the medicine which of course, varies according to the form in which it is going to be prescribed and administered to the patient.
Herbalists crush roots into a fine powder after it has dried in the sun for three or more days, the hard outside layer is removed and the inside is crushed between two stones.
The bigger stone is placed on the ground and the smaller stone is used to grind the root into a fine powder.
The powder is then stored in a horn or nowadays in a medicine bottle.
To prepare special powder used in skin incisions, BaTonga herbalists clean the roots to remove sand or mud and are put in a piece of broken earthenware pot.
The roots are roasted over a fire.
After the roots have burnt down to ashes, they are removed from the fire and a little castor oil is added to moisten the ashes.
The mixture is then stored in a calabash, horn or bottle.
This medicine is prescribed for painful ailments, particularly for pains in the chest and back.
BaTonga elders say the herbalist makes a short incision with his knife over the painful area; he moistens the tip of his little finger by spitting on it and dips it into the ash which he rubs into the cut.
Elders say there are variations of this medicine, sometimes the roots are only partially burnt, giving a charcoal powder called tsito in Shona.
A herbalist may mix this with an ash-reduced root, or with powder from an unburnt root.
If there is no alleviation of pain after the first treatment, the herbalist makes another incision and repeats the treatment.
For the preparation of a special powder used for nasal instillations, the roots are broken into small pieces, pounded on a stamping block into smaller, fragments and dried in the sun.
After being ground the very fine powder is stored in a horn or the handle of a calabash.
The patient sniffs this medicine which has the same effect as snuff and makes him sneeze.
The herbalist also makes ordinary medical snuff which they prescribe for headaches.
Powders used for insufflations are also finely ground, and the only difference in the preparation is that after the root is pounded into small pieces it is thoroughly dried over a fire instead of the sun.
Elders say the herbalist blows this powder through a hollow reed into the patient’s rectum.
He prescribes this treatment in illnesses characterised by long continued fever: if the patient fails to improve with powder made from roots or dried herbs, he may change to green leaves which are crushed into tiny pieces and blown through the reed in the same way as the powder.
To prepare liquid medicine, the roots or herbs are either crushed into small pieces between two stones, the process being halted before they become pulverised, or they are ground down in a stamping block.
The bits are then soaked in a pot of water for anything from one to 14 days, depending on the type of root.
The water in which the herbs or roots have been steeped is drunk eaten or added to the patient’s porridge.
After about a week, the water is changed and freshly crushed roots are added to the new water.
Medicine prepared by this steeping method is used to treat chronic coughs: flesh or fowl is added for nutritional purposes and the mixture is boiled after the stamping process.
The use of fresh green leaves is also very common among the BaTonga herbalists. The fresh green leaves are pounded in a stamping block and then pressed into a round ball called chigodo which is left to dry in the sun for three days.
After the fourth day the chigodo is put in water and soaked overnight and the next morning the water is ready to be used, usually mixed in thin porridge.
Dried leaves are used for medicinal smoking. After drying in the sun for a day, the leaves are crushed into small pieces, packed in reed and smoked like a cigarette.
Elders say leaves are also used as a means of applying heat to the body. They are boiled in a pot and placed on the affected part of the body while still hot. When they cool they are re-boiled and used again.
Each leaf is left on the patient for ten to 20 minutes, the treatment is supposed to last for half an hour every morning and evening for three weeks and the same leaves are used throughout treatment.
The most rarely used herbs are immersed in ointments and are made from various ingredients, usually the basis is sap from a tree which is collected in a small vessel placed underneath the incisions cut in the trunk.
Various roots are prepared and added to the sap, the mixture is boiled in a little water.
The BaTonga herbalists also administer medicines by local application; dried roots are broken into little pieces and crushed into fine powder which is burnt to ash in a small piece of clay pot.
The ash is then mixed with a little oil and the mixture stored in a horn.
When required the mixture is rubbed into a small incision in the skin over the painful area.
It would appear that in this way almost pure carbon is introduced into the cut.
According to the BaTonga elders in other complaints, where symptoms are not localised and the patient appears to be seriously ill a different form of local application is used: special leaves are soaked for some time in boiling water and the patient is then covered all over the body with them, on the same principle that Europeans use traditional mustard plasters.
In case of skin disease, the herbalist uses the same treatment, applying warm leaves to the affected part.
They very seldom use ointment for the treatment of skin complaints.
Treatment through inhalation is another method prescribed by the herbalist.
The roots are placed in water and brought to the boil.
A cloth or blanket is placed over the head of the patient and he is instructed to inhale the steam of the boiling mixture.
This remedy according to the BaTonga elders is used for common colds, for chest complaints and, perhaps more strangely, for mental illnesses.
However, it is difficult to assess the curative value of these herbs as some have some magical connotation.
Until many more of these herbs have been scientifically investigated, they should not be dismissed too lightly as those which have been tried out for many years may well prove to have specific action.