Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Dissotus speeciosa
Piper capensis
Fagara usambarensis
Rumex usamberensis
Ficus capensis
Solanum sessilist
Garcinia kola
Struthiola thomsonii
Helichrysum schimperi
Tephrosia interrupta
Hibiscus fuscus
Toddalia asiatica
Hypoestes verticillaris
Trema orientalis
Hyptis pectinata
Vernonia spp.
Indigofera spicata
aBOrtION
Abortion is viewed as a sacrilege and as a crime of the same seriousness as murder, sorcery,
and witchcraft. Rituals and costly sacrifices are performed to appease the god of reproduction for
such abuse. Most of the drugs used for the procurement of abortions were originally meant for the
management of the complications of labor. Much secrecy surrounds the plants and their methods of
preparation. The following plants have been employed for this purpose:
Abutilon grandijlorum
Hagenia abyssinica
Albizia volkensii
Kalanchoe densijlora
Carica papaya (seeds)
Kigelia africana
Clerodendron coriaria
Lancenaria breviflora
Combretum molle
Mormodica foetida
Cordia quarensis
Mukia spp.
Cordia rotundifolium
Pachycarpus lineolatus
Curcuma longa
Pergularia daemia
Discoglypremna caloneura
(seeds)
Pterocarpus angolensis
Ensete ventricosum
Rhamphicarpa heuglinii
Gloriosa superba
Sida cordifolia
Guizotia scabra
Vernonia amygdalina
Gynura spp.
Zizyphus abyssina
For the induction of labor,
Hibiscus sabdariffa, Nauclea latifolia,
and
Morinda lucida
are
some of the drugs used. Toxemia of pregnancy and excess accumulation of fluid are treated with
Dialium guineensee, Hibiscus
spp
., Citrus aurantium
, or a decoction made from
Garcinia kola
,
Cocos nucifera
(milk), and palm oil. Abortion and premature labor are treated with sap of
M.
sapientum
,
Cyathula prostrate
,
Oldendandia corymbosa
,
Bryophylum pinnatum,
and
Lindacke
dentata
.
StErILItY MEDICINES
Sterility is often blamed on destiny. A childless marriage is believed to be woman's fault. All
rituals, sacrifices, and treatments are directed toward helping the woman. Only very rarely, usually
when there is a confirmed case of impotence, is the man held responsible for a childless marriage.
The woman is then allowed, secretly, very secretly, to seek another man by whom to have children
for her husband. In African societies, children are the greatest gift of any home.
It is believed that polygamy was a social insurance against the high mortality rate. Even in
present-day Africa, a childless marriage is a more common reason for divorce than other factors
