List of medicinal plants of the Herero people

The Herero people an ethnic group in Namibia, like any other ethnic group, have plants of medicinal importance.The Herero use plenty of medicinal plants to treat a wide spectrum of human ailments.

They use the trees themselves, the leaves, called “omazo” in Herero and “napogu” in Khoekhoe, roots, called “omize” in Herero and “nomagu” in Khoekhoe and also the bark from the trees. There are about 2,400 traditional medical practitioners in Namibia who are registered with the National Eagle Traditional Healers Association (NETHA)

Aloe

It is called called “otjindombo” in Herero. The leaves of Aloe are processed into either solid powdery form or liquid form. In the powdery form the leaves are c cut into smaller pieces dried and grounded into powdery form, it is then sifted with a cloth and then put into containers. The leaves can also be cut into smaller pieces and then put into a pot of boiling water where the pieces are boiled and the liquid is eventually extracted cooled and stored. The Aloe is known to known to cure a host of ailments including ;cold sores, urinary tract infections STDs , tonsils constipation, internal worms,back pains, mouth ulcer, stomach pains etc.

Devils claw

Proboscidea called “otjihangatene” in Herero

The devil’s claw is used for much the same diseases as the aloe with the only difference being that unlike the aloe that is drunk as liquid or powder, the devil’s claw is chewed by the People.

See also

• Ethnobotany
• Ethnomedicine