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F O L K M E D I C I N E

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DEFINITION

Folk is the common people of a society orregion considered as the representatives of a

traditional way of life and especially as the

originators or carriers of the customs, beliefs,

and arts that make up a distinctive culture.

Medicine

is the science and art ofhealing. Itencompasses a variety ofhealth care practices

evolved to maintain and restore health by

the prevention and treatment ofillness.

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Folk medicine is the method by which human beings have

been trying to eliminate pain and promote good health since

the beginning of time. Folk medicine attempts to solve or

lessen both physical and mental ailments by focusing on

harmony and balance within the body. Many of the methods

used in folk medicine are ones that have been passed down

from generation to generation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines folk medicine

as:

"the health practices, approaches, knowledge and beliefs

incorporating plant, animal and mineral-based medicines,

spiritual therapies, manual techniques and exercises, applied

singularly or in combination to treat, diagnose and prevent

illnesses or maintain well-being."

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Origin of folk medicine

In the written record, the study of herbs dates back 5,000

years to the ancientSumerians, who described well-

established medicinal uses for plants.Ancient Egyptian

medicine of 1000 BC are known to have used various herbs

for medicine. The Old Testament also mentions herb use and

cultivation.

Many herbs and minerals used in Ayurvedawere describedby ancient Indian herbalists such

as Charaka and Sushruta during the 1st millennium BC.The

firstChinese herbal book was the Shennong Bencao Jing,

compiled during the Han Dynasty but dating back to a much

earlier date, which was later augmented as theYaoxingLun (Treatise on the Nature of Medicinal Herbs) during

the Tang Dynasty. Early recognised Greek compilers of

existing and current herbal knowledge include

Hippocrates,Aristotle,Theophrastus, Dioscorides and Galen.

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All cultures and societies have knowledge best

described as folk medicine. Like

Ayurvedic(Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a

system of traditional medicine native to India and

practiced in other parts of the world as a form of

alternative medicine),

Unani medicine(Unani-tibb or Unani

Medicine (in Arabic, Hindi-Urdu and Persian) means

"Greek Medicine", and is a form of traditional

medicine widely practiced in South Asia. and Chinese

medicine, whose origins can be found in the Neolithic

period. Here, daily treatment of wounds and commonillnesses were treated in accordance to their religio-

magical beliefs. Chen-jen, were the only ones in the

tribe who were able to make diagnoses and

prognostications. Pasma refers to a "folk illness" unique to the Filipino culture.

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CLASSIFICATIONFolk medicine is classified into four

categories: PNSSThe patient world is concerned with illnesses

caused by factors that the patient has some

control over, such as diet, smoking, drinking,and other lifestyle behaviors.

The natural world includes problems related

to animate and inanimate factors, including

those caused by microorganisms

and viruses; animal bites; and environmental

factors such as pollution, pollens, poisons,

and natural disasters.

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The social world covers interpersonal

conflicts, including conditions caused by

physical injury inflicted by one person

on another, the stresses of daily living,

and witchcraft and sorcery.

The supernatural world includes

illnesses caused by spirits, ancestors, or

gods who have been offended throughsinful behavior, the breaking of taboos,

or other breaches of proper behavior.

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ROUTE OF ADMISTRATION

Oral,

inhalation,

topical, enema

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FORMS OF FOLK MEDICINES

Preparations may be offered in the form of (i)

powder, which could be swallowed or taken withpap (cold or hot) or any drink, (ii) powder, rubbed

into cuts made on any part of the body with a sharp

knife, (iii) preparation, soaked for some time in

water or local gin, decanted as required before

drinking; the materials could also be boiled in

water, cooled and strained (iv) preparation

pounded with native soap and used for bathing;

such "medicated soaps" are commonly used for skin

diseases, (v)pastes, pomades or ointments, in a

medium of palm oil or shea butter, or (vi) soup

which is consumed by the patient. Preparations may

also be administered as enema.

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FOLK PRACTIONERS

These practitioners go by many names,

including shaman, curandero, root doctor, spirit

medium, herbalist, native healer, medicine man,

kahuna, and other related terms.

Each has specific treatment approaches,which may include prayer, dancing, medicinal

herbs, massage, sweat baths, coining (a

process of rubbing the skin with a metal coin),

cupping (a treatment used to draw blood to the

surface of the skin by means of a small heated

vessel made of horn, ceramic, or bamboo), hot

and cold foods

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CATEGORIES OF TRADITIONAL HEALERS

1.Herbalists: Herbalists use mainlyherbs

2.Traditional Birth Attendants

(TBAs): a person who assists themother at childbirth and who initially

acquired her skills delivering babies by

herself or by working with other birthattendants. TBAs are of the female sex

only are usually old and experienced

women.

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3.Traditional Surgeon:

(i) the cutting of tribal marks: traditional

surgeons usually cut tribal marks into thecheeks, bellies, etc. and charred herbal

products are usually rubbed into these

bleeding marks to effect healing,(II) male and female circumcision (Clitori

dectomy): traditional surgeons carry out

these simple surgical operations with special

knives and scissors; blood-let ting operationsand wounds that result from these operations

are usually treated with snail body fluid or

pastes prepared from plants.

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(ili) removal of whitlow: diseased toes or

fingers are usually cut open and treated.

Piercing of ear lobes: particularly in the

youth to allow the fixing of ear rings.

Extraction of tooth: infected teeth or teeth

with holes that bring pain to the mouth areremoved and treated with herbal medicines

prepared in local gin.

4.Bone Setters: Traditional bone setters are

those knowledgeable in the art and skill of

setting broken bones in the traditional way,

using their skill to see that bones unite and

heal properly.

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MATERIALS USED IN FOLK MEDICINEMedicinal plants or parts of such plants-whole root,

stem, leaves, stem bark or root bark, flowers, fruits,seeds, but sometimes animal parts, small whole

animal snails, snakes, chameleons, tor toises,

lizards, etc; inorganic residues - alum, cam phor,

salt, etc and insects, earthworms, toads, bees,black ants etc bird nests are used to

prevent headaches, the tooth of a mole may be

worn around the neck to prevent toothache.

In Native-American and Asian cultures, prayer is

used to cure soul-loss or ghost sickness. Prayer has

been scientifically studied to determine its effects

in helping people to get well or to feel better

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EFFECTS

The placebo effect can, however,play a part in the efficacy of a

treatment. A strong belief in a certain

treatment can yield a positiveoutcome, even with a treatment that

has been shown scientifically not to

work. At the same time, some folk

remedies can have serious, and

sometimes fatal, side effects.

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Plants gathered to treat an illness

may have been prepared improperly,or the wrong plant may have been

picked along with the correct one,

tainting the remedy. Somepreparations may be too strong for

some patients, particularly infants or

those weakened by serious illness.

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A Wide Variety Of Cures:

The blood of a black chicken rubbed on the

affected area will cure the shingles.Black chickens are also good to bring out

chickenpox particularly if you go out to the

chicken coop after the sun goes down and let one

fly over you.Tea made from hot water and corn silk will cure

bed wetting in children.

The root of rhubarb worn on a string around your

neck will prevent stomach aches.Tie a big red onion to the bedpost and it keeps

the ones in the bed from having colds.

Boils are caused by impure blood, you should eat

sorghum molasses, raisins and onions.

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A dirty sock worn around your neck when you go to bed

will cure a sore throat. (My grandmother had a dog that hadtonsillitis, and she did the above and the dog got well.)

Don't let the moonlight shine on your face while your

sleeping, it will cause you to go crazy.

A buckeye carried in the pocket will cure rheumatism.

Don't cut your hair in the dark of the moon or it may causeyou to go bald.

Tea made from sumac leaves is good for and can cure

asthma and hay fever.

An iron key pressed to the back of the neck will cure a

nosebleed.

To stop a toothache in your left jaw, tie a string around the

little toe of your right foot.

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Health is the most

precious of all thingsand it is the

foundation of allhappiness.

Thanks