EWÉ ÀTI EGBÒ (LEAVES, HERBS AND ROOTS)

EWÉ ÀTI EGBÒ

Every single plant, leave, tree stem, root; ewé àti ẹgbò on earth is for a particular use ìlò,  cure ìwòsàn, food oúnjẹ. 

In Genesis, Chapter one, verses 28, 29, 30 and 31, the bible indicated the value of plants as food, medicine for man  - he placed all plants, trees and shrubs, fishes in the ocean, birds in the air in our care and consumption. 

 Ní Gẹ́nẹ́sìsì orí kì-ní-ní, ẹsẹ̀ kejìdínlọ́gbọn, ìwé mímọ́ ní - "

 Ọlọ́run sì súre fún wọn. Ọlọ́run sì wí fún wọn pé, Ẹ má bí sí i, kí ẹ sì gbilẹ̀, kí ẹ sì ṣe ìkáwọ́ rẹ̀, kí ẹ sì ma jọba lórí ẹja òkun, àti lórí ẹyẹ ojú-ọ̀run, àti lórí ohun alàyè gbogbo tí ńràkò lórí ilẹ̀. 

Ẹsẹ̀ kankàndínlọ́gbọn - Ọlọ́run sì wípé, kíyè sí i, Mo fi ewéko gbogbo tí ó wà lórí ilẹ̀ gbogbo tí ńso èso fún nyín, àti igi gbogbo nínú èyítí i ṣe igi eléso tí ńso; ẹ̀yin ni yíò ma ṣe oúnjẹ fún. 

Ẹsẹ̀ kankànlélọ́gbọn - Ọlọ́run sì rí ohun gbogbo tí ó dá, sì kíyèsi i, dáradára ni..." 

Some people claim that plants, herbs, roots are evil and bad for our consumption. When our fathers had studied the efficacy of plants; leaf, stem, root, seed and they know what it cures or heals in the body -

Ẹ wá ní kí á má jáwé kámá wa egbò tí Elédùà dá fún ìlò ọmọ aráyé. Nígbà tí àwọn baba wa jágbọ́n ewé oníranànran, tí wọ́n mọn orúkọ téwé ńjẹ́, wọ́n ṣe ìwádìí tó yanrantí, wọ́n mọn iṣẹ́ tí ọ̀kàn-kan ńṣe lágọ́ ara

In Yorùbá, these herbal medicine is often called ẹgbògi (ẹgbò igi).

Industrialization; ilẹ̀ iṣẹ́ ẹlẹ́rọ ńlá-ńlá, civilization; ọ̀làjú and western religion played a role in killing the African Yorùbán traditional herbal medicine. The brainwash of my people, making them see nature as possessing evil spirits; ẹ̀mí òkùnkùn, whereas, it is the industrialization, westernization ideology that is the evil haunting the black race and the world in general. It is pure lie that to use plants for healing is demonic. 

Did He not create; dá everything; gbogbo nǹkan on earth (ayé) for man's use? Èdùmàrè; God  has made them all ńlá big and kékeré small for human use and consumption (Èdùmàrè dá gbogbo nǹkan láyé fún lílò àti jíjẹ ọmọ èèyàn). 

Plants have oró; chemicals in them, it is this chemicals that does ìyanu wonders in the body system (ara)when consumed by human; èèyàn. The Yorùbá know this, which is why our fore fathers; baba ńláa wa use foray of plants as medicine and food to cure various àìsàn; ailments.

Knowing the efficacy of plants takes years (Ọdún) of practice. It is either one is born into a family of oníṣègùn; herbalists or one is an apprentice - ỌmỌ ìkọ́ṣẹ́ under an ifá priest; babaláwo to be able to tell what each and every plant, stem and root was created for and what illness it will cure - kí ọmọ ìkọ́ṣẹ tó ó mọ ìwúlò àti àìsàn tí èwè kọ̀ọ̀kan nínú igbó ń wòsàn, yóó ti kọ́ṣẹ́mọṣẹ́ fún ọdún kan gbáko.

It is not that any oògùn; charm or incantation ọfọ̀ what so ever is recited onto the herbal plant; ẹgbògi , but these plants have innate potency as made by Èdùmàrè; God the creator. In most cases, all the babaláwo have to say is just a word of àṣẹ/ìwúrẹ; to bless the plant to display its potency in the body system of the user/patient; alàìsàn through ọfọ̀.

Just as sugar from oyin ìgàn; bee honey is rich and natural, so is the medicine from plants which can not be compared to industrial sugar which is artificially dangerous to the human health. 

Do you know that chewing the stick of dongoyaro restores man power in men? It has no side effect, unlike Viagra and other steroids  which destroys the human system (àwọn nǹkan a fi oògùn òyìnbó gbìn, ṣe ò dára fún ìlera ọmọ ènìyàn?).

The Babaláwo; doctors often use ewédú; cochorus leave during labour; ọjọ́ ìkúnlẹ̀  when a pregnant woman; aláboyún finds it difficult to deliver of a baby; ọmọ ìkókó. Once the ewédú plant has been drank or inserted into the mother, she immediately delivers.

Not until the patient; aláìsàn had contacted the Babaláwo, the oníṣègùn; pharmacist will not be able to prescribe any remedy or herbs. Ifá is conducted to know which herbs; àgbo to be prescribed.

Igi mángòrò 

Orógbó; bitter kola is a great source of antibiotic on planet earth. The ògì; pap made out of maize, sorghum is also a very good source of anti-bacterial/cleansing food. 

Amaranthaceae; dágunró is a pain reliever, when rubbed on the affected area. Almost everyone in Yoruba land is familiar with Mangifera Indica; mángòrò as a cure for body fever when boiled in clay pot; ìkòkò and its water is taken as a drink. Haw-life plant; ọ̀dùndùn is used as a remedy for convulsion. Its leaves heated with fire, liquid extracted and taken orally or used to massage the patients body. 

 >>Common Yoruba Herbal remedy

Òrí; Shea butter, a whitish or yellowish substance extracted from a type of tree is use to massage the body (wọ́ra; wọ ara)to reduce pain; ìrora, applied on boil to get out the abscess- ọyún. 

Gbúre

The plant known as giant milk weed; ewé bomubómú works wonders for measles, diarrhea, leprosy, eczema, ringworm, asthma, convulsion etc. A ó já ewé bomubómú a ó fi ògógóró gbo ó. We pluck some leaves of the bomubómú plant, we squeeze out the juice with local hot drink.

Ewé bomubómú

Oní ìta a máa mu gàásì kànànkan láàárọ̀ àti lálẹ́, á sì máa fi pa ara - the measles patient will take a shot of the bomubómú juice morning, night and rub the juice on the body. 
Yàtọ̀ sí ká fi ewé bomubómú ṣe àgbo, àwọn oní-wàrà ò lè ṣe láì má rẹ́ ewé bomubómú sínúu wàrà. Apart from the listed uses, the cheese; wàrà makers cannot do without slicing some bomubómú leaves into the delicacy. Ni àwọn àgbà fi ní " àjẹjù wàrà ló ńmu ni je bomubómú. This is why elders say “over eating of cheese, makes one eat the giant milk weed”.

Ewé òmísínminsìn

Crabs eye or rosary pea plant seeds; èso ojú ológbò, the plant itself is known as òmísínminsìn. The plant when chewed has a sweet taste (ewé òmísínminsìn a máa dùn bí a bá múu sẹ́nu). In Yorùbá land, the leave of the plant, seed and root are soaked in local hot drink – ògógóró, and is been used to send cough, cold, convulsion parking.   

Bí a kó ewé mọ́ èso, ìtàkùn òmísínminsìn kí a bọ̀ ọ́ tàbí kó o sínúu ọtí ògógóró, oògùn ikọ́, òfìkìn, gìrì, ale, ọgbẹ́ inú délẹ̀ nìyẹn - when the leaves, seed, root are boiled together or soaked in local hot drink, cough, cold, convulsion, aphrodisiac, stomach ulcer medicine is ready. 

It is true that the avocado pear is not a native of Africa, but since it was brought here, we have been using it seed has remedy for various ailments.

Díẹ̀ lára ìwúlòo kóró inú èso pear yìí ni 'wọ̀nyí (a little benefit of the pear seed are):

• Afọ̀dọ̀tí : a cleanser

• Alárùn-un ọkàn, jẹjẹrẹ: heart problem cure and cancer cure & prevention

• Adín ìgbẹ́ gbuuro kù: diarrhea stopper

Àgúnmu

• Kóró inú èso pear pẹ̀lú dáa fún alátọ̀sì – the seed is also good for persons with toilet infections, ọlọ́gbẹ́ inú - ulcer, and alárùn-un ìbálòpọ̀ – sexually transmitted disease.

After eating jẹ the soft fẹ́lẹ́fẹ́lẹ́ edible part, the seed kóróo will be dried gbẹ, blended lọ̀ ọ́ fine kúnná and made into powder ebu called àgúnmu.

>>See :
1.  herbal plants, 
2. Yorùbá herbs
3. Yoruba vegetables

Àgbó wo nìwọ́ mọ̀? - What herb do you know? 

Check out www.yobamoodua.org for more on Yorùbá education and information.