A 70-year-old herbalist from Udura village in Siaya County says she has never sought any mode of scientific or modern medication and declares that there are some illnesses she can cure such as epilepsy by using naturally available herbs.
Patronela Ooro says that she learnt herbal medicine from her late mother as an apprentice who used to tag her together with her elder sister, and later on advanced her skills on her own.
She claims she has been able to treat many people from diverse backgrounds since her youthful age, among them some who had been the bed ridden and had already lost hope of regaining good health after seeking treatment from hospitals for years without cure.
“I was raised in an environment that did not use modern medicine. If you had a headache, you would chew a certain root, if your stomach had problems or you developed a fever you would be given a concoction of boiled herbs and you healed and that is what I stuck to,” said Patronela.
She adds that she has never sought medical attention at hospitals or even used any form of modern medicine in all her 70 years of life.
The astonishing fact is that she uses native plant leaves; tree stems and roots of specific plants such as guava tree which has compelling submission of health benefits that were used by indigenous people to cure different ailments
She asserts that she can also reduce the risk of cancer, manage diabetes, and heal cold and cough, improve the skin texture, boosting the body immunity, and deal with stomach aches and diarrhea just by use of herbs.
Patronela gathers her herbs in unique ways. For example, she says that there are some herbs that she uproots using her teeth from the ground and when asked the reason behind this, she insists that it is spiritual and unexplainable for it has been done that way for as long as she can recall.
For preparation of the herbs, it depends on the illness. Patronela prepares them according to what kind of illness she is dealing with, in the case of a sore she pounds the leaves and airs them to dry while sometimes she mixes it with ghee so as to make a paste to apply on the sore part.
If the illness is internal then she boils the pounded leaves, and later on sieves it, instructing the patient to either drink it or bath with it for several days.
She has trained many people including her children and grandchildren hoping that one day when she is no more, they will be able to take over the mantle and keep the knowledge alive.
In her practice, Patronela keeps her knowledge a very well-guarded secret, one she says she only divulges the kinds of plants she uses as medicine to her children and grandchildren and cannot disclose to other people.
“This herbal medicine is the only way for me to earn income which I have been able to cater for all my five children in their upkeep and education,” says Patronela.
Patronela claims that she has never used cooking oil in preparing her meals, she does not eat eggs, fried food, processed foods or canned food claiming that these foods are hazardous to health due to their chemical preservatives and to her they have massive contribution to health complications especially when consumption is not checked, adding that she prefers boiled food and traditional vegetables.
When asked how she copes when she goes to public events and visits she laughs and responds that at such events so as to avoid any health complications she prefers to only take water at these kinds of places.
By Calvin Otieno
