Mama Victoria - herbalist

I mentioned Mama Victoria in my last blog post. So I will share a story about my experience with her. My days with all five herbalists were very interesting, but Mama Victoria was my favorite. We became fast friends and share a kindred spirit. We thanked God for bringing us together and hope He will allow us to meet again, perhaps working alongside each other treating patients.

But first, I should explain that to be called “Mama (first name)”is a term of high position/respect in a village. Most women are referred to as “Mama (name of first born child).”

We went into the forest one day to collect herbs for treating her patients. She also identified many plants for my research project that we didn’t collect. Once we returned to her house/clinic, she showed me how she prepared the different herbs. The preparation methods included, pounding with a mortis and pestle, drying before crushing into powder, boiling in water, and burning in a fire.

At one point, we entered a smoke-filled room where she was preparing the herbs by boiling and burning them. The fire was in the corner of the room and some of the smoke managed to escape through a small window opening. I wondered what kind of herbs were burning in the fire and how it would affect me. Much to my surprise, I didn’t cough or choke while in the room. More amazing than that was watching her handle red-hot coals of the burning herbs with her bare hands! The burnt roots were then crushed into powder and given to the children who were playing nearby. The powder was placed in the palm of their hands for them to lick. It was a kind expression of her love for the children.