Among the thousands different tribes, cultures and traditions in PNG do exists the mysterious ways of curing illness and diseases by using plants from the natural habitats with generational skills and knowledge.
In PNG, we often get ourselves confused between herbal medicines with witchcraft. They are two separately different topics and witchcraft seems to connect with superstition for better or worse, depends on the user and purposes of its existence. On the other hand, the traditional herbal medicine practice is a set of skill and knowledge passed on from generation to generation to cure diseases and illness.
Leaving out the controversial issues associated with witchcraft, let me discuss the significances of how much I understand the traditional herbal medicines. I'm not a practitioner of the traditional herbal medicine but my grandmother does as well as others I've been with and saw them doing it.
In reality, the lives of the PNG indigenous people are connected to the natural environment one way or the other. Hence, anyone from the family, tribesmen or friends knows one or two plants in their natural habitats that have medicinal values and its uses. One might have lo learnt the skills to prepared and knowledge to apply on specific illness or diseases.
The methods involved in preparation of the traditional herb could be a special generational tradition. It could involve some sort of traditional spells or without it depends on the traditional herbal medicine practitioner, the value and purpose of the medicinal plant and illness types.
Some people in PNG still value to use the traditional herbal medicines to avoid development of modern medicine resisting illness in their body and side effects that could have or they shifted to traditional herbals medicines after developing serious resistant side effects in their body with medical drugs.
Somewhere in PNG, a traditional herbal doctor can help a snake venom victim to live again, mend and heal a fractured bone or joint, heal a terminal illness like cancer, asthma, leprosy, tropical ulcers, TB and others.
It is believed that, those illnesses that ever existed with our ancestors have a traditional herbal cure but we prefer modern medications and treatments for various reasons.
Undeniably, our ancestors have lived through the sicknesses like diarrhea, pneumonia, headaches, joint pains, fever, etc. with the use and application of traditional herbal medicines. There is no good reason to run into pharmacy and hospital all the time with these common sicknesses in PNG. We need the help of our traditional herbal doctors to manage such sicknesses easily.
Sadly, we are loosing the skills and knowledge of the traditional herbal medicine practices because of our own ignorance or we the PNG people want the easiest turn around in life with modern medicines and treatments. The modern medicines and treatment are modern lifestyle convenience but cost is another considerable factor in the situation with costly side effects in some cases. Hence, the substitute or alternate option is to seek the help of the traditional herbal doctors on the common diseases or illness and those that are manageable by traditional herbal doctors.
There could be conflicting ideas from Christians on the application and use of traditional herbal medicines but all we need is healing and recovery from the illness or diseases just like after receiving treatment from the modern hospital with their medicines.
As mentioned earlier, some of the traditional herbal medicines might accompany special spells and customary observation rules during and after treatments - its no different to hospital treatment requirements and restrictions on the treatment.
Seen the Chinese, Indians and other Asian countries practicing traditional herbal medicines and its a thousands of decade old tradition which we PNG too can do it. The Asian traditional herbal doctors works closely with modern practitioners in medicines and medical doctors. They have traditional herbal pharmacy as well and treatment room for patients. (I might have seen one of those in Taiwans old city in 2018 during a stint with TICA).
In PNG its sad to see or hear of someone dying from curable illness and diseases. Only if our legislators can make some reforms that gives opportunity to traditional herbal doctors to work with modern practicing doctors and pharmacist would make some biggest difference in PNG societies where hospitals are unreachable in a day.
We never know but let's believe in our trade mark expression - Expect the unexpected. A traditional herbal doctor might have the secrets of curing cancer but tucked away somewhere in the inland and remotest parts of PNG or on an isolated island in PNG with his or her traditional knowledge and skills on the herbal medicines to cure cancer.
How can we bring such person out of reach to ease the costly thermal therapy and other associated cancer treatment costs ?
Through the government reforms and legislation, it will present an opportunity for someone in the areas such as inland Rigo, remote islands off Samarai and hinterlands of Netyam Yalaim to commercialize his/her Traditional Herbal Medicine skills or knowledge to save a life when modern hospitals are beyond their reach.
One of them from the remotest parts of PNG can be brought into save a life of a patient in a hospital which modern treatment and medicines cannot help recover. This will be amazing and wonderful to acknowledge and appreciate but how to make it happen is far from reality with legislation and other aspects of laws surrounding health and medicine needs to accommodate the traditional medicine practice.
We need to sustain our ways of doing things that are suited to living our lives the PNG way. Most of our traditions are unique and have values that will be lost if not practiced by emphasizing its importance like the traditional herbal medicines practicing skills and knowledge.
If PNG has more than 800 different cultures and traditions that fascinates the visitors and citizens too, then among them are our traditional herbal medicines that can do unbelievable wonders if we can legislate to protect and value them.
It does not require intensive lab tests and research skills to discover a traditional herbal medicines. It is our value, our tradition and our way of life that have sustained and protected the lives of our ancestors for ages.
In conclusions, if a legislated reform permits herbal doctors to practice traditional herbal medicines, one might surely have the secrets to healing Covid19 and other diseases like HIV AIDS too.
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| A turmeric plant which has many medicinal uses. Source. Internet |
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