Muti (Zulu)
Muti ( Zulu uMuthi , "tree, shrub") is the traditional herbal medicine in southern Africa , which is used by mostly male herbal healers, Inyanga , and by mostly female spiritual healers, Sangoma (plural tangoma ), for treating the sick. Inyanga sell Muti in markets or in small shops.
All kinds of herbs and plants are mainly used as remedies, but also earth and animal products such as goat fat, bones or skulls. The remedies are mixed into pastes, among other things, and then rubbed onto the skin or introduced into the bloodstream by scratching the skin.
One of the most famous herbal medicines in South Africa is Ubhejane (Zulu "black rhinoceros"), which is said to help against AIDS . According to a 2004 study, Ubhejane, arguably the most popular alternative cure for AIDS, has no influence on the disease and gives the patient a false sense of security. The remedy is at least not harmful, has an appetizing effect and strengthens general well-being.
Muti murders
When Muti murders incidents of be human sacrifice and mutilation in the context of Muti practices referred. These ritual murders are practiced in order to use parts of the body that are said to have special powers (including the brain, heart, genitals) in incantations, spells or healings.
literature
- Robert Thornton: The Transmission of Knowledge in South African Traditional Healing. In: Africa: Journal of the International African Institute, Vol. 79, No. 1 (Knowledge in Practice: Expertise and the Transmission of Knowledge) 2009, pp. 17–34
- Vivienne Linda Williams: The Witwatersrand Muti Trade. In: Veld & Flora, March 1996, pp. 12-14
Web links
- BBC News - UK - 'I was forced to kill my baby'. In: news.bbc.co.uk. April 2, 2002, accessed January 5, 2017 .
- Dead body: ritual murder in London? In: Spiegel Online . January 27, 2002, accessed January 5, 2017 .
- Ritual murder: woman is said to have been involved in child sacrifice. In: Spiegel Online . July 10, 2002, accessed January 5, 2017 .
- Johannes Dieterich: "Muti-Murders" in South Africa: Deadly superstition. In: fr-online.de . November 15, 2015, accessed January 5, 2017 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Matthias Rath: No drugs, just take vitamins: the dangerous advice to cure HIV. The Guardian, September 15, 2008
- ↑ Taking Ubhejane by the Horn (s). In: Izindaba, Vol. 96, No. 5, May 2006