By: Sr. Ma. Loreta G. Jamelarin, ICM
I am an I.C.M. sister from Iloilo. I arrived in Cameroon in 1980. For the moment, I am in the same community as Sr. Emma de Guzman. People here in Cameroon give me different titles because of my present work. Up in the North, they gave me the title: “Doctor of the plants”; in other places, “Sister herbalist”; here “la petite sorciere”-the little Sorceress. Why all these titles? Just because I try to teach Medicinal Plants, making the people aware of the benefits they can derived from them when they are deprived of health care because of the crisis situation the country is experiencing now.
No scar Needed
Early one morning, Sister called: “Come and see if you can do something to help the baby of Emillience”. I looked at the baby with a swollen face due to an abscess, “Have you been to the dispensary?” I asked the mother but. “Yes, but they told me to let it ripen first and then they will make an incision.” Imagining the sleepless nights the baby and the mother had endured, and my repugnance at seeing a big scar on the face of such a cute baby, I did some mental gymnastics to find out appropriate plants to give in order to hasten the cure of abscesses without opening them.. I took a cabbage leaf, some gumamela buds, and gulasiman plants, crushed them all together to make a paste, and applied it to the abscess. I gave more materials to the mother, encouraged her to continue faithfully the treatment at home using a hot compress. Within a week’s time, the abscess naturally healed without incision or any expense.
Same Treatment
When Emilience left, came Blondine, a post-office employee and a practician of herbal medicine, dragging her feet. “Sister, this big furuncle bothers me and other small ones are coming out. I tried to use this plant. It helps a bit but I’m worried.” And again, I gave, I gave her the same treatment as that for the abscess, and she was relieved of her furuncles within a week. These are some examples of the healing wonders of herbs which most of us tale for granted, but at certain moments of crisis, they work wonders. “The Lord created the medicinal herbs which grow on the earth and these a sensible person will not despise.” (Sirach 38:4).
CBHP Back Home
My interest in Medicinal Plants was stimulated during my first home leave in 1983. Medicinal plants were introduced in several Community Based Health Programs. I thank our own Sister Arsenia Joquino, I.C.M. who initiated me during my stay in Bukidnon and in Iloilo. I did not start this program immediately here in Cameroon. I tried first to experiment on myself and some people asking for help when hey had no means to go to the dispensary or buy medicines, or what we call hopeless cases, meaning they tried to seek medical help but in vain- the sickness showed no improvement.
Afraid of Sorcery
I was hesitant to introduce my knowledge of Medicinal plants openly as usually traditional and herbal medicine is identified with sorcery or malpractice which is harmful and often times discouraged by us. Besides, there are many traditional medicine men in the in the country: people usually go first to them before consulting the doctor or going to the dispensary; sometimes they combine the two without telling their doctor.
Jealously Guarded
Traditional medicine patricians guard jealously their secret- no laymen has any access to their knowledge, and they ask an enormous price for their treatment: aside from money, they ask for twenty liters of red wine, a goat or other items. Imagine the surprise I evoked when I showed to people who come to ask for help, that some plant which grows wild in the backyard or that we step upon is a medicinal plant.
Bacolod Connection
I started to engage myself seriously in this program when I came back from my last home leave in 1991. In the Philippines, I stayed for a week with the Sister of the Rural Missions in Camingauan, Bacolod City where they run a clinic using Medicinal plants as remedies.
Club St. Luke
Back in Cameroon a Brother of the Gospel organized a club in the Parish where he is working. The club’s name is Club St. Luke, composed of nurses and health workers, laymen and religious, mostly sisters. He conscienticized them as to the value of Natural Medicines, which included Medicinal Plant of course. He contacted me to help him, and since we collaborate together: I give the session in Medicinal Plants and he takes care of the printing of the booklets on an experimental basis; he also gives Core Energy exercise.
New Book Coming
I brought back material from Philippines which where translated into French, and we got some information from booklets available in the Central Africa Republic, Tohad and Burkina-Faso. Now, I have enough materials on which to base my research work. Some people have also been kind enough been kind enough to share with me their knowledge and experiences. At this moment, a new booklet is in the making- a definitive one, hopefully, based on the benefited from this program, and ours too.
Seminars Spread
More demands for sessions came in. Last January, I took the plane for Garoua in the Northern Province where I give six sessions in five parishes. The sisters of the region do the follow-up. I also have been to the Western Province, in Bafoussam and in Bafang –here it was an Evangelical Pastor who invited me. He, too is very much interested in Medicinal Plants coming from Europe. Here my help was appreciated as I spent two days initiating him in the identification of local medicinal plants. Here, we have our Ecumenical dialogue.
Enthusiastic Participants
For the moment, I go from one village to the other to launch this program in our parish. It is impressive to meet such enthusiastic participants eager to learn the science in which their ancestor had been the specialist, some not hesitating to share their knowledge.
Practical Demonstrations
The most interesting part of the session is the practical demonstration of the preparations of medicines: instant ginger tea, cough syrup from mango leaves and other pomade or oil.
Healing Touch
Several Old folks participate in order to receive “healing touch!” They show their rheumatic knees, aching joints and backs or unhealed sores. It is during these moments that I feel real fraternity surging through these encounters. I feel united by this same experience with God’s Providential wisdom and healing touch through the nature which he gifted to us human beings. I close them with this text from the Wisdom of Solomon: “He (God), in fact has given me true knowledge of what is the world and the properties of the elements...the variety of plants and the medicinal properties of roots.” (Wisdom 7, 17,20b)