Best Inyanga in Gauteng

Best Inyanga in Gauteng, Inyangas are healers who make medicines from herbs, roots, and bark. Ground-up rocks, animal horns, and bones can also be used in the making of their medicine. A medicine person that mostly heals physical ailments, but also mental or spiritual illnesses, with plant medicines (Muthi). A moon person. They learn many rituals around harvesting and preparing muthi or medicines. The rituals are connected to nature cycles and energies such as the full moon cycles and seasons and when is the right time to collect and prepare certain medicines. They also learn about the power places in and on the earth and where certain medicines can be found and will be protectors of these secrets. Sometimes known as a witch doctor if they work dark or harmful magic.

What is the difference between sangoma and Inyanga?

Although sangoma is a Zulu term that is colloquially used to commonly describe all types of Southern African traditional healers, there are differences between practices: an inyanga is concerned mainly with medicines made from plants and animals, while a sangoma relies primarily on divination for healing purposes and might also be considered a type of fortune-teller.

What does Inyanga mean?

‘Inyanga’ means ‘man of the trees’ in Zulu. Inyangas are healers who make medicines from herbs, roots, and bark. Ground-up rocks, animal horns, and bones can also be used in the making of their medicine.

How people are trained to become a sangoma or an inyanga

Not everyone can become a sangoma or inyanga. Healers believe that they are called by their ancestors to take on this important and respected position in society. Traditional healers speak of a sudden unexplained illness they had or they heard voices and saw visions. Many also talk about very bad headaches that would not go away.

Traditional African Medicine in South Africa

Traditional African medicine is not as yet considered part of mainstream medicine in South Africa. Unlike some countries where complementary systems of medicine like homeopathy and acupuncture are now accessible in clinics and hospitals, South Africa has been slow to follow suit. Complementary medicine in South Africa is still considered an alternative therapy to conventional medicine. While the consultation and treatment for some complementary therapies like homeopathy, phytotherapy (herbal medicine), and traditional Chinese medicine are now covered by medical aids, traditional African medicine has not as yet enjoyed this level of acceptance.

Traditional African medicine is undoubtedly here to stay and with time, the training and regulation of traditional healers may follow the path of other complementary systems of medicine available in South Africa. Until then traditional African medicine will remain a part of African culture that is often frowned upon by the medical fraternity and other cultures who are ignorant about its uses.

Traditional African Medicine – ‘Muti’, Sangoma, Inyanga |Best Inyanga in Gauteng

Traditional African medicine in South Africa has made great strides in the past few years. Now that traditional African healers are accepted as informal healthcare workers, there is talk of consultations and medicines being paid for by medical aids in South Africa sometime in the future. With some 80% of South Africans utilizing the services of traditional healers, traditional African medicine cannot be left out in the cold for much longer.

What is traditional African medicine?

Traditional African medicine involves the use of herbal concoctions and traditional rituals to treat a patient. There are two main types of traditional healers in South Africa – the sangoma and the inyanga. Sangomas generally rely on rituals and traditional practices to treat a patient’s ailments, while an inyanga uses parts of plants (herbs) and animal parts for therapeutic purposes. Both types of traditional healers may employ some methods of divination to diagnose the patient and decide upon the most appropriate course of treatment. Best Inyanga in Gauteng

Modern Traditional African Medicine

The availability of traditional African medicines has increased significantly over recent years with herbal brews now available in many pharmacies and retail stores. Most are available as infusions.

Traditional African medicine and conventional drugs: friends or enemies?

Isangomas

Isangomas are spiritual healers and are often women. They are people who diagnose illness.
People often visit the sangoma in family groups but sometimes they go alone. The reason for this is that the sangoma does not see people as individuals but rather sees them as part of a community.
People’s sickness is often related to their relationships with other people. People can also become sick because they are having problems at home or work. This is the reason why sangomas look at the environment that people live and work in to find reasons for their illness.
Sangomas also look at social factors that could make someone ill, as well as the physical symptoms. This way of looking at illness referred to is called holistic. When sangomas diagnose illness, they listen to their ancestors. When sangomas are listening to their ancestors, they may put on special clothes and beads.
They may use dancing, singing, and drumming during a healing ritual. The ancestors speak through them.

A sangoma asks the individual and family many questions. The sangoma may also throw the bones. The ‘bones’ are often real bones of sacrificed animals. They can also be stones, shells, or other objects.

6 Best Inyanga in Gauteng

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