Healing roots. Anthropology in Life and Medecine

Umhlonyane, also known as Artemisia afra, is one of the oldest and best-documented indigenous medicines in South Africa. This bush, which grows 'wild' throughout the sub-Saharan region, smells and tastes like 'medicine', thus easily making its way into people's lives and becoming the choice of everyday healing for Xhosa healer diviners and Rastafarian herbalists. This "natural' remedy has recently sparked curiosity as scientists search for new molecules against a tuberculosis pandemic while hoping to recognize indigenous medicine.
The author follows umhlonyane on its trails and trials of becoming a biopharmaceutical - from the 'open air' to controlled environments - learning from the plant and from the people who use it with hopes in healing.