Cape mistletoe

Cape mistletoe; Viscum capense

A species of Mistletoe that is indigenous to South Africa, especially the area from Cape Town, northwards along the coast up to Namibia, and eastwards as far as the Eastern Cape province.

This parasitic plant has jointed stems, small leaves and tiny yellow flowers that produce translucent white berries. The fruit is dispersed by birds. The plant is poisonous but is nonetheless used in traditional African medicine, the plant being boiled to make a tea that is used to soothe asthma.

More: www.revolvy.com/main/index.php?s=Viscum%20capense&item_type=topic

Comments

Uvuma-omhlope

Uvuma-omhlope; Synaptolepis Kirkii Uvuma-omhlope (Synaptolepis Kirkii) is a bluish-green shrub with striking porcelain white roots. Kirkii is traditionally used by the Zulu and Xhosa to induce spiritual visions, trances and dreams. The roots of the Uvuma-omhlope shrub contain a potent neurotrophic called kirkinine. Neurotrophins are a family of proteins that induce the development and function of neurons. UBULAWU DREAM HERBS Uvuma-omhlope is one of the so called ‘Ubulawu’ dream herbs. This is the name associated with a series of plants from Southern Africa that are used for visions and vivid dreams. It is believed one can communicate with the ancestral spirits and gain special insights and answers through use of the Ubulawu herbs. UVUMA-OMHLOPE EFFECTS There has not been extensive research into the workings of Uvuma-omhlope, but based on traditional use and user experiences, the effects are very similar to African Dream Root (Silene capensis). Uvuma-omhlope encoura...

Ubhubhubhu

Ubhubhubhu; Helinus integrifolius Ubhubhubhu is the Xhosa name for a South African herb also known as Helinus integrifolius, though the common name is unknown. Little information can be found on either name, though a study into Xhosa plants and their western names by the South-African Rhodes University suggests the herb may be closely related to the Ilex mitis, a tall evergreen tree indigenous to South Africa. The Xhosa would use Ubhubhubhu in an ‘Ubulawu’ mix. An infusion was taken orally at the initiation of diviners to strengthen memory and give the initiate keen powers of observation. UBULAWU DREAM HERBS Helinus integrifolius is one of the so called ‘Ubulawu’ dream herbs. This is the name associated with a series of plants from Southern Africa that are used for visions and vivid dreams. It is believed one can communicate with the ancestral spirits and gain special insights and answers through use of the Ubulawu herbs. UBHUBHUBHU EFFECTS Helinis integrifolius ha...

Garlic

Garlic; Allium sativum It has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes and as a culinary herb. In the Talmud Book of Ezra, Jews are encouraged to partake of garlic at the Friday night Shabbat meal for the following five reasons: to keep the body warm; to brighten the face; to kill intestinal parasites; to increase the volume of semen; and to foster love and to do away with jealousy. Garlic is mentioned more than twenty times in the ancient Egyptian medical papyrus called the Codex Ebers dating back to ca. 1550 B.C. Pliny the Elder sited more than sixty therapeutic uses for garlic. Dioscorides, chief physician for the Roman army, prescribed garlic for intestinal parasitic disorders. Garlic oil was first isolated in 1844. More than one hundred compounds have been identified as constituents of garlic oil. In the Middle Ages, it was eaten daily as a protection against the bubonic plagues that ravished the European continent. Louis Pasteur described its antibacterial pro...

Ethnoheritage Project

Search This Blog