wa Ngamiro blog

My journey as a herbalist is just beginning and I am figuring many things out about this sacred work. One thing I do know is that I want to learn about Kenyan herbal practices. I have had this interest for a long time but it was only after my last visit to Kenya that I decided to commit myself to this study. I went to mathaga and bought two arms full of books. The majority of them were about East African plants and Kenyan herbalism(s). I am still taking these books in but I wanted to share them with you here. In no particular order:

Traditional Medicine in Africa

edited by Isaac Sindiga, Chacha Nyaigotti-Chacha, & Mary Peter Kanunah

“The inaccessibility of biomedicine to most of Africa’s population because of escalating costs has necessitated a search for alternative ways of managing illnesses. Traditional medicine, which has always been practised in the indigenous cultures, is fast filling up this therapeutic gap.

This book is a collection of essays based on a multidisciplinary approach to traditional medicine in Africa. It has contributions from social scientists, natural resource experts, traditional medical practitioners, educationists, and medical scholars. It attempts to define the problems of traditional medicine in Africa, while also discussing the conceptual foundations of Africa ethnomedicine and medical pluralism.

It is hoped that this volume will be of utmost interest to clinicians, medical students, health management experts, primary health care workers, social scientist and policy makers”

Medicinal Plants of East Africa

by John O. Kokowaro

“Medicinal Plants of East Africa, Third Edition, is the revised modern version of a book first published in 1976 on herbal remedies and the traditional medicinal practice of East Africa. The book covers the rich diversity of plants found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, from sea plants to the alpine group on the high mountains. East Africa also has a rich ethnic diversity, hence the large number of herbalists and traditional medicinal practitioners whose traditional knowledge is covered in this book. The surface area covered is 1,768,047 sq.km. and a population of about 103 million people.

The new edition describes the traditional use, as herbal drugs (herbal remedies), of over 1500 species. Over 200 of these herbs, which are in colour plates. These plant images will assist the reader in identifying the herbal remedies. The book also contains two coloured maps of the region: an administrative map showing the localities where particular herbs were collected, and an ethnographic map of the tribes of the herbalist who provided the information contained in the book.”

An Illustrated Guide to Medicinal Plants of East Africa

by Najma Dharani & Abiy Yenesew

“Introducing 136 of East Africa’s most important medicinal plants. The use of plants for treading diseases is as old as civilisation itself and plants are still the foundation of most health care systems around the world. An Illustrated Guide to Medicinal Plants of East Africa is the first such guide to showcase healing plant species in everyday use in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Comprehensive accounts describe each plant’s appearance, ecology and specific medicinal uses, and there are recipes for remedies to treat a wide range of ailments. Each section concludes with an easy-to-understand summary of the science behind the treatments. Supplementary material includes a useful summary of common ailments and the plants prescribed to treat them, together with glossaries and reference lists for further reading. An Illustrated Guide to Medicinal Plants of East Africa will appeal to ethnobotanists, health and wellness practitioners, public health officials, travellers and anyone with an interest in the remarkable healing properties of plants.”

Traditional Food Plants of Kenya

by Patrick M. Maundu, Grace W. Ngugi, and Christine H.S. Kabuye

“The great range of climatic and ecological conditions prevailing in Kenya has resulted in a flora of about 7,100 distinct plant species and several thousand subspecies and varieties, some widely distributed, others endemic or more restricted in occurrence. Very man of these species are used traditionally for food as well as for a wide variety of other purposes. Leafy vegetables, fruit, roots and tubers collected from the wild often play a crucial nutritional role for rural communities, for example in children’s diets and in times of famine, and some are cultivated on a small scale in homegardens. But on the whole, as elsewhere in the world, these traditional food plants have been neglected in Kenya and their vast potential for domestication and improvement has barely begun to be exploited.

This book aims to help the user to appreciate this wealth of plant resources, the cultural traditions behind their use in Kenya and how to recognize and utilize them for the well-being of society, including urban communities, in these times of recurring food shortages and increasing reliance on a few commercial food crops. In addition to describing the ways in which the plants are used as food by various communities, medicinal ethnoveterinary, cultural, household and other uses are also given to show the value of each species to the communities concerned, as well as its’s potential for use elsewhere.”

Using Our Traditions: A Herbal & Nutritional Guide for Kenyan Families

by TICAH (Trust for Indigenous Culture & Health)

“TICAH’s popular herbal and nutritional guide, originally published in 2006, was updated in 2020 to include more plants, diseases and options for staying healthy.”

Field Guide to Common Trees & Shrubs of East Africa

by Najma Dharani

“This updated and expanded guide features more than 520 of the trees, shrubs, palms and mangroves commonly found in East Africa. It will help enthusiasts to identify prominent species in gardens, along roadsides and in the countryside.”

Kikuyu Botanical Dictionary: A Guide to Plant Names, Uses and Cultural Values

by Muruga Gachathi

“This is the Revised Edition of Kikuyu Botanical Dictionary, first published in 1989. The book seeks to preserve the Kikuyu plant knowledge and wisdom acquired through the ages so that it will continue to be available to all”