Psychoactive Ubulawu Spiritual Medicines and Healing Dynamics in the Initiation Process of Southern Bantu Diviners

Abstract

The use of psychoactive plants by traditional healers in southern Africa appears to be a neglected area of ethnobotanical research. This article explores the healing dynamics involved in the use of popular psychoactive plant preparations known as ubulawu in the initiation rituals of Southern Bantu diviners. Research methods include a review of the literature, fieldwork interviews with Southern Bantu diviners, and an analysis of experiential accounts from diverse informants on their use of ubulawu. Findings reveal that there is widespread reliance on ubulawu as psychoactive spiritual medicines by the indigenous people of southern Africa to communicate with their ancestral spirits—so as to bring luck, and to treat mental disturbances. In the case of the Southern Bantu diviners, ubulawu used in a ritual initiation process acts as a mnemonic aid and medicine to familiarize the initiates with enhanced states of awareness and related psychospiritual phenomena such as enhanced intuition and dreams of the ancestral spirits, who teach the initiates how to find and use medicinal plants. The progression of the latter phenomena indicates the steady success of the initiates' own healing integration. Various factors such as psychological attitude and familiarization, correct plant combinations/synergy and a compatible healer-initiate relationship influence ubulawu responsiveness.

Keywords:

• medicinal plants
• psychotropic plants
• psychospiritual healing
• South African traditional medicine
• traditional healers
• ubulawu

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Mrs. Maponya and the other healers I have worked with for guiding and teaching me and sharing their healing knowledge, Professor Thea de Wet for her encouragement and support throughout the research, Jaco Crous and Jane Burt for editing the paper, Andrzej Sobiecki for proof-reading the abstract and Dominique Florczak for his electronic support. I would like to acknowledge the healing power of the plants and gratitude to my ancestral family for the gift of being able to do this exciting research that I hope will promote healing for all people. The author declares he has no competing interests.