BY MICHELINA ANDREUCCI
When we declare ivhu nderedu – that the soil is ours, do we understand the implications?
When we say the land and soil is ours, have we taken stock of our botanical riches?
Do we know how to protect these riches?
Out of more than 5000 plant species recorded in Zimbabwe, an estimated 10% have medicinal
properties and are used by traditional healers as traditional medicines.
We shall examine the case of Great Zimbabwe, our ancient stone acropolis surrounded by medicinal and industrial forests preserved and conserved by our ancestors. With over 102 indigenous tree species established at Great Zimbabwe, the species found around Great Zimbabwe make up an entire cosmological pharmacy
Given that survival of the species, fertility and protection (of the indigenous human people), from illnesses and difficulties, one finds that most of the botany surrounding Great Zimbabwe is medicinal, industrial and in a sense, spiritual.
Indigenous trees were grown, cultivated, classified and prized for their economic, industrial, cultural and medicinal purposes.
Colonisation came in many forms and guises. One of them was in the disbelief in your own pharmacology, yet our forefathers survived from time immemorial without the need of Western pharmacological intervention. Traditional Medicines obtained from infusion of the roots, bark, leaves and/or fruits of indigenous trees were used to treat many human and animal ailments.
An old acquaintance, the late Professor Mike Gelfand’s extensive ethno-biological research showed a wide variety of uses for the Muroro tree – Annona stenophylla. an infusion from the roots or bark was used to treat abdominal and chest pains, sprains, boils, constipation, diarrhoea, hiccoughs and sexually transmitted diseases.
Prevalent at Great Zimbabwe, is the Muhacha – Mobola Plum (Parinari Zuratellifolia). an indigenous tree bearing a plum-sized edible fruit. Although the trees exude a characteristic unpleasant smell at certain times of the year, the Muhacha is considered a very sacred tree in Shona culture and is rich in vitamins and other medicinal properties.
The fertility practice at Great Zimbabwe required the intervention of the Mugondorosi – a vine growing onto the large tree which can be seen behind the iconic Conical Tower. Decoction of all plant parts of Cassia abbreviata were also used as a diet supplement and aphrodisiac.
During a wide spread influenza epidemic in 1918 when many local people died, the Fagara Capensis was used as a common traditional treatment. The home and its environs provided the necessary paramecia to common seasonal ailments.
Medicines obtained from infusion of the roots, bark, leaves and/or fruits of indigenous trees were used to treat many human and animal ailments from infertility in women, depressed fontanelle, snake bites, wounds, sore eyes, toothache and tooth infections. Traditional vegetables such as mutsenzi, munyeve and other wild herbs, which we call ‘weeds’ today and remove from our gardens, were rich in anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties.
What irks post-colonial thinkers is the fact that many indigenous African people believe that Western chemicals and pharmaceuticals are the answer to their ailments today.
Every panacea is provided for in our Zimbabwean natural environment, for which the bark, fibre, bulbs, fruits, leaves, rhizomes, roots, sap, seeds, twigs and whole plant, were used for herbal preparations.
To look down upon traditional healers who are themselves guided by an inherited practical memory, is a regrettable outcome of colonisation.
As with most Zimbabwean spaces, the dominant species of trees at Great Zimbabwe were the Musasa (Brachystegia speciformi), and Munondo (Julbernardia globiflora); Gavakava (Aloe greatheadii) and Euphorbia (candelabra tree), also grow in profusion in the area.
Given Great Zimbabwe was also a centre for industrial design and production; it is interesting to note the cultivation of raw material in the form of industrially used trees. For the purposes of expediency and the limitations of an article this length, I will not give an exhaustive botanical list, but discuss a few iconic trees that are found in that locale.
Mungongoma was used to make drums, duri (pestal-and-mortar), and bowls. The Muvanga tree
was used to make mbira sounding boards, while the Mukuyu/Muwonde – indigenous fig tree was used for the keys on the marimba, due to its acoustic qualities. It was also used in the production of Tree aloes in a circle formation at Great Zimbabwe domestic wooden utensils, as was the Mupane for mighoti (stirring spoons) and mugwako – serving spoons.
The Mutowa/Murara/Mutiti, were flexible enough to make the bows of the bow-and-arrow, (huta ne miseve ) and the Mupfuti (brachystegia boehmii), was utilised to make handles of ceremonial daggers and axes – bakatwa ne makano/gano. It was also used for the treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
The hard wood of the Mupfuti when treated was used as railway sleepers, mine props and pick and axe handles. For indigenous animal husbandry, it supplied some of the best rope bark to yoke cattle and goats. The rope bark from the Mupfuti tree was also used for making fish traps. The tree grows to a height of 15metres. It was one of the first trees to be envied and colonised by the settlers, who named it the Prince of Wales Feather tree.
Amongst the edible fruits is the Wild Olive (Olea Africana), with large edible bitter olives; the wood is suitable for furniture and cabinet work. An economically and culturally important tree is the Marula (Sclerocarya Caffra), from which the popular Amarula Cream liquor is currently being produced.
The most serious threats to our indigenous trees and plants, like any other forms of biodiversity, are habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change and invasive species. Zimbabwe currently faces a major deforestation problem, particularly in the communal lands where there is an increased demand for wood fuel and building materials. In some areas, notably the Save River Valley, virtually all tree cover has been removed. A recent innovation since the late 1980s has been the creation of woodlands through Rural Tree Planting programmes, but human demand still far exceeds supply.
In all, the summary of my postulations is the integratedness of indigenous culture with environmental sciences. It is important that our progeny inherit a botanically informed syllabus. It is equally important for people to understand the depth of the strata of indigenous knowledge systems in every facet of our existence.
Like most other African countries, Zimbabwe is an important storehouse of indigenous trees important in primary healthcare, reflected in the great diversity of plants used for medicinal purposes in Zimbabwe as well as in the wide range of their applications and associated traditional medicine procedures.
Traditional indigenous knowledge of ethno-medicines represents not only an important heritage, developed over the centuries, but also considerable mass of data that should be exploited in order to develop new and useful knowledge on plant resources for national beneficiation.
As a foot note I should mention that Zimbabwe’s forestry potential was appreciated at an early stage of the country’s development. The first colonial forest nursery was opened in Salisbury (Harare), in 1903, for the growing and sale of exotic trees. In 1894, pioneer-prospector John Meikle (1868-1949), began planting pines used for timber on his Penhalonga estate and opened the first sawmill in 1918.
Ruzivo mairirano ne miti, michero, midzi ne mashizha edu, ndo’o nhaka ye vana vedu. ngatizvi koshese. Our ethno-botanical knowledge of indigenous fruits, roots and leaves are the inheritance of our children, let us preserve this knowledge for posterity.
Michelina Andreucci is a Zimbabwean-Italian researcher and a published author in her field. For Comments E-mail: linamanucci@gmail.com
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