Patricia Fifita and Dr. William Olsen, Anthropology

For the importance of this paper, ethnobotany is defined as the study of interactions between plants and people, particularly the influence of plants on human culture. The study of medicinal plant knowledge is an issue of increasing importance and definite urgency, especially as various indigenous peoples around the globe are suffering a great loss of traditional knowledge and practices. Examining traditional plant knowledge holds value in the interest of cultural preservation, as well as providing an important contribution in the area of drug discovery. In this project, I focused on the traditional healing practices and systems of the Ghanaian peoples of the Ashanti region in West Africa. I primarily examined the use of medicinal plants in the various traditional healing practices of the Ashanti culture.

Long before orthodox medical practices were introduced into the Ghanaian culture, there has been an important association between man and plants particularly in the use of herbal medicine by the local people. Over several hundreds of years, traditional Ghanaian healers and herbalists have accumulated a large body of herbal knowledge. However, with the impact of globalization and the increasing influence of Western society throughout the world, it is commonly accepted that traditional knowledge and the practice of herbal healing among many cultures is slowly fading. While it was quite apparent that many Ghanaian traditional healers are very knowledgeable of the plants in their surrounding, the acquisition of this information and knowledge was not without its difficulties. An understanding of Ghanaian customs and beliefs was a necessary element in attempting an appropriate exploration of traditional Ghanaian healing.

Herbal knowledge in Ghana is typically believed to be supernatural in origin and is often tightly secured within families and close-knit circles. The transfer of herbal knowledge is traditionally maintained within lineages. It was very important for me to establish a trusting relationship with the healers before they felt comfortable sharing their knowledge with me. There is often an aura of mysticism created around the practice of herbal medicine, which directly relates to the religious beliefs and practices that permeate almost every aspect of Ghanaian culture. Within Ghanaian theology, Ashantis generally believe that there is one supreme deity and several lesser beings and deities that often affect the lives of people. Within their traditional religious belief system there is a great need for priests and priestesses who act as mediators between deities and the people. These mediators can perform sacrifices for the people to the gods, they are believed to hold the power to combat evil, and most often they use herbs and medicinal plants to heal the sick and afflicted. I attempted to understand, record, and collect the plants used in these healing ceremonies.

I used a multi-method approach to gather this information. First, I used both observation and formal and informal interviewing. Once I became familiar with the nature and background of the healing practices, and even more importantly, established a good relationship with the healers I used participant-observation to gather information and material. Eventually I was able to photograph almost every aspect of the work, which included: shrine areas (typical places of practice), various healing ceremonies, individual plant specimens, herbal gardens, and bush areas (where most plants were collected from). Another technique I used was the collection of voucher specimens, which involved the collection, pressing, and drying of plant material for the purpose of preparing a herbarium specimen. I also collected loose dry herbs that were used for herbal remedies and concoctions.

I found that the traditional healers typically treated diseases that appeared to be the most common illnesses afflicting the Ghanaian people in their areas. The most common diseases were malaria, typhoid fever, inflammatory diseases, infertility, and skin afflictions. Most healers practiced on designated days throughout the week, which were referred to as “Shrine Days.” Patients from various areas, often from far distances sometimes up to several hundreds of miles, would travel to these shrines to be healed. The healing processed typically involved and spiritual and ceremonial consultation with the healer. Once the illness was diagnosed the patient would receive their herbal prescription. The traditional healer typically has several assistance working at the shrine; these individuals often gathered the necessary herbs from bush areas and herbal gardens and administered the herbs to the patients. Traditional healing is typically performed free of charge, although this is not always the case.

Post-independence events in Ghana have inevitably reduced the influence of herbal practitioners mainly with the establishment of hospitals, health centers, and clinics. Orthodox medicine, however, has not necessarily held a stable place among Ghanaian people; it’s popularity has waned since its introduction. Many of the clinics and hospitals in rural areas are not fully operational and ill equipped. The high cost of drugs and frequent delays in arranging a consultation with a physician also greatly affect the popularity and accessibility of healthcare. Also, new diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, and the rising drug resistance to certain antibiotics, has also led many to seek alternative treatments. I discovered that while many of the traditional practices of the Ghanaian people may be threatened with increasing Western influence, the traditional healers of the Ashanti people of Ghana have managed to hold a valuable place in their culture and society. The traditional religious beliefs of so many Ghanaian people have fortunately held many of the herbal healing practices secure. I believe that it is of utmost importance to maintain the preservation of traditional knowledge and continue to search for understanding and appreciation of different cultures.