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Traditional Medicine in the Gambia

The practice of traditional medicine is an important aspect of Gambian life and culture. It has existed in the country since before the arrival of western medicine and even the Islamic religion. Although there have been some additions to the methods of traditional healers of The Gambia since the coming of Islam, many of the values and concepts remain as they were when traditional medicine began. Modern medicine, that is the diagnosis and treatment of patients using scientific study and clinical trials, is the predominant form of healthcare for citizens of the United States while in The Gambia, seeking medical attention from traditional healers still remains to be a popular means of treatment. The popularity of traditional medicine continues to climb in the country, which in some ways can be attributed to the president, Alhagi Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, who claims to be working to acquire cures of devastating diseases using traditional medicine. Initially, I was interested in following the topic of traditional medicine mostly because I found the idea of using plants as medicine intriguing. The use of medicinal plants is also an attractive subject with the current increasing appeal of herbal remedies and medicines in the United States. Keeping this fact in mind, I wanted to investigate the role herbal remedies played in a culture much different from that of the United States. Being a chemistry student without much prior knowledge about traditional medicine in The Gambia, I was under the impression that I might find many herbalists eager to reveal all of the herbs they used, what sicknesses the herbs treated, and what chemical compounds made these herbs. Upon learning more, I recognized that this was not always going to be the case. My purposes for research evolved into much more modest goals: to establish an understanding of the traditional form of healthcare in The Gambia, the measures being taken to integrate traditional medicine into the modern healthcare system, and the reasons for the effectiveness of herbal medicines. As well as being a way in which people attempt to remain healthy, traditional medicine is also a large piece of the culture that represents The Gambia. Traditional medicine remains within the culture by way of the practitioners from one generation passing the knowledge to members of the next generation. In this way, the title of traditional healer can remain within a family for many generations. The continuation of the knowledge of a traditional healer being put into practice is dependent upon the traditional healer himself. By taking a close look at the work of traditional healers in many areas of The Gambia, I was able to come into contact with a part of the country’s culture. As much as being sick in a foreign country can be an inconvenience as well as depressing, my experience with food poisoning turned out to give me a good idea of the other spectrum of medicine in The Gambia. For me, laying on a bed hooked up to an intravenous drip was comforting because I knew that I would soon be hydrated and on my way to recovery. However, a patient who I had viewed in the Cherno Baba Association of Traditional Healers Clinic in Berending would most likely disagree. Part of how I view the effectiveness of medicine is due to the society in which I grew up. The same can be said of a Gambian who seeks treatment from traditional healers instead of traveling to the hospital. Modern medicine often treats the symptoms of an illness while traditional medicine treats illness through an understanding of what is believed to be the cause of it. As mentioned before, the arrival Islam has brought a spiritual aspect to the practice of traditional medicine in The Gambia. Even outside of my field work, I viewed the work of traditional healers or marabouts in the jujus tied around the necks, ankles, wrists, and waists of people of all ages. In many of the marabous’ “offices” that I entered, I observed prayer mats, one or more copies of the Holy Koran, prayer beads, and wall hangings adorning verses from the Holy Koran. It soon became clear to me that traditional medicine was not merely someone gathering a variety of herbs and brewing medicines for ailing patients. Traditional healers with many years of experience generally receive a great deal of respect and legitimacy from the inhabitants of the villages in which they practice. However, the work of healers that is praised by many Gambian citizens is not given the same recognition by the institutions of modern medicine in The Gambia. Over the years, some conflict has arisen between the country’s healthcare system and traditional healers. I came to comprehend this conflict further once I began to visit traditional healers while simultaneously receiving information from my peers about their research into modern healthcare in The Gambia. It is of great importance that these two ends of the spectrum find a way to be integrated so that modern and traditional medicine can coexist within the country. Despite the differences that exist between a healer who has attended medical school and one who has learned from an elder, both share the same goal to bring good health to the country.