Busy PractitionerUntil three years ago, Karimbhai was a potter and used to take time off from routine chores to collect herbs and to treat patients in the village. But then he became a fulltime practitioner of herbal medicine as he was not able to attend, on a part-time basis, to the swelling rank of patients who required his attention.
Karimbhai often leaves home just after midnight to walk about 15 km in hilly terrain through jungles to pick up the right herbs. The trip takes up to five hours and he is able to start treating his patients as the morning dawns.
He treats a gamut of diseases like heart ailments, arthritis, diabetes, skin disorders, cold and cough, asthma, fractures, genitorurinary- tract infections, intestinal ulcers etc. and even cancer. Some of the practices he uses:
Traditional Livestock Healer 3
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The most common animal ailments in the region are foot and mouth disease, infertility and complications at the time of delivery of calves and Dhanudin has treatments for all these. Apart from these veterinary problems he also treats various other ailments:
Ephemeral fever
Root of Acyranthes aspera and turmeric (Curcuma longa) in the ratio of 6: 4 are ground and pills (50 gm) are prepared. The pill is soaked in mustard oil and one pill is given orally after every three hours. Half the quantity of medicine should be given to small animals.
Grass tetany in legs
Sangaraf (Sulphatum hydragyrium) is ground finely and mixed with the latex of Euphorbia royleana and a paste is prepared. The paste is applied to the hooves with the help of a brush made of bamboo after every 1-2 hours. If this irritates the animal, butter can be applied to soothe.
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Treatment of veterinary problems
Blood appearing in the urine of cows and buffaloes
Take ghee (250 g), goat’s milk (1.5kg) and jaggery (250 g) and mix them well. Give this to the animal for two days. The animal will stop passing blood with urine.
Constipation in animals
If a cow or a buffalo has difficulty in passing stool, boil the leaves of Jamal Ghota (500g) with water (1 litre) and give it to the animal to drink.
Eczema
Boil mustard oil in an iron vessel. When it is boiling add the fresh leaves of neem and keep on boiling till the leaves turn black. Remove the leaves and apply the remaining oil on the affected area once a day for 4-5 days.
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Post delivery- Excess bleeding from Vagina
After delivery when excess bleeding occurs, the animal becomes weak. It starts shivering, and remains lying down. To treat this, leaves of kanther (Capparis sepiaria) (500 g) are crushed and the juice is extracted. To this Sakar (Mishri - a form of sugar) (500 g) and water (500 ml) is added. This solution is then drenched to the animal and it gives instant relief. Continuation of this practice for three to four days, cures the animal completely and it regains its energy.
Inflammation
For treating inflammation due to some external injury, a paste is prepared using jaggery and fresh fruits of Bhoy Ringani (Solanum xanthocarpum). This paste is applied on the inflammation.
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Some of the practices used by DevshankarbhaiAnuria
This problem mostly occurs in bullocks. It happens because of the small calculi in the urine pipe, as the bullock’s urine pipe has a distinct sigmoid shape. Devshankarbhai claims that he knows a special trick to identify the location where the calculus is present. According to him, he punctures the place and makes the urine flow faster from the pipe and later he administers an aqueous solution of ash (cow dung cake’s ash) when the severity is less.
Anoestrus
Moth bean seeds (Vigna aconitifolia) (3 kg) are soaked in water for 24 hours. Next day, the water is discarded and the seeds if possible are tied up in a piece of cloth so that they will sprout within a day or two. Such sprouted moth bean seeds should be administered to the animal with the problem of anoestrus. If the animal is young and weighs less then only 2 kg moth beans should be taken. This treatment should be done for two days and animal will come into heat. This treatment has no side effects.
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Veterinary related
Treatment of fracture in all animals:
Seed flour of Guar or cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) (Five kg); turmeric (Curcuma longa) (50 g), salt (50 g) and a small quantity of water are mixed together and gently heated. This paste is applied on the fractured limb which is then bandaged. This treatment is repeated at an interval of 8- 10 days for 1-2 times. The animal is cured within 20-25 days.
Alternative treatments for fracture
Boil pearl millet grains in water along with salt and turmeric (Curcuma longa). Make a paste and apply this warm paste on the affected part for 2-3 days. Take river sand. Add some water, turmeric and salt. Make a paste and apply that on the fractured bone.
Traditional herbal healer 9
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Some of her practices: Weakness in the legs of anima
Take dry ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizomes (50 g), Kuppaimeni leaves (Acalypha indica) (a handful of leaves) and Clome gynandra leaves (one handful) and grind all of these and mix with rice water and give it to the animal.Constipation in Animals
Extract the juice of Thumbai leaves (Leucas aspera) and Kuppaimeni leaves (Acalypha indica) and thrust it into the anus of the animal through a papaya stem and immediately the animal will be healed.
Swelling on the neck
Take the leaves of Kovai (Coccinia grandis) and squeeze it to extract the juice. Add this to castor oil and apply this on the animal’s neck for four days and it will get healed.
Traditional Herbal healer 8
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He has also been practicing various methods to cure the ailments affecting their domestic animals and birds for the past five years.
Some of his cures include that for sterility of women, body heat, cycosis (white dots on the face), diabetes and to facilitate proper growth.�
Traditional Herbal Healer 7
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Method of the practice
A paste is made of the leaves of Elimarunthu chedi (a plant whose local name means green leaves for rat bites) and this is applied on the bite and bandaged. The patient is then made to stand in stagnant water for some time. Usually they get cured by this immediately and are able to leave. But if not cured instantly, she allows the patient to stay at her house and repeats the treatment till he/she gets cured.
Traditional Herbal Healer 6
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Some of her treatments:Blood pressure
Boil a handful of drumstick leaves (Moringa oleifera) in water and drink the water after cooling.
Giddiness
Boil Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) seeds in two tumblers of water until it is reduced to half of its value. To this add lemon juice and honey and drink.
Liver pain
Remove the skin (outer cover) of the “Onion” (Allium sativum) till the white petals show. Consume this onion with rice soaked water with a little salt added. Do it in the early morning on an empty stomach.
Contusion
Grind equal parts of red-gram (Cajanus cajan) and mustard to a paste like consistency and apply it as poultice over the affected part for two days consequently.
