By Sayma Siddigue Mitu – Art in Tanzania intern
In the marbled shadows of African forests and farmlands, a quiet legacy flourishes, one held in the hands of women who have never gained academic knowledge of pharmacology yet heal with a precision generation deep. The women are the underrated Herbal Guardians: grandmothers, midwives, and mothers whose insight into leaves, bark, and roots forms an unbroken lineage of healing.
This is not merely folk medicine. It is the science that passed through untold stories, wisdom sung in lullabies, and medicine carried in woven pots or handmade baskets. At one pole, the world races toward pharmaceutical marvels; on the opposite pole, these wonder women walk ancient paths of healing, unsung yet powerful.
Roots of Wisdom: Healing Passed Through the Matrilineal Line
In many Tanzanian and East African cultures, women are the custodians of herbal knowledge, not merely by preference but rather by a deliberate cultural tradition. The men are diviners or spiritual guides, and the women collect herbs, concoct potions, and attend to the sick. They used to be taught from one generation to the next about the medicinal properties of plants; for example, the root calms fever, and the bark alleviates childbirth pain.
They are living libraries: The women know that Muarobaini (Azadirachta indica) cures more than 40 ailments and Mchaichai (Cymbopogon citratus – lemongrass) soothes both the stomach and the spirit. Their training starts early, with observation, practice, and service.
The baba mkunga is among the most respected in Tanzania’s villages. An elder woman carries out the work of the midwife and herbal pharmacist. During childbirth, delivery is facilitated by infusions derived from Mtumbwi leaves. After birth, the mother is prepared for healing using antiseptic herbs such as Mnyanya and Mlenda.
Through gentle ritualistic traditions, they ensure the healing of the body and the soul. Modern medicine is slowly integrating these practices, yet many rural women still rely on the herbal toolkit of the baba mkunga, especially where clinics are hours away.
Leaves of Resistance: How Herbalists Protected Communities
Herbal women were often overlooked during the colonial period, or worse, demonised as witches. That is to say, their resilience and perseverance under adverse conditions saved botanical knowledge from extinction. In their work lay the only real medicine available to many communities, especially when Western medicine had been unavailable or blocked.
Today, these women are on the front lines of environmental and cultural conservation against the extinction of rare herbs and preservation of sustainable traditions, harvesting only as much as needed, replanting, and praying before cutting. In Usambara and Uluguru, herbalists have become informal conservationists. By working with the youth to identify and care for medicinal plants, they are indeed conserving both healers and habitats.
Modern Daughters of the Earth: Youth Working to Reclaim the Practice
Surprisingly, herbal women’s knowledge is not dying; it is being transformed. In recent years, young Tanzanian and African women have been merging ancestral knowledge with formal studies.
At Sokoine University of Agriculture, some students are now researching Ocimum suave (wild basil) and Azadirachta indica (neem) under both scientific and village herbalist guidance. Their work often involves documenting traditional recipes, testing plant efficacy in labs, and engaging in cross-generational dialogues with elder healers. Their ultimate objective is to validate, preserve, and scale herbal knowledge for sustainable use.
Healing Futures: The Scientific Renaissance of Traditional Knowledge
Across the continent, more and more institutions are recognising the incredible potential of traditional herbal practices. In Tanzania, collaborations among botanical gardens, NGOs, and universities are working to digitise herbal knowledge, documenting species, dosages, and preparation methods in local languages alongside scientific classifications. This effort ensures that invaluable knowledge doesn’t disappear with its guardians but instead transforms into an open-access medical heritage for Africa and beyond.
International researchers and health organisations are increasingly focusing on these community-based remedies. Ingredients that were once only found in village baskets, like
Artemisia annua and Warburgia ugandensis, are now being investigated for their antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-cancer properties. Conferences and global panels are starting to feature African women herbalists not merely as “cultural representatives,” but as genuine knowledge-holders in their own right.
Conclusion: From Hands to Horizon
Behind every leaf gathered, each root made into a decoction, there is a woman – often an unidentified one – healing her people with the ancient medicines of the earth. She is a witch who is not only of herbs but also of hope. With a muffled voice, her legacy is loud and clear in the lives she touches.
To honour such women is to protect the past while viewing a sustainable, inclusive future-teaming environment where solutions for healing are community-led, culturally based, and shared with due recognition.
Projects such as Art in Tanzania’s medicinal garden are bringing herbal knowledge back to the younger generation of volunteers. Participants from abroad shadow the local women to learn how to identify anti-malarial herbs or make natural insect repellents.
