Somali Traditional Medicine

Somali traditional medicine is a holistic healing system that has been practiced for centuries, incorporating herbal remedies, spiritual healing, and specialized treatments for various ailments. Rooted in indigenous knowledge, it draws upon over 500 documented medicinal plants, including the widely recognized Boswellia frereana (frankincense) and the Gob tree (Commiphora myrrha), which have been used for skincare and anti-inflammatory purposes. Traditional Somali healers, known as cilaaj practitioners, employ plant-based therapies, cupping (xasaas), and bone-setting techniques. Oral traditions and community knowledge transmission have ensured the preservation of these healing practices, which continue to be used alongside modern medicine in Somali communities worldwide.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Brain Surgery

Historical accounts suggest that Somali traditional doctors performed successful brain surgeries before the first widely recognized brain tumor resection in 1879.^[5]^[6]^[7]

Malaria

In 1856, the British explorer Richard Burton noted that Somalis in the town of Zelia (Zeila) believed fevers were linked to mosquito bites. Burton dismissed this view as a "superstition," yet it aligns with the modern understanding that malaria is transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes.^[8]

Herbal Medicine

Somali traditional medicine uses Acacia tortilis to treat asthma. Scientific studies confirm its effectiveness and safety.^[9]

References

^ Kaplan, Irving (1977). "Area Handbook for Somalia". U.S. Government Printing Office.
^ "Vol. 29, No. 3, MAY-JUNE, 1955 of Bulletin of the History of Medicine on JSTOR". www.jstor.org. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
^ Gurlt, Ernst Julius (1898). Geschichte der Chirurgie und ihrer Ausübung; Volkschirurgie, Alterthum, Mittelalter, Renaissance. Columbia University Libraries. Berlin, Hirschwald.
^ Lagercrantz, Sture (1990). "The Splinting of Fractures in Africa". Paideuma. 36: 115–137. ISSN 0078-7809.
^ Cohen, Alan R. (2023-11). "William Macewen and the first documented successful resection of a brain tumor". Child's Nervous System: ChNS: Official Journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery. 39 (11): 3019–3024. doi:10.1007/s00381-023-05825-3.
^ The Warrior Mullah – The Horn Aflame, 1892–1920. R. W. Beachey. London: Bellew Publishing, 1990, pp. 31–32.
^ "The Soldier's Burden". www.kaiserscross.com. Retrieved 2025-03-16.
^ Aidid, Safia (2015-04-14). "The New Somali Studies". The New Inquiry. Retrieved 2025-03-02.
^ Etkin, Nina L. (1988). "Ethnopharmocology: Biobehavioral Approaches in the Anthropological Study of Indigenous Medicines". Annual Review of Anthropology. 17: 29. doi:10.1146/annurev.an.17.100188.000323. ISSN 0084-6570. JSTOR 2155904.

[1] Kaplan, Irving (1977). "Area Handbook for Somalia". U.S. Government Printing Office.

[2] "Vol. 29, No. 3, MAY-JUNE, 1955 of Bulletin of the History of Medicine on JSTOR". www.jstor.org. Retrieved 2025-03-16.

[3] Gurlt, Ernst Julius (1898). Geschichte der Chirurgie und ihrer Ausübung; Volkschirurgie, Alterthum, Mittelalter, Renaissance. Columbia University Libraries. Berlin, Hirschwald.

[4] Lagercrantz, Sture (1990). "The Splinting of Fractures in Africa". Paideuma. 36: 115–137. ISSN 0078-7809.

[5] Cohen, Alan R. (2023-11). "William Macewen and the first documented successful resection of a brain tumor". Child's Nervous System: ChNS: Official Journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery. 39 (11): 3019–3024. doi:10.1007/s00381-023-05825-3.

[6] The Warrior Mullah – The Horn Aflame, 1892–1920. R. W. Beachey. London: Bellew Publishing, 1990, pp. 31–32.

[7] "The Soldier's Burden". www.kaiserscross.com. Retrieved 2025-03-16.

[8] Aidid, Safia (2015-04-14). "The New Somali Studies". The New Inquiry. Retrieved 2025-03-02.

[9] Etkin, Nina L. (1988). "Ethnopharmocology: Biobehavioral Approaches in the Anthropological Study of Indigenous Medicines". Annual Review of Anthropology. 17: 29. doi:10.1146/annurev.an.17.100188.000323. ISSN 0084-6570. JSTOR 2155904.

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