I would like all of the SNET forum members to list any Somali traditional medicine that they are aware of and what is used for. Please try to explain as much as you can so we can understand the tree that it comes from, how it is applied to illnesess, wounds, etc.
Here is what I have learned by talking to people I know. Please note I have no any medical norbiological backgrounds so I am just relying here what I have come across and would appreciate if you can really list any thing that you know about this topic and expand it a little bit. I am here to learn more.
1. Asal Galool. This comes from the Acacia Bussei tree's trunks and it is called Galool in Somali language. Many Somalis use it to treat different illnesses that occur in the intestines and stomach. Somalis who used it claim that it is a detoxicant that gets heavy metals out of your body and also cleans many of the internal problems that occur in the stomach and intestines.
2. Weyrax / Caws Dameeraad. This is part of the grass that grows in the Savanah regions of Somalia and it is used mostly to clean stomach and kidney problems.
3. Myrrh and Frankincense (Foox iyo Lalmal). "Both myrrh and frankincense grow as small trees or shrubs; they are of the botanical family Burseraceae. ...... Most resin (whether myrrh or frankincense) is obtained by tapping: making deliberate incisions with a specially designed tool or ordinary axe, about 2 inches long, into the bark of the tree. The milky liquid that exudes hardens on exposure to air into droplets or "tears," which are then easily detached by the collector about two weeks later. New tappings are made at the same place as old ones after removing hardened resin from the previous cut. If the tapping interval is short, then a light scratching of the wood is usually sufficient to cause the resin to flow again. The particular details of the tapping-the time of year it is undertaken, its duration, and the interval between individual tappings-vary according to the species and the customs in the area of production. For example, in Somalia there are usually two periods when Boswellia is tapped, each lasting 3-4 months, involving successive tappings at approximately 15-day intervals, with the timing of the tapping periods dependant on the onset and extent of the rains. The resin is stored for about 12 weeks to harden. The only processing undertaken after collection is sorting and grading of the resin globules, usually done by the local merchant to whom it is sold rather than the collector. " "Small amounts of raw myrrh and frankincense taken internally stimulate the stomach and promote digestion, but in larger amounts they can be irritating to the stomach, so the raw material is used mainly for external applications and for low dosage forms, such as pills and capsules."
http://www.itmonline.org/arts/myrrh.htm
4. Xulbada -- I am not sure what is made from and which tree it comes from but it is used to treat illness that occur in the stomach and in intestines. Please expand a little bit if you are aware of the tree that it comes from and how it is processed to produce it.
