Out Of Africa 

Memories came flooding back to me, as I was watching an advert for a soap that would make your skin smooth and soft and if you could believe it, would make you look years younger.  A picture came to my mind of an old African lady.

I met Mankali whilst living in Zimbabwe, where I lived for twenty years. For six months, during that period, I shared the home and village of the Btonka tribe. She wasn't sure then about her age, but from what she could remember she was definitely alive in 1925. 

As the sun was setting, we used to take our daily bath in the hot spring. Naked children would play, dance and sing as they pointed their little fingers at the white naked lady, shrieking with laughter at what they saw. Close by elephants would drink their last drink of the evening, not even bothering to look in our direction, while fish eagles soared around in the orange sky calling their mates. 

The earthy smell of Africa mingled with the smell of the "potato bush". The air along the Zambezi Valley often carries the aroma of baked potato. This is strongest in the early evening during spring and summer. It comes from the tiny pinkish flower clustered along the branches of a scrambling bush called the potato bush - Solanum Nigrum.

It was here, Mankali would tell me one of Africa's greatest secrets

It was here, Mankali would tell me one of Africa's greatest secrets. How to keep your skin smooth and, feel as soft as a baby's skin.  Her skin looked as if it was covered in Vaseline, not a drop of water would linger on the skin, no wrinkles and I would have guessed her age to be around 50. 

It took a while before she told me her secret, but one day she held her hand out and gave me a gift.  A round stone, smooth on one side and rough on the other side! The only soap she had ever known.

She took great pleasure in showing me how to use it and with a toothless smile and shrieks of laughter showed me with hand gestures not to use it on the sensitive parts. (Mankali didn't speak English and I didn't speak Btonka)

He handed me. "God's miraculous cure"

It was also here where I met the local traditional healer. Usually knowledge of natural herbs is kept as a big secret; but after a few jugs of the local homemade beer they would start to talk and share information about some of the most common herbs and roots which they used in their remedies. The healer handed me a red African bird-pepper, or cayenne pepper as we know it, and without saying anything took it back and held it in his hand for a few seconds, then placed it in the sand and made a circle around it and in excellent English said "God's miracle cure- handed down from my ancestors". 

"It will cure your blood and any diseases connected to it" (he didn't mention high blood pressure as I am sure very few Africans would have known it, but I have later learnt that cayenne pepper is the best herbal treatment for this, giving fantastic results for anyone suffering from this Western ailment).

To my horror, he cut his finger with a knife, packed the open bleeding gap with cayenne pepper and I watched the bleeding stop immediately (do not try this at home!). The next day this cut had nearly disappeared. I had great joy when my Bach Flower Remedies teacher showed me an article about cayenne pepper, discovered by Dr. John Christopher (see below).

After reading pages and pages about the subject, I tried it myself and on many of my clients in Zimbabwe who also dared to try it, with amazing results on heart ailments, high blood pressure, gout and asthma. I am now convinced it is one of God's miraculous cures from Nature.

Cayenne Pepper Recipe for Health Cayenne Pepper: Recipe for Health The best result from using Cayenne pepper is in its powdered form (as a spice, available from any supermarket). ·          Start with 1/4 teaspoon in hot water 3 times daily for one week. ·          Second week 1/2 teaspoon in hot water 3 times daily and then 1 teaspoon in hot water 3 times daily. ·          You may need some cold water after as it can be hot going but you will get used to it.   If you are on any medication, please contact your doctor before starting.

Let me share some of the ailments which cayenne pepper can be a useful remedy for (see recipe on the left for method): Heart Attacks, Angina, Arthritis, Bleeding, High Blood Pressure, Bronchitis, Chronic Fatigue, Sore throats, Coughs, Hay Fever, Stomach Ailments and Ulcers, Nerves, Insomnia, Varicose Veins, Cellulite, Water Retention, Asthma and many more. Also helps in quitting smoking. You can also visit Dr. John Christopher's website www.LifeBalm.com for further information.

The African healer then went on to talk about the African potato (Hypoxis rooperi). It is known to help Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Cancer, Tumours, and Viral infections, Multiple Sclerosis, Psoriasis and all immune deficiency problems. He claimed he had great results with HIV cases. For further information: www.naturestruth.com/product_african_potatoe.htm

It wasn't just the traditional healers' knowledge of herbs and roots as natural remedies that impressed me most; but rather, the amazing belief their patients had; that whatever remedy they were given it would work.

The mind has an amazing healing power of its own.

Love and light

Venka

Venka@Venka.Biz