#1 My grandmother was an incredibly strong and loving woman. She had a mganga "Medicine man" she believed in. When we were young, I had terrible eczema, it was so bad at the knee joint the leg stuck together with oozing sores. My parents took me to the top specialists, nothing.

#2 One day my baba (pronounce bhabha ie. grandma) took me to see her herbalist John. He had a bowl on the ground with water. In the water stool two sticks. Just standing upright in water. There was a long line of patients waiting to see him.

#3 He treated them with ancient herbs and portions and at some point in the day suddenly the sticks in the water just fell. He slumped over and said, "My powers are finished today, I cannot treat anyone else." Many went home disappointed.

#4 He gave my grandmother some foul smelling, sticky green leaves to boil and apply in a poultice to my eczema. Soon it was gone, never to return again. I wish I had recorded his ancient knowledge, wisdom and skill. Herbal treatments tried and tested lost forever to modernity