COMMUNICATION SKILLS

PROJECT
POWERPOINT PRESENTATION
GREGORY KAIMENYI ROBERT
E020-01-0490/2020
B.SC. TELECOMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION ENGINEERING
 INTRODUCTION
Traditional African medicine is a range of traditional
medicinal disciplines involving indigenous herbalism and African
spirituality. Practitioners of traditional African medicine can to be
able to cure a variety of diverse conditions including cancer,
psychiatric disorders, high blood pressure, cholera, most venereal
diseases, epilepsy, asthma, eczema, fever, anxiety,
depression, benign prostatic hyperplasia, urinary tract infections,
gout, and healing of wounds and burns and even Ebola.
EMBU TRADITIONAL MEDICINES

• The Embu people of kenya were known herbalist and some of their
traditional medicine is used till date though it is encountering stiff
competition from western medicine which is more popular and well
researched. Some of the most commonly used medicinal herbs include ;
Aloe vera
Eucalyptus
Cypress tree
Muratina tree
Sodom apple
ALOE VERA

• The Embu name for this plant is “Githuju”. It is readily available and used
till date. It was used by the Embu community to treat sunburns and cure
stomach ailments. The sap from the plant was also used to make toothpaste
and hence promote oral health. Finaaly, aloe vera is also widely used by
the Embu community to clear acne and pimples till date.
EUCALYPTUS

The Embu name for this tree is “munywa mai”. The tree leaves were used by the Embian
tribe to help treat fever, loosen cough and upset stomach. The leaves were also used to treat
acne. The twigs of the leaves when chewed are strong relievers of tooth pain.
Eucalyptus oil was also used to treat bronchitis, swelling and asthma. Diluted eucalyptus oil
is applied directly to the skin for pain and swelling of respiratory tract mucous membranes,
joint pain, genital herpes, and nasal stuffiness. It was also used as an insect repellent.
CYPRESS TREE

• The cypress tree is widely called “mutarakwa” or sometimes called

”muthithida” in kiembu. Pulp extracted from cypress was used to cure
scorpion and snake bites in the Embu community. It was also used to stop
diarrhea and frequent urination. The pulp was also be used to stop bleeding
and helped with menstrual issues in women. Finally the plant twigs when
chewed were used as toothbrushes.
SODOM APPLE

The fruit is used to stop bleeding or is pressed into the wounds and the juice
of the fruit can be used to help with toothaches. The stems are made into
toothbrushes, which the Embu tribe believe to have antibacterial effect.
The roots of the shrub are boiled and drunk to relieve stomach pains. Finally
the plant is also known to be applied directly to external wounds to aid
healing.
MURATINA TREE

• Muratina tree is a tree that is mostly known to make traditional Embu beer
but it also has many medicinal values. It was traditionally used to treat
sexually transmitted infections such as gonorrhea and syphilis. It was also
used to treat madness among bhang users and at the same time to cure
cataracts. Finally the tree bark was used to minimize postpartum bleeding.
NEEM TREE

• The Embian name for this tree is “mwarubaine”. Neem tree leaves were
used to cure acne due to their anti-inflammatory effect. They were also
used by the Embu community to nourish skin and treat fungal infections.
Apart from that neem tree leaves were used as mosquito repellent and to
treat wounds. The twigs of the plant were used to clean teeth by the Embu
community. Finally The leaves of the plant were also used to treat fever.
CONCLUSION

• In conclusion traditional medicine was very helpful in the Embu community. Almost
every ailment of those times was treated using this herbs and shrubs. However, the use of
traditional medicine in the Embu community has faced a major setback of stiff
competition from western medicine which are more popular in the region. This is due to
the fact that most medicine were not documented hence their benefits are not widely
known. Till date traditional Embu medicine has proved to be important and more research
should be done on the same.