Originally published in the Spanish natural health magazine Integral, Dec. 2025 – Full PDF version with photos

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In Gambia, as in much of West Africa, traditional medicine is not simply a therapeutic alternative: it is the backbone of the health system for most of the population and, more profoundly, a complete worldview about the relationship between human beings, nature and the sacred.

Grandfather’s Last Lesson

The three years I lived in Europe, before my grandfather died, were quite difficult because I couldn‘t enjoy his last years. But my grandfather, consciously, waited for me. When he got sick, I would call home, and my grandmother would repeat to me again: ”Your grandfather is waiting for you, come see him.” When I finally returned to Gambia, he was ill and hadn‘t spoken for a long time. I arrived at his house, placed my hand on his, he opened his eyes and asked my grandmother: “Who is it?” and she replied: “ It‘s Malang!” But my grandfather scolded me, saying: “I told you that if you don’t come with your wife, I don’t want to see you.” We all laughed together; my grandfather was content to say goodbye like that. He went back to sleep and never spoke again. When I returned to Catalonia, my grandmother called me: “He passed away peacefully.” This is how Malang Sambou Manneh, coauthor with Dr. Josep Lluís Berdonces of the book The Sacred Forest, remembers that crucial moment when the circle of transmission of ancestral knowledge closes. A transmission that involves neither money nor trivialities, but a spiritual and transcendental connection that transcends death itself. “When I practice and use the powers he taught me, it’s as if he himself were with me; for me, he hasn’t died, he’s just gone,” Malang explains. 

The Guardians of Plant Knowledge

As we have said, in Gambia, as in much of West Africa, traditional medicine is not simply a therapeutic alternative: it is the backbone of the health system for most of the population and, more profoundly, a complete worldview regarding the relationship between human beings, nature, and the sacred. There are different types of healers, each with their specialty and social function. 

The Habalist (from habal, meaning doctor or savior of plants) is the one who possesses profound knowledge of medicinal plants and their therapeutic applications. The Jola—a term that in Mandinka is associated with herbalism and represents a specific tradition of healers who combine botanical knowledge with ancestral ritual practices. The Marabout (morabite), on the other hand, must have a deep knowledge of the Quran and acts more like a sorcerer or seer, capable of predicting the future using seashells and other divinatory methods. Finally, the naturalists or fetishists are those who maintain a direct relationship with the spirits of the forest, perform ritual sacrifices under sacred trees, and act as intermediaries between the visible and invisible worlds. Malang’s grandfather was a herbalist, and like all traditional healers, he had his specialty: problems of the abdomen (stomach, intestines, vertigo, and even spiritual issues). “Everyone who had digestive problems came to our house. My grandmother had to prepare a lot of food, since she had to cook for the family, but also for all the patients who were queuing in the waiting room,” she recalls.

Initiation: The University of Life

The transmission of medicinal knowledge in Gambia is intimately linked to the concept of initiation. It is not enough to learn the names of the plants and their properties; it is necessary to undergo an initiatory process that takes place in the sacred forests, protected natural areas where young people are trained for 30 days.

“The sacred forest has a dual meaning,” explains Malang. “On the one hand, it is the place where the initiation of young people takes place, and they must live there for 30 days. On the other hand, it is where the elders transfer knowledge to those who have been chosen.” Especially under the Tabo tree, protective rituals are prepared for those who enter the forest, where they remain practicing all kinds of secret rituals. This initiation is considered a kind of university.

“If you don’t enter the sacred forest, it means you don’t have education, that you haven’t received the wisdom of the elders and that you can’t discuss community matters when there are conversations among the wise men of the village,” Malang points out. “Whether you’re 16 or 70 years old, if you haven’t received this initiation, you’re not considered a man, nor have you earned a master’s or doctorate in your lifetime.”

But not everyone can be a Jola. To enter the sacred forest, the father or mother must necessarily be a Jola. This patrilineal transmission ensures the continuity of the lineage of knowledge.

In Malang’s case, none of his grandfather’s children became Jola—they were doctors and teachers who had studied extensively and could occupy other positions in the community. Only Malang, who accompanied his grandfather to the forest since childhood, fulfilled the requirements to receive the initiation and inherit the ancestral knowledge.

The Plants of the Sacred Forest

The botanical knowledge of the Jola is vast and precise. Each plant has its specific indications, preparation methods, and contraindications. Let’s look at some of the most significant ones:

Ageratum conyzoides
(Soto in Mandingo) is a herb in the Asteraceae family with a pantropical distribution. It is called Soto Khoyo, and there are varieties of various colors. “They are very nutritious for forest animals and are especially recommended for people with ulcers,” explains Malang.

This plant contains alkaloids, tannins, terpenoids, coumarins, flavonoids, and saponins. It is widely used in traditional African medicine, although its applications vary by region. In Central Africa, it is used to treat pneumonia, but its most common use is to heal wounds and burns. In Cameroon and the Congo, it is used for fever, rheumatism, headaches, and colic. Traditional communities in India use it as a bactericide, antidysenteric, and antilithic agent. There is scientific evidence of its antioxidant activity, although there are also reports of toxicity that require caution.

Dialium guineense
(Kosito in Mandingo, Solom in Senegal) is known as wild tamarind. It is a tree that can grow up to 30 meters tall and belongs to the legume family. It has reddish bark and contains a small amount of red gum. “It’s very good; the leaves are eaten, relieve nausea, and reduce vomiting. It is especially given to pregnant women,” says Malang. 

The fruit, 2 to 3 cm in diameter, is covered by a black layer that contains a pleasant orange-brown pulp, slightly acidic and sweet. It is very rich in glucose, fructose, iron, magnesium, copper, and protein, as well as vitamin C (28.82 mg/100 g) and vitamin B1.

The root bark is used to treat coughs, while the stem bark is used for stomatitis and toothaches. The phytochemicals identified include alkaloids, tannins, phenols, and flavonoids.

Dichrostachys cinerea
(Kurulungo in Mandingo, Buteful in Jola) is a shrub or small tree in the legume family (Fabaceae), with thorns that end in short lateral branches. “When someone has a burn or a wound, they can use it. It stops bleeding very well,” explains Malang.

Scientific studies have shown that this plant possesses antioxidant and hypoglycemic properties, inhibits the proliferation of human promyelocytic leukemia cells and prostate cancer, and exhibits antifungal and antimalarial activity. In vivo activities include anti-inflammatory, antidiarrheal, analgesic, hepatoprotective, and neuropharmacological effects.

The leaves are boiled in water and the steam is inhaled to treat toothaches, or the liquid is used as a mouthwash.

Anacardium occidentale
(Cashew nut) is well known in the West for its edible nut, but in traditional Gambian medicine it has important therapeutic applications. For the treatment of high blood pressure and diabetes, the leaves are boiled in water and the decoction is consumed. The bark contains tannins and phenolic compounds with astringent properties.

Crinum ornatum
(Baga or Bakha in Mandingo) is a bulbous plant of the Amaryllidaceae family. Like all species of the genus Crinum, it contains alkaloids with potent medicinal properties, but these require expert handling due to their potential toxicity. It is used in specific preparations for nervous system disorders and joint pain.

Adansonia digitata
(Baobab, Bin in Wolof, Boki in Fula) is the most emblematic tree of West Africa. Virtually all its parts have medicinal uses: the leaves are rich in mucilage and are used as emollients and anti-inflammatories; the fruit pulp is extraordinarily rich in vitamin C (six times more than an orange) and is used for fever and diarrhea; the bark has antimalarial and analgesic properties.

Tamarindus indica
(Tamarind, Ambly in Mandingo) is not just a culinary spice. The pulp of the fruit has mild laxative and digestive properties. The leaves are used in decoctions for fevers and as a vermifuge. The roasted seeds are used for intestinal problems.

Complementary Therapies: Earth, Water, and Energy

Traditional Gambian medicine is not limited to the use of plants. There is a whole therapeutic system that integrates mineral elements, purification rituals, and energy work.

One of the most characteristic therapies is treatment with volcanic earth. “If a person has very little energy, it is necessary to first perform an energy treatment before starting with medicinal plants,” explains Malang. This treatment consists of a massage with volcanic earth mixed with shea butter, peanut butter, palm oil, or avocado.

“But the best of all is Tlukuno, because this cream penetrates right to the bone.” Once the cream is applied, warm balsamic oil is added all over the body, along with volcanic earth powder, to perform the massage.

This treatment is considered to restore energy, relieve fatigue, and crucially, it unlocks negative energies. Before any treatment with plants, it is common to perform an energy cleansing.

Decoctions are prepared from mixtures of plants that are used for showering, but this treatment must be done in the shade of certain specific trees, such as the Kurulumo. “The person performing the treatment always faces east, starting with the head and then moving downwards,” Malang points out.

This preliminary purification is essential. “Many people have very negative energies, and care must be taken to ensure that they are not transmitted to the healer or the family.” The cleansing is performed under a tree so that it absorbs the negative energy. Only after being cleansed can the patient enter the consultation space and begin the actual therapy.

Fetish Trees: Between the Material and the Spiritual

In the traditional Gambian worldview, certain trees are not simply trees. These are living things: they are sacred entities, dwellings of guardian spirits or ancestors. 

These fetish trees receive regular offerings, and specific rituals are performed beneath them. 

The concept of “fetish” in this context does not have the negative connotation it can have in the West, but rather represents a natural object that serves as a link between the material and spiritual worlds. Naturalists or fetishists maintain a special relationship with these trees and perform their most important ceremonies there.

Malang explains: “From time to time a snake appears in my house, usually a Green Bamba, and these snakes cannot be touched or mistreated, because we know that our ancestors visit us with them. They come to transmit some spiritual knowledge to us, find their place, stay with us for a week, and then disappear.”

This spiritual dimension, which may seem foreign to the Western scientific mindset, is inseparable from traditional medicinal knowledge.

This is not superstition, but a holistic understanding of health that integrates body, mind, spirit, and community.

Preserving What the Forest Knows

“Out of sight, out of mind,” goes a traditional proverb that Malang often repeats. The destruction of sacred forests, the loss of local languages, the disappearance of wise elders without passing on their knowledge: all of this represents a cultural and therapeutic catastrophe of incalculable dimensions.

Dr. Josep Lluís Berdonces, who has dedicated more than 40 years to the study of medicinal plants and has written more than 50 books on herbal medicine, found in Gambian traditional knowledge a source of wisdom that complements and enriches Western herbal medicine. “The connection between human beings and the forest saves the future,” he states in The Sacred Forest. It is not about idealizing traditional medicine nor rejecting the advances of modern medicine, but about recognizing that there is an ancient body of knowledge, refined over generations, that deserves to be preserved, studied, and, when appropriate, integrated into contemporary therapeutic approaches.

Malang Sambou Manneh, who today represents Gambia as a negotiator at COP29 on climate change, has created, along with his wife Silvia Llopart, the Mbolo association (“To Join” in Wolof) and the FANDEMA training center in Tujereng. There, young women are trained in education, community development, health, the environment, and renewable energy, integrating traditional knowledge with contemporary technologies. “Ten years ago, I created a school of Technical and Vocational Education and Training for young women who work in technology and install solar technology,” Malang explains. “And now, with clean energy projects, women. They are becoming independent energy producers and creating businesses around it.”
This synthesis between tradition and modernity, between the knowledge of the sacred forest and the demands of the 21st century, perhaps represents the most fertile path forward. Because, as Malang points out, “We must be wise enough to say, ‘Let’s save the planet,’ because we are not yet so polluted, but we can also control how things move.”

The sacred forest holds secrets that humanity needs to remember. In a time of global ecological and health crisis, the wisdom of the Jola and other traditional peoples is not a relic of the past, but a compass that can guide us toward a more balanced future, where human health and the health of the planet are recognized as inseparable.

When Malang practices the medicine he learned from his grandfather, he is not only healing bodies: he is keeping a tradition alive, honoring a memory, and above all, preserving a form of knowledge that humanity cannot afford to lose.

More information:
The Pharmacy of the Sacred Forest, by Josep Lluís Berdonces and Malang Sambou Manneh, is available on Amazon KDP. Mbolo Association: www.m-bolo.org