Cure for HIV? Traditional Healers and Global Health

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In Swahili he is called Babu wa Loliondo. English translates to Grandfather of Loliondo, and he can cure HIV/AIDS- according to many.

They travel from miles around.
They flood in from all over the country.
They are seeking the care of Babu.
The medication comes from a native tree known as Mugariga. Prepared by boiling the root in water for one hour and cleansing the brew with prayers to God, one cup is said to immediately cure the drinker of a number of chronic diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

Approximately 1.5 million Tanzanians are currently living with HIV/AIDS. According to the 2010 UNAIDS report, only 44% of these individuals are receiving antiretroviral therapy, the standard treatment for people living with HIV. Providing treatment access and HIV/AIDS prevention education to rural populations in Tanzania has been the focus of numerous global health initiatives.

There are dozens of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and non-profit organizations in Tanzania [many of them funded by American money], but none have had the profound effect on HIV/AIDS treatment that Babu of Loliondo has. Local news reports indicate Babu serves about 3,000 people per day.


This summer, during a public health internship, I spent 3 months in Arusha, Tanzania. During that time I lived with a local family – the Kiwheles. This is how I first heard about Babu. From Arusha, his village, Loliondo, is a 5 hour commute by private car, 15 hours by public transportation. Mama Kiwhele went by public transportation. I heard the story from my sister, Hope Kiwhele.
Mama Kiwhele saved her money for months. She traveled by bus to Loliondo seeking the care of Babu for pain in her legs. That was 3 years ago. Today, Mama says she is cured.

Because the treatment has attracted so many, the Tanzanian National Institute for Medical Research has produced a report that describes the chemical composition of the Mugariga tree and the medicinal properties associated with each component. Among other pharmacological properties (such as anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects), the tree does have anti-viral properties.  The study concludes there is no proof to support claims that Babu’s medicine can cure HIV/AIDS and proposes clinical studies be carried out to establish the tree’s medicinal properties.

While research cannot support Babu’s traditional medicine has the ability to cure HIV/AIDS, studies do support that traditional healers like Babu play a crucial role in health care, specifically in regards to HIV/AIDS.

A 2002 UNAIDS case study investigated the benefits of collaborating with local traditional healers in Eastern Africa to increase access to HIV/AIDS treatment and education in rural villages. The study found a significant increase in the number of patients receiving care and in satisfaction of care when traditional healers were involved in global health programs. Typically viewed as obstacles for advancing care of chronic diseases in rural African villages, research indicates traditional healers are the entry point for care.

Traditional healers have an established role in the community and an understanding of local values and customs that many health initiatives do not have access to. In many cases, traditional healers offer the only form of health care for many people in rural settings. Working with these healers has proven in numerous cases to increase the efficacy of global health programs internationally.

My Musing

Our beliefs and our thoughts have a profound impact on our health- both in the treatment we seek and the way we justify healing. If we believe in the power of medicine, we seek medical care; if we believe in the power of prayer, we pray; if we believe in the power of a traditional healer, we go. To develop effective global health programs, we need to attempt to understand different customs and value systems and embrace their roles in health care when addressing cross-cultural diseases such as HIV/AIDS.

Images from: Malebo, H., Mbwambo, Z. (2011). Technical Report on Miracle Cure Prescribed by Rev. Ambilikile Mwasupile in Loliondo, Arusha. National Institute for Medical Research

26 thoughts on “Cure for HIV? Traditional Healers and Global Health”

  1. Hi Candace,
    I like this post very much because it touches on the way that healing isn’t just about science, but social environment, beliefs, and community as well. Your last statement about the need to work to understand culture and value to address disease is spot on.

  2. This post had great merit to me because it was presented out of personal experience–you were there!
    It certainly gives weight to the idea of holistic medicine.

    • Glad you liked it Ginny! It was a different type of post for me but I very much enjoy sharing my experience.

  3. Very interesting, I have heard of Babu in my botany class awhile back. This is amazing insight! keep going Candace!

  5. This is so fascinating! I spent a couple months in Tanzania near Arusha in 2008 and I agree that traditional healers should be an integral part of health care in these kinds of areas. Many locals are skeptical of western medicine; one of the clinicians I shadowed believed that Americans were responsible for bringing HIV to Africa!

    • Glad you liked it Marisa. The importance of working within the system as opposed to around the health system that is already present in an area is crucial. Just like you said, many people are skeptical of outside intervention and this must be considered.

  6. Now that’s an edifying read, Candace.

    Your musings are of a similar vein found in my writings on the crucial role of Traditional Chinese and Tibetan Medicines within the framework of natural disaster relief and emergency medical response:

    {Persistence of Vision: Iconic Memory and AfterImages of a Traumatized Tibet; Traditional Chinese Medicine in Post-Quake Qinghai; and As Old as Tomorrow can be accessed via http://www.getcited.org/mbrx/PT/99/MBR/11127577}.

    When you have an extended moment to peruse through, review the paramount place of importance which WHO, WPRO, AFRO, and, UNESCO attribute to TM systems and note well the growing imperative of EBM studies vis-à-vis indigenous knowledgebases and biospheres within the context of global health crises.

    Perhaps you may now set your post-UMSPH doctoral sights on an UNESCO internship or fellowship at one of the WHO Collaborating Centres for Traditional Medicine. It well may be that you are moving towards a future as the liaison in the establishment of a CCTM regional bureau in Tanzania. In keeping with your personal and professional interests, I’m including these links for your consideration:
    http://www.who.int/medicines/areas/traditional/collabcentres/en/
    http://www.who.int/employment/vacancies/en/ current vacancies
    http://www.who.int/employment/internship/en/ internship possibilities

    Best to you!
    -LLP

  7. Loved your post, and I agree that including local people is the best way to help. Traditional healers have a great influence, and getting their help is a most.

    Thamks for sharing your experience.

    • Thanks Patricia. I really loved writing this piece and it’s nice to receive such positive feedback.

  8. Candace, I liked the style you used for this post. As others have mentioned, when doing international work (or any work where you are not a part of the community), it’s important to not only acknowledge other belief systems, but to respect and value them and integrate them in the work being done. Not an easy feat by any means, but you give us something to think about! Thanks!

  9. Chloroquine. Artemisinin. Two modern day treatments for malaria that started out life in much the same way. I like the fact your post touched on the realisation that there is a social side to attacking these diseases that too often we forget about.

    • Charles – interesting to hear. I was unaware that these treatments had this type of background. Thanks for the comments!

  10. Very engaging post Candace. I was glad it didn’t go down the road of an extensive debate on these traditional healing methods as a valid HIV treatment approach. It was more interesting for me to read about the value of integrating traditional and Western medical interventions.

    Looking over the conclusions of the UNAIDS case study the examples made me think of my own experiences working with specific populations here in the US – whether Chinese immigrants in the Lower East Side of Manhattan or African Americans in Harlem. Trust is such an important part of health care and clearly Babu has earned this trust of his community.

    • Thanks Drew. You’ve given me something to think about with your comment. I want to make sure I am conveying the bigger picture behind my experience. In this piece what I’m really trying to accomplish is expressing the need to change the way we approach health interventions. Specifically in changing how we work with ethnomedical systems. The current trend is to use biomedicine as a comparison against everything else in establishing if something is a “valid” treatment. I spoke of a personal experience in this piece, but it’s much bigger than looking at one case of one plant with potential healing properties. I’m interested in the big picture of health care that embraces non-western ideas and searches to work within the system rather than around the system. All too often the existing medical care systems in other countries are viewed as obstacles to work around and rarely ever viewed as credible systems with something important to offer. Trust is important, working with individuals and systems that have the trust of people is important. But to me, it’s so much more than that. To me, it’s about changing our ideas about what constitutes healing and about what makes something valid. When we change the way we think, and we embrace people’s ideals, people will understand we are there for their health and they will trust us.

    • JPB – I haven’t read anything about an effort to actually work antiretrovirals into Babu’s medication. From what I have read there is an effort to work with Babu to offer HIV/AIDS education to those who visit him and in some cases to offer ARVs. The Tanzanian government is interesting in that it actually covers the cost of ARV treatment for citizens. The challenge is getting this treatment to the people who need it. Babu offers a convenient way to reach HIV positive populations.

  12. Very interesting Candace, as always. I agree with you that a person’s motivation and belief system play a large part in any type of medical treatment. Some of the things that guide my work are starting where people are and recognizing that they are the experts of themselves. Without taking into account their own values and culture, and established medical treatment, there is unlikely to be any lasting change. Plus, its just nicer to work together.

  13. I enjoyed reading this post. Well done, Candace for highlighting the importance of traditional medicine in today’s race of treating ailments with synthetic chemicals which in themselves are inherently potent to cause severe side-effects! In other parts of the world, including Asia, many herbs are used by the local healers to treat illnesses. Treatments involving local healers and respecting the local tradition, values, and faith may be a path for the future.