Dr. Kidi

I first learned about Armagusa at Zoma Museum. I spoke with one of the groundskeepers who has helped plant and care for the grounds since the museum began. He knew his medicinal plants. He pointed to Armagusa, a low-growing plant with small blue-violet flowers, and told me about its traditional uses, including for stomachache. Then he told me how bitter it was. Armagusa (Ajuga integrifolia) has a long history of use in traditional medicine in Ethiopia. Different communities use it in...

SEGMENT 5 · Soften and Forgive EPISODE 2 You Did What You Could You cannot ask your past self to know what only living through it taught you Reflection "I am so sorry," I said as I walked into the exam room. She looked up at me over her glasses. I was meeting her for the first time. She was in her eighties, no taller than five feet, but there was something about the way she looked at me that made me stand a little straighter. "I am sorry," I said again as I walked to the sink to wash my...

Pick a ripe Wanza fruit and you will find it sweet, sticky, and edible. But Wanza (Cordia africana) gives much more than fruit. Across Ethiopia, the tree provides shade, timber, bee forage, and traditional medicine. At a Glance Scientific name: Cordia africana Amharic name: Wanza / ዋንዛ Family: Boraginaceae, the borage family Native to: Tropical Africa and parts of the Arabian Peninsula Known for: Food • Shade • Timber • Bee forage • Traditional medicine Traditional Medicinal Use Different...