Trust What Healing Knows
 

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 u

Crush a Demakese leaf between your fingers and its scent is immediately recognizable. Demakese (Ocimum lamiifolium) is a familiar Ethiopian medicinal plant, often kept close to home and used for Mitch (headache, coughs, and colds.) At a Glance Scientific name: Ocimum lamiifolium Amharic name: Demakese / ደማከሴ Family: Lamiaceae, the mint family Native to: Eastern Africa Known for: Traditional use for Mitch, headache, coughs, and colds Traditional Medicinal Use Demakese is parti

For generations, Ethiopians used the flowers of this tree for something very specific: intestinal worms. Kosso (Hagenia abyssinica) is an African highland tree with a long history of medicinal use in Ethiopia. Its dried female flowers have traditionally been prepared to expel intestinal parasites, particularly tapeworm. At a Glance Scientific name: Hagenia abyssinica Amharic name: Kosso / ኮሶ Native to: Eastern Africa Known for: Traditional use against tapeworm Traditional Med

Enset: Ethiopia's False Banana Plant It looks like a banana tree. It doesn't produce the bananas we eat, and it isn't a tree. Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is a giant herb. Grown mainly in Ethiopia, Enset provides food, fiber, animal feed, and has a history of use in traditional medicine. It can remain growing until it is needed and provides food for millions of people. At a Glance Scientific name: Ensete ventricosum English name: False banana Native to: Africa Grown mainly in: