This ground tuber works for almost every sickness. Let me say it works like an antibiotic, but let me just mention a few things it is used for:
- Some women use it to terminate their pregnancies
- Some people use it for flu,
- Some women use it to ease menstrual pains or cramps.
- You also drink kamaku when you are feeling ill in general.
You can use the little bitter or sweet fruit to brew traditional beer or you can either just eat the flesh on top and throw the seed away. You can use the leaves for treating wounds by chewing it and smearing it on the wound. You can also use the leaves as a remedy for tummy aches by chewing and swallowing the leaves.
Traditionally the //ohru plant, also known as Aloe Vera in English, is a very useful and important plant regarded as medicine worldwide. As for the San Community in Namibia in the Tsumkwe Constituency (Tsumkwe East) we use it as medicine for certain illnesses. For example, if you have abdominal pains you can cut Aloe Vera in pieces and boil them in water for a few minutes and then you drink that solution. You can also boil and drink Aloe Vera for menstrual pains but that is for women or young girls. When your animals such as chicken and dogs are sick, you can cut pieces of Aloe Vera and put it in a container with a bit of water and then you let your animals drink it.
You can eat the flesh of this little sour fruit and you can use it as hair fertilizer to grow your hair, or you can use it as sunscreen by roasting the seeds on coals and using the oil.
This is just to show how the tubers are prepared. You cut it in pieces like potatoes and then you put it in water and boil it until the solution becomes dark brown. Then you drink that solution which is very bitter.
My name is Nǂaisa Ghauz from Namibia. I live in a small village called Tsumkwe in the North-Eastern parts of Namibia, Iam a San lady, iam from a San group called Ju,/’hoansi. I work as a Administrative officer and as an Assistant Librarian at the Tsumkwe Community Library. I am 26 years of age, I have five siblings of which I am the first born and being the first born have taught me one thing which is to be responsible and to be a role model to my siblings and not only to my siblings, but to the society within my community at large because I am one those few people that has completed school in my community. In the future iam welling to be more productive educational and economic wise in order to motivate my fellow San people especially the youth because we can not be marginalized forever. I am one of the satellite pioneers representing Tsumkwe once again thank you ǃkwattu for that opportunity.
