I Am Because We Are: African Traditional Medicine and the Wisdom of Ubuntu

Dr. Safia Debar continues “When Science Met Soul” by highlighting African traditional medicine through the story of Charles Stevens, who recovered from tuberculosis in the late 1800s using a South African healer’s plant remedy later identified as Pelargonium sidoides (African geranium), now supported by clinical trials, a Cochrane review, and UK studies for bronchitis as an antibiotic alternative. She argues African healing is the oldest yet most under-researched tradition, disrupted by colonialism’s dismantling of oral knowledge, despite widespread reliance on traditional medicine and WHO support for integration. Central is Ubuntu—“a person is a person through other persons”—presented as a clinical model of relational health, aligned with WHO 2024 findings on loneliness and research on social connection and polyvagal regulation. She also reviews evidence on rooibos and devil’s claw, and offers practical “prescriptions”: audit real co-regulating relationships, consider African geranium for respiratory infections, and mindfully drink rooibos. 00:00 Stevens TB Remedy 03:37 Why Africa Ignored 07:42 Ubuntu Explained 11:04 Connection Science 14:33 Polyvagal Meets Ubuntu 17:38 Medicinal Plants Evidence 21:51 Why Research Lags 23:34 Three Part Prescription 26:50 Series Wrap Up 29:05 Final TakeawayConnect with Dr Safia DebarDr Safia Debar Speaker / Coach | Medical Doctor | Breathwork Facilitator  One of Tatler's "Top 21 private doctors in Britain" 2020 www.drsafiadebar.com contact@drsafiadebar.com IG: @drsafiadebar Tiktok: drsafiadebar Find our free resources here: www.drsafiadebar.com/resource