Rediscovering our own brand of African pharmacology: A case study of 'Igba Pin, Enyi Ule', others

A bio-magnetic bracelet manufactured by the Indians. The bracelet reduces blood sugar, high blood pressure and regulates heartbeat

As written by Nebo Peter.

"Ima ntutu" or called in another moniker “IGBA PIN” or “Ebangu” was one of Igbo’s traditional evil practices. It was peculiar to towns within Njikoka, Anaocha and beyond. As part of our traditional history, it is debated that the prevalence of wars, inter-tribal and communal clashes led some communities in the eastern parts of the nation, just like in the West and North, to engage in evil and defensive practices against their arch-enemies. Among some of these evil-defensive practices were “Ima-ntutu” and “Eyi Ule” et cetera. In ‘Ima-ntutu” or “Igba pin”, the victim is pelted with several small rods or pin, dark as the lead of a pencil, causing the victim severe headache, weakness and fever. In “Eyi ule” called “elephantiasis of the foot or Pedal edema, the victim is bedridden with swollen legs for stepping on the “ule” placed on his or her paths. In several of these cases, the victims of such evil manipulations die from such evil manipulations.


Then came Christianity. With the advent of Christianity, “Ima-ntutu” and “Eyi ule” practices subsided in most eastern parts of the nation. Many embraced the new found religion. Many who were in-depth in these practices denounced these practices as the influence of Christianity on the killing of twins, human sacrifice and rituals, and the continued impact of Jesus Christ, the son of God who had power to do all things but who was humiliated and crucified for the sins of the world, spread like wild-fire.  Unfortunately, among those who embraced the new religion were also those who accepted the new religion but used Christianity to cover up their evil deeds, and those who had earlier denigrated the new religion but continued in traditional evil practices. These people had the esoteric knowledge of roots and herbs, of idiopathic tools and crafts, but unlike many good and god-fearing herbalists, dibias, townsmen and Christians in Igboland, they continued to use this knowledge even as of today to perpetuate evil and cause havoc in homes and families.

Truthfully, I’m not so much concerned about these evil men and women who cause others pains because nature has a way of treating and punishing evil men and women and making them impotent in the course of history, I’m so much concerned how this knowledge of “Ima-ntutu” and its removal by those who possess them can be used for effective use and quantum healing; how we can use the knowledge of these and others like “nkpo-na-ala”, “Ikpu-uzu”, “Iji-mmili” et cetera to establish our own brand of African pharmacology and technology. My concerns came when I saw the recent bio-magnetic bracelets and jewelries manufactured by the Indians. These bracelets reduces blood sugar, high blood pressure and regulates heartbeat. They have no side effects and are effective for users who do not have to depend on drugs again. Now, if these bio-magnetic bracelets could reduce high blood pressure, there is something in our traditional “Ima-ntutu” and “Eyi ule” practices and removals that could be packaged and utilized for effective healing as these bracelets are built on magnetic therapy and lava stones.


There are many practices in African cultures that would make us excel, but one of the problems with we Africans is that we use the knowledge of what we have to kill ourselves whilst we depend on Europe and America who use the same knowledge of what we have to excel in quantum healing, physics, aeronautics, combustion et cetera. What a contradiction. We depend on foreign narratives whilst we debase our own. As Chika Okpalike puts it in “Arise Africa”, “…Africa was a land of kings and queens, spirits and wise men; a land which held all the natural treasures created by God, an environment of peace and harmony. …we need to rediscover that Africa which is wealthy by rejecting the mindset which tells us that we are poor. We need to rediscover a Christianity that has the character of love and unity like it used to be in the pure African environment. We need to rediscover the land of the gods and spirits; the dwelling place of kings and queens”. There is definitely a lot we can achieve with our African culture. These we must set out to research and achieve.