A Stellenbosch-based business wants to educate the local community on the use of traditional medicine, including the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes.
“We are trying our best to educate the people [of Stellenbosch]… show them that the real traditional healers, the actual ones that are registered, are here to give medicine to the people,” said Cornelius Combrink, owner of Cape Bush Doctors (CBD) Consultants.
The business, which initially traded under the Canapax franchise, started operating under the name CBD Consultants earlier this year.
“With all the news and stuff going on I feel it’s better for us to go independent [from Canapax], actually bring the traditional healers and their medicine to the community in a way it was meant or supposed to be,” Combrink told MatieMedia.
The Interim Traditional Health Practitioners Council of South Africa’s document awarded to traditional healer, Brian Martin Damonse. Other accreditation is also visible to clients. PHOTO: Wilné van Rooyen
Traditional healers use a variety of plants as medicine, but the use of cannabis has been most controversial, especially since the ruling by the Western Cape High Court legalised the use of cannabis for medical reasons, in 2017.
“Cannabis is – in the traditional healer fraternity – just another medicinal plant and one of the most used medicinal plants,” said Lennox Olivier, co-director of CBD Consultants. “Traditional healers have the right, constitutionally, to also use cannabis because that’s one of the traditional medicines,” he said.
An expert has, however, warned against the use of medicinal plants, including cannabis, without proper diagnosis or medical consultation.
“There is no conclusive evidence (clinical trials) to prove that cannabis works for depression or anxiety. The best thing to do is to not try to diagnose and treat yourself with medicinal plants [cannabis] or supplements in the case of a clinically diagnosed depression or anxiety,” commented Janine Roos, director of Mental Health Information Centre South Africa, on the use of medicinal plants to treat mental health.
A male cannabis plant outside CBD Consultants. The main purpose of a male cannabis plant is to pollinate the female cannabis plant, which produces tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) filled buds. PHOTO: Wilné van Rooyen
CBD Consultants expect to hold workshops to educate the community on traditional medicine and healing.
“We are currently looking for a bigger space and then we will have, once a month, seminars where people can come to and we will show you and teach you how to make herbal remedies,” said Combrink.
– Wilné van Rooyen