Posted on 12/28/2009 1:03:16 AM PST by Slings and Arrows
The traditional medicinal practice of smoking dried vulture brains to induce a vision of winning lotto numbers is killing off the bird's population in South Africa, researchers say.
Scelo, a young healer in downturn Johannesburg's market for muti, or traditional medicine, says the birds are becoming more scarce.
"I only have one every three or four months," he said.
"Everybody asks for the brain. You see things that people can't see. For lotto, you dream the numbers."
Rolled into a cigarette or inhaled as vapours, vulture brains can also help at the horse races, boost an exam performance, or lure more clients to a business, according to believers.
Next to snake skins and ostrich feet, as well as donkey fat to chase away bad spirits, Scelo sells a small bottle with just a speck of ground brains for about 50 rand ($7.50).
The entire bird could go for 2,000 rand ($299).
Another traditional healer, speaking on condition of anonymity, says vulture bones or feathers can also be mixed with herbs to make medicines.
"We make the brain dry and mix it with mud and you smoke it like a cigarette or a stick. Then the vision comes," he said.
He prescribes mainly vulture heads, which he says bring visions of the future, endowing users with the bird's excellent vision that helps them fly out of nowhere to descend on carcasses.
(Excerpt) Read more at abc.net.au ...
The buzzard was sick.
This is their brilliant plan to improve their lot and their country in general? Kill all the carrion eaters? When the vultures are gone, they can start on the hyenas. When the rotting corpses start to pile up, it’s bound to make Africa even more “aromatic,” and thereby attract even more tourists?
There’s something wrong with this scheme... What is it? What is it... [scratches noggin]
As soon as Obama's Death Care takes effect, you will be calling this guy up when you are denied medicine.
Legalize it and then tax the hell out of it.
I didn’t know South Africa had Libertarians.
Offer them Lotto tickets to smoke the corpses.
No, no, 'e's uh,...he's resting.
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