Herbs heal. Drugs manage.
My grandmother used to say it.
I didn’t understand then.
Now I do.
Find Any Yoruba Herb
Search by Yoruba name, English name, or botanical name.
Popular Yoruba Herbs
Some of the most commonly known Yoruba herbs include:
Ogbo
Ewe Ogbo, sometimes misspelled as Ewe Ogbon, is an important creeping or climbing herb...
Efinrin Obuniru
Efinrin Obuniru is not just another variety of Efinrin (Scent Leaf). Just like Efinrin Wewe...
Akoko (Fertility Leaf)
Ewe Akoko, also known as Fertility Leaf, Ewe Olode, or Ewe Oye...
See more of them here.Popular Plant Parts Used in Yoruba Herbs
In traditional practice, different parts of a plant serve different purposes; leaves, bark, roots, seeds, flowers, fruits etc.
Leaves (Ewe)
Leaves are the most common part we use.
They grow back fast and are easy to collect.
Bark (Epo Igi)
The bark (èpo igi) is the skin of the tree.
It is strong and holds power for a long time.
How Yoruba Herbal Medicine Works
My grandmother once said:
“The body heals itself. We only help it.”
Health (ìlérá) is the body’s natural state.
In Yoruba wisdom, we say:
“Ewu ni ń mú ewú jáde ọ̀sán, a kì ri ewú l’ọ̀sán”
It is danger that makes the bush rat (òkété/ewú) come out in the afternoon;
Normally, one does not see it in the daylight.
Something must disturb nature before it behaves abnormally.
When something blocks the body’s balance, sickness appears.
Herbs are used to remove the obstacle.
To cool what is too hot.
To strengthen what is weak.
To cleanse what should not remain.
When the blockage is removed, the body returns to its natural state.
That is the foundation.
The Day a Hospital Visit Changed Everything
In 2016, I walked into a hospital in Yemetu, Ibadan.
Just getting the hospital card cost ₦5,000.
As a student living mostly on garri and kulikuli, that alone felt heavy.
After several visits, tests, and prescriptions, the conversation eventually turned to surgery.
That moment changed the direction of my life.
It pushed me to start asking older people questions about the herbs they grew up using, the leaves (ewe) and roots (egbo) many of us ignored.
What I discovered later became Tewe Tegbo.
