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Robin Muchetu, Senior reporter
WOMEN have since time immemorial used traditional herbs for various health reasons however in a bid to improve or save marriages they have gone the extra mile and started using traditional herbs to increase sexual pleasure.
Unfortunately most of these herbs are being inserted in the cervix paving way for cervical cancer which is the leading cancer that is killing most women in Zimbabwe.
According to the Zimbabwe Cancer Registry at least 2270 women are diagnosed each year and 1450 die from cervical cancer as they present to health facilities with advanced cancer which can no longer be treated.
Research done by this reporter showed that a sizable number of women were engaged in inserting herbs in their reproductive organs for sexual pleasure and do not consider the repercussions.
Nobukhosi Jama from Northend surburb in Bulawayo confessed to having used herbs after being enticed by a friend to try them out after she said her husband said she had a watery discharge that reduced his sexual pleasure.
However after years of using a mix of herbs purchased from a traditional healer she began to feel sick.
“I experienced severe pain in my abdomen and immediately I just thought of the herbs I was using and I visited the hospital for Visual Inspection with Acetic acid (VIAC) and they had spotted some cancerous lesions and luckily they were treated using Cryotherapy which is freezing the cells before they spread,” she said.
This scenario is not unique to Ms Jama alone as several others are having the same problem as they seek to please their partners sexually albeit causing harm to themselves.
Gogo Sophie Maphosa who sells traditional herbs in a Makokoba market said they used to have herbs that she prescribed for clients to insert in the reproductive organ but has since changed that.
“The medicines have been there that we used to give women to insert inside the vagina but as time moved were heard about cervical cancer and we have stopped in strutting them to do so, now we encourage them to use the concoctions inside porridge, raw egg, plain water or milk. They work the same way,” she said.
She said they have taken note of health advice through the media and have been going for the free checks and are being educated on the importance on not inserting anything in their reproductive organs be it tissue or cotton wool as there is at risk of cancer.
Common herbs sought by women are intolwane, isafice and umgugudu that are prescribed to spice things up with their partners. According to gogo Maphosa these herbs increase the body temperature and remove excess gas and fluids in the system making sexual intercourse more pleasurable.
“The Amarula tree bark, umganu is another hit as we tell women to soak the bark in water and then sit on the concoction and it will assist in making them tight, as they want to be,” she added
Asked on her clientele, she said women of all types and social classes visit her.
“Women who come here are very diverse, it is not that uneducated and employed women who do come here, we have very affluent women from this city who have top jobs and beautiful cars that some here to seek help with their sex lives.
“Women may experience challenges in this area and they come here for traditional help despite their status in society, the moment they gain knowledge on the positive effects of traditional herbs they come to get help,” she said.
The main reason why these women come here for herbs she said, is because there will be turmoil in their homes and they try to solve the problems, some complain that their partners say they excrete too much virginal discharge which they do not like so the women want to be ‘dry’ and herbalists have those herbs that suck the fluids out of the anatomy and they continue with their, lives as usual.
Gogo Maphosa lamented that there was a gap today as the role of aunts has been almost eliminated in giving advice to young women and girls.
“There are no aunts today who prepare young women for marriage as there is a growing belief that the aunts are the causers of many misfortunes that the young women go through. I encourage young women to create these relationships and get good sex education and advice from their aunts as they will have seen it all with age,” she said.
Musawenkosi Gatsheni who also sells his herbs in Makokoba said women come seeking herbs to ensure they want to have dry sex and also concoctions to make them very warm in order to making sex more pleasurable.
“Some herbs especially to draw excess water from the vagina are inserted inside the vagina and others we tell them to mix with porridge while some we tell them to burn with coals and inhale,” he said.
He also lamented that some women use Alena in the cervix and that is not intended for that as it burns and gives room for cancer. The women say Alena draws water from makes them tight.
An expert in VIAC screening at a local health institution who could not be named said cervical cancer was a course for concern as women continue to insert herbs in their sensitive areas.
“When one inserts the herbs they affect the healthy bacteria that is always present in the vagina which is meant to keep away any other bacteria that comes. But when herbs are inserted they disturb that natural environment and expose themselves more to infection. When herbs go direct to the cervix, it makes the cervix weak and infection may occur.
“Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) which causes cervical cancer then gets an entry point, if there are lesions that are made on the cervix.
We encourage the women who want to continue using them for whatever reasons to ingest them with porridge and not insert in the vagina as this does more harm than good,” she said.
The VIAC nurse said they then try to find out the reasons for inserting the herbs and it all boils down to wanting to tighten the vagina to increase sexual pleasure.
“When you ask them if they insert object in the vagina when they come for screening, the do not own up but when we have a look at the cervix we see the remains of herbs in there. So we are saying these women must not be ignorant but take heed of advice from medical experts so that they do not continue to ruin themselves by being primitive and inserting herbs,” she said.
Women are also using Alena, found in pharmacies, lemons and vinegar and it burns the cervix.
“The men on the other hand are now falling victim as some are getting burnt on the tip of their organs with the herbs that the women will have inserted. When we give health information to the men they say the most interesting things, they ask why women use the herbs to impress them sexually which then burn them too, and they also say women are the same generally and we are left wondering why the women even bother to use these dangerous things,” she added.
On average Unite Bulawayo Hospital (UBH) sees between 400 and 500 women for cervical cancer screening each month and officials say women are taking the message seriously about screening.
Self taught sex trainer who preferred to be called Mary said women must exercise and do kegel exercise which is holding the muscles of the vagina for short intervals and releasing them. This helps to keep the muscles tighter than using herbs.
Research shows that kegel exercises strengthen the pelvic floor muscles, which support the uterus, bladder, small intestine and rectum. Many factors can weaken your pelvic floor muscles, including pregnancy, childbirth, surgery, aging, excessive straining from constipation or chronic coughing, and being overweight.
She suggested that women must also try chinamwari, a traditional rite whose roots can be traced back to Malawi and Zambia where young girls are taught how to please men sexually with the coming of age.
“Women can come for training, this way they learn a lot of ways to please their men in bed. The joy is that we can teach women this in the comfort of their homes, they can even form groups and we train them till they are good enough. Many women come back and give good testimonies after we teach them. It does not necessarily mean herbs are the only solution. They need to approach people like us and we offer lessons,” she said.
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Online Reporter