{"id":2624,"date":"2025-04-03T09:30:46","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T12:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.djamilaribeiro.com.br\/?p=2624"},"modified":"2025-04-03T10:11:01","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T13:11:01","slug":"orixas-series-ossaim-the-orixa-of-herbs-and-the-secrets-of-healing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.djamilaribeiro.com.br\/en\/orixas-series-ossaim-the-orixa-of-herbs-and-the-secrets-of-healing\/","title":{"rendered":"Orix\u00e1s Series – Ossaim, the orix\u00e1 of herbs and the secrets of healing"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Healing practices are condemned as \u201cwitchcraft,\u201d while pharmaceutical companies profit from the power of our plants].<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In African-derived religions such as Candombl\u00e9 and Umbanda, ax\u00e9<\/strong> is the vital force that permeates all living beings, places, and things. It manifests with varying intensity, shaping nature and flowing dynamically through beings, objects, and relationships.<\/p>\n

Caring for ax\u00e9 is essential\u2014keeping it balanced and strong. Its resilience depends on many factors: the time one has lived, the correctness of one\u2019s conduct, and the moment when the Ori\u2014the personal divinity that guides each initiated person\u2014is fully surrendered to its corresponding orix\u00e1. When ax\u00e9 weakens, it becomes vulnerable to being taken, directly affecting a person\u2019s life force.<\/p>\n

When appropriated without exchange, ax\u00e9 can quickly dissipate. The spark of life fades outside its transmission stream; sparks scatter and eventually extinguish. In Brazil, this reflects the historical exploitation of traditional knowledge<\/strong>, especially in the fields of pharmacology and medicine.<\/p>\n

There are key pillars to sustaining strong ax\u00e9. One is connection to ancestry<\/strong>\u2014a sacred lineage that travels through generations and accompanied enslaved African people brought to Brazil. Despite oppression, they resisted and kept their faith in the orix\u00e1s alive.<\/p>\n

Another essential point is community care<\/strong>. Ax\u00e9 is generated, preserved, and shared in collectivity, in communities rooted in sacred knowledge and devotion.<\/p>\n

Ax\u00e9 is found throughout nature, and every leaf contains healing power. In this context, Ossaim<\/strong>\u2014also known as Ossanha<\/strong>\u2014is the orix\u00e1 of leaves, herbs, and the secrets of healing. Revered as the guardian of medicinal plants and enchantments, his wisdom is central to healing rituals and the preparation of remedies and spiritual tools in African-derived traditions.<\/p>\n

According to a sacred tale (it\u00e3<\/em>), Ossaim held exclusive knowledge of the curative powers of plants and refused to share it with other orix\u00e1s. Without the leaves, they were unable to perform healing or protective rituals, which caused much frustration.<\/p>\n

One day, Xang\u00f4<\/strong>, the king, decided it was time to redistribute this power. He consulted Exu<\/strong>, the orix\u00e1 of communication, and enlisted the help of Ians\u00e3<\/strong>, who stirred a mighty wind that scattered Ossaim\u2019s leaves across the Earth. Each orix\u00e1 managed to gather a few leaves, gaining partial access to his sacred knowledge.<\/p>\n

Even so, Ossaim remained the guardian of the ax\u00e9 of the leaves<\/strong>, and any ritual involving herbs still requires his permission and presence.<\/p>\n

This it\u00e3<\/em> teaches us how Ossaim\u2014known for his cleverness, independence, and quiet strength\u2014embodies the need to protect nature from exploitation<\/strong>. Still, sharing some of his secret was necessary so that more people could access the healing power of the leaves.<\/p>\n

The leaf that heals and the leaf that poisons may be the same\u2014the difference lies in the dosage and preparation. This is the ancestral wisdom of Black and Indigenous peoples.<\/p>\n

As the granddaughter of a folk healer<\/strong> who treated my nausea with boldo tea, I honor all that the orix\u00e1 allowed humans to learn. Especially in a country that, during its violent persecution of Afro-Brazilian religions, criminalized folk healing<\/strong>\u2014a term that became pejorative and was unjustly linked to Ossaim.<\/p>\n

At the same time, pharmaceutical companies from the Global North patented and profited from the active compounds of plants found in Brazilian forests<\/strong>, often drawing on the very same knowledge that had been criminalized. Cosmetic companies did the same\u2014just like other sectors of capitalist society.<\/p>\n

Faced with this insatiable hunger of colonial power<\/strong>, Ossaim must be a strategist\u2014and no one is better than him at protecting nature\u2019s secrets and precisely measuring what the forest can offer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For the sake of the environment, some mysteries must remain mysteries<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ew\u00e9, Ossaim!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Originally published in <\/em>Folha de S.Paulo <\/em><\/strong><\/a>on September 5, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Healing practices are condemned as \u201cwitchcraft,\u201d while pharmaceutical companies profit from the power of our plants]. In African-derived religions such as Candombl\u00e9 and Umbanda, ax\u00e9 is the vital force that permeates all living beings, places, and things. It manifests with varying intensity, shaping nature and flowing dynamically through beings, objects, and relationships. Caring for ax\u00e9 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2628,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[572,466,583,575,578,577,576,581,573,584,582,574,580,579],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOrix\u00e1s Series - Ossaim, the orix\u00e1 of herbs and the secrets of healing - Djamila Ribeiro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""This it\u00e3 teaches us how Ossaim - known for his cleverness and quiet strength - embodies the need to protect nature from exploitation."\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.djamilaribeiro.com.br\/en\/orixas-series-ossaim-the-orixa-of-herbs-and-the-secrets-of-healing\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Orix\u00e1s Series - 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