“Grandma! What’s that? Can I have some?” This was a frequent chorus from my siblings and me as children, as our grandmother pottered about the kitchen chewing on a stick that looked a bit like sugarcane, fixing a drink brewed with honey and lemon. “Hey! Come on, let me pass! You don’t need it,” she’d reply, laughing and waving us away. Occasionally, she would bestow the mysterious cure on whichever of us had caught a cold from school.
My mind often flashed back to those childhood memories when I was fending for myself at university, sniffling and reaching for the cough syrup, which just doesn’t taste as good as the home remedies I was used to. When I grabbed a packet of teeth-whitening strips from CVS, I’d pause to think about how my grandma never needs them because she knows how to use taatso and taakotsa—traditional fibres, typically made from the bark and branches of the neem tree, used to clean teeth.
Wellness is an integral part of the culture my grandma, Elizabeth, grew up with in Ghana. In the coastal town of La, where she’s from, the youth would stop by the fishermen before school to help them bring in the catch. “We were so happy,” she remembers. “They’d give us some fish, and money too… who wouldn’t like that? No matter how much they sold, they’d always set aside some money for us.” At the end of a long day, she’d go swimming with her friends and family.
The other half of my heritage traces back to Igbo culture, originating from Southeast Nigeria, a country famous for its bronze and terracotta art, breathtaking landscapes and vibrant Afrobeats scene. Here, I was introduced to the importance of digestive bitters by way of my Granny Caroline, who could often be found whipping up a nutrient-dense dish called bitter leaf soup to help ward off pesky infections.
There are five practices in particular that my family instilled in me, which remain key to my wellness regime to this day. When I’m overwhelmed, the smell of nku (raw shea butter) instantly calms me. I’ll turn to dance too, and the spiritual power of obonu: sacred drums that are only played at special ceremonies. These West African wellness habits have been part of my life for as long as I can remember, but anyone can benefit from them. I asked medical expert and founder of Solice Health, Dr Liza Osagie-Clouard, to help explain why they’re so effective.
Nku (raw shea butter)
My grandma Elizabeth would ensure that our skin was always silky smooth by slathering my siblings and I with nku, using it to massage our shoulders with it when we were anxious. It’s such a staple in her house that she often stops my mother in the doorway before they say goodbye to furnish her with a fresh stash. “Derived from the nuts of the African shea tree, raw shea butter is a powerhouse of nourishment for the skin,” says Osagie-Clouard. “Packed with vitamins A, E, and F—which provide deep hydration and reduce inflammation – it promotes elasticity for all skin types.” Barrier restoring, the natural fatty acids present in the emollient also help to “protect against dryness and environmental stressors; while regular use can also improve conditions like eczema, psoriasis, and stretch marks,” she says.
