Easing constipation the Luhya way

By NICHOLAS ANYUOR

The Luhyas are a happy people and are never devoid of festivities.

There is bull fighting festival that has also become a tourist attraction and, of course, the cockerel fight.

To crown the festivities is the preparation of assorted finger-licking traditional dishes and people gathering to eat and dance.

During such celebrations, it is common to find numerous people suffering from constipation, which led the community to devise traditional cures to remedy such situations.

The community attributes the cause of constipation to overeating and mixing a variety of foods.

William Mbatsi, who comes from Stendkisa village in Vihiga County, says he has been a victim of constipation after attending such parties.

"In the morning of the event, I ate githeri and drank tea that had prepared the previous night, because I knew we would eat late.

"During the festivities, I was so hungry and food was plenty, so

I served myself fish, chicken, ugali and other dishes," says Mbatsi.

That evening, he says, his tummy was swollen and it ached painfully.

Luckily, he says, the cure was a tree away as his family quickly fetched the leaves of the omunyama tree.

The leaves were boiled until the liquid turned dark green.

Mbatsi was then given two cups of the bitter liquid and then a cup of the same every two hours.

"I just took two cups and I started to feel relief and the stomachache started to gradually disappear," Mbatsi says.

Other times, he explains, if the patient is in severe pain, they will just be given the leaves to chew.

Therefore, whenever you go to one of these showstopping festivities and you see a sufuria full of boiled leaves, don’t fear to take a cup.

Quick home remedies

• Always drink about eight glasses of water daily.

• If you don’t like the taste, add lemon juice to water or apple cider vinegar with little honey to help in metabolism.

• When suffering from constipation, avoid dry foods.

• Instead, take lots fruits and vegetables with high fibre content.

• Do some exercises like a 20 minutes walk to help boost digestion.

• Add olive oil to your soups, salads and food.

• Eat some raisins or dried plums since dry fruits will help the digestive system.

• Try to drink freshly squeezed vegetable or fruit juices such as apple and carrot juices.

• A teaspoonful of honey at least two to three times a day also helps.

Right food combination for a happy stomach

For the Subas, constipation is not an issue if you follow instructions.

The Subas have strict rules of which foods you should avoid mixing lest you suffer from constipation.

Their favourite dish is fish and as such, there are foods that should not be eaten together with this staple delicacy.

"Don’t eat nyoyo (githeri) then go for fish or mix fish with beans, this will make you sick," explains Dorcas Ochieng’, a resident of Rusinga Island.

Cases of constipation are common in the community since they say fish does not go well with other foods.

However, because this is a common scenario and health facilities are far, particularly for those who reside on the islands, the community has found their own cure for constipation.

Ochieng’ says they use the leaves of olando herb, which they boil or chew.

She points out that the olando herbs come in two varieties, one with red leaves and another with brown leaves.

The Subas are particular on the leaves colour as the red leaves are believed to be dangerous while the brown ones hold the cure.

The herb is common in the region and anyone can pluck the leaves and chew anytime they suffer from constipation.

Chew for about three minutes after every three hours and the constipation will subside.

But when there is enough time, olando leaves can be boiled and the brownish liquid administered to the victim.

A single cup of the liquid will be enough to get rid of constipation.