Maasai Forage Part 2

The Rift Valley

 In Our previous Maasai Blog we introduced you to some plants the Maasai use in comparison to our own. In this blog we are going to have a look at a further selection of plants and there uses. Depicted above is the stunning Rift Valley, where all of the plants can be found as aposed to where we typically forage in woodlands and along hedgerows.

Eiti

In the UK willow and hazel hurdles have increased in popularity for use in the gardening market, the Maasai have their own favorite plant for fencing called a boma, circling a group of dwellings. Known as Eiti it has very barbed hooks which is desirable when you need to keep apex predators at bay. In the way we can use the salicin in inner willow bark for medicinal use as your body process it to form aspirin, Eiti has a medicinal use too. Removing the bark and putting it in to cold water is taken to ease a stomach ache. It is also given to women that have given birth.

Olungororia

 Aloe vera is known to all of us and for it’s many benefits to the body, including the treatment of burns and wounds. Although this plant grows wild to an impressive size in the Maasai village which we visit, it is not the go to plant for treatment. This white vine like plant called Olungororia (clamping tree), is used instead for wounds and blisters, by absorbing the water in to the wound & keeping it dry. You may be wondering if the Maasai have a use for the aloe vera and the answer is yes they do indeed, it is one of the main ingredients for the making of Maasai beer.

Digwea tree

Where we may go to the trouble of fashioning a small oak twig for example into a useful toothpick. the Maasai literally have them growing on trees, already perfectly formed. Namely from the Digwea tree pictured above.

This brings us to the end of this blog, we hope you have enjoyed a little more about the Maasai forage.

Jay Jenner