I’m writing this for the people who are genuinely searching for healing and meaning. Especially those who feel like they’re the only ones asking these questions. This is also my view of what’s happening in the world right now: a visible shift toward spiritual healing spaces.
My intention is not to encourage you to start using these herbs. It's to take the growth of ayahuasca tourism and the global fascination with iboga/ibogaine narratives, the seeking of altered states of conscousness —and to place that conversation in an African context.
Respect When Learning Outside Your Own Culture
This is the part that protects the people behind the plants. It is important to learn the “why,” not just the “how.” In many African traditions, protection practices aren’t random hacks.
They’re tied to worldview, community ethics, lineage, and responsibility. If you only copy the action without understanding the meaning, you may miss the point—or misuse it.
Safety and Responsibility
Even when something is “natural,” smoke can still irritate the lungs. You must ventilate properly. Exercise extra caution with children, pregnany women, asthma, and allergies. Smoke can trigger wheezing, coughing, headaches, or sinus irritation.
If anyone in the home has asthma, chronic bronchitis, allergies, or is recovering from a chest infection, skip smoke entirely.
You can also choose non-smoke alternatives like prayer, water-based cleansing. Also, pets are more vulnerable than we think so don't keep pets in a room full of smoke.
Fire safety is part of “spiritual safety”. Follow the basics of fire safety and use a heat-safe bowl, keep it away from curtains, and never leave burning material unattended.
How Herbs are Usually Used (varies by tradition)
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Burned as incense (fumigation/smoke cleansing)
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Added to spiritual baths/washes
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Placed on altars or used as offerings
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Carried/worn in small bundles for protection or remembrance
African Herbs & Sacred Plants used in Protection Practices
Below are some herbs and plants often discussed in “protection” contexts across different regions. I’m keeping this educational—what they are, and how they’re commonly framed culturally. These are not instructions.
1. Impepho / Imphepho (Helichrysum odoratissimum)
In parts of Southern Africa, aromatic Helichrysum species are famously used as incense in spiritual contexts—often connected with ancestor reverence and cleansing/protection themes. For many people, it’s a language of prayer.
Imphepho image taken from healthformzansi.co.za
2. Zumbani / Umsuzwane (Lippia javanica)
This is one of those plants that lives in the “everyday + sacred” lane. Beyond its well-known household uses, South African plant references also note its ritual use in cleansing contexts.
Zumbani image taken from pza.sanbi.org
3. Buchu (Agathosma betulina / A. crenulata)
Buchu is deeply tied to the Cape and has a long history of use by Khoisan communities, including spiritual and medicinal purposes.
There’s a long-running commercial market for buchu oil (fragrance/flavour/cosmetic use), with multiple sources noting demand outstripping supply and ongoing concern about pressure on wild populations.
Buchu image taken from groundedingredients.com
4. Carissa (Carissa spinarum)
In Ethiopia, Carissa spinarum appears in ethnobotanical literature in the context of “evil eye” traditions, including being used as incense in some records.
Carissa image taken from tropical.theferns.info
5. Rue (Ruta chalepensis)
Rue shows up in “evil eye” plant-use discussions in Ethiopia, and it’s also a plant that comes with serious caution, especially around pregnancy (more on that in the safety section).
Image of Rue taken from wikkipedia.org
6. Frankincense (Boswellia resins, e.g., Boswellia papyrifera)
Common spiritual role: burned as church/ritual incense (including long-standing use in religious ceremonies).
Demand pressures and sourcing issues are a growing concern—ethical, traceable sourcing matters.
Frankincense image taken from druidalchemy.com.au
7. Alligator pepper / Grains of paradise (Aframomum melegueta and related Aframomum spp.)
This family appears across West African cultures in ceremonial contexts, and grains of paradise has been discussed in ethnographic writing linked to ritual practices.
Alligator pepper image taken from globy.com
8. Kanna (Sceletium tortuosum)
Kanna is a South African plant with a long recorded history of traditional use among Khoisan peoples, and modern literature discusses its chemistry and growing popularity.
It’s often brought into today’s “plant medicine” conversations—so it belongs on the map, with respect and caution.
Image of Kanna taken from herbalistics.com.au
9. Scent leaf / African basil (Ocimum gratissimum “Efinrin/Nchanwu”)
Common spiritual role: mentioned in ethnobotanical work as being used for spiritual cleansing in parts of Nigeria (alongside its culinary and medicinal roles).
Image of Scent Leaf taken from naijamarket.co.za
10. Kinkeliba (Combretum micranthum)
Kinkeliba is widely used as a traditional tea/tonic in West Africa and is even noted in cultural practice during Ramadan in some places.
It is important to note in instances like this that “everyday + sacred” overlap.
Image of Kinkeliba taken from siyah-organics.com
11. Myrrh (Commiphora resins, Commiphora spp.)
Myrrh is an aromatic resin (oleo-gum-resin) that comes from several Commiphora species and has long been valued across North/East Africa and the Red Sea region.
The incense, scent, and ceremonial burning are often used to “cleanse” space through smoke and fragrance.
Image of sap collection from Myrrh tree taken from igneous-products-inc
Sourcing and Sacred Boundaries
If you buy herbs/resins, buy from vendors connected to the cultures that traditionally use them, or from reputable suppliers who can explain sourcing. This helps keep knowledge and economic benefit closer to the communities it comes from.
Some knowledge is meant for initiated practitioners, elders, or specific contexts (like funerals, rites of passage, or healing ceremonies). If people from that culture say, “This isn’t for outsiders,” take that seriously.
Practical Alternatives that Protect your Spirit but Reduce Risk
Sometimes “spiritual protection” is also a language for setting boundaries for what gets your attention. You can still have protection without the smoke or the eating of foreign substances.
Below are a few practical alternatives for you to try:
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Open windows in your home to allow fresh air or be out in nature
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Prayer/affirmation and periodic fasting
- Decluttering your space + boundary-setting in relationships (yes, it counts)
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A single drop of essential oil in a diffuser (only if safe and used properly)
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A “no chaos” rule for your home: less toxic media, less draining conversations, more rest and routine
Conclusion
African protection herbs are not trendy shortcuts. In many communities, they sit inside a bigger world of meaning—ancestral memory, prayer, boundaries, and deep respect for what is seen and unseen.
As the world races toward “plant medicine” experiences, my wish is that we don’t lose the sacred context that kept these practices alive through centuries of pressure to silence them. And if you choose to explore any of this, let it begin with humility, safety, and a commitment to honour the people and cultures who have carried and protected this knowledge—not just the plants.
References
Batiha, G. E.-S., Wasef, L., Teibo, J. O., et al. (2022). Commiphora myrrh: A phytochemical and pharmacological update. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology, 396(3), 405–420. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-022-02325-0
Cao, B., Wei, X.-C., Xu, X.-R., et al. (2019). Seeing the Unseen of the Combination of Two Natural Resins, Frankincense and Myrrh: Changes in Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities. Molecules, 24(17), 3076. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules24173076
Yang, Y., et al. (2024). The Genus Commiphora: An Overview of Its Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, and Quality Control. Pharmaceuticals, 17(11), 1524. https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17111524
Lee, C. W., et al. (2021). The Adverse Impact of Incense Smoke on Human Health. Frontiers in Public Health, 9, 768108. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.768108
Yadav, V. K., et al. (2022). Health and Environmental Risks of Incense Smoke. Sustainability, 14(9), 5215. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095215
Norbäck, D., Lu, C., Zhang, Y., et al. (2019). Indoor particulate sources (including incense) and asthma/wheeze/rhinitis among pre-school children. Environment International, 123, 276–285. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2019.01.036
de Sá, R. Z., et al. (2000). Perinatal toxicology of Ruta chalepensis (Rutaceae) in mice. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 38(8), 625–632. (PubMed: 10687865)
de Freitas, T. G., Augusto, P. M., & Montanari, T. (2005). Effect of Ruta graveolens L. on pregnant mice. Toxicology, 213(1–2), 37–45. (ScienceDirect record)
Kavenská, V., & Simonová, H. (2015). Ayahuasca Tourism: Participants in Shamanic Rituals and their Personality Styles, Motivation, Benefits and Risks. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 47(5), 351–359. https://doi.org/10.1080/02791072.2015.1094590
Marcus, O. (2022). Ethical tensions among globalized ayahuasca shamanisms. Frontiers in Sociology, 7, 1017194. (Open-access full text via PMC)
Salibová, D. (2020). Ayahuasca Ethno-tourism and its Impact on the Indigenous Shuar Community (Ecuador) and Western Participants. Český lid, 107(4). https://doi.org/10.21104/CL.2020.4.05
Maroyi, A. (2017). Lippia javanica: Traditional and commercial uses; phytochemical and pharmacological significance. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2017, 6746071. https://doi.org/10.1155/2017/6746071
ABS Biotrade / PhytoTrade Africa. (2019). Herbal Monograph: Lippia javanica (Umsuzwane / Zumbani).
SANBI PlantZAfrica. Helichrysum odoratissimum (Impepho) species profile.
SANBI Red List of South African Plants. (2009 assessment notes harvesting + population trend).
Reddy, V., et al. (2024). Sceletium tortuosum: Ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology and commercialisation. Frontiers in Plant Science. (review article; open access record)
Williams, V., & Kepe, T. (2008). Discordant Harvest: Debating the harvesting and commercialization of wild buchu. Mountain Research and Development, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1659/mrd.0813
Buchu Association / sector guidance. (2025). Wild Buchu Harvesting Booklet.
ABS Biotrade (South Africa). (2021). The Wild Buchu Sector Development Plan. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.328809