Inyanga
The Zulu herbalist who prepares remedies and charms from plants and animal products, and learns by apprenticeship.
Also: inyanga yokwelapha, herbalist, nyanga
An inyanga is a Zulu traditional healer with a knowledge of herbs, roots, bark and other materials, which are used to prepare remedies, protective charms and cleansing mixtures. Unlike a sangoma, who is believed to be called by ancestors and works by divination, an inyanga trains by learning from a teacher. The roles overlap, and some people hold both. Inyanga trade plants at markets such as Durban's Warwick Junction and Johannesburg's Faraday Market. Overharvesting of slow-growing species is a conservation concern. Customers are asked to use only trusted dealers, and anyone who is unwell should see a doctor. The name inyanga is also used in Ndebele and in related forms elsewhere in southern Africa.