Muti
A southern African word for traditional medicine of plant, animal and mineral materials, and, in a darker sense, the motive behind muti killings.
Also: umuthi, muthi, mutsi
Muti comes from the Zulu umuthi, tree or medicine, and in South African English means any traditional remedy or charm, from a herbal tonic to a protective bundle. It is sold at markets and prescribed by inyanga and sangoma. It also names a harm: muti murders, in which people, often children or people with albinism, are killed for body parts that are believed to carry power. These crimes are reported in South Africa, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda and Eswatini, and are prosecuted as murder; many communities and healers condemn them. The belief behind them is a part of why people with albinism have been hunted. Most muti has no connection to such crimes.