''Albularyo'' or ''albulario'' is a Filipino term for a

witch doctor A witch doctor (also spelled witch-doctor), or witchcraft doctor, is a kind of magical healer who treats ailments believed to be caused by witchcraft. The term is often misunderstood, and they could more accurately be called "anti-witch doctors ...

, folk healer or

medicine man A medicine man (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwinini'') or medicine woman (from Ojibwe ''mashkikiiwininiikwe'') is a traditional healer and spiritual leader who serves a community of Indigenous people of the Americas. Each culture has its own name i ...

, derived from

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

''herbolario'' (herbalist). They practice

folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...

and use medicinal plants in their trade.

Overview

the Role and functions

An ''albularyo'' is a "folk doctor" commonly found in the more rural areas of the Philippines who heals people using herbs and traditional practices such as ''hilot'' or massage. Their services are considered either as a first or as a last resort for addressing illnesses. The ''albularyo'''s patient claims that the practitioner have supernatural powers that modern medicine does not provide. This belief makes them more trustworthy than modern medicine practitioners. Aside from practicing folk medicine, the ''albularyo'' is also alleged to practice

black magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...

and curse people. The ''albularyos'' practice their trade using prayers called ''orasyon'' (from Spanish ''oracion''), and rituals. They also use concoctions made from plant parts such as leaves, bark, roots and oils such as coconut oils. ''Pangalap'' is the process of searching for these medicinal plants and ''pabukal'' is the preparation of decoctions from said plants. ''Albularyos'' also use their own saliva and pieces of papers with writings. The albularyo use ''tawas'' (

alum An alum () is a type of chemical compound, usually a hydrated double salt, double sulfate salt (chemistry), salt of aluminium with the general chemical formula, formula , such that is a valence (chemistry), monovalent cation such as potassium ...

) crystals to find out who is causing the ailments in their patients." The may also use candle wax poured in water,

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the ...

s, or spirits to divine the cause of the ailments. Some ailments are claimed to be the work of ''

lamang lupa ''Anito'', also spelled ''anitu'', refers to ancestor spirits, nature spirits, and deities in the Indigenous Philippine folk religions from the precolonial age to the present, although the term itself may have other meanings and associati ...

'' who were unknowingly or knowingly harmed by the patient. The ''albularyo'' may then use rituals and prayers to drive away the spirit and therefore remove the sickness from the patient.

References

{{Superstitions Philippine mythology Superstitions of the Philippines Asian shamanism Southeast Asian traditional medicine Traditional healthcare occupations Filipino religious leaders Herbalism Tagalog words and phrases Austronesian spirituality

Overview

the Role and functions

See also

References