Albularyo is a Filipino term for a witch doctor, folk healer or medicine men. They practice

folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

and use medicinal plants in their trade.

Overview

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, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 1 ...

and curse people. The albularyo practice their trade using prayers called ''orasyon'' 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 sulfate salt of aluminium with the general formula , where is a monovalent cation such as potassium or ammonium. By itself, "alum" often refers to potassium alum, with t ...

) 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 a ...

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

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 {{Philippines-stub

Overview

Role and functions

See also

References