Staying healthy is a lifelong journey. There’s no definitive deadline for when you can begin to improve your health, and there are numerous studies, life coaches, personal trainers, nutritionists, and even doctors that can affect your health both positively and negatively. Healing, and the medical industry as a whole, has increasingly become a polarizing topic. Join me as we shine a Historical Spotlight on one of the most well-known herbalist healers, Dr. Sebi.

Alfredo Darrington Bowman was born on November 26, 1933 in Honduras. Because his grandfather was originally from Haiti, he identified himself as an “African in Honduras” instead of an Afro-Honduran. He originally learned of herbal healing and other traditional practices from his grandmother after suffering from asthma, diabetes, impotency, and visual impairment early in life. After becoming frustrated with Western medical practices, he sought out an herbalist in Mexico named Alfredo Cortez who confirmed a grim diagnosis. 

Refusing to give up, and with a new reason to live, he began his own healing practice in Honduras and developed herbal products and a treatment called the “African Bio-Electric Cell Food Therapy” to cure a wide range of diseases, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses. He set up additional centers in New York City and Los Angeles after spending three decades researching ancient botanical wisdom. Dr. Sebi studied herbs in Africa, the Caribbean, North America, and Central and South America to create an effective system for restoring optimal health and wellness. 

He was a self-proclaimed herbalist healer and included Dr. in his title, but he wasn’t professionally trained as a doctor. As a result, in 1987 he was arrested and charged in New York for practicing medicine without a license after placing ads in local newspapers claiming to cure AIDS. Undercover agents were sent by the Attorney General’s Office to incriminate him,  but he was acquitted by the jury on grounds that the state failed to prove he made a medical diagnosis. 

In the 1990’s, he was sued again in New York for making unsubstantiated claims of therapeutic benefits for his products. The Attorney General for consumer fraud filed a civil suit against him, his Ogun Herbal Research Institute, and his other named businesses. He was ultimately fined $900 and the court ruled that his therapeutic claims were unsubstantiated. 

His last case forced him to relocate to Los Angeles, where he continued building his clientele. He gradually earned a considerable amount of wealth after developing a good reputation for giving advice to a wide range of celebrity clients such as Lisa Lopes, Steven Seagal, John Travolta, Eddie Murphy, and Michael Jackson. 

On May 28, 2016, Dr. Sebi was arrested on charges of money laundering at the Juan Manuel Galvez de Roatan Airport after being stopped carrying $37,000 in cash with no explanation. He was attempting to transfer from a commercial flight from the United States to a private plane for another destination in Honduras. 

He was released pending a court hearing on June 6, 2016, but was arrested again shortly thereafter on the same money laundering charges. He was held for several weeks in a Hondurian prison while his family advocated for his release. Unfortunately, he became ill in the prison and was transferred to a local hospital where he died of complications of pneumonia on August 6, 2016. It’s thought that his length of time in custody and the poor condition of the jail may have contributed to his untimely death. 

While there’s controversy surrounding the legitimacy of his claims, some of the benefits of Dr. Sebi’s holistic approach to medicine can’t be ignored. The plant-based alkaline diet that he believed in can actually work for some people under the right circumstances, but there is no official research that supports the claim that certain foods can detoxify the body in order to reduce the risk and effects of diseases. 

Before jumping head first into a new diet, you can make simple changes to improve your life and health. Try counting your calories and swapping calorie-dense drinks for healthier ones. You can also get on a workout routine to keep your body in tip top shape. Do your research to find natural alternatives to minerals and supplements like the ones my husband and I made in Holistic Healing. 

Adequately nourishing, protecting, and moving your body are three of the most important things you can do to prolong your life. Avoiding negative and risky behaviors like smoking, excessive drinking, and poor eating habits can literally keep you pain free, save you lots of money, and prevent time spent at the doctor’s office or hospital. Our long term quality of life is totally dependent on the small choices we make daily. 

If you enjoyed this post, let me know by leaving a comment and subscribing to the newsletter. I’ll see you in the next episode! 

Signed, 

Jessica Marie