Tributes and accolades came in thick and fast when news broke Saturday evening that the renowned herbalist, alternative medicine practitioner and healer, Dr. Sebi, had made his transition Aug. 6. Accompanying the initial shock of his death were waves of speculation about the circumstance of his death.
Born Alfredo Bowman on Nov. 26, 1933 in Llanga, Honduras, the state-side-familiar herbalist was affectionately known as Dr. Sebi.
“Dr. Sebi was an inspiration to many,” cultural activist Camille Yarbrough told the Amsterdam News. Noting how so many cultural icons in the Black community give so much, and yet do not always enjoy the same support network they help create for others, the dancer, author and beloved cultural figure in her own right, Yarborough said of Dr. Sebi’s life, commitment, gifts and teachings, “We give thanks.”
Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, Beverly Oliver of SoJourn to Honduras SoJourn to Healing was one of many people who contacted the AmNews by email, phone and social media.
“We are saddened to let you know Dr. Sebi has passed away in Honduras, Central America,” Oliver wrote. “His daughter, Saama Bowman, informed the public via Instagram yesterday, August 6, 2016. She made the announcement from Honduras.”
With her own tag line “WhyAn (SIC) Herbalist’s View Matters More Today Than Ever Before,” Oliver stated, “Dr. Sebi, owner and founder of Los Angeles-based company Dr. Sebi’s Office, Inc., has died in Honduras, Central America. The daughter of the pathologist and herbal medicine specialist, Saama Bowman announced his passing on Instagram yesterday, Saturday, August 6. It is reported Dr. Sebi had been in jail in Roatan, Honduras when he became ill and was taken to a hospital in Roatan.”
When Dr. Sebi first came to America, he was told that he had asthma and diabetes, among other ailments. Despite visiting several medical doctors, he said he was not getting better until he went to see a herbalist in Mexico, who cured him. Clean, natural foods, natural plant-based compounds and herbs, he maintained for years was the solution to a healthy cellular structure and a disease-free life.
Dr. Sebi is known for proclaiming that mucus excess is the cause for many many ailments. “According to Western medical research, diseases are a result of the host being infected with a ‘germ, virus or bacteria.’ And, in their approach in treating these ‘infestations,’ inorganic, carcinogenic chemicals are employed. But by consistently utilizing the same premise and methods, they have consistently yielded ineffective results. In essence, in the 400-year tradition of the European philosophy of medicine, their approach in treating disease has yet to produce any cures. In contrast, our research refutes the germ/virus/bacteria premise.
“The USHA Research Institute reveals that all manifestation of disease finds its genesis when and where the mucous membrane has been compromised. For example, if there is excess mucous in the bronchial tubes, the disease is bronchitis; if it is in the lungs, the disease is pneumonia; in the pancreatic duct, it is diabetes; in the joints, Arthritis.”
In 1985, with a Brooklyn office, Dr. Sebi ran an ad in the Amsterdam News and other local papers declaring, “Aids has been cured by the USHA Research Institute, and we specialize in cures for sickle cell, lupus, blindness, herpes, cancer and others.”
