Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes, in certain respects, the importance of Traditional Medicine (TM) in managing various health issues among the population. Nearly one-third of the population in low-income countries lacks access to essential medicines. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), two out of ten families utilize this medical approach during an episode of illness. This recourse is believed to be linked to values, beliefs, and philosophical orientations regarding health and life. The objective of this study is to describe the perceptions of the causes of specific symptoms or diseases and to identify the primary traditional therapeutic practices used by the population of the Isangi health zone during morbid episodes.
Methodology: A household survey was conducted from August 10 to November 30, 2023, involving patients or their guardians. Data collection was performed using interview guides and observation checklists. The collected information was processed using a bilingual approach: quantitative data were encoded in Microsoft Excel, while qualitative data were recorded through structured note-taking. Regarding the biological inventory, specimens (fauna and flora) were first recorded by their vernacular names in the Topoke language, before being systematically identified by their respective scientific names.
Conclusion: The persistence of mystico-religious beliefs directly influences the etiological perceptions of certain symptoms and diseases, leading to a “medicine of survival” where ancestral knowledge and modern pharmacology intertwine. The therapeutic arsenal relies on a wide variety of botanical species (e.g., Ocimum gratissimum, Vernonia amygdalina, Mimosa pudica) and the hybridization of care.