The local name for the herb is black jack. It is also called Spanish needle or farmer’s friend or hairy beggars tick. The herb is found in virtually all tropical climates and is abundant in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Uses
In most parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the black jack is just a weed. But among the Nyarwanda (of Rwanda) and the Baganda (of Uganda), the herb finds a very unique application. These two communities in East Africa use it for labial elongation; a practice where young girls pull each other’s labia minora to make them longer. The rationale is that longer lips swell in the way of the penis during sexual intercourse, increasing the contact and hence enhancing sexual pleasure for both the man and the woman but specifically facilitates female ejaculation (which is esteemed among the Nyarwanda. Longer lips also enclose the opening of the vagina keeping it warm (which enhances sexual pleasure too) and free from exogenous infective agents. Among the Nyarwanda the practice it is called gukuna emishino while the Baganda call it okukyalira ensiko.
The herb is applied to the labia because it has a number of bioactive compounds which make it a good choice for labial elongation. Its bioactive compounds have potential to enhance cell repair and regeneration which results in the elongation of the labia minora with continued use. The botanical’s leaves are pounded and mixed with a suitable petroleum based oil to make a paste that is used to pull the labia.