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Nkazya

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

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a small shrub, whose root is employed in Northern Guinea in the detection of witchcraft. Half a pint of the decoction of the root is the usual dose, and if it acts freely as a diuretic, the party is considered to be innocent; but if it acts as a narcotic, and produces vertigo or giddiness, it is a sure sign of guilt. "Small sticks," says Mr. Wilson, "are laid down at the distance of eighteen inches or two feet apart, and the suspected person, after he has swallowed the draught, is required to walk over them. If he has no vertigo he steps over them easily and naturally — but, on the other hand, if his brain is affected, he imagines they rise up before him like great logs, and in his awkward effort to step over them is very apt to reel and fall to the ground. In some cases this draught is taken by proxy, and if a man is found guilty, he is either put to death or heavily fined, and banished from the country,"