By Laura di Giulio, NNAP, QBT, HDC

Following is a wonderful essay written by School of Natural Medicine graduate, Laura di Giulio, for one of her Herbal Medicine assignments, which was to research and write about the cosmology and approach to traditional medicine from a culture in any part of the world. Laura chose the Romany Gypsies as this is her own lineage and she has ‘first hand’ references through family and her community. The Romany have an approach to medicine that relatively little is known about outside their own community, so I was delighted when Laura gave permission to post her essay on the school blog. I hope you enjoy this wonderful essay as much as I did!

The Romany Gypsies

The Romany people are a broad group of related tribes and clans. They can be traced back to the 14th century, but were probably much earlier.

Originally descended from migrants in India who share a similar Romani dialect and tradition. There are various different branches and tribes and didn’t really show up in consensuses over the ages due to there nomadic lifestyle. 

The best estimates are there are around 10 million in Europe and around two million in other countries. The biggest concentration is in Romania where they make up at least 10% of the population. 

The word Roma in Romany gypsy means tribesman. In Romania some Roma people referred to their heritage from Egypt and the word Gypsy comes from the word Egyptian. The Romany language is a good clue to their origins though, the vocabulary is overwhelmingly Indian, from southern Asia. The language being derived from Sanskrit.

There is multiple mythologies but the basis is similar to the Vedas with a primeval god force creating the universe. From the Romany Folk that I have spoken to the consensus seems to be a collection of different ideologies that were collected over many hundreds of years. 

The biological dna tests show the origins in India and its thought by scholars that there was some sort of mass migration from South to North India and onwards into Europe. This could have been persecution or possible opportunities of better political or environmental options. The timelines also correlate with the fall of the Gupta empire making Asia unstable and Persia to the north seem more prosperous.

The interesting element of Romany tradition is the selection of many beliefs which could have been absorbed into the tribes as they travelled through different countries. As I go through the mythology I will point out places where they may have encountered these ideals and beliefs. 

The Romany Mythology 

Dualities: Good and Evil

The theme of duality in Romany mythology is not just about the battle between good and evil but also about the balance between these forces. This could have been adapted from Persian Zoroastrian concept of dualism. 

In Romany tradition the world is a place of constant struggle between light and darkness, and their myths reflect the belief that both forces are necessary for the world to exist. This duality is seen in the concept of Kaku, or fate, which is believed to be influenced by both divine and malevolent forces. 

Romany rituals and practices often seek to influence or change Kaku, reflecting the belief that while fate may be predetermined, it is not entirely unchangeable.

In the Byzantine Empire the Romany may have been influenced by GrecoRoman mythologies over the belief in spiritual and supernatural beings, because at the heart of Romany spirituality is Devla, a god figure who is often seen as a protector and guide. 

Devla is not just a distant deity but one who is intimately involved in the daily lives of the Romany people. He is invoked in prayers and rituals for protection, guidance, and blessings, particularly during times of travel or when facing difficult situations. Devla is often associated with the sky and is believed to watch over the Romany people as they journey through life.

Again very Roman Greek alongside Devla is Devleski Day, a mother goddess who symbolizes creation, fertility, and the nurturing aspects of the divine. Devleski Day is often invoked in rituals related to childbirth, marriage, and other important life events. She is seen as a protector of women and children and is often depicted as a nurturing and caring figure who watches over the family and ensures their well-being.

In contrast dark versus light, you also have Beng, a devil-like figure, who embodies evil, misfortune, and the forces of darkness. Beng is feared and avoided, and Romany rituals often include measures to protect against his malevolent influence.

The worship of Devla and Devleski Day reflects the Romany’s deep connection to nature and the cycles of life. These deities are often associated with the natural world, and their worship is closely tied to the changing seasons and the rhythms of nature. For example, the festival of Ederlezi, celebrated in the spring, is dedicated to Devleski Day and marks the beginning of the summer season. During this festival, the Romany people celebrate the renewal of life and the blessings of fertility, often with songs, dances, and rituals that honour the goddess and seek her protection for the coming year. 

There are many mythological figures, but it is worth mentioning Baba Fingo an elderly wise man figure embodying the virtues of wisdom and resilience. His character reflects the Romany’s own experiences and their understanding of the world as a place of constant movement and change.

They also have Bababilios who represents love desire and the joys of life and Bibi, a female deity who could be associated with the Hindu goddess Shashthi. Bibi represents the family, women and children. She is honoured in rituals that seek to connect the living with their ancestors. These rituals are often performed during significant life events such as births, weddings, and funerals, where Bibi is called upon to offer protection, guidance, and blessings.

The veneration of Bibi and other ancestor spirits also serves as a way for the Romany to maintain a sense of continuity and identity in the face of constant movement and change. By honouring their ancestors, the Romany Gypsy’s are able to preserve their cultural heritage and reinforce the values and traditions that have sustained them through centuries of displacement and persecution.

As well as other deities and figures Romany Folklore is rich with stories of fairies, dragons, vampires and other mythical creatures that inhabit the spaces between the human and supernatural worlds. These beings often reflect the Romany’s own experiences of living on the margins of society, navigating a world that is both familiar and alien. 

They appeared to pick up these stories once they entered western Europe from Celtic and Germanic mythology. For example, fairies in Romany mythology are often seen as capricious and unpredictable, much like the forces of fate and fortune that the Romany must contend with in their daily lives. These fairies, known as ‘vilya’ in some communities, are believed to live in remote, natural places such as forests, mountains, and rivers. They are both revered and feared, as they can bring good fortune to those who respect them but can also cause great harm to those who offend them.

My grandmother a descendant from the Roma Gypsies of Somerset often told us stories of gnomes and fairies that lived in the forests. 

Fire and Water Worship

Fire and water hold significant spiritual meaning in Romany rituals, often symbolising purification, protection, and the life-giving forces of nature. 

Fire, in particular, is seen as a powerful protective force that can ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune. This belief is reflected in the Romany practice of lighting bonfires during certain festivals, such as Ederlezi and Savašani, to cleanse the community and ensure a prosperous year ahead.

Water is also a central element in Romany Gyspy spiritual practices, particularly in rituals related to purification and healing. For example, during the festival of Ederlezi, which marks the beginning of the spring season, Romany communities often perform rituals involving the washing of hands, feet, or even entire bodies in rivers or other natural water sources. This practice is believed to cleanse the body and soul, ensuring health and well-being for the coming year.

Festivals

The festival of Ederlezi is 6th May and represents rebirth. Its is celebrated differently depending on where in the world the tribe lives.In the Anatolian (Turkish) Romany tribes it is also called Hidrellez it is a very significant day. The word itself is the combination of names of two prophets: Hizir and Ilyas. 

Hidrellez signifies a rebirth of nature and is also considered to be the beginning of summer. It is said that whatever you wish for that night comes true!

According to Anatolian (Turkish) Romany people’s beliefs, Hizir and Ilyas are two prophets who drank from the fountain of youth; they are brothers and friends. They have given each other promise to meet on this night of May 5 every year to give rebirth to nature. 

Hizir in Romany Spitriualism is the protector of plants; he gives life to plants. He helps poor people. Wherever he goes, he brings abundance. 

Ilyas is the protector of waters and according to some, the protector of animals. Wherever he goes, animals become healthier.

Hizir is actually a Muslim god in Turkey who they pray to on May 6th to bring prosperity. But he actually pre-dates Muslim, Christian, Roman and Greek mythology being recognised before as a god of vegetation and water. Ilyas is a prophet and powerful messenger of Allah in the Quran. It is interesting again that the Romany have taken local influence and tweaked it for their own gods. 

Regardless the Romany believe that wishes made on the night of the 6th May will come true. They also believe that sick people will become healthier and it will be the end of bad luck and misfortunes. 

Other Romany tribes put a coin inside a red cloth and then hang it on a rose branch. In the morning this money is put into the wallet so that it will bring abundance. It is also believed that if you go out, have a picnic and be in nature on this day, your days in winter will have less hardship. Mostly all tribes decorate their homes with wild flowers and twigs and take flower baths during this festival. 

You can also clearly see a Christian influence over the Romany people with many of them absorbing Christianity into their lives. This is shown by one of the most important figures in Romany religious practice, Saint Sarah, also known as Sara la Kali or Sara the Black. 

Saint Sarah is the Romany patron saint, and her veneration is a key aspect of Romany spirituality. According to legend, Saint Sarah was a servant of the three Marys (Mary Magdalene, Mary Salome, and Mary Jacobe), who, according to Christian tradition, fled to the shores of southern France after the crucifixion of Jesus.

Despite all these contradictions one of the most prominent themes running through Romany mythology and festivals is the idea of freedom and mobility. 

The Romany people have long been associated with a nomadic lifestyle, and their myths often reflect a deep connection to the open road and the natural world. This theme is evident in the Romany concept of ‘baxt’, or luck, which is closely tied to the idea of movement and travel. For the Romany, luck is not something that is static or fixed but something that can change and shift as they move through the world.

Core Beliefs 

The vast majority of Romany laws revolve around the belief that the universe is separated into what is clean and what is dirty (marime). Being marime, or coming into contact with marime things can cause a range of conditions including bad luck, sickness, disease and death. The list of what is considered marime is endless. 

Among other things, liquid which comes from the body (urine etc.), rodents, reptiles or anything which touches the ground are all marime. Once an item is classed as marime, the Romany avoid or limit contact with that thing. 

They are taught what is marime and what is not from the moment they are born. Avoiding dirtiness impacts how they act, think and speak.

This is an exert from a blog written by a Romany Gypsy “Real Romany Gypsy Life, Beliefs and Customs” by Lisa Boswell

“If a physical thing is especially marime, then the word connected to it is also marime and, therefore, not spoken out loud. For example, because rats are marime, we call them ‘things’, ‘the things’ or ‘long things’.

Similarly, because menstruation is marime, we do not discuss periods or say the word ‘period’. In Romani, there is not a word for menstruation. If we are ill, and must refer to our periods, we call them ‘things’.

Because certain conditions are marime, those who suffer from these conditions are given special treatment. Women on their period, or the sick may be feared because they have the power to spread their marime to others. When I was ill around Christmas time, my family separated my stuff from theirs, feared my toothbrush and wouldn’t let me touch anything. There was also an understanding that no-one should upset or talk negatively about me.”

A female who is pregnant is also considered Marime but they allow certain female members of the tribe to touch her. No male may touch a female who is pregnant and not even the child who is considered marime until he/she is baptised. 

Romany people avoid talking badly about ill people because they believe that illnesses can be attracted to us by the power of the mind. You can also attract not only diseases, but unfortunate events, such as broken bones, to yourself by how you think or interact with other individuals.

For example when I was growing up I had chicken pox and one of my young uncles would take the Micky out of me and sing songs about how spotty I was. When he was the only other one in the household to catch the chickenpox my grandmother said, “see, you attracted that yourself.”

To live a Romany Gypsy life is to live in constant fear of the outside world, which is marime. In fact, for a Romany person you are warned by your family not to accept food or drink from people who are not related to you, just in case they do not follow your rules or customs. 

They prefer to wash dishes in running water, not water which is stale. To avoid making the dishes marime, they must find a source of running water.

I believe that through constant travelling you could easily become ill from mixing with new cultures but also from the travelling lifestyle. I think being marime was a way to instil excellent hygiene amongst the travelling tribe to keep illness at bay. 

Luck and Magic

One cannot talk about Romany Gyspies without talking of luck and magic. Curses and rituals became integrated into the Romany lifestyle, to help manifest good luck.

In her book ‘Gypsy Magic’ Patrinella Cooper explains the connection between the Romany people and hermetic influence in esoteric magic. This manifestation magic uses many expensive things, talismans, robes and ceremony and is linked through to the Hebrew and Arabic traditions, although the Romany prefer to use folk magic using natural things and simple words or spells; more similar to Wicca. 

She talks of a universal energy energy called Zee energy, similar to Qi in Chinese medicine and Prana in India. It is the great primeval intelligence giving life and form to every particle in the universe. It is actually called ‘mi douvals zee’ and means the life of god. 

The zee energy is activated through the chakras. Here you can see the influence of northern India and the place where the Romany originate. 

Lucky Charms are a major part of the Romany Gypsies and I even remember as a child they used to come door to door with a sprig of heather or lavender to purchase for luck. And my grandmother always had an upside down horseshoe hanging on the wall for luck. They never pass a coin on the floor and always leave a blessing near a well or a natural spring. They make a wish on the first star in the sky and bow three times to a new moon and ask for blessings. 

You will see they often carry a talisman which has been created in a ceremony involving the elements of the earth and 4 directions to carry good luck with them. These talismans sit in a holder called a ‘parik-til’ and they use different herbs and stones or leaves for different blessings. One might be St Johns Wort and the twig of an oak tree, a small water worn pebble, a light downey feather and a scrap of red wool. This is for health. But they exist for love, success or protection.

A Parik Til

They exercise gratefulness in all situations and pray a lot to different gods or saints for good luck and prosperity. 

The Romany Gypsies however are also famous for curses and spells. This is an area where they tread very carefully because a unjust curse can often rebound upon the sender, or create your own Karma. 

Spells are done for clearing your home of bad energy, acquiring material goods or attracting a mate. They are also done for negative uses too like placing a persons name in and amongst knives or cursing their home. My mother often will put the name of someone that has upset her in the knife drawer! 

They love the occult and to tell fortunes using palm readings, tea readings, crystal balls or tarot cards. In fact that is probably what they are most famous for on the road. The fortune teller in the mystical tent, that you treat very well or she will curse you. 

Herbal Medicine 

Despite the Romany having a nomadic lifestyle they are rooted into nature through their co existence with the natural world.

They are very precise about the herbs they use and the places they are picked. They pick herbs growing at their peak and often use the cycles of the moon or the seasons to choose and often pick at late morning, when they feel the energies are best. They treat the plants kindly and will often talk about what they would like to do with them or who they wish to heal and then choose the plant afterwards. They always gather with the idea of keeping the plant healthy and will thank it for its use offering a wish for it to recover and grow stronger in the future. 

The Herbal Materia Medica of the Romany Gypsy is huge! They use herbs which they call remedies which are mostly boiled and drank. They also created many ointments, tinctures, oils and balms. It would have been easier to keep the ointments and herbs or roots with them when they were travelling and very uncomplicated to boil with water and drink over a few days. 

Interestingly all their measurements are in wine glass size.

Their Favourites herbs for the most common conditions on the road are:

• Ragwort Tea for Sciatica.
• Dandelion Root for Rheumatism and liver disorders
• Yellowdock Root tea for piles
• Blue cohosh root tea for menstrual irregularities. 
• Cowslip flowers for insomnia 
• A pint of white vinegar, 2 oz honey, 1/2 oz black liquorice and 1 lemon, heated in the oven or over a fire makes a wonderful cough mixture. 
• But common for coughs is coltsfoot, lungwort, hyssop and mallow. If the cough is dry they would add a little skullcap. 
• Parsley water or couch grass root is taken for bladder troubles and gravel root for kidney stones. 
• The common stinging nettle for high blood pressure was used often.
• Rhubarb root tea for diarrhoea
• Valarian root for Epilepsy.
• Ladies slipper root for headaches.
• Raw garlic on a cold sore.
• Sage, marjoram, rosemary and thyme tea for nervous ailments. If nerves are really frayed add St Johns Wort, Valerian and Skullcap. Also a good mixture for alcoholism. 
• Butter burr leaves for foot soreness, well crushed snowdrop bulbs for chilblains, soaked ivy leaves in vinegar for corns.
• Salt poultices for appendicitis (warmed and changed regularly) and for toothache on the cheeks. 
• Hand rubs of olive oil and salt for tired hands.
• Sage tea hair rinses for strong lustrous hair.

They have ointments for baldness, sores, skin complaints, lungs, eyes, feet, piles and general ointments. Using tallow, olive oil, coconut oil, paraffin and lard as the base and different herbs depending on the issue. 

They also brew their own beers and stout from Burdock leaves, Yarrow, Dandelion Herb, Malt, Hops, Sugar and Yeast. Or Nettles, hops, black malt, black liquorice, potatoes, brown sugar and yeast. 

The Romany use herbs to catch fish by sprinkling a mixture of oil of juniper and cedar wood over some moss and placing the worms they will fish with in the mixture for at least 12 hours. And to encourage rabbits into a field they would use oil of parsley, oil of Angelica, oil of aniseed and oil of copaiba dropped on a pile of wood or twigs. 

Being excellent trappers, fishermen and hunters they had access to local wildlife and used animals for food and utilised them for natural remedies, one example being:

When ear wax is causing deafness, you melt the fat of a ‘hotchi-witchi’ (hedgehog) and drop it into the eardrum at night. A substitute would be goose fat. (Thank god, I love hotchi-witchi’s)

The Romany held the hotchi witchi in very high regard and always thanks any animal they use for meat and medicines.

The Basic Materia Medica

Barks:

• Alder: Aperient
• Ash: Laxative
• Birch: Eczema
• Cherry: Lung Disease
• Cramp Bark: Period spasms
• Oak: Antiseptic
• Willow: Rheumatic Fever, pain, inflammation and bringing down a temp. Period pain

Flowers:

• Chamomile: Hysteria
• Elder: Urinary Troubles 
• Hop: Stomach Complaints 
• Marigold: Promotes Perspiration
• Red Clover: Coughs
• Safflower: Fevers and Female Complaints

Roots:

• Comfrey Root: Sprains and broken bones (poultice)
• Dandelion: Rheumatics and liver
• Lily of the Valley: Valvular Disease of the heart 
• Male Fern: Worms
• Marshmallow: Dysentry
• Red Dock: Blood purifier
• Rhubarb: Aperient
• Solomons Seal: Pulmonary Troubles 

Herbs:

• Angelica: Indigestion
• Ash leaves: Rheumatoid Arthritis 
• Blackberry: Diarrhoea
• Black Currant: Sore throats, catarrh
• Black Cohosh: Tinnitus 
• Chamomile: Debility and insomnia, tea for morning sickness
• Caraway seeds: Breast milk flow
• Couch Grass: Rheumatism
• Comfrey: Sprains and broken bones 
• Dandelion: Laxative tonic, warts 
• Eyebright: Sore eyes 
• Fennel: Breast milk flow 
• Feverfew: Migraines 
• Golden Rod: Correct Vomiting
• Golden Seal: Tinnitus 
• Ground Ivy: Internal Ulcers
• Hawthorn berries: Circulation
• Horehound: Coughs and making beer
• Iceland Moss: Appetizer
• Lobelia: Bronchial Complaints, croup in babies 
• Liquorice: Constipation
• Meadowsweet: Diarrhoea, tea for morning sickness
• Nettles: Blood pressure, Rheumatism
• Peppermint: Flatulence, indigestion 
• Plantian: Piles or painful swelling 
• Raspberry Leaf: Gargle for throat, use in labour. 
• Rosemary: Hair stimulant
• Rhubarb: Constipation 
• Scabious: Internal inflammation
• Skullcap: Sleeplessness
• Thyme: Antiseptic
• Violet: Poultices 
• Sage: Kidneys and liver
• Wormwood: Digestion, worms
• Woundwort: Bigger Cuts 
• Yarrow: Colds and fevers  

Oils and Ointments 

• Lavender Oil: Stings, cuts, bruises, boils and burns
• St Johns Wort Oil: Stings, cuts, bruises, boils and burns.
• Pilewort Ointment: Haemorrhoids 
• Marigold Oil: Bruises
• Clove oil: Toothache 

Syrup 

• Poppy syrup: Severe insomnia 
• Honey Onion syrup: Colds 

The Romany Gypsy have many interesting and strange cures for example, when suffering from warts, one should find a buyer for the wart! The buyer gives the sufferer a small coin and says ”I buy this wart to throw away, to trouble no one from this day” The person with the wart sprinkles salt on the coin and buries it. The wart is gone in 1 week!  

Home made steams were also common treatments with the Romany who would sit atop a wooden chair with a bowl of hot water underneath. Wrapped around them was a blanket and appropriate herbs were added to the water depending on the ailment. Lavender was common and pine.

Overall the Romany Gypsy people in Europe to whom I am related became known for crystal balls, tarot card readings, herbal medicine, live folk music and dancing. This seemed to help them pass through the world with less persecution, almost like the first circus performers. You always greet the travellers if they come bearing gifts. Also it would have been a way to earn money or trade as they went. 

This way of life seems to originate from the first movements through Persia where, after the war, the king wanted to install a more light hearted feel and so said he would allow musicians and entertainers passage through Persia and payment for doing so. This probably encouraged the more creative types to migrate from North India in the first place.

My grandmother on my fathers side, who was heavily into gardening, herbal medicines, particularly teas and essential oils, was descended from the Romany Gypsy Kings of Somerset and often spoke to me about her great grandparents being Romany Travellers. They were Issac and Merily Joules and I managed to find this article about them on the internet:

“Somerset seems to have had a long history of attracting Gypsies, documentary evidence suggests that many known families regularly visited, camped and were married, baptised and buried in churches around the county.

The Joules (also spelt Joles) family were local Gypsies, well known around the Yatton area of Somerset. They are referred to in the 1922 Somerset Yearbook as ‘the celebrated Somersetshire gypsies’.

There are known to be approximately 13 members of the family buried in the churchyard of St Mary’s Church. Eight date from the mid-C19 to the early C20 and four are enclosed within a wrought iron enclosure.

Isaac and Morella (Merily) Joules are well documented in contemporary sources from the Yatton area. Isaac is believed to have been the son of a Wiltshire farmer and a stone mason by trade that married Morella Cooper and took up the Gypsy life. Contemporary sources suggest Isaac was a knife grinder and well known as an identifiable figure known amongst the local community, with prints and pictures sold of him. Births and Census records suggest that the couple had 10 children (Jessie, Louisa, Teanna, Richard, Mary Ann, Henry, Priscilla, Matilda, Caroline and Charlotte).

Isaac and Morella’s son, Richard Joules went on to marry Jane. The 1861 census records Richards occupation as Horse Dealer/Gypsy Tribe. They had 7 children (Henry, Druscilla, Eldarah, William, Caroline, Jentella and Joseph) all of which are recorded under the occupation Gypsy Tribe in the 1861 census return.”

I am unsure which of their children my grandmother was related too. This is my grandmother Patricia Ellen Tanswell.  

I had a picture of her sitting at the foot of a Romany Gyspy caravan as a young child. I have torn my house upside down looking for it, but have yet to find it.

Nanny Pat as I called her always made lavender bags to help you sleep and was obsessed with herbal teas. She was heavily into drawing animals and birds and kept a beautiful garden. 

I also have a connection on my mothers side too. Her mothers real father was a Romany Gypsy, although she was brought up by a different father and this fact was kept very hush hush at the time.

I have found this assignment eye opening and do think that my connection to the natural world and natural medicines has definitely come through this lineage. There really is very little written on the internet and not a huge amount of books, word of mouth really seems to be the best way to information.

References:

Historiansplaining – Youtube “History of the Roma”

Gypsy Magic by Patrinella Cooper

Romany Remedies and Recipes by Gypsy Petulengro

shirleytwofeathers.com

https://www.romaheritage.co.uk/newspapers/1938-04-02-where-the-gipsies-are-buried