Raif Esmerović

Struna or the disease of the gizzard

Keywords: bellybutton, belt, black, Bosnia, Bosniaks, curing, cup, dr.Džanić, Edhem, healing, hazel,
hands, Hazrat Fatima, Hidajeta, folk medicine, formula, gizzard, glass, stomach, stravarka, struna,
strunar, Sarajevo, Visoko, vacuum, Velika Kladuša, Tuzla, tea, treatment, Mevlida, method, massage,
mizinac, Muhammad, Mramor, oil, patient, Raif Esmerović, red, blue, Visoko, Velika Kladuša,
želudarica.

I n the southeastern Europe, especially in

Bosnia and Herzegovina, a recognizable
cult of healing exists for ages, this cult is
the basis of what we today call folk medicine.
Namely, humans of this region used things
acceptable forms and in such a manner they
survived till today.

An ironic fact is that despite the advancement

that surround him and through empirical
experiences they developed ways to keep
their health, not drawing a distinct line
between medicine and magic. Actually, it
never existed since anything that could help,
whether only psychologically, was welcome.
Direct influence of religion brought
continuous influence of folk medicine to the
masses, where with minimal modifications old
magical formulas were transformed in socially
of technology and medicine people turn to
“primitive” forms of healing, partially due to
more expensive treatments, but more likely
because there is no soul in modern medicine.
Human beings cannot function without a
spiritual component and intimacy with nature
which is deeply intertwined in his entire
existence. Actually, the more destruction we
impose on nature, the more of an impulse to
return to nature do we create in us.

- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Page 1

 Raif Esmerović
Folk healers
Traditional medicine rests on the belief that
individuals which practice it, folk doctors,
often possess certain supernatural capabilities
or that their knowledge was inherited from
predecessors – a person which was initiated
into the secrets of healing by a mystic ritual.
Among people there are stories of people
which became shamans overnight, usually
through an intervention of a higher force in
their dream. During that event the sleeper
received telepathically the gift of knowledge
which mustn’t be misused. According to
stravarka Ćanka from Velika Kladuša one night
an unknown man and woman came into her
room, clad in all white, they awoke her by
pulling her toe. During that unusual encounter
she received the gift of healing which she
utilized until her death.
There is a belief among the folk that the gift of
healing can be inherited but the only one
qualified to inherit it is the mizinac i.e. the
youngest child.youngest child.
Knowledge that stravarke, želudarice and
herbalists possess is based on empirical
experience and represents a mixture of
herbalist and homeopathic knowledge loaded
with magical and religious meaning. It is
deeply tied to the cultural basis of the area in
which it originated.
Though there is no precisely formulated rule
the general opinion is that folk doctors
achieve the best results after his fortieth year,
which obviously alludes to god’s messenger
Muhammad S.A.V.S. which started receiving
religious proclamation during those years of
his life.
According to beliefs the power of healing can
be gained through magic. When you see a
black snail without a shell during spring (Limax
cinereoniger), you should touch his horns
three times usually with the index finger, but
each time you should spit to the side. Later
when someone seeks help from that person, it
- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina –
will suffice that this person should stroke the
ailing place three times and the ailment will
disappear.
Nine hands
Each disease tied to the stomach raised
suspicion that it was struna (gastroptosis)1 i.e.
that the gizzard moved out of its place due to
some internal or external stimuli. Bosniac
people see the gizzard as a very sensitive
organ which is evidenced by numerous
warnings about struna among which the most
famous ones are that one should avoid
sleeping on the stomach, flip over one’s head,
jump from a height on an empty stomach or
lift heavy things on an empty stomach. Also,
the same goes for a person which accidentally
hits his foot on something hard2. In each of
these cases the gizzard can move 29 cm in
diameter, 12 cm upward below the ribs and
17 cm downward towards the spine. Most
frequent symptom which occurs is pain in the
gizzard or below the ribs3.
Comparing opinions of physiotherapists which
treat stomach issues as well as folk doctors we
can notice that in numerous segments they’re
alike. The only difference is that folk healers
1
Among folk it is said that struna can be a traumatic
shock for the organism due to which a patient literally
shrivels in pain, he can’t stretch out his legs and arms.
2
There is a belief when a hungry man is running, when
he is frightened, is lifting heavy things, or when he is
fasting often, he can have his gizzard moved. Indicator of
such a state is, pain in the stomach, and according to this
symptom we categorize struna into the group where
other gizzard ailments belong to: inflammation of the
gizzard, possibly widening of the gizzard and even an
ulcer of the gizzard.
3
Strune are secret and known. Known struna is
recognized by abrupt and strong pain in the gizzard.
Secret struna is recognized by the fact that it lasts
longer, pain is of a lesser intensity and a small lump on
the stomach is formed. This lump can be everywhere on
the abdomen, just not on the right side. Difficult struna
should be cured immediately, if you are late the
patient’s health can be seriously endangered.
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 Raif Esmerović
had to rely solely on empirical knowledge of
their predecessors, which was often poor,
while physiotherapists today have all medical
knowledge at their disposal, especially
anatomy, as well as x-ray scans.
Physiotherapists think that the stomach can
be raised or lowered once it moves out of its
place. Raised stomach is more frequent today,
both among the young and the old of both
sexes, the reason is pressure in the abdominal
joint which occurred due: lifting heavy things
or bending (gym, difficult manual labor), often
and strong coughing, strong sneezing,
pregnancy and birth, vomiting, obesity, punch
in the stomach, stress, weakness of the
diaphragm. Symptoms are: chest pain similar
to a heart attack, bleeding of the gums, bad
breath, bad digestion, great appetite, burping,
nausea, hiccups, vomiting, heartburn.
It is known that strong abdominal muscles
keep all the organs in their place like a wide
belt. When they weaken and stretch, the
organs lose their footing and slowly descend.
Besides pregnancy, there are other reasons,
such as messy eating habits, overeating, bad
digestion, irregular stool, leanness. The gizzard
descends often, as the largest abdominal
organ which is often widened, and with it
other abdominal organs. This is considered to
be a descended gizzard. Symptoms are: feeling
of fullness and weight, bad and slow digestion,
burping, drowsiness, shoulder pain,
nervousness, insomnia, constipation,
hemorrhoids. The diseased is often nervous,
he is afraid to eat and loses weight. An x-ray
scan shows immediately an elongated and
descended gizzard. Strength of the disorder
doesn’t always follow the degree of the
gizzard displacement, since people endure it
differently.
- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina –
In folk medicine of BiH people that deal with
curing of such issues are called želudarice
(women) and želudari or strunar (men)4.
According to their statements a displaced
gizzard (strunjeni želudac), is treated as a
serious health issues with a potentially deadly
epilogue. This is also evidenced by the folk
belief according to which this disease
manifests through nine forms, or so called
“nine hands”, želudarica must be extremely
skilled to detect each one and apply the
corresponding method of healing. Each of the
nine forms of this disease has a specific name
and explanation such as: “blue struna”, “red
struna”, “black struna” etc. However, it is
necessary to mention that želudarice are not
completely in harmony when it comes to
determining names and diagnoses, therefore
their opinions often match when speaking
about “blue struna” since it is easiest to detect
and cure. However by deduction of all of the
available materials which I had at my disposal
from the archive of the National museum in
Sarajevo, but also individual discussions with
folk healers, I managed to categorize their
names well enough. Namely, what confuses
most is that each struna has two names; the
first way is based on a certain color and the
second is a symbolic description such as body
parts, according the sex, water or bread.
Therefore the following names are used:
krušna struna, ručna struna, muška struna,
4
Returning the gizzard to its place is not only an activity
of women, but also of men, but according to people,
there are only a few of those that perform it
professionally. Traditionally, this skill is transferred in the
family circle, from one person to another. Still today in
Bosnia and Herzegovina there are famous families that
cure gizzards, whose practice can be traced back for
generations.
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 Raif Esmerović
ženska struna, vodena struna, sastava, etc.
Krušna struna is cured in such a manner that
the middle of the bread is taken out, a ball is
made out of it in which three matches are
placed, it is placed onto the bellybutton,
matches are lit and covered with a glass.
Ručna struna is recognized by the diseased
having “bulging veins”. It is cured by intensive
hand massaging.
Muška struna is also known as “untied
bellybutton (razvijeni pupak)” it is manifested
by strong stomach pain, feeling of suffocation,
blackness in front of the eyes. In men it can
cause low sperm count.
Red struna is caused by worry, stress, anxiety,
emotional issues. It is manifested by
skinniness, vomiting, paleness and nausea.
Gizzard in this instance is detected
underneath the ribs, or is moved towards the
heart, the only way to return it is by massages.
Black or difficult struna occurs when carrying
load, sudden movements, inconsistent diet,
during birth, sleep or some type of accident
and is manifested through obesity, farts,
bloating and pain, not only in the gizzard but
also bowels. In black struna the gizzard moves
towards the spine. In heavy struna pain
between the shoulders occurs.
Ženska struna is a disease which, as the name
implies, affects only women during pregnancy
and child birth, but similarly it can cause
temporary infertility so that a woman cannot
achieve pregnancy. It is cured by massages
and tying the hips with a cloth.
- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina –
How to detect a displaced
gizzard
During the procedure of curing gizzard
displacement according to želudarice and
stravarke we can conclude that it takes place
in three or four stages. The first goal is to
detect the state of the diseased i.e. whether
his issue is the product of a displaced gizzard.
Without it there is no successful curing. It is
necessary that the diseased lies on his back,
his clothes is removed from the stomach, and
želudarica places her middle finger into the
belly button but in such a manner that her
index finger and small finger are separated
from it. For the first time the middle finger is
placed in a horizontal position and the second
time in a vertical, in order to feel the gizzard
from both directions. Namely, if pulsating is
felt on the bellybutton under the middle
finger then the gizzard hasn’t moved. If we’re
talking about struna then the pulsing is felt
left or right, above or below from the
bellybutton, i.e. under the index or small
finger. Or no pulsing is felt. In that case it is
suspected that the gizzard is “stuck” to the
spine.
Similarly, examination can be done by
touching the hand muscle, underneath the
armpit or thumb, namely, if the pulse beats
strongly in those placed then the person has
issues with gizzard displacement. If a small
circular mass is felt on the left hand of the
diseased, between the thumb and index
finger, certain želudarice categorize as a sure
sign of struna. They gently massage the
circular mass until it is “broken down”, which
is the most important step in the healing
process.
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 Raif Esmerović
It is evident, according to folk healers, that the
issue with the gizzard can appear suddenly
and aggressively, followed by great pains, or
slowly and quietly, through a longer period,
when it is necessary to carefully analyze the
symptoms and set a correct diagnosis. Rarely,
the pain in the gizzard is so strong that no
further checkups are necessary since it is
evident. In his ethnological work “Cures and
curing inhabitants of Mala Kladuša” issued in
the gazzet Behar in 1992 (Zagreb, numbers
1/2) dr. Husein Džanić wrote:
When the gizzard (stomach) hurts, the person
bends and contorts like handles of a strung
basket, and in front of their eyes appear small
light dots. When someone has frequent and
strong gizzard pain we say that it has been
moved, and that it can be an accident which
can cause death.
In case the disease developed over a longer
period of time, experienced želudarice can in
large percentages, give evaluation of the
diseased without any physical contact.
Namely, according to empirical experience
which the folk healers possess, lean persons
yellow in the face as well as fat people with a
pale face, which look bloated, suffer from
struna. Each of them claim categorically that
struna is not a disease that can be treated by
official medicine and seeking cure with official
doctors is a waste of time.
- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina –
There is a whole slew of signs which can be
used to suspect that an individual suffers from
health issues which are caused by struna.
Želudičar Edhem Mešinović from Fojnica
mentions that the gizzard is a very important
organ and if it is sick, other organs are also
sick.
– Struna can be obtained, he warns, if you
stretch, rise suddenly, if you jump, if you lift
something up, but one can get it also, as they
say, of no accord, literally for no reason.
State of fear or shock due to an accident can
also imply movement of the gizzard. Among
Bosnian people it is believed that a person
which is timid by nature, easily gets
struna/gizzard displacement, such a person
should keep a pebble called ustavljak in the
vessel it uses for drinking water. This stone is
the one which gets stuck between the
branches of a tree once being tossed around.
It is claimed that the most ideal tree for such
an experiment is the Hawthorn tree
(Crataegus) because of its mystical healing
properties ascribed to it5.
5
For a man not to have stomach issues (gizzard) he
should place his belt or piece of clothing or his hand in
front of a salamander, so that he crosses the object.
Someone from the patients family catches a few live fish
in a creek or river and brings them home in a vessel with
water. The patient should gaze at the fish while they’re
alive. When the fish die, it is believed, he will be better
and will be healed.
In Sarajevo beef spleen was used to cure struna, it was
cut in half so that the patient would go between it,
completely naked during a new moon.
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Healing power of tea and
honey
From all of the above it is much clearer why
among the folk, especially among želudarice,
this organ is treated with a great dose of
seriousness. Even today, when someone
complains of stomach pain, we first suspect
struna, which is a traditional diagnosis for all
stomach illnesses. It is interesting to note that
the among folk the gizzard was in the past
called žličica, which comes from the Arabic
word lukza, which experienced a linguistic
adjustment through transcription in the
Bosnian language. Modeled on numerous
oriental words and phrases which came with
the Ottoman occupators, this word had a
similar faith and over time it was adjusted to
the climate and dialect which resulted in a
new pronunciation lužičica, which
transformed with subsequent transmutations
into nožičica or žličica. Among the Bosnians
which live in Sandžak, we notice preservation
of old names, in this instance for stomach
diseases, which are still called nožičica.
Whether accidentally or with a certain
symbolism nožica as Antun Hangi claims in his
anthological work about the life of Bosnian
people is also the name used for scissors and
sometimes thongs.
Nožičica in Sandžak is the name of the disease
which is recognized by the fact that a person
can’t eat, loses his appetite or vomits
everything he eats. Curing is natural and
based on a plant which has a mysterious name
among the folk “nauda”. The plant is chopped
thinly and mixed with honey which the
diseased consumes three mornings in a row.
With this utterance of magical formulas is
often combined. Also, if the person has
- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina –
stomach aces often, for unknown reasons,
then it is recommended to him to drink tea
made from peppermint (Mentha piperita L.). It
is obvious that tea in this curing process,
besides its medicinal properties, has a role to
literally warm up the gizzard, while for the
external part of the diseased persons
stomach, after drinking tea, the process
includes massaging it over steam and rubbing
oil into the skin.
Teas are an important component of in the
curing process of a displaced gizzard and
they’re almost a necessary part of therapy.
Their content can be varied, whether we’re
talking about a couple of mixed dry or fresh
ingredients or just one. Traditionally, among
our folk tea was considered as a true cure, i.e.
every therapy would begin by drinking it for a
shorter or longer period, from three to 40 or
41 days.
Tea is after all a standard recommendation of
every želudarica since its aroma and warmth
besides healing properties, has relaxing
properties and raises the body’s temperature;
due to shock caused by pain and cramps in the
gizzard the body becomes cold and tense.
Because of its therapeutic activity and belief
that it speeds up the curing process depending
on the region, various tea mixtures were
recommended which had similar effects.
On the territory of eastern Bosnia želudarica
at the end of a séance of gizzard movement
recommends to the diseased to drink for a
few days tea made out of calamints
(Calamintha officinalis)6, savory (satureja) and
6 In Visoko it was believed that more men suffer from
struna than women. It is caused by a cold, when a cold
wind “enters” the stomach. It is cured in various ways,
usually by hard liquor (rakija) which contains Artemisia,
or a few pieces of horseradish (Amoracia rusticana) is
placed inside rakija, and the patient drinks it every
morning on an empty stomach. Similarly, whoever feels
pain in žilica or ožilica needs to drink water in which was
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 Raif Esmerović
St. John’s worth (Hypericum pefroratum).
In the northwestern part of Bosnia, Una-Sana
Canton, tea made out of quince twigs
(Cydonia oblonga) is very respected, due to its
mellow aroma and intensive red color, as well
as its sedative activity on the stomach.
Preparation of the tea is classic; a few fresh
twigs of quince are placed in a vessel with
water, boiled, and after a few minutes when
the water turns red the procedure is finished.
Similarly, tea can be made out of quince
leaves.
Whether herbal or fruit in origin it is evident
that teas are unavoidable auxiliary agents in
practice of local folk healers. Besides these in
use are mixtures of herbal origin which are
combined with honey, ingredient for which it
was claimed since the old days, it is a great
friend of the stomach.
It is recorded in the archive of the National
museum in Sarajevo (GZM) that in Žepa and
Rogatica there is a cure for red struna or
sastava, a honey based mixture out of the
plant St. Benedict’s herb (Geum urbanum) and
honey. During the preparation of the cure it’s
root is used, which when cleaned thoroughly
is minced into small pieces and mixed with
minced garlic. Honey is added to this mixture
and such a concoction is consumed by the
diseased in small quantity each morning, on
an empty stomach, until the pain subsides. In
central Bosnia and parts of Herzegovina even
used for cooking fresh or dried pennyroyal (Mentha
Pulegium).
- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina –
today it is recommended to a person suffering
from struna to take for 40 days honey mixed
with minced rue (Ruta graveolens), in order to
cure a moved gizzard.
Techniques for curing blue
struna
As we know the gizzard belongs to abdominal
organs for which it is claimed that they can be
moved since they’re located in a virtual space.
The reasons for this, as we have seen, are
numerous and the most common one is
stress, therefore each of us have had our
gizzards moved but most of us seek help only
when strong pain appears. Until then it is
usually tolerable, people try to rehabilitate or
to soothe it with various pills. In certain cases
the moved gizzard loses its original strength, it
doesn’t function properly for some time, then
the person loses or gains weight and the
medical issue becomes more apparent.
If the disease is detected on time i.e. if the
gizzard is only slightly "strunio" (moved) then
želudarica says to the diseased that he is
suffering from blue struna. Water or blue
struna, is as I mentioned, the closest form of
disease which is cured with a magical
procedure7, since the disorder is not outdated
i.e. is discovered in a relatively short period
from its inception and as such requires no
great engagement. Every other struna (disease
caused by movement of the gizzard) which
crosses a certain time period is considered to
be outdated and as the only possible way of
curing it is through massages. Namely,
according to želudarice most strune in the
7
It was believed that a person which had its gizzard
moved should cross from one meadow to another by
making a somersault over their head, this would cure
them. Another way: a rooster is slaughtered and his
heart is taken out, still warm, it is thrown over the
house, where it falls a fire is lit on which the heart is
roasted and is given to the diseased to eat.
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beginning are actually blue strune, but over

time, due to unfavourable events, “they Sun behind the forest,
changed” their colour – the state would gizzard to his place,
worsen and would cause serious health issues. struna can go into the sea,
where the ox doesn’t roar,
In the first way of curing blue struna, the rooster doesn’t crow,
želudarica would place a coffee cup on the the chicken doesn’t cluck,
bellybutton of the diseased, it would be with my prayer and god’s will.
turned upside down with a cotton tape placed
over it, although other things can be used in
order to firmly fix the cup, the tape would be Bosnian
tied behind the diseased person’s back. It
would be best for the diseased to keep the Sunce za goru,
cup on his stomach overnight, in the morning želudac na svoje mjesto,
they would check if the cup was stuck to the struna neka ide na more,
stomach. If not, the ritual would be repeated gdje vol ne buče,
or other forms of curing would be undertaken. horoz ne pjeva,
Because of the simplicity of the procedure the koka ne kakuće,
diseased can perform it himself, without the s mojom basmom a božijom hazmom.
presence of želudarica.
Primordial desire to harmonize forces of
If not undertaking a magical process of curing, nature is ever present in all rituals of folk
the želudarica would warm up some water in medicine, which is what we usually notice
a metal vessel, in which she can place a few through other magical formulas.
pieces of bread and match flint, but is not
necessary, and when water boils she pours it Želudarica Šerife Mujagić from Velika Kladuša,
into a small pan or plate and in the middle of often uses the following formula:
it she upturns the vessel8. If it is a water
struna, želudarice claim, all of the water will Sun, moon and stars
go under the vessel, it is literally “sucked” to their place
inside9. While pouring out the hot water into and the gizzard of the diseased
the pan, želudarica repeats with a quiet voice to its place,
three times in a row one of the magical with my prayer and god’s will.
formulas for curing such as this:
Bosnian

Sunce, Mjesec i zvijezde

8
na svoje mjesto
Among Bosnian folk it is believed that healing using a želudac bolesniku
these techniques only a person (želudarica) which has
“nafakali ruku” (lucky hand) can perform successfully. To
na svoje mjesto,
such a person, for this type of help usually a certain fee s mojom basmom a božijom hazmom.
is given, this isn’t considered to be pay, this money is
gifted as a sign of respect to the “lucky hand”. For a Mevlida Bašić stravarka and želudarica from
person with a “lucky hand” it is claimed that such a
Velika Kladuša (died in 1996), had a practice to
person can cure moved gizzard at a distance, without
any contact with the patient, performing a ritual with leave the upturned vessel underneath a table
water which is usually used in curing plava struna. for 24 hours.
9
If water doesn’t enter the vessel it is concluded that – The longer it stays the better it is for the
the patient doesn’t have a moved gizzard. To be certain, diseased!” she used to say.
ritual of water pouring is performed three times.
Sometimes it occurs that the vessel draws all the water
and releases it into the plate quickly. It is interpreted as It is considered that if the vessel is “jumping”
the patient having prolonged difficulties with the gizzard.

- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Page 8

 Raif Esmerović
in the middle of the pan once upturned – it is
a sure-fire signal that the gizzard was moved.
In this manner, as we can see the state of the
diseased without any physical contact with
him. Terms “uvarivanje želdaca”, “salivanje
želuca” are directly tied with this method.
“uvarivanje želdaca“
Sometimes the described rituals is combined
with massages. The diseased would lie down
on a bed and želudarica would place a vessel
with water on the stove. While it slowly
warmed up the diseased’ stomach would be
massaged, he would then be wrapped with a
cloth and would be left there to lie. Želudarica
would then perform the above mentioned
ritual with pouring of hot water into a metal
vessel.
Instead of hot water we could use cold water.
Namely, the vessel with cold water would be
quickly upturned on the bellybutton of the
diseased by želudarica, she would press teh
vessel so no water pours out, she would hold
it for half an hour or an hour until the gizzard
returns to its original place.
However, the described method of returning
the slightly moved gizzard to its place with
water is the most frequent one, it is not the
only one of curing water struna. There are
other methods. Želudarica usually places her
right thumb into the diseased person’s
- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina –
bellybutton she “screws” it three times
(moves it into circle) “following the sun”, in
order to activate blocked energy in that body
part, she would then wrap the stomach with a
blanket or wrap it, in order to warm it up, or
she would tighten the left hand and he lies on
it until it goes numb.
Massaging
One of the predispositions which a folk healer
must have for this type of treatment is warm
hands. However, the reason for this is not just
a more comfortable touch and easier
relaxation for the patient but a clear indicator
that a želudarica has a normal flow of energy
inside of her body, which is why energy
blockage will not occur.
But, despite this, we need to emphasise that
often the massage is not pleasant for the
diseased nor for želudarica since it requires a
lot of physical strength in order to put back
the gizzard by pressure and massage.
Namely, while a massage of the stomach
requires softer movements, all other cardinal
parts such as hands, back or shoulders must
be treated more intensively.
Massaging can begin from the left hand, part
between the thumb and index finger10, around
the bellybutton; so that both hands are lightly
“pulled” towards the bellybutton or the
massage can begin from the spine to the
lower back. Though it doesn’t occur that
often, želudarice claim that the gizzard can
descend in the form of a small circular mass
into the leg of the diseased, from where it
needs to be massaged and moved back into
place.
Želudarica Hidajeta from Mramor close to
Tuzla, explains this method as follows:
10
In Velika Kladuša struna (clicker) which is felt between
the thumb and index finger is intensively massaged with
the right hand until this ball disappears. All the while the
first prayer of the Qur’an is repeated.
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 Raif Esmerović
- I massage with oils, beginning from the vein
between the thumb and index finger on the
left hand, towards the shoulder, near the neck
down the spine towards the small of the back.
After the massage, the hand of the diseased is
tied firmly above the elbow and he must lay on
his side, bent knees and he needs to stay in
this position for an hour. He mustn’t eat
anything for seven hours after this treatment.
Observing the procedure of želudarica
Mevlida I noticed that after oiling up her
hands she took the patient’s left arm and
between the thumb and index finger she
started massaging the “veins” which are
located between these fingers, up towards the
muscle on the hand where she would finish
making a tie with a cloth above the elbow, she
would then bend that arm under the patient
until it went numb. Pressing and massaging
neck and back “veins” as well as those of the
shoulder, Mevlida would return the gizzard
towards the bellybutton. She would then take
the patients arm again and would rub the vein
between the fingers for fifteen minutes, after
that the stomach would be massaged gently,
until she would feel under her fingers that the
gizzard had returned to its place. At the end of
the session, in order to make sure that she did
everything properly, she would take a cup of
coffee and would place it, upturned, on the
patient’s bellybutton. If the cup “sticks” to the
stomach, the healing process was successful,
otherwise the entire procedure needs to be
repeated.
It is recorded in the archives of the National
museum in Sarajevo (GZM) that in Trepča
(Piljužići) there lived a želudarica Hanka Garić
which people turned to for help. She would
initially massage the patient down his back,
from the collar bone towards the chest from
the small of the back towards the gizzard in
order to put it in its place. In the end she
would take a clean rag and would make a
circle out of it which she would place on the
patient’s bellybutton, over that she would put
a belt out of cloth and tie it behind his back.
The patient would wear it for a couple of days
until the gizzard returned to its place. Her
- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina –
daughter learned the technique of curing but
wasn’t as successful as her mother.
A similar procedure is described by doctor
Džanić:
- When the gizzard is moved, then the
želudarica puts it back into its place by
intensively massaging the “veins” on the left
hand from the fist up to the elbow. After that
she massages the gizzard (stomach) around
the bellybutton from right to left, until the
pain subsides. Stomach is helped by cow
butter and is wrapped in a warm flax rag, the
patient then needs to stay put for two to three
days. During that time he drinks copious
amounts of plantains tea (Plantago) by
making a mixture of three spoons of plant
leaves with half a litter of water.
Another form of curing
According to želudarica Mevlida struna is
represented in the form of a small ball, terms
such as „marble“, „hazel“ are used, however it
is not easy to find it underneath the skin, even
to an experienced folk doctor11.
This is why fumigation is performed: one takes
a gourd full of hot water and is placed on the
stomach of the diseased „to relax“ – „soften“
that part of the stomach. It is believed that
after that „struna“ will be easier to find, and
similarly it will return to its place more easily.
Once that ligament or marble is found it is
skillfully massaged by circular movements for
it to lose its hard form. While doing this the
patient can feel like vomiting. Later, Mevlida
11
Among the folk it is believed that struna usually
appears among the people which had issues with their
stomachs in childhood. This is why we can conclude that
it equally affects children and adults.
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 Raif Esmerović
told me that the mentioned fumigation can be
made with the help of hot oats (Avena sativa).
Usually a half a kilogram of oats is used, it is
covered with hot water, strained, the oats are
placed on a rag which was previously warmed
up on a stove, it is wrapped and placed on the
patient’s stomach.
Fumigation or so called treatment of the
critical spot with heat serves a purpose of
simpler identification of the ball (struna), in
order to massage the correct place.
In Velika Kladuša while massaging a patient, a
želudarica repeats a magical formula in which
she calls on Hazrat Fatimah to come to her aid
with her magical quill and to return the gizzard
with its help. When she sees that she has
succeeded želudarica takes a cup of coffee,
blows inside of it, and utters a few magical
formulas for curing. Then she takes some
water in the cup, a bit of thread and burns it,
with fast movements she places it in the cup
and then upturns it on the patient’s
bellybutton. If the cup stays glued to the
stomach, it means that she did everything
correctly and the patient will recover.
According to established practice after a
successful treatment želudarica recommends
tea to the patient.
Mevlida had a custom of suggesting yarrow
tea (Achillea millefolium) to anyone that
contacted her for help, she claimed that it is
the best cure for struna. Preparation of the
tea is as follows; in cold water place a full
spoon of minced dried herb, once the water
boils she should be left to simmer for 5-6
minutes. It is then removed from the stove
and as soon as it cools it is strained into a
bottle and is regularly drunk on an empty
stomach.
Hidajeta Mahmutović from Mramor uses a
traditional and well known method in BiH for
curing the gizzard. She takes the soft part of
- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina –
the bread, rolls it in a form of a ball, and
places on the patient’s bellybutton. She sticks
three matches into the ball, lights them, and
quickly covers them with a glass. As soon as
the matches extinguish, a vacuum is created
which slowly draws the stomach in the glass,
the gizzard is thus moved back to its place.
Though there is no clear rule about practicing
this method with the vacuum, i.e. each
želudarica according to her own experience
and opinion decides whether the patient will
be exposed to this method or a massage. As I
managed to find out the best effect is
achieved if the patient is subject to the
vacuum method (cup of coffee or a regular
glass) after a massage, placing the vessel on
the bellybutton the gizzard assumes an ideal
position. The feeling that the vacuum creates
is very pleasant and liberating.
It is important to note that vacuum and
massage methods are not recommended to
pregnant women, women during their cycle,
people suffering from cancer, people which
have high blood pressure, as well as diseased
people suffering from an acute infection (i.e.
high body temperature).
There are other techniques for restoring the
gizzard which over time came about from the
practice of our folk doctors but which
remained recorded in our ethnographic
literature.
These are some of them.
Folk doctors after establishing that a patient
suffers from struna uses a narrow opening,
usually from a glass bottle, in order to press
the bellybutton and twist it slowly, the skin on
the stomach would be gathered and under the
opening he would make a small bulge. Then
some soft wax is placed (on the bellybutton),
he would affix it, tie a scarf or belt in that
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 Raif Esmerović
place around the patient’s stomach so that
nothing can move. After that with strong
finger movements he would squeeze the
tendons underneath the patient’s armpit or
muscles of the hand on which side the struna
is located, after that with a soft cloth he would
wrap the muscle and leave it like that for 24
hours.
It often occurred that it is tied strongly and
the entire hand goes blue, however this was
considered to be a good sign and successful
healing. In the end the folk doctor would leave
the patient lying on his right side, he would
place his hands beside him, he would curl up
his legs and his head would be placed on a flat
surface without a pillow. If the healing process
doesn’t succeed the first time, the entire
procedure needs to be repeated after 24
hours and success won’t be missing.
Nothing will cure struna better than ashes
sieved through a veil, mixed with vinegar into
cookies, Bosnian stravarke claim, this needs to
be placed on a hot oven top, in order to
remove its coldness. The cookie is then placed
on the patient’s bellybutton after which it is
tightly wrapped bellow the hips with a
bandage from a male child not older than one
year.
The patient lies on his back on the floor
placing his arms next to him. Underneath his
head a pillow is placed. On his soles a firm
board is placed and it is struck a few times
with a hammer or some other item by the
želudarica, and due to such a pressure,
allegedly, the gizzard returns to its place.
After the described treatments of the
želudarica the patient is recommended to eat
a fried egg on butter or oil. Additionally fried
butter is recommended which the patient
must force himself to drink, as much as a
spoon can hold.
- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina –
Some of the želudarice, aiming to check
whether the process was successful, offer to
the patient a cup of milk with an egg mixed
inside of it, if the patient drinks it without
throwing up everything is OK.
However, most of them don’t agree with this
procedure since it is not desirable to irritate
the stomach in this sensitive time, one it has
returned to its place, therefore for the
following few days easy meals are
recommended, lots of fruits and vegetables,
minding that cucumbers and beans are not
consumed. Similarly, the patient should avoid
too much warm or cold beverages as well as
spicy, fat or sour food.
Verem struna
Verem or pennyroyal (Mentha Pulegium) is
known among the Bosnian folk as a famous
and valued plant due to its medicinal
properties. Its name from the Turkish
language and means sorrow, despondency.
This plant is considered to be the best cure for
issues with the gizzard, improvement of
digestion and intestines. Also, it is ideal for
people suffering from depression,
nervousness, insomnia. People say: “ If you
don’t know what ails you (you’re not sure in
your diagnosis) drink tea from pennyroyal and
you will get better”.
Describing folk practice of healing in Bosnia,
Mijo Žuljić mentions a short but interesting
part about struna in a completely novel way,
claiming that struna can come about from
anger, fights or depressive thoughts –
pennyroyal is “tied as a knot” in the gizzard.
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 Raif Esmerović

eat and has no desire for anything, not even

Author claims:
The man feels pain in the gizzard. In the
beginning he can eat, though shortly he loses
his appetite and motivation for anything, since
if verem lasts longer it completely overwhelms
the patient and wants to break him. In the end
the person feels great weakness and infirmity,
the worst feeling is inside the gizzard, which
protrudes from the inside, near the left rib. A
hard mass forms whose form is like a scab and
its form is felt while passing your fingers over
it. Under such influence the patient refuses to
communication, there is no happiness in him,
no desire for fun. It is cured in the following
way: each morning on an empty stomach, as
much as he can endure, he should press the
bulge on his stomach. If he pushes it
downward and it disappears, he should drink
pennyroyal tea for a few mornings on an
empty stomach and he will get better. If he
doesn’t push down the bulge, it is said that he
won’t live long, six months the most. Some are
killed by verem in just a month, especially if
the patient is of an angry temperament, and
cannot be calmed down.

Bibliography

Bolesti i lijekovi po Bosni i Hercegovini, Ivan Zovko, GZM –Sarajevo.

Narodna medicina i narodna vjerovanja, Radmila Filipović-Fabijanić, GZM – Sarajevo.

Narodna medicina u Varešu (Bosna), Mijo Žulić, GZM – Sarajevo.

www.tana.bosnianforum.com

Velika Kladuša, 2017.

Author: Raif Esmerović

- Traditional medicine of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Page 13