What if I told you I had a cure for A*IDS? Would you believe me? What about c*ancer? Or d*iabetes?
There are those who believe that Dr. Sebi, born Alfredo Bowman—a world-renowned vegetarian herbalist, healer, pathologist and biochemist—had the cure for all of them, all the d*iseases that bring d*evastation and an altered existence before s*natching the lives of those who don't break free.
There are many who believe that Dr. Sebi, who was not a licensed physician, became a th*reat to a multibillion-dollar m*edical industry that not only relies on continued s*ickness but also needs it; it profits from it.
On May 28, 2016, Dr. Sebi was a*rrested at Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport in Honduras for carrying some $37,000 in cash. He was released pending a c*ourt hearing, only to be rea*rrested June 3 by the Ministerio Público, Honduras' version of the F*BI, and ch*arged with money laundering. Dr. Sebi remained in custody until Aug. 6, when he was rushed to a local h*ospital reportedly s*uffering from c*omplications of p*neumonia. Dr. Sebi d*ied en route. He was 82.
Below are five mysteries surrounding his life and his d*eath.
1. Dr. Sebi C*ures A*IDS?
Dr. Sebi rose to cultlike fame pushing a simple dietary premise: that food is a*lkaline for the body, and d*ead foods k*ill your body's natural ability to heal and regenerate healing. By eliminating what Dr. Sebi considered toxic foods—like meat, poultry, seafood, all processed or synthetic items, a*lcohol, sugar, fried food and iodized salt—the body could begin detoxing. Replacing those foods with plain ripe fruit; nonstarchy vegetables, especially leafy greens; raw nuts and nut butters; and grains like quinoa, rye and kamut promotes the body's natural healing properties. In doing so, he claimed to have c*ured several p*atients of A*IDS, c**ancer, d*iabetes and blindness.
2. Dr. Sebi's C*ourt Case
The myth of Dr. Sebi grew stronger in 1988 after the self-taught herbalist ran ads in the Amsterdam News, the Village Voice and the New York Post noting that "A*IDS has been cured." The story goes that the New York State a*ttorney general and New York City Department of Consumer Affairs told Dr. Sebi to remove the ads; he refused and was a*rrested. The ch*arges leveled against him included practicing m*edicine without a license, selling products not approved by the Food and D*rug Administration, and f*raudulently claiming that he could c*ure A*IDS and other d*iseases. The j*udge asked Dr. Sebi to bring in one patient who could testify that he had c*ured him or her of these potentially f*atal d*iseases. He reportedly provided 70 patients and won the case. And the legend of Dr. Sebi was born.
3. Dr. Sebi's A*rrest
Dr. Sebi's a*rrest records have not been released, so it remains unclear as to why he was a*rrested, released and then rea*rrested for carrying so much cash, since it wouldn't have been unusual for a healer who had t*reated several high-profile clients—who reportedly included Michael Jackson, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, John Travolta and Eddie Murphy—to have a large amount of money on him. Lopes was actually in Honduras visiting Dr. Sebi when she d*ied.
4. Dr. Sebi's Family Couldn't Get Him Out of J*ail
Dr. Sebi was born in 1933 in Honduras and spent his life there. He had 17 children. Dr. Sebi's family was reportedly trying to get him released from c*ustody, but to no avail. He was held for over a month with no c*ourt date, although no serious c*rime had been committed. Because he had no c*ourt date after his second a*rrest, bail was never set.
5. Dr. Sebi Never Received Major Acclaim
Major newspapers didn't cover his d*eath; in fact, major newspapers barely covered his life. Surely a man who not only claims to have c*ured c*ancer but also beat a laws*uit alleging that he was a quack by bringing in apparently healed patients into the c*ourtroom would be someone the world would want to hear more from? Newspapers didn't even invest energy in debunking his claims.
Conspiracy theorists believe that the lack of attention paid to Dr. Sebi's teachings, the lack of publicity surrounding his reported successes, and the mystery surrounding his a*rrest and d*eath are because, as any street hustler can tell you, there's no money in the c*ure—the money is in the s*ickness. The ph*armaceutical business not only needs you s*ick but doesn't make money if you're well.
It's easy to write off conspiracy theorists as loons who invest too much time in “internet thinking,” but I wonder if some of us are too connected to conventional thinking just because it's what we know.
Conventional thinking has me questioning why prescription m*edications have commercials if you have to have a prescription to obtain them. Drugs are big business in this country, and Dr. Sebi was pushing a healthy lifestyle that moved people toward better eating and, in turn, less m*edication. I don't know if I'm ready to choose between the red and the blue p*ill, but it does lead me back to my original question: If I told you I had a c*ure for A*IDS, would you believe me?
Stephen A. Crockett Jr. is a senior editor at The Root. Follow him on Twitter.