Photo © Imani Media Ltd A dead animal in the colon decomposes and dead animals contain parasites which produce toxins that destroy the immune system. The Honourable Priest Kailash

The Honourable Priest Kailash K .Leonce (The Great Physician International) is Priest of the Ethiopia Africa Black International Congress Church of the Divine Salvation (Bobo Shanti). He is a devout Rastafarian, celebrated international herbal physician who has toured the Caribbean, USA and beyond, preaching the message that food is our medicine and the key to our survival.

There can be no doubt that there is a health crisis within the global African community. In the UK, the rate of diabetes among people of African descent is almost double that of the general population. African Caribbeans have the highest levels of hypertension, African Caribbean men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and there has been a fivefold increase in HIV infections in UK African communities since 1997.

According to Priest Kailash, the cause of all these diseases we are currently afflicted with is a deviation from the “biblical diet.” Man was not made to eat “dead flesh”, he tells Black Britain, citing a quote from the Bible: “And God said, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the [sic] which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.”

For those who may dismiss the wisdom of the Bible, we need only to look to the human anatomy for proof of God’s words. As Priest Kailash points out, human beings are not anatomically or physiologically designed to be meat eaters. Humans do not possess the molars of carnivores. If you look at the teeth of a dog, which is carnivorous, it is obvious that its teeth are distinctly different to that of a human being. Carnivores have short intestines and a large stomach volume which allows them to eat great quantities of meat at once and digest it later.

Their stomachs also secrete hydrochloric acid which keeps their pH acid down, helping to break down proteins and kill the dangerous bacteria found in decaying flesh. Herbivores have longer intestines as plant foods which contain more indigestible fibres are more difficult to break down. Plant foods that contain high levels of cellulose must be properly digested by bacterial enzyme action before nutritional value can be derived.

According to Priest Kailash, when humans consume meat it stays in the intestines for a long time: “A dead animal in the colon decomposes and dead animals contain parasites which produce toxins that destroy the immune system,” he explains. Studies of the remains of our ancestors, Africoid ancient Egyptians that have examined the intestines found that they consumed no meat, just raw foods such as nuts and vegetables. But they had no cavities and no cancers. Africans were taken out of their homeland to the Diaspora and fed with human flesh and as a consequence: “After hundreds of years of eating the wrong foods,” are now paying the price.

Africans suffer from more deadly diseases then any other ethnic group

The Rivers of Life Herbal products sold by The Great Physician International As African peoples we are suffering from diseases more than any other race. We have higher incidences of hypertension, diabetes, fibroids, prostate cancer, breast cancer, HIV and AIDS. The Honourable Priest Kailash The Honourable Priest Kailash

Priest Kailash puts the high prevalence of fibroids and endometriosis - diseases caused by a hormonal imbalance, down to eating chickens which are injected with synthetic growth hormones. He is adamant that if western medicine was the right approach then “hospitals would have closed down by now.” So why does he put so much faith in herbal medicine? The answer can be traced back to his roots in the Caribbean.

Aged 30, Priest Kailash is one of five sons born and raised in St Lucia by his grandmother who he credits as the source of inspiration for his vocation as a herbal physician. “Growing up with my grandmother gave me wisdom and a sense of responsibility. I had my own vegetable garden to tend to as a young man,” he tells Black Britain.

Priest Kailash bore witness to the healing properties of natural herbs when, for example, family members suffering from a stomach ache, toothache or fever would be given specific herbs by his grandmother which cured the ailments. “Growing up, I always found it remarkable that whatever the sickness was, there was always a remedy,” he explains.

“This is what propelled me into the study of the sciences. I wanted to get a microscopic view of what happens within the system and how it interacts with the herbs around us.” After studying medical science in Cuba, Priest Kailash proceeded to the American University of Antigua, College of Medicine. After graduating he founded The Great Physician International, an organization that aims to eradicate medical diseases using herbal medicine and provides health education.

“I did not just come into this world, I was chosen, I was born to do this,” he says proudly. “I was born into these times to fulfil the work that I am doing now.” The Great Physician International produces DVDs and books which provide not only guidelines on health but “moral and social habits to promote upliftment.” Stressing the health crisis facing Africans, he says:

“As African peoples we are suffering from diseases more than any other race. We have higher incidences of hypertension, diabetes, fibroids, prostate cancer, breast cancer, HIV and AIDS.” He believes that the knowledge of sciences such as biology, physiology, pharmacology and bimolecular science is paramount for human survival. He is convinced that “if we don’t heal ourselves we will die out. We have no choice.”

Priest Kailash is resolute that to heal and save ourselves we must produce our own foods and own our own stores that sell our food and herbs. His vision is to launch a holistic healing centre in Africa that will provide diagnosis of medical conditions and holistic treatment. He has published a book called The Herbal Manual: The Matrix of Herbal Medicine, which explains everything about the human anatomy. He concludes our interview by emphasising the reason for his mission:

“My motivation is alleviating the suffering of my people.”


Deborah Gabriel is Editor of Black Britain, author of Layers of Blackness: Colourism in the African Diaspora, Director of Imani Media Ltd - a company specializing in media training and director of Imani Development Ltd, a non profit organization dedicated to human rights advocacy and community empowerment in the UK, Africa and Asia.