Sabanenhlanhla yokukhulela eThekwini selashwa ngezimbali ezibomvu zesihlahla se-coral esimangalisayo, futhi saba nenhlanhla enkulu njengezingane ukukwazi ukuqoqa inqwaba, egcwele ‘ubhontshisi wenhlanhla’! I-Erythrina lysistemon, eyaziwa kakhulu ngokuthi isihlahla samakhorali noma isihlahla sikabhontshisi wenhlanhla, isitshalo esibalulekile esikweni lamaZulu, sibizwa ngokuthi uMsinsi. Ngokwesayithi elithile igama lesiZulu eliphelele empeleni lithi uMsinsi wukazimilela, okuhunyushwa kokuthi kulapha lapho sivela khona’, okwenza umqondo uma ucabanga indlela isihlahla esasisetshenziswa ngayo emandulo.
UMsinsi owawuthathwa njengezihlahla zasebukhosini wawutshalwa emathuneni amakhosi akwaZulu. Zazisetshenziswa futhi ‘njengothango’ ibiyele izibaya nemigodi yamanzi, ukuvikelaka kubantu bangaphandle. Kucatshangwa ukuthi isihlahla samakhorali sinezinto zokwelapha kanye nemilingo: inkosi igeza ngamanzini asokhe amagxolo esihlahla, ikholelwa ukuthi kuzoqinisekisa inhlonipho kubantu bayo. Kucatshangwa ukuthi isihlahla se-coral sine-antibacterial, anti-inflammatory kanye ne-analgesic. Lesi sihlahla sisetshenziswa njengomuthi kubantu besifazane asebezoteta – ukuthakwa ngamakhambi enziwe ngesihlahla kukholakala ukuthi kwenza ukuteta kube lula. I-poultice eyenziwe ngamagxolo isetshenziselwa ukwelapha izilonda, amanxeba, amathumba kanye nesifo samathambo, ngokufakwa kwamahlamvu asetshenziswa njengamaconsi endlebeni ukwelapha ubuhlungu bendlebe. Ekugcineni izimpande ziyabiliswa zalo muthi zifakwe kuma-sprains ukusiza ukuvuvukala nobuhlungu.
Njengoba igama lisho, izonhlamvu zoMsinsi zithathwa njengokuletha inhlanhla, futhi isetshenziselwa ukuhlobisa imigexo namacici. Ibhukwana lombukiso elishicilelwe izifiki eNew Zealand (c. 1870’s) liqukethe isikhangiso se ‘South African Lucky Bean Stall’ eheha umphakathi ukuthi uthenge ‘i-Lucky Bean Jewellery’ kusuka emigexoni ukuze babuke amaketango, kuya kumabhengela nezigqoko, yonke into “eyenziwa ngesandla ngenkathi usalindile”!!
Kuthi ekugcineni sithole izimbali ezidumile zesihlahla se-coral, eziqhakaza ekuqaleni kwentwasahlobo (kusukela ngo-Agasti kuya kuSepthemba) zikhiqiza umbukwane wezimbali ezibomvu ezihlabayo ezifana ne-poker. Kubonakala izimbali ezibomvu ngokugqamile, ngaphambi nje kokuba kuvele amaqabunga amasha, kwaba (futhi ngokusobala kusenjalo!) kuwuphawu kubantu ukuthi sekuyisikhathi sokutshala izitshalo zabo.
Izithombe ngezilokotho ze- www.umjindi.co.za, www.richardstupart.com kanye ne- www.ebay.com