Who Is Dr Sebi? The Herbalist TikTok Is Convinced Was Killed By The Government

If you’re into conspiracies regarding Big Pharma, Fauci, or the corrupt health system, then there’s no doubt you’ve heard of the herbalist Dr. Sebi. His views and practices have remained controversial to this day, and his claims have yet to be proven by science – but science has failed us in the past, so it kind of makes sense why people are still turning to Dr. Sebi’s philosophy. The mantra, “Trust the science,” has only led to heart arrhythmias, neurological issues, and paralysis over the past couple of years.  

While some people have praised Dr. Sebi’s dietary approach (we’ll get to this), others have criticized it for lacking scientific support and leading people away from conventional medical treatments. The Honduras-born “healer” passed away in 2016, but his teachings continue to impact "truth-seekers."

However, the details around his arrest in 2016 and his rift with the government have raised questions about his cause of death. 

Who Is Dr. Sebi?

If you’re unfamiliar with Dr. Sebi, allow me to introduce you to him. Born on November 26, 1933, Dr. Sebi hailed from Honduras and was a self-proclaimed herbalist healer. He practiced in the United States in the late 20th and early 21st centuries but was later charged for practicing without a license. 

Dr. Sebi – whose real name is Alfredo Darrington Bowman – never completed medical training despite his title. “Young Alfredo did not attend formal school; he was raised and educated by his cherished grandmother, Mama Hay, who influenced his understanding of nature that helped develop a great man and world-renowned herbalist,” his page reads on drsebiscellfood.com. "Mama Hay is the pillar of my foundation," Dr. Sebi is quoted to have said. 

“Dr. Sebi studied herbs in Africa, the Caribbean, North America, and Central and South America,” the website added. 

Regardless, he had numerous high-profile clients, including Michael Jackson, Lisa Lopes, and John Travolta. Surely, the rich and famous wouldn’t seek his counsel unless it really worked, right? After all, they have access to the best healthcare professionals and medicine. At the same time, Dr. Sebi's allure was in being a mystic doctor who seemed to have all the answers. He came off as a trustworthy person who could provide a cure instead of the band-aids that hospitals prescribed. He became a cult figure, and his herbal products and services were in demand. In the '80s, the beloved herbalist charged $500 dollars for an initial consultation fee, according to gal-dem.com. "Presently, an all-inclusive package of Dr Sebi’s herbology pills is $1,500," the outlet reports.

Anyway, Dr. Sebi claimed that he could cure diseases with a strict, plant-based, and alkaline diet. He believed that mucus and acidity caused disease, and therefore, avoiding certain foods could detoxify the body. The Usha Village, inspired by Dr. Sebi’s work, maintains that alkaline foods (mostly fruits and vegetables) regulate hormones and our central nervous system because they are "consistent with our cellular structure." The theory driving this diet is that diseases thrive exclusively in acidic environments. He’s also promoted fasting numerous times in several interviews. 

Eating fruits and veggies sounds simple enough, but his alkaline diet guide is very strict: You can only eat the approved foods in his guide. You must drink one gallon of water per day, take his supplements an hour before medications, and meat is not permitted. Also, no alcohol, wheat products (only natural-growing grains), microwaves, canned or seedless fruits. 

Dr. Sebi had gotten in trouble with the law for "practicing medicine without a license." In 1988, the state of New York sued Dr. Sebi for making “unsubstantiated therapeutic claims" after paying Amsterdam News to advertise how "AIDS has been cured."  

For the hearing, Dr. Sebi was told to bring one cured person to back his claims. He brought 70 people to court to provide positive testimonies. The charges against him were dropped after he was found not guilty by a jury in the early 1990s. 

What Science Says 

In a medically-reviewed article by Everyday Health, the author states that a diet can’t change the pH levels of your body. “Again, there is no research to indicate that the pH of food has any impact on overall health, whereas there is plenty of evidence that shows it simply is not possible to change the body’s pH through diet. In fact, pH levels vary based on the regions of the body; for example, the stomach is highly acidic, and it needs to be to perform its job,” author Moira Lawler writes. 

Lawler continues, “The kidneys and lungs are largely responsible for maintaining a balanced pH within the body, and the various levels are very tightly regulated. Blood pH ranges from 7.2 to 7.45, says Jennifer Fitzgibbon, RDN, a registered oncology dietitian at Stony Brook University Cancer Center in New York. The kidneys also help balance pH levels in urine, with normal pH levels in urine tests ranging from 4.6 (more acidic) to 8.0 (more alkaline).”

Then again, if you go on social media, you’ll find countless people who swear by Dr. Sebi’s methods. They say that they feel good during the diet, they have increased energy levels, clearer skin, etcetera. 

I believe that these claims are somewhat true because you're excluding the chemically-laced foods commonly found in grocery stores and trading them for more nutrient-dense, organic products. The weight loss testimonials are also backed by a 2015 study that concluded vegan diets result in more weight loss than other restrictive diets.

The enhanced mood and energy levels could be due to the microbiome alteration from ditching junk food. In a 2019 study, plant-based diets were found to alter the microbiome favorably, leading to fewer diseases. However, more research is required on this subject. Other findings suggest that “fasting therapy may contribute to the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases, including chronic degenerative and inflammatory diseases.”

I think Dr. Sebi’s dietary guide can act as a way to “detox” from the junk that we consume every day and can help with inflammation, but abstaining from animal products for too long can also lead to certain nutritional deficiencies. It’s all about balance. 

As for HIV… Well, I’m not sure if fasting can cure it, but perhaps it may help with the symptoms. An anonymous Redditor from 2023 decided to start a 20-day fast and only drink alkaline water after getting diagnosed with HIV. "Short answer: I believed it would have worked had I went the full 20 days," they said. "Long Answer: I was definitely having an episode during this time, I was recently diagnosed, delusional and scared. I don't think I would attempt this again. However my viral load a day prior to the fast was 230,000 and by day 9 it was at 64,000. This all happened without ART or Medication. I was pleasantly surprised by this information and found it encouraging, but my doctor said I could have possibly just went down on its own, which in my unprofessional opinion is unlikely. I do think you can mange HIV without Medication, I just don't have the patience or resources to study my body on how to successfully do this. I used alkaline water to drink, I only had herbal tea and herbal supplements."

Arrest and Death

Dr. Sebi was reportedly detained at Juan Manuel Galvez de Roatán Airport in Honduras on charges relating to money laundering along with an alleged associate, Pablo Medina Gamboa. Their release date was on June 3, 2016 – but the herbalist was later detained on that same date and fell ill with pneumonia-like symptoms while in custody. He was transferred to a nearby hospital but passed away on the way to Vicente D'antoni Hospital. The details of his treatment before and after hospitalization remain unclear. There aren’t too many sources or articles on his detainment or charges. 

A source close to Dr. Sebi said, “He became sick with pneumonia while being held in prison. His condition escalated quickly, and he was transferred to a nearby hospital. We are unsure about what type of treatment he received over the course of the last few days, both before and after being submitted to the hospital.” He died at 82. 

Many people became suspicious upon hearing this due to the lack of information. Why didn’t he get treated sooner? Was it really pneumonia? Did he really launder money, or was the government after him for standing up against the pharmaceutical industry? 

Dr. Sebi's supporters shared their parting words with the outlet. “I knew Dr. Sebi for 40 years, and he was a man who was the same last week as he was four decades ago,” Professor James Small told Amsterdam News. “He was a great traditional healer with unwavering political integrity. He was one of the greatest examples of a dedicated hero, who has been amongst us – he was a temple, a university of medicine – and a library of the herbal healing sciences. He has done great work, and the ancestors will receive him well. I accept that he has passed on to the ancestral realm, and he deserves the right to be looked upon as a revered ancestor.”

“This is why such a wonderful soul as the Dr. Sebi was MURDERED. He planned to take his healing to the world. The big pharmas would NOT ever let that happen," a man named Dave Thomas III wrote on Facebook.

Nipsey Hussle Dies During Sebi Documentary

In 2019, Nipsey Hussle was shot and killed outside his LA clothing store at the age of 33. At the time, he was reportedly working on a documentary about Dr. Sebi. Was Hussle’s death connected to his investigation into Dr. Sebi’s life?

A year before Hussle's death, he appeared on the Breakfast Club and talked about Dr. Sebi. Rapper and host Charlamagne tha God asked Hussle, "Why do you think they killed him?" 

Nick Cannon carried on Hussle’s work and completed the documentary on Dr. Sebi’s life and work. "He made black people question the information that they were getting from their very own medical doctors," the trailer says.

When speaking to Revolt, Cannon says he's an example of someone to speak on health and that it's all about balancing traditional and modern medicine. "I’m a prime example. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. If I break my leg, I’m going to the hospital. I’m not putting no minerals on it. There is a method for holistic and herbal treatments. Ultimately, where do you think the hospitals and Big Pharma got their ability to create medicine? It all comes from the earth. There’s a method and a process," Cannon said.

"When you start to profit off of it, you almost want people to be sick because that creates an industry. We just want to fight against that," he continued. "Hopefully, the documentary will show people that there can be a healthy balance, and all we want to do is offer facts and not perpetuate fear, and not perpetuate fables. But really, just give people the facts, specifically in our community, to show how powerful we are when we do take care of ourselves and one another."

Whether or not Dr. Sebi's practices prevent diseases or not remains unknown, and I do have to be honest, while he enlightened many to the corruption of the pharmaceutical industry, it seems he overcharged and used his name to take advantage of individuals who were in desperate need of a cure. Still, it's strange how people who tend to stand up against the pharmaceutical industry, the government, or speak out against pedophile rings die suddenly.

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