In Igbo thought, health is a balance of body, mind, community and spirit. Illness may signal a rupture in that balance, and the Dibia — healer, diviner and ritual specialist — works to restore it. Medicine (Ogwu) is placed under Agwu, who calls future healers through dreams, visions or crises.
| Type | Role |
|---|---|
| Dibia Afa / Aja | Diviners and priests who diagnose the spiritual causes of illness or misfortune and prescribe sacrifices |
| Dibia Ogwu | Herbalists with deep botanical knowledge, using barks, roots and leaves for fevers, fractures and more |
| Dibia Ọgala Mụọ | Seers who communicate with ancestors and spirits to resolve inherited or spiritual troubles |
| Dibia Mmiri | Specialists in water and weather, including rainmakers |
Despite the spread of biomedicine, the Dibia remain relevant today, particularly for psychosomatic and spiritual complaints that clinics do not address.