The root is used in an ubulawu mix. The ingestion of Ubulawu plays a fundamental role in the relationship between the diviner and the ancestors. Some types are reported to be psychoactive and their use, together with the ritual complex (song and dance), often results in altered states of consciousness with accompanying visionary phenomena such as visions or lucid dreams relating to the ancestors. The potential psychoactivity of some of the ubulawu plants may account for the curing (psychotherapeutic) of the `intwaso' condition and the reported contact with spiritual entities.