Ogwu

- [T1] Ogwu has no English equivalent. "Medicine is necessarily an Ogwu but an Ogwu is not necessarily a medicine" — medicine is to ogwu as a drop is to the ocean. Literal sense: "the end/finished" — the ultimate solution, beyond which lies only Onatalu Chi. The alchemist's elixir and philosopher's stone were "subsumed in the Igbo concept of Ogwu from time immemorial."

- [T1] Ogwu is as countless as the grains of sand. Dozens of operational verbs recorded: igwo, ime, ighe, isi, isu, ike, iku, ima, ikpoi, ika, igbui, ini, ibo, inye, ile, ibuni, ikpu, imachi ogwu...

- [T1] Ajo Ogwu (evil ogwu) sub-divides into Nsi (physical/spiritual poison), Ochuchu (malevolent sacrifice), Acha. Between good and evil sits a twilight zone (notably Aju, dizziness). The animating axiom of it all: Ife na-azo na-egbu egbu; ife na-egbu egbu na-azo azo — what saves also kills, and what kills also saves. Corollary from Eze-Obinwa Uzokwe: combine seven good-luck charms and the result is poison; combine seven poisons and a curative is enthroned (ife lie isaa o naa — whatever eats seven, goes).

- [T1] Moderation doctrine: Ife na-ato uto na-egbu egbu — what is sweet can be deadly; correct dosage is the road to long life.

- [T1] Potentiation: the Dibia's final act — one breath of life into the ogwu, the double Atu mouth-seal, and the invocation Onu Dibia bu Onu Mmuo — gives the ogwu life.

- [T2 — Step 10] Modern re-reading of ogwu as "change agent"/catalyst; three lessons: there is no magic pill (everything is a process); bitter medicine usually heals while sweet poisons kill slowly; medicine taken late is "medicine given after death" — procrastination neutralizes every ogwu.