Love isn’t always left to chance in the Visayas and Mindanao. Rumors about lumay, the legendary love potion, have been circulating through busy marketplaces and mountain villages for generations. Some regard it as deadly sorcery, while others view it as a harmless custom. You will never again view a shared drink the same way after hearing the stories, though.
A Potion Rooted in Mystery
Lumay comes from the Bisaya term pa-lumay (“to enchant”) and is claimed to cause a person to fall deeply, often impulsively, in love. Unlike normal romance, lumay is said to interfere with free will by binding a person’s heart, and sometimes their intellect, against their will.
Where Lumay Still Lingers
• Cebu & Bohol – Tales from mountain barangays speak of mananambal who mix lumay during the new moon, using roots, oils, and whispered prayers.
• Dalaguete, Cebu – Known for healers, where herbal medicine and mystical concoctions often blur.
• Siquijor (near the Visayas) – Feared and revered as the “island of magic,” its reputation influences Visayan belief in lumay, with many oils and charms rumored to come from there.
• Northern Mindanao – Folklore links lumay with healers who use it not only for love but also to settle disputes or bind loyalty.
• Bukidnon & Surigao – Elders recall tales of farmers mysteriously abandoning families after drinking from a shared cup of tuba, suspected to be laced with lumay.
Stories Passed in Whispers
In Mindanao, some believe lumay was used to protect wives from wandering husbands, potions placed silently into meals or drinks. Fiestas in the Visayas were frequently accompanied by reports of men suddenly becoming enamored with ladies they had previously ignored. A terrifying story from Surigao tells of a fisherman who abandoned his livelihood after tasting a stranger’s home-brewed tuba and accompanied her to the mountains. He was never spotted in the village again.
Types of Lumay People Fear or Secretly Seek
• Lumay sa Gugma – Sparks sudden attraction.
• Lumay sa Gugma Malungtaron – Promises lasting devotion but said to cause obsession.
• Lumay sa Panimalay – Keeps families united, though some warn it may turn into control.
• Lumay sa Panag-uli – Rekindles broken love, but sometimes revives old wounds.
The Allure and the Fear
Lumay is not only a love charm in the Visayas and Mindanao, but also a test of faith. Skeptics label it a placebo. Believers insist they have witnessed its power. And for many, lumay is not something to joke about, the fear alone prevents them from accepting beverages from strangers at fiestas.
Lumay still haunts the Visayas and Mindanao, whether it is a harmless folktale or a perilous magic. Even if its veracity may never be established, the anxiety it arouses is sufficient to sustain its mythology. Love is strong, after all, but it can also be terrifying when tampered with.
