Herbalism book reccomendations 📚🌿
General herbalism:
The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook by Green J. (2011)
20,000 Secrets of Tea: The Most Effective Ways to Benefit from Nature's Healing Herbs by Zak V. (1999)
The Modern Herbal Dispensatory: A Medicine-Making Guid by Easly T. (2016)
A-Z Guide to Drug-Herb-Vitamin Interactions by Gaby A.R.
American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook (2013)
Medical Herbalism: The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine by Hoffman D. (2003)
Herbal Medicine for Beginners: Your Guide to Healing Common Ailments with 35 Medicinal Herbs by Swift K & Midura R (2018)
Today's Herbal Health: The Essential Reference Guide by Tenney L. (1983)
Today's Herbal Health for Women: The Modern Woman's Natural Health Guide by Tenney L (1996)
Today's Herbal Health for Children: A Comprehensive Guide to Understanding Nutrition and Herbal Medicine for Children by Tenney L. (1996)
For my black folks!!!
African Medicine: A Complete Guide to Yoruba Healing Science and African Herbal Remedies by Sawandi T.M. (2017)
Handbook of African Medicinal Plants by Iwu M.M. (1993)
Working The Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing by Lee M.E. (2017)
Hoodoo Medicine: Gullah Herbal Remedies by Mitchell F. (2011)
African American Slave Medicine: Herbal and non-Herbal Treatments by Covey H.C. (2008)
The Art & Practice of Spiritual Herbalism: Transform, Heal, and Remember with the Power of Plants and Ancestral Medicine by Rose K.M. (2022)
Indigenous authors & perspectives!!
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Kimmerer R.W. (2015)
Gathering moss by Kimmerer R.W. (2003)
The Plants Have So Much To Give All We Have To Do Is Ask by Siisip Geniusz M. (2005)
Our Knowledge Is Not Primitive: Decolonizing Botanical Anishinaabe Teachings by Djinn Geniusz W. (2009)
Ancient Pathways, Ancestral Knowledge: ethnobotany and ecological wisdom of indigenous peoples of northwestern North America by Turner N. (2014)
A Taste of Heritage: Crow Indian Recipes and Herbal Medicines by Hogan Snell A. (2006)
Medicines to Help Us by Belcourt C. (2007)
After the First Full Moon in April: A Sourcebook of Herbal Medicine from a California Indian Elder by Grant Peters J. (2010)
Latin american herbalism works!!
Earth Medicines: Ancestral Wisdom, Healing Recipes, and Wellness Rituals from a Curandera by Cocotzin Ruiz F. (2021)
Hierbas y plantas curativas by Chiti J.F. (2015)
Del cuerpo a las raíces by San Martín P.P., Cheuquelaf I. & Cerpa C. (2011)
Manual introductorio a la Ginecología Natural by San Martín P.P.
🌿This is what I have for now but I’ll update the post as I find and read new works, so keep coming if you wanna check for updates. Thank you for reading 🌿
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The Mistreatment of a Sacred Plant
Recently, I had an unpleasant emotional and spiritual shock. I struggle a bit to talk about it because of how upset it makes me, but I feel like the subject matter is important enough to warrant the discussion.
As some may know, one of my dearest plant allies is the Ghost Pipe. I work closely with Monotropes in general, but the Tutelary Spirit of Monotropa Uniflora, in particular, serves as a chief Plant Patron of mine. Part of maintaining this relationship involves visiting a specific location in a devotional capacity, in order to watch, tend, and learn from the population of Ghost Pipes that grow there. I went back to this place not long ago, in order to thank the spectral flowers for lending their power and grace to our Handfasting Ritual, and I was horrified to discover that every one of the colonies I've stewarded over the last few years is completely gone.
They aren't a major food-source for any animals I know of, and this was way more than a die-back, since I recognize what that looks like. What's more, for every colony to have naturally vanished without a trace since the last time I visited was unthinkable. As such, I'm all but sure that someone "Wildcrafted" them to make tinctures for sale. This is absolutely heartbreaking and infuriating, as they have totally misused and abused this sacred plant, and damaged an extremely fragile and unique ecosystem in the process.
The main issue with harvesting Ghost Pipes isn't necessarily that it's rare, though it is in some areas. The real problems are how sensitive they are and how exacting their life cycle is. Sometimes, just touching a Ghost Pipe is enough to damage the plant, disrupt the re-seeding process, and prevent it from growing back. What's worse, the conditions required for the succesful development of these ethereal organisms are extremely specific. Monotropes are Mycoheterotrophs, which derive their energy through mychorizal parasitism. This is to say, they can only get their energy by siphoning it from a small range of subterranean fungi, who in turn, siphon their energy from the roots of certain trees. Between these and other factors, Monotropes are virtually impossible to cultivate or propagate, and they are especially susceptible to the effects of overharvesting. Unfortunately, unethical harvesting has steadily become a real problem in Western Herbalism, where Ghost Pipe tincture is growing in popularity for its mystique and its beautiful violet color. And while it does have a long history of traditional medicinal use as a Nervine, people who aren't getting it purely for its aesthetic qualities are buying it as a miracle cure, without any real understanding of how or why to use it.
I've been muddling through strong feelings of anger, sorrow, and impotence since this happened, and I feel sick thinking about someone out there irreverently peddling this precious medicine under a capitalist guise of "Herbal Wisdom." These sorts of business practices are thoughtless, ecologically unethical, and spiritually blasphemous (as far as I'm concerned). So, I beg you: please think thrice about what you are doing before you harvest a plant. Ask yourself these five questions, and weigh the answers against each other: "Why do I want to harvest this plant?' 'What harm will my behavior cause to this organism?' 'What harm will my behavior cause to this species?' 'What harm will my behavior cause to this ecosystem?' and, 'What will I suffer as a result of not harvesting this plant?
I offer up my most fervent prayers that the seeds I helped to spread earlier in the year will count for something.
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Walking While Carefree & Black
Fetishized & dehumanized.
Daily misogynoir.
Harrassed on my daily walks for hugging a tree, picking a flower, laying on grass and stretching out my arms, twirling, smiling, being an unrushed unbothered carefree fierce ferocious unapologetic black woman who isnt on the way to somewhere, Im not going to 7-11 five minutes from my apartment, Im not rushing to work, Im not hurrying, Im not hustling, Im not bustling, Im not harried, Im not distratcted, Im not anxious, Im not impatient, Im not speedwalking, Im not in a car, Im not on a bike, Im walking on sidewalks, under bridges, near highways, busy intersections, busy traffic lights, near school buses, near angry white stay at home moms pushing their strollers, moms with toddlers shielding their eyes from me, white police men slowing their patrol cars when I am doing nothing but take a selfie under a bridge.
Why cant I be free?
Why cant I twirl?
Why cant I hug trees?
Why cant I treat a light pole as a stripper pole?
Is it a crime to joke around during the day when people are at school and work, jokingly twirl myself around the pole, pretend I am a pole dancer, and take a video selfie?
Will I be Sandra Bland'd?
Why cant I take pictures of a rose garden?
Why cant I take a selfie under a bridge? On a park bench?
Why cant I pick flowers near the sidewalk, smell them, place them behind my ear and skip down the sidewalk pavement?
Capitalism demands that I, a black woman, be a slave to their system but I left their system.
I left Amazon in a week with no job lined up.
I left Dow Jones with no job lined up.
I left Bank of America in 3 months with no job lined up.
I left Yale.
I quit my career coaching business after 3 years and over a hundred executive clients.
I permanently left corporate in 2019 and quit my business this year.
I am a permanent freeelancer now.
I am a podcaster now. We dont have sponsors yet so I dont currently generate income.
$55/hr at Amazon and after six months they were going to convert me with the coveted unrestricted stock aka golden handcuffs.
It was a cult. I left in a week.
I made -$7,000 last year as my business failed. I hated sales and referrals dried up.
Capitalism says I am a failure and a loser.
Capitalism says I, a nubian queen, Isis, an egyptian goddess, am only worth the revenue I generate.
I was the highest rated recruiter with the most hires at every Fortune 500 company I worked at.
I had over a hundred executive clients with my career coaching business that landed offers at Disney, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Amazon & Comcast with five figure salary increases.
I was a career advisor at Yale who coached graduate and postdoc STEM students.
Capitalism rolls its eyes and asks me, What have you done for me lately?
It demands I turn myself back into a machine to be deemed worthy.
But those days are over.
I will never work another 9 to 5 in any industry -- corporate, academic or non-profit.
I will never work a job that requires that I report into a supervisor.
I will never work another job with dictated shifts.
I will never sell anything to anyone ever again. I detest sales and I hate capitalism.
Capitalism is dehumanizing and it kills. It profits off of, relies on and thrives on energetic and psychic attacks that sends its adherents & acolytes to an early stress-induced death.
I was having GI issues and I healed myself.
No doctor, no gastroenterologist, no harmful laxatives, no chemical stimulants, no synthetic lab-made prescription medication that can all be addictive.
The smoothie takes 5 minutes and is just blending 1 cup pineapples, 1/2 cucumber, 1/4 grated ginger, 1 lemon, 1 orange, 2 tbs apple cider vinegar and 4 ice cubes & 1 cup of water in a mixer. Makes 2 servings, drink 1 cup in morning and 1 cup at night.
I just started walking outside in nature for an hour a day, not power walking, no step counting, no calorie counting, just being in nature, soaking up the sun, breathing the air, barefoot in grass, hugging trees, picking and smelling flowers, doing simple yoga exercises, abdominal massages, using a heating pad on my stomach, drinking 32 to 64 oz of water a day, eliminating coffe, not drinking soda during the week (used to drink 1 to 2 cans a day), fresh fruit & vegetable smoothie in the morning, oatmeal or grape nuts cereal with peppermint herbal tea no sugar or honey, homemade vegetarian salad & homemade vegetarian dressing (store bought dressing has a ton of fat, sugar amd calories) and mixed nuts as a snack Monday through Friday then I take a break and eat what I want on the weekend.
GI issues resolved themselves in a week, I am healthier, lighter, less sluggish, more fit, more in shape and more energetic. This is now my diet 75% of the time (5 days a week).
Decolonize your mind.
You have the ability to heal yourself. Stop running to doctors and quick fixes.
Change what you eat. Move more.
Get outside in nature! You are nature!
That is what heals. We come from nature and we are nature.
Trees, grass, sunlight, air, flowers, butterflies, streams, brooks, meadows, gardens, pumpkin patches, orchard farms, parks, nature trails.
Get outside.
Not to get in your car. Not to go somewhere.
Stop spending all your time penned inside like an animal and a prisoner.
Not to go to the mall, shopping, a restaurant, a salon, a spa, a movie theater, work, school, a grocery store, a laundromat, dry cleaners.
Not to run an errand.
Not to sit in traffic in a machine.
Not to burn calories.
Not to power walk.
Not to lose weight.
To reconnect with nature.
To reconnect your mind, soul, body, heart and spirit.
The west purposely severs this connection in service of capitalism.
Its up to you to restore it.
Walk. Breathe. Be. Skip. Twirl. Pose. Use the sidewalk as a catwalk. Take selfies. Take pictures.
Stop and smell the flowers.
Hug a literal tree.
Lay on the grass while cars roll past you with their windows down and stare at you like youre crazy.
Its 11 am on a Tuesday.
What the hell is she doing laying on the grass with her arms outstretched?
Why isnt she at work or at school?
Confuse people with your very presence.
I have a goth alt kawaii japanese street fashion aesthetic that includes boyshorts, leather garters, torn fishnets, leather chokers, hello kitty tiaras, six inch pink platform heels, black lipstick, mini cut out crop tops, extremely thick black eyeliner and hot pink eyeshadow.
For wearing this on Friday on my daily walk at 8:30 am which I then shared on TikTok, I was accused of being indecent, inappropriate for children to see going to school, people stared, rolled their windows down, honked at me, cars followed me, two men purposefully walked right into me bumping me (there was plenty of room on the sidewalk), an HVAC repairman leered at me outside of his van and literally just stared holes through me as I walked by.
Im 41. Im 5"1. Im 92 lbs. Im black and female.
I have a quirky style and aesthetic. I look young.
I also shaved my head bald a few weeks ago and have a bald fade.
People have since then called me a dyke, asked if I am trans, am I a boy or a girl, whats the deal.
Thats when I dont have a wig on.
I love different looks so I also wear long wigs.
The reaction is completely different when I wear a wig and people tell me how good I look, that people are slowing their cars down because I am attractive.
Bald fade, bony dyke who looks like a boy and might be trans.
Long wig, attractive girl, let me slow down and get a look.
Still black no matter the hair. Still followed.
Still harrassed.
A MAGA Proud Boy harrassed me with my bald fade while I was wearing an Eagles shirt and jeans. He stared at me as I took a selfie on a bench under a tree, when I got up to walk home, he started walking towards me and blocked my path in the small walkway we were both on and wouldnt let me pass.
Doesnt matter if its boy shorts and leather garters or an Eagles shirt and jeans.
I am harrassed for being a carefree black girl in capitalist Amerikkka.
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