March Update (2024)
Hey friends of from the soil,
i hope you are doing ok. february + march was a big couple of months over here, opening the online herb shop, hosting a tincture-making workshop and going back to uni for year 2 of my herbal med degree. pictured above is workshop participants in the garden, harvesting their own herbs for tincture making. it was a special day and lots of fun.
i feel like i am endlessly dreaming up new workshops, community herbalism get-togethers, new herbal preparations and ways to engage with the politics of herbalism on stolen land. i'm noticing how community herbalism is after all, for community, and i can't do it alone.
do any of these themes jump out to you? i'm always keen to hear from you, your ideas and collaborative thoughts on getting herbalism more accessible and available to our tiny town.
SHOP UPDATE
two new shop updates since feb! comfrey bruise salve and mugwort & lavender body oil is here.
down to low stock on batch 1 of calendula infused oils and just 6 california poppy and lemon balm tincture left. small batch means, small batches!
Comfrey Bruise & Sprain Salve (50ml)
Comfrey stimulates growth when the system has been traumatised and is perhaps having trouble regenerating on its own. Allantoin (plant constituent) stimulates cell growth and tissue formation, accelerating wound healing. Tannins (a constituent) provide the toning, mild astringing effect of Comfrey, healing injured skin and mucosa. Astringents pucker up the tissues, which tends to make them drier, increasing the tonicity of the tissues. Due to mucilage (constituent) present in Comfrey, this plant also provides a moistening effect.
Use: Ideal healing agent for all skin and musculoskeletal injuries over the site of deeper, damaged tissue and around injured skin including fractures, bruises and sprains. Also, burns, cuts, boils, abscesses, bites, muscle pain, swelling and strains. Rheumatic joints and varicose veins, bruising, aches and minor cuts.
Have a look here.
Mugwort & Lavender Body Oil (50ml)
Mugwort is a revered and respected herb that has been used for protection, healing and endurance for centuries throughout Europe and Asia.
Used traditionally to treat violent menstrual cramps and epilepsy experienced with birthing, generally, Mugwort is used as a menstrual cramp regulator.
Mugwort acts strongly on the female reproductive system, increasing circulation to warm up the uterus and pelvic region, move the blood, and remove stagnant blood (the source of cramps, stiffness and pain) (Wood, 2008).
Whilst Mugwort has several medicinal qualities and affinity’s throughout the body , Mugwort is also known as a potent herb for ritual, ceremony and healing.
The Latin binomial name is associated with Artemis, the goddess of the moon and mother of nature. Mugwort shines in the moon and affects dreaming.
Have a look here.
Community Herbalism + Land care
Podcast: The Frontline Herbalism Podcast by the Solidarity Apothecary
This is such a good conversation between Nicole from Solidarity Apothecary and Rasheeqa, you will love it.
More words via Nicole from Solidarity Apothecary below:
"We explore what community herbalism can mean in practice, drawing on Rasheeqa’s decade of organising as a herbalist in her local area. 🌱 We learn about the Community Apothecary project, as well as other current and previous herbal projects she’s been involved with and learned from. We talk about that balance of clinical practice vs community work, funding, whiteness in herbalism and so much more!
I was so fortunate to learn from Rasheeqa in 2018 and see briefly again in 2023 while visiting the UK. I was and still am directly influenced and inspired by how Rasheeqa lives and shares community herbalism through affordable and accessible education.
Follow her at @hedgeherbs and the Community Apothecary @communityapothecary.wf
& listen to the episode here.
Films for Palestine: Foragers
"Foragers depicts the dramas around the practice of foraging for wild edible plants in Palestine/Israel with wry humor and a meditative pace.
Shot in the Golan Heights, the Galilee and Jerusalem, it employs fiction, documentary and archival footage to portray the impact of Israeli nature protection laws on these customs.
The restrictions prohibit the collection of the artichoke-like ’akkoub and za’atar (thyme), and have resulted in fines and trials for hundreds caught collecting these native plants.
For Palestinians, these laws constitute an ecological veil for legislation that further alienates them from their land while Israeli state representatives insist on their scientific expertise and duty to protect.
Following the plants from the wild to the kitchen, from the chases between the foragers and the nature patrol, to courtroom defenses, Foragers captures the joy and knowledge embodied in these traditions alongside their resilience to the prohibitive law.
By reframing the terms and constraints of preservation, the film raises questions around the politics of extinction, namely who determines what is made extinct and what gets to live on."
-@jumanamanna, Director
More information here.