I remember when it hit me. It was 2014 in the city of Atlantis in an eclectic community called the West End at a home space, a sacred space, a whole vibe known as Orange Moon. It was a woman's house you know where creative earth loving souls dwelled. My sister Zahra welcomed us home. And so whenever I left the island (my ancestral island Fernandina Beach FL) and came to Atlantis, Orange Moon was the destination. During this time I had my hands in the soil and volunteered at Habesha Gardens, Omenala Gardens and Oakland City Community Garden. All beautiful green spaces that were overflowing in herbs amongst other things.
And naturally, being surrounded by so many herbs I had to utilize them more, study them more and work with them more. I deep dived into working with the herbs around me and learning about their medicinal benefits. Soon after, I began to formulate tea blends and smoke blends based off of the medicinal properties of the plants. One of my favorite herbs to work with is Holy Basil. And because of her abundance I got creative with the ways in which I utilized her. So in comes Holy Basil smudge bundles! Oh the medicine and aromatherapy that you get naturally from working with Tulsi, her other name. Needless to say, I was hooked. Hooked on herbs and learning all I could about them. It's a neverending school that I'm in. And I love it!
I'm super excited to now share the ways in which I work with the plants with you. The first part in our 4 part series will be herbal infused oils and salves. There are soooooo many benefits to using these oils and salves for your health. It's a great way for the medicinal properties and plant constituents of the herbs to get into the bloodstream by way of your largest organ, which is your skin. If you suffer from skin eruptions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, herpes, cchickenpox, ringworms, etc, these oils and salves will assist in your healing.
Another excellent way to utilize these oils and salves is the practice of body oiling. This is one of my favorite ways to practice self care. After a nice bath or shower I'll grab my lavender infused oil and starting from my toes all the way up to the crown of my head I will anoint myself with oil. Not only is it great for anxiety and depression, it also calms your nervous system and soothes the soul.
These hand crafted plant medicines are an excellent addition to your own home apothecary and also make excellent gifts for friends and family. In our class we'll learn the folk ways of preparing these ointments and how to utilize them in our daily lives. The class is happening on November 12th on beautiful Sapelo Island from 10-4pm. If you are interested in joining us click here, we'd love to have you.
Remember that herbal medicine is the people's medicine. The memory of how to work with the plants is stored deep within our DNA, we are tapping into that wisdom and returning home to ourselves. We're excited to journey home with you!