Well, sometimes you start out to try to do one thing and the ancestors and plantcestors tell you differently.
I started out trying to tell the story of a special tree but recent events made me change course. For all the tree lovers out there, don't worry! I will be writing that love letter for her/us in March.
Yet today I am moved in so many ways by all of the folks in the streets and for those of us who have lived long enough, the echoes of past moments ring through our bodies. I'm reminded of Palestinian protestors teaching folks in Ferguson about onions soaked in vinegar to combat the effects of tear gas, or artist Cannupa Hanska Lugar's mirror shields at Standing Rock which came from Ukranian and South American protest tactics. In these moments I remember all the ways that our struggles are interconnected and that we can and should learn from one another.
So a few tips and tricks I've learned from my teachers in sovereign spaces and the plants...this is not meant to be at all a comprehensive herbal guide for the resistance, those are local and specific-and have been done so well by the SWANA Ancestral Hub and other groups. But I know we are here for a long time, so let's also make it a good time and care for each others bodies along the way.
First off always listen to the wisdom of your body. You have clear yeses and no's. Your doctors can support knowing contraindications as well if you have medications. But I purposely chose these wise elders because they are strong and a bit gentle. The qualities I know of these plants are not the only ways they express themselves or are supportive. Just like people, plants are dynamic and responsive to the environments in which they grew.
1) Milk Thistle can help clear toxins out of your body. Chew them regularly!
2) Milky Oats helps sooth frazzled nerves. Steep a tea, or use a tincture for a wider range of components.
3) Roses are so supportive to our nervous system. Steep in tea, add honey, put in the bathtub, or make a rose jam like my Baba does.
4) Rose quartz has an affinity for the heart. Place on your heart or wherever needs soothing. Keep a little in your pocket when you are going into spaces where you need to feel supported.
5) Red Cedar fronds make an excellent tea to sip on, or cool the tea and soak a washcloth for use on skin for red, irritated, swollen or itchy conditions. Cedar generously drops fronds during wind storms so no need to break their branches! (Test on a patch of skin first to see how your body responds.)
6) Calendula is pure sunshine and soft support. Great tea, use as above for red irritated skin.
7) Marshmallow Root supports your throat and great for overused or irritated vocal chords in tea form.
8) Mullein tea supports and cools a hot dry lung or persistent cough. Can be used in conjunction with Marshmallow root.
Again, listen to your body and don't forget to reach for your local or ancestral plants and kitchen medicines in these times.
(Not shown, but not forgotten: onion broths for persistent coughs, yarrow leaves to stop a bleed or heal bruising, lavender tea for wound care and nervous system support, and so many more!)
*If you are harvesting, please make sure you harvest with permission and respect for the land and plants. Harvest from locations that are not sprayed with chemicals. If you need to buy plants, please support your local apothecaries, herbalists and herb shops! They have much wisdom and abundance.
Many of us are living on stolen lands so when possible ask permission from your local Tribal councils to harvest-especially in large quantities. Find ways to give back to your local lands and peoples through Indigenous habitat & cultural restoration/sovereignty projects.
Thank you for reading. It is an honor to offer care in these times and I hope you make your health, the health of your community and the earth a priority this year.
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In Solidarity-
Sarah