What is Herbal Medicine?
Herbal medicine asks a different question: Why is this happening? It's a holistic approach that treats the whole person.
The Practice of Herbalism.
Herbal medicine is both an art and an evolving science. It is a practice that recognises that plants are our oldest allies in health and wellness. The use of whole plants: flowers, leaves, roots, and bark, supports the body’s innate capacity to heal, drawing on thousands of years of human relationships with the botanical world. It takes a holistic approach, considering the interrelationship between the mind, body, soul, and spirit.
Herbal medicine is root cause medicine. It’s about listening, understanding your body’s language, honouring its rhythms, and supporting its inherent intelligence, rather than just suppressing or managing symptoms.
It recognises that a skin condition might stem from digestive imbalance or that recurring infections might signal a weakened immune system. By supporting the body's fundamental systems, herbal medicine helps to create the conditions for healing and lasting wellness.
“Cherrelle, thank you for a very informative herb walk. It was a benefit to my wellbeing, and I enjoyed being in a group. I can use the information to aid my long-term mental health. Thank you!”
- Spring Herb Walk at Vauxhall City Farm
Herbalism as Resistance: Healing in a World of Extraction.
Capitalism and oppression cause real physiological damage. Chronic stress from systemic inequality, racism, overwork, and constantly living in survival mode all manifest in our bodies as inflammation, hormonal dysregulation, digestive disorders, anxiety, and chronic illness. The root cause of many conditions isn't individual, it's structural.
No single healing modality can undo systemic harm. Any wellness trend that tells you otherwise is selling a lie. True healing requires collective liberation, systemic change, and the dismantling of exploitative structures.
But. As we work towards transformation, we still deserve to feel well in our bodies now. Herbalism can provide tools to support ourselves through the damage these systems inflict daily.
Bringing plants into our lives is a quiet rebellion. Growing them, preparing them, and taking herbs that nourish us is a way to reconnect with the beauty of the natural world. It helps us to slow down and remember we are part of nature.
The herbs don't fix systemic problems, but they can help us resist. Adaptogens support our overwhelmed stress response. Nervines calm overstimulated nervous systems. Nutritive herbs nourish our bodies when depleted. They give us the capacity to organise, imagine, build alternative systems, and live a life of joy.
Herbal knowledge itself is an act of resistance. Colonialism tried to erase Indigenous and traditional medicine, criminalise healers, steal botanical knowledge for profit, and make us dependent on pharmaceutical drugs. When we tend to plants, we practice reciprocity, not extraction. When we share remedies, we build networks outside capitalist exchange. When we honor our body's needs, we refuse endless productivity.
In a world designed to isolate and exhaust us, herbalism can reconnect us to the beauty and interdependence of nature. You deserve to feel well, even while systems cause harm. Caring for ourselves and each other is how we survive until we're free.
