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We Need More Herbalists of Color
Representation matters,
Whether it means you are served by those in your community,
or you have someone who shares a similar experience
or just having someone fight on your behalf.
It is time that MORE indigenous people become holistic healers.
For us by us
Studies have shown that discrimination affects all aspects of life including Healthcare. Due to lack of access, lack of resources and overall mistrust due to centuries of experimentation and racism in the medical field, many of us are opting out of a system that simply doesn't serve us. We are thought to have a higher tolerance to pain, and we are prescribed less medication and our concerns are often ignored.
While giving birth to my second child, my son Samuel, I personally experienced racism from white doctors and nurses and an Asian doctor who was there as I have birth. Before I decided to take responsibility for my own family's health, I preferred to seek black physicians who were more likely to show sympathy and empathy for me while I was in their care.
If you are not ready to opt out of you would like to explore your options, I have linked a resource for finding black physicians here.
Herbalism is still a huge part of African culture.
African herbalism is the oldest form of herbal medicine. Not only that, but our enslaved ancestors also used herbalism to increase their life expectancy and to gain freedom! Midwifery was big amongst African American communities, my great grandmother was a midwife, my grandmother, her daughter was a nurse. This was very typical several decades ago. Midwives were known as granny midwives, they helped care for nothing mothers and they were able to safely deliver babies, using herbal remedies. Enslaved people throughout the diaspora were able to get freedom by using herbs, whether by poisoning those who enslaved them, using herbs to elude slave catchers' dogs or by foraging while on the run to their freedom. Herbalism came natural to us, and it can be used as a catalyst to learn about our history.
Cost has long been a divider to access in this country.
While we are focusing on food inflation, we should also bring attention to the ever-rising pricing of medicine. Instead of being reactionary as a people, we should proactively take the initiative with our health. The first priority should be eating well of course, but herbs give us another way to ensure that we are getting the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need.
Herbs connect us to our bodies and to the natural world around us.
Before we can be well, we have to address what caused us to be unwell in the first place. As herbalists we learn to listen intuitively to the needs of our body. We learn to prioritize balance and that extends to more than just people. Herbalism helps us to build a stronger body and a stronger planet. We have to preserve the plants that help us sustain life.
Black Doctor Directories: