Inspiring People & Projects
Scotland
Ally Hurcikova Medical Herbalist RH (AHG) Our co-op member Ally runs a private North Edinburgh herbal clinic weekly from home.
Solar Ripe Excellent Organic grower and producer of herbal teas, plants smudge sticks based in Fife. Simone also runs herbal study groups and workshops and has a lot of knowledge to share.
Scottish Radical Herbal Network a Scotland wide network of herbalists and health activists collaborating on issues of social, environmental and health justice. They organise national and local gatherings across the country.
Herbal Unity a free herbal clinic for people affected by the asylum system in Glasgow, affiliated to the Unity Centre which offers practical support & solidarity for migrants.
The Unity Centre No Borders Centre in Glasgow providing practical migrant solidarity and support and fighting deportations
Glasgow Autonomous Space anarchist social centre in Tradeston, Glasgow. Provides a free space for groups struggling against capitalism and other forms of oppression. Hosts the Herbal Unity Clinic, free world food cafe & food bank, wood workshop, radical library and weekly arabic/english exchange among many other things
Herbal Scotland a Community Interest Company which connects people with plants for health and wellbeing with a focus on educating and empowering people to help themselves. They run Herbal First Aid at many Scottish Festivals
Tripod Training Co-operative radical, anti-oppression co-op which offer training, facilitation, conflict mediation and other support to grassroots collectives, community and campaigning groups, cooperatives and non-profit organisations
In The Body one to one bodywork sessions for women, gender non-binary and trans folk provided by Lisa Fannen, author of must read book Threads – the experience & politics of the menstrual cycle
Meadowsweet Organics an Organic Market Garden in Fife which is partly run a medical herbalist. They produce Organic herbs and remedies for sale.
Drimlabarra Vegan Herbal Farm, Scotland – The founders of the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine, now residing permanently in a dreamy herb-fuelled paradise on the Isle of Arran.
Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, Herbology, Edinburgh – The Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh began its life back in the 17th Century as a physic garden, and continues to celebrate this proud origin by offering a number of herbal medicine courses, run with the excellent DIY philosophy of: “from seed to syrup.”
UK & Ireland
Sankalpa Holistic Health Care Centre, Dublin – a holistic clinic in inner city Dublin for detoxing people off of methadone. Run by a community educator and herbalist
Hedge Herbs inspiring community herbalism coming from Rasheeqa Ahmad in Walthamstow, North East London
Leeds Radical Herbalism Network newly formed North English Radical Herbalism Network running regional gatherings and events
Radical Herbalism Gathering UK inspiring English Radical Herbalism Gatherings happen annually usually in June, and usually in Shropshire
Herbalists without Borders UK & Bristol – two chapters of the US Herbalists without Borders movement – supporting migrants in refugee camps and on entry into the UK
Rhizome Community Herbal Clinic, Bristol – provide herbal treatments on a sliding scale, and offer a variety of workshops including a great Women’s Health Course, as well as working with folk in their community medicine garden.
Ethnomedica Project, Kew Gardens – a wonderful oral history project set up by Kew Gardens, to collect folk uses of medicinal plants from all around the UK, before they are lost forever. They have a database of the most common uses of some of our most common plants. A precious knowledge.
Further Afield
Third Root Community Health Centre Brooklyn, NYC – a worker owned cooperative of holistic healthcare practitioners offering a great variety of treatments to the community of Brooklyn. They are committed to social justice and their clinic works to the principles of accessibility, empowerment and collaboration.
Herbalists Without Borders USA, a nonprofit local to global network of volunteers devoted to providing compassionate care to communities and countries in need impacted by natural disasters, violent conflicts, poverty, trauma and other access barriers to health and wellness.
Herbbus Atlanta, USA The Herbalista Free Clinic provides free herbal care via our mobile clinics, the Herb Bus and the Herb Cart, to underserved communities in Atlanta and around the country. Established and run by the ever-inspirational Lorna Mauney-Brodek
Blooming In Space Collective, USA – Blooming in Space is a network for autonomous communities in the US to share resources. They have a page providing specific resources on alternative models of healthcare
Harriet’s Apothecary USA, is an intergenerational, healing village led by the brilliance and wisdom of Black Cis Women, Queer and Trans healers, artists, health professionals, magicians, activists and ancestors. Founded by Harriet Tubman in 2014.
Rosehip Medics Collective, Portland, Oregon USA – a group of healthcare activists, herbalists and medics from Portland who believe in democratizing healthcare knowledge. They offer direct action and protest medic support, and training for others in dealing with emergency situations.
United Plant Savers, USA – A US organisation whose mission is to protect native medicinal plants and ensure their future (and ours) is sustainable
Ithaca Free Clinic, New York – a clinic offering both conventional and alternative medicine, for free, to those without health insurance in New York state
Herbalism Resources
General Herbal Texts & Sites
Bear Medicine Herbals – An american website about “folk herbalism, feral living and stories from the forest”
Herb Geek – online, educational resource all about health and herbs
Herbarium Blog for Traditional Herbalists in a Time of Transition – knowledge sharing brought about by an independent and autonomous group of UK herbalists. Contains a lot of interesting opinions about the issue of statutory regulation in the UK.
Out of the Earth: The Essential Book of Herbal Medicine by Simon Mills. This is a really insightful book, from which you can learn a lot about why herbalism is so important, systems of the body and ‘physiology as if humans mattered’ as well as basic pharmacology and the uses of many common herbs. If you only read one book make it this one!
The Holistic Herbal by David Hoffman. This is the first book I had about herbs, and I used to carry it around with me whenever I went outside. A really good first look, with lots of pictures and easy explanations.
Botany, Mycology & Wild Harvesting
Botany for The Herbalist-Plant Families produced by 7song from the North East School of Botanical Medicine
Radical Mycology, by the Spore Liberation Front A ‘call to sporulate’ by the folks from the Spore Liberation Front
Medicine Making
Herbal Medicine Making Primer (Zine) by Simon the Simpler A zine all about medicine making, with lots of How-tos, and some notes about ethical wildcrafting
The Herbal Medicine Maker’s Handbook by James Green. This is a really wonderful book which can teach you how to make just about anything with herbs. It also contains wise words about how to harvest plants in a sustainable way, respecting the ecosystems and land that they come from.
Materia Medica: detailed info about herbs
Plants for a Future – a very useful database of medicinal and edible plants
Mrs Grieve’s Modern Herbal online – First published in 1931, Mrs Grieve’s Modern Herbal contains an amazing wealth of knowledge about the traditional medicinal, edible, cosmetic and economic uses of British plants. You can now read it online.
Edible, Medicinal & Utilitarian Herbs, Volume 1 (Zine) by Rowan Walking Wolf & Harun Highmountain A zine to inspire people to re-connect with the amazing world of plants.
Practical Uses of Herbs
Home Remedies for Common Maladies Zine by Rosehip Medics Collective A mix of ethnobotany, Western herbalist, American folk and ‘conventional’ medicine brought to you by the knowledgeable rosehip medics collective
Traveling Companions Zine by the Rosehip Medics Collective Common Illnesses and Remedies for Those on the Road
Herbal Abortion Zine a D.I.Y women’s guide
History & Philosophy of Herbalism
Witches, Midwives & Nurses: A History of Women Healers Zine by Barbara Ehrenreich & Deirdre English
The Complete Herbal & English Physician by Nicolas Culpeper. Nicolas Culpeper was a 17th century English botanist, herbalist and physician. Against the tide of the times, he gathered his medicines from the wild and gave his medical services to the poor for free. He believed no one should starve to pay a physician, and went so far as to publish his medical knowledge into great volumes in vernacular English (while all other texts were in Latin and inaccessible to common people.)
Radical Herbalism
Chickweed: by the London Anarcha-feminists Kollectiv A zine about herbalism which emerged through a series of skillshares and workshops
Fireweed A zine of grassroots radical herbalism and wild foods connecting with kids and family life
This is Anarcho-Herbalism: Thoughts on Health & Healing for the Revolution by Laurel Luddite
Radical Remedies: Women, Health and the Micropolitics of Grassroots Organizing in Mexico by Suzanne D. Schneider
Community Based Herbalism by US herbalist 7 Song
Community Herbalism: Healthcare from the Grass Roots Up by Nicole Vosper, Wild Heart Permaculture
Inclusive Herbalism
Top 10 tips for a trans friendly clinical practice – A Resource for Herbalists and Other Practitioners curated by clinical herbalists Vilde Chaya, Fenster-Ehrlich & Larken Bunce
Other Resource Compilations
Kirsten Hale’s http://www.crazyherbalist.com/big-ass-resource-list
Lorna Mauney-Brodek’s, includes detailed manuals for how to set up a free community clinic http://herbbus.org/resources/links/
Jim McDonald’s (USA) http://herbcraft.org/articleindex.html
Suppliers
The New Leaf Workers Cooperative, Edinburgh – a workers’ coop selling whole foods & herbs
Poyntzfield Herbal Nursey, Black Isle – a wonderful biodynamic herbal nursery set in a walled garden on the beautiful Black Isle in the North of Scotland
Chain Bridge Honey Farm, Berwick Upon Tweed – family run honey farm, producing some wonderful bee-related herbal products as well
Naturally Thinking – UK based website selling relatively low cost jars, bottles & base ingredients for medicine making
Psycho-Emotional Health
A great selection of articles about Complex PTSD & recovery from childhood abuse, abandonment or neglect, including steps to follow as aids to managing emotional flashbacks http://pete-walker.com/
Hard hitting writing from American herbalist Kirsten Hale about complex trauma and using herbs as allies http://www.crazyherbalist.com/the-library/
Ecology, Permaculture & Sustainability
The Lost Language of Plants: The Ecological Significance of Plant Medicines to Life on Earth by Stephen Harrod Buhner. This book is an eloquent and powerful look into the ecological destruction that pharmaceutical medicine is causing to our planet and the species we share it with. Highly recommended in understanding the importance of plant medicines.
