Black Americans have a long history of indulging in herbal remedies. Our not-so-distant ancestors who often had little access to equitable and safe healthcare, opted for medicine that grew just beyond their doorstep. This was an inherited practice that can be traced all the way back to Africa. Herbalist and author of “African American Herbalism,” Lucretia VanDyke has devoted her life’s work to honoring that history.

Her earliest memory of communing with plants begins out on her grandfather’s cattle farm. Being amongst the elders, snapping peas and shucking corn, seeing the fruits of her family’s labor at harvest time—these moments she regards as a rite of passage. Her childhood relationship to the land and all the Earth’s goodness nurtured her journey to becoming a leading expert on herbal healing.

According to VanDyke, herbalism and ancestral veneration are intricately connected. Much of the information we have access to today is because our ancestors were able to preserve it through memory and storytelling.

“Back in the day we didn’t have that knowledge in a book, it was something that was taught to you through oral traditions or your family knowledge. So, there’s part of it that is a medicinal practice, but then there’s also part that’s magic. Plants really heal, and they’ve been utilized in ceremony from Africa to the Caribbean from the time of our eldest ancestors.”

The magic she is referring to is deeply rooted in African Diaspora spiritual traditions, such as Hoodoo. In addition to their medicinal properties, herbs have also been used as a part of spiritual rituals.

“Typically, most plants, what they do medicinally, they will do spiritually. In Hoodoo, it’s your connection to the plant [that’s] important because our ancestors didn’t have the same plants that they would’ve had in Africa . . . so, they cultivated relationships with the plants that they did have. And so, I find it one of the most important things that Western medicine has really forgotten.”

Plant healing is powerful, and it has become increasingly popular over the years. According to the American Botanical Council, Herbal Supplement sales in the U.S. saw a record-breaking increase in 2020. This coincides with the onset of the pandemic, a time when we had very few answers on how to take care of ourselves. Alongside that, social media has become a hot spot for information about healing herbs. However, that has also led to a lot of misinformation that commonly purports certain herbs as cure-alls. VanDyke stresses the importance of not falling into internet herbal remedy fads:

“The plant world doesn’t work like that. It’s a synergy of things, so [it’s important] to find good book resources, do your own research, go to an herb shop in your city or town and ask them questions.”

For folks who may be interested in dabbling in the world of plant medicine, but don’t know where to start, VanDyke has a few tips for you.

• Start in your kitchen. This is an affordable way to experiment with things that you already have in your cabinet or fridge. 
• Go outside. Mother Nature has a profound ability to give you the plants that you need. So, what you need usually grows closely around you.
• Keep it simple. Pick one or two herbs you’re already familiar with and research them to understand their medicinal properties and how you can work them into your health regimen. 
• Chat with an expert. Find an informed herbal practitioner that can help you safely integrate herbs into your life. 
• Try Ancestral practices. Our ancestors used plants for medicinal and spiritual healing. It can start as simple as making botanical baths for stress management and relaxation. 

You find VanDyke’s book, “African American Herbalism” and other resources on the Black Joy Bookshop page.