My Call to Pursue Herbalism
And why Plants are Portals
Here is a little known fact: Today, April 17th, is National Herbalist Day in the US. The origins of this day of appreciation was created by the founder of Herbal Academy in 2014 and it is here to encourage folks to celebrate, support, and give thanks to an herbalist. So Happy National Herbalist Day! This is a perfect day to send my very first newsletter of A Cup of Tea & Jams. Why? Well, I am an Herbalist. It feels good to say this. I am a student and an apprentice of Master Herbalist Empress Karen M. Rose, who is the owner of Sacred Vibes Apothecary and author of the book, The Art & Practice of Spiritual Herbalism. For the last year, I have been studying foundations of Spiritual Herbalism, various indigenous healing modalities, the body systems, and plant actions as a Levels I & II Sacred Vibes Apprentice. It has been a transformative journey that is honestly just the beginning.
A week ago, I was invited to join Level III of the apprenticeship that is designed to build my practice as a well rounded Community Herbalist through mentorship with Karen M. Rose, community involvement, and service. I am preparing to embark on level III, which will be a continued investment of time, resources, and finances. I am asking for my community to walk alongside me and invest in this journey in becoming a community and clinical herbalist. As of now here are a couple of ways you can support: 1) becoming a monthly or yearly paid subscriber to A Cup of Tea & Jams. Send an investment cash gift via cashapp ($KhaylaDeans) or venmo (@Khayla-Deans).
“Know your medicine, Khayla. Know it well.” — a message that came to me in prayer & reflection a few months ago.
For many years, my interest in herbal medicine felt like a steady drumming in my heart for a very long time and stems from my own pursuit in personal healing.
When I was a teenager, I developed an auto inflammatory skin condition that came without many answers as to why from my primary doctor or family. No one could articulate what it was, how to treat it, and its origins. But my primary doctor did lead me to a dermatologist who told me the condition can’t be cured but managed with topical surgery and steroids, which did not agree with my body. Fast forward to my adulthood, I realized what my triggers were for the inflammation in food and decided to change my lifestyle to a more holistic and plant centered way of being. Then, I learned the power of two plant medicines — tea tree oil and turmeric. I wasn’t fully knowledgeable of the healing properties of either at the time, but learned how turmeric treats inflammation in the body & tea tree oil is great for wounds. I noticed a rapid change in how I was able to maintain flare ups within the condition. Turmeric and tree tea quickly became plant allies and my saving grace for many years.
I often say that this herbal journey feels like a return back to myself that I didn’t know I needed. This path feels simultaneously new and old at the same time. It’s new because I am transforming into the mystical self who I’ve always been since I was a child. One who is comfortable with the mystery of the unseen and the company of nature — the trees, the wind, the water, the sun, moon, stars, etc. During this apprenticeship, most of the plants that I’m studying, the plant actions & energetics, developing formularies, relearning body anatomy are all a part of the newness of this path. Yet there is also a deep knowing and understanding that is so present in my Spirit as I do this work – it is as though I’ve done it before. I am still very young in my herbal path and studies. And so, I am aware that this knowing that I feel when I attend class, sit with a plant, tune into its medicines, speak with other herbalists, is ancestral.
I often give thanks to the land stewards, farmers, medicine women and men, and healers that came before me in my ancestral lineage because I know that this deep knowing is an inheritance of them. I come from a family who has grown their own food, tended to the land, nourished their families and communities through good food and provided healing through the power of hands, prayers, and dreams. Some of that wisdom, knowledge, and experiences were buried over time over the course of generations. However, I am a part of this legacy. And so, what inspires me most about this herbal path so far is the Spiritual journey it is taking me on— the return back to this ancestral wisdom that surrounds me and is within me. And I am called to alchemize this wisdom and give it back to my community through the particular lens that God has provided me.
For over 15 years, Karen M. Rose has set out to teach and mentor individuals all over the world about the power of plant medicine. One of her missions in life is to ensure that there is an herbalist in every home and community. In the face of environmental and climate crises, alongside perpetual trauma, violence & injustices, it is necessary to create & protect pathways for liberatory healing. I believe that pursuing healing is not an individual pursuit even though this particular society and wellness industries skew towards individualistic self care. There will always be limitations when wellness is not looked through the lens of a collective care strategy. I follow a very Black feminist ethic of care that emphasizes that the pursuit of wellness is predicated on the wellness of us all.
As my teacher often says, this apprenticeship and herbal path is an initiation and invitation to transform. In case you don’t know, let me tell you, plants are portals. And I don’t mean this is the new age - esoteric way. The plants that surround us are portals to greater relationships with ourselves, each other, this land, and collective healing. Since the start of my apprenticeship last March, I have been called to be still, quiet, grounded, and protective over what I was experiencing and learning. I didn’t share my herbal journey publicly but I did apply my level I & II herbal medicine knowledge to every aspect of my life. I am healing myself and assisting my immediate families and friends navigate their life through the wisdom and support of herbal medicine. I am able to create infusions and decoctions for families and friends when they need an immune boost, nourishment, or reprieve. Now that I graduated from level II, I am being guided to share what I have learned with the wider community in person and online. This publication is my place to infuse my love for storytelling, music, and herbal medicine in a monthly newsletter full of musings & medicines.
My herbal studies complements my life’s work as a multidisciplinary cultural worker that is often found at the intersections of healing justice and cultural activism. I often use tools of storytelling and creative art-making to help others, and myself, embark on their embodied healing journey. It is an honor to do this work in community. I know this path of my herbal practice and creative pursuits are not just for myself and my immediate family & friends, but also for people who I have not even met yet. And so, as national herbalist day comes to an end, I send great gratitude to my fellow herbalists. Those of whom I am learning alongside as a part of my apprenticeship such as my friends & classmates
of Center Sage Remedies and Ericka () of Faery Good, those of whom I have the great honor in co-creating with such as my friend Brittaney of Our Backyard. I give thanks to my mentors such as Damita of Seeds Healing Apothecary and Stephen. And I give deep gratitude and appreciation for my teacher, Karen M. Rose for consistently passing on the great ancestral plant wisdom to ensure that there is an herbalist in every home.If you made it this far, I appreciate you for reading my very first edition of A Cup of Tea & Jams! Before I go, I do have a special treat to share. The first volume of my Plants Are Portals Spotify playlist! I had a fun time putting together a set of four playlists that embody the magical, spiritual, and healing ways of plant medicines. Enjoy and let me know the song that speaks to you the most.
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Congrats on the launch of this newsletter and thank you for giving us a peak into your plant magic ✨🌱