Did you know that many of the herbal practices most commonly used in Western herbalism in America have come from Black and Indigenous peoples? As I learn and practice herbalism, I find it impossible to feel fully fulfilled by and connected to the practices without understanding where they come from. Wrapped up in these practices is so much love and connection to people and place that brings a world of enrichment to the practices in herbalism. Therefore, in this article, I’m going to introduce to you some books by Black herbalists as a place to begin.
In modern herbalism books and teachings, finding information about the roots of many herbal practices and about Black and Indigenous traditions is really hard. That’s because this information has been largely erased from Western herbalism, both intentionally and unintentionally. Why is it that we almost always talk about the roots of herbal traditions when they’re from Asia but almost never when they’re from Black and Indigenous communities here in the states?
Whether you are Black looking for more information about herbalism from Black herbalists or you’re non-Black looking to learn more about Black herbal traditions, these books are great places to start. In this article, we’ll go over these books and where to get them. If you’re reading this in February, these are great books to read this month. If you’re not, then remember: Black history month is every month!
Books by Black Herbalists
As a white person, I can’t speak about these books from a Black perspective. If you’d like more information about these books from a Black herbalist, check out this article on Black herbalism books by Kendra Payne, a contributing writer for Herbal Academy. This article goes into more detail about some of these books from the Black perspective.
From my research and talking with other herbalists, here is a collection of books by Black herbalists that seem to be popular in the herbalism and healing communities.
African American Folk Healing by Stephanie V. Mitchem
Cure a nosebleed by holding a silver quarter on the back of the neck. Treat an earache with sweet oil drops. Wear plant roots to keep from catching colds. Within many African American families, these kinds of practices continue today, woven into the fabric of black culture, and often communicated through women. Such folk practices shape the concepts about healing that are diffused throughout African American communities and are expressed in myriad ways, from faith healing to making a mojo. (READ MORE)
African American Herbalism by Lucretia VanDyke
This first-of-its-kind herbal guide takes you through the origins of herbal practices rooted in African American tradition. From Ancient Egypt and the African tropics to the Caribbean and the United States. Inside, you’ll find the stories of herbal healers like Emma Dupree and Henrietta Jeffries, who made modern American herbalism what it is today. After rediscovering the forgotten legacies of these healers, African American Herbalism dives into the important contributions they made to the world of herbalism. (READ MORE)
Black Earth Wisdom by Leah Penniman
Author of Farming While Black and co-founder of Soul Fire Farm, Leah Penniman reminds us that ecological humility is an intrinsic part of Black cultural heritage. While racial capitalism has attempted to sever our connection to the sacred earth for 400 years, Black people have long seen the land and water as family and understood the intrinsic value of nature. This thought-provoking anthology brings together today’s most respected and influential Black environmentalist voices. Leaders who have cultivated the skill of listening to the Earth –to share the lessons they have learned. (READ MORE)
Working the Roots by Michele E. Lee
African American traditional medicine is an American classic that emerged out of the necessity of its people to survive. It began with the healing knowledge brought with the African captives on the slave ships and later merged with Native American, European, and other healing traditions. Now, it has become a full-fledged body of medicinal practices that has lasted in various forms down to the present day. (READ MORE)
Hoodoo Medicine by Faith Mitchell
Hoodoo Medicine is a unique record of nearly lost African-American folk culture. It documents herbal medicines used for centuries, from the 1600s until recent decades, by the slaves and later their freed descendants, in the South Carolina Sea Islands. The Sea Island people, also called the Gullah, were unusually isolated from other slave groups by the creeks and marshes of the Low Country. They maintained strong African influences on their speech, social customs, and beliefs, long after other American Blacks had lost this connection. Likewise, their folk medicine mixed medicines that originated in Africa with cures learned from the American Indians and European settlers. Hoodoo Medicine is a window into Gullah traditions. (READ MORE)
Handbook of African Medicinal Plants by Maurice M. Iwu
With over 50,000 distinct species in sub-Saharan Africa alone, the African continent is endowed with an enormous wealth of plant resources. While more than 25 percent of known species have been used for several centuries in traditional African medicine for the prevention and treatment of diseases, Africa remains a minor player in the global natural products market largely due to a lack of practical information. In this updated and expanded second edition of the Handbook of African Medicinal Plants, receive a comprehensive review of more than 2,000 species of plants employed in Indigenous African medicine, with full-color photographs and references from over 1,100 publications. (READ MORE)
Summary: Books by Black Herbalists
Learning from Black herbalists is important, whether or not you are Black yourself. In Western herbalism books and teachings, Black and Indigenous traditions have largely been erased or appropriated. This means that we often have to do a lot of digging to find this information when we want it. Hopefully, with more herbalists studying Black herbalism, these traditions will find their way into modern teachings.
In this article, we went over 6 books by Black herbalists and where to buy them. Also, if you want to learn more about these books from a Black herbalist, I really recommend checking out this article by Kendra Payne.
Have you read any of these books? If so, let me know you’re thoughts in the comments below. Also, feel free to leave more resources if you have any more to share.
Thanks for coming by and happy reading!
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