Our people have always had a way to cure any ailments that may afflict us, with items in our kitchens. From out mother's chicken soup to bring down any fever, to the magical touch of our grandmothers giving us luke-warm gingerale and saltine crackers for a tummy ache. To the lessons she learned from her mother - who learned from the ancestors to use roots from plants growing in her garden to cure the common cold; we have always held within us the cure to soothe any symptoms that caused us pain or harm.
Growing up in any Black household, you already know - your mother (or any woman in the family), was also a doctor by default. You also know, not to ever question that!
The COVID-19 pandemic has led many of us to change our eating habits, follow the principles of the legendary Dr. Sebi, and digging into the treasure trove of jewels we learned from our ancestors by using natural herbs to build our immune systems. A popular list includes:
Black Elderberry
Echinacea
Chamomile
Lavender
Hemp
Pine Needles
Calendula
Ginger
Tumeric
Witch-Hazel Leaves
Silk-weed root
The herbs listed above are a mere abbreviation of the herbs our people have used to heal one another from: the Mother Land, through the diaspora, from the plantation, to the big house, while surviving Jim Crow Laws, through the red lines, to Main Street USA. We have been chastised, criticized, and falsely accused of witch-craft, for remedies that have made corporations financially rich today.
Be it hoodoo, African magic, or herbal healing the use of these herbs remain a means to heal hurt.
The lessons from our ancestors are everlasting!
