Where to Learn African American Herbalism (And Why History Matters)

KhadiYah
7 hours ago
3 min read

African American herbalism didn’t begin as a trend, a lifestyle choice, or a return to “natural living.”

It was born out of necessity.

Survival.

Responsibility.

For generations, our people were expected to care for their bodies with limited access to doctors, hospitals, or humane treatment. Health was not outsourced. It was handled within families, communities, and kitchens.

To understand African American herbalism, you have to understand the history it grew out of—not just the plants, but the conditions that shaped how they were used.

African American Herbalism Is Rooted in Experience, Not Theory

Much of what we know about African American herbalism comes from oral history, interviews, and lived accounts, not polished textbooks.

That’s why books like African American Slave Medicine by Herbert C. Covey matter. The value of this work isn’t just in listing herbs—it’s in documenting how enslaved people acted as practitioners, midwives, and healers within impossible systems.

These remedies were responses to real conditions:

lack of anesthesia
forced labor injuries
reproductive trauma
infectious disease
malnutrition

Herbal knowledge was not optional.

It was responsibility.

➡ African Slave Medicine: https://amzn.to/3YNqVSe

Why Medical History Cannot Be Separated from Herbal History

You cannot talk about African American herbalism without also confronting medical exploitation.

Medical Apartheid by Harriet A. Washington is not an easy book to read—but it explains why distrust of the medical system didn’t come from nowhere. From forced experimentation to untreated pain, Black bodies were studied, used, and dismissed for centuries.

Understanding this history explains:

why self-care became self-reliance
why midwives and folk practitioners were trusted
why family-based medicine mattered
why certain beliefs about pain, illness, and survival persist today

This context matters—not to dwell in trauma, but to understand why herbalism stayed alive in our communities when other systems failed us.

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➡Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present: https://amzn.to/3Wl1AwG

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African American Herbalism Was Community-Based

One of the most important things you learn from books like Working the Roots by Michelle E. Lee is that African American herbalism was never individualistic.

Knowledge was passed down:

from grandparents to children
from neighbors to neighbors
through observation, not certification
through stories, not formulas

Herbs were learned by watching, listening, and doing. That’s why you see repetition of certain plants across regions—sassafras, sarsaparilla, poke, boneset, pine, and mullein; they worked within the environments people lived in.

➡ Working the Roots: Over 400 Years of Traditional African American Healing: https://amzn.to/4pflqIb

Blended Traditions, Practical Knowledge

African American herbalism is not purely African, Native American, or European—it is blended.

Our ancestors adapted:

African knowledge carried across the water
Native American plant use in new lands
European herbs that became locally available

And it explains why African American herbalism often looks different from both African traditional medicine and modern Western herbalism. It is place-based, resourceful, and pragmatic.

Books Alone Aren’t Enough

Books preserve history—but they don’t replace practice, discernment, or safety.

Many of the herbs documented historically:

require context to use safely
were prepared differently than modern supplements
were used under conditions we no longer live in

That’s why African American herbalism today must be studied with care.

Honoring history does not mean copying practices without understanding the body, dosage, or modern risks.

Ebook Herbal Holistic Healing: African Herbalism For Modern Times

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At Yah’s Apothecary, African American herbalism is treated as a living tradition, not a frozen moment in time.

Through our blog, we:

explore historical texts
connect plant use to body systems
discuss why certain herbs were relied upon
explain how environment, labor, and diet shaped herbal choices

This allows readers to learn responsibly—without romanticizing or oversimplifying history.

Our blog exists as a bridge between what was carried and what must be understood now.

Learning African American Herbalism Today

If you’re seeking to learn African American herbalism, start with:

history
primary sources
lived accounts
environmental context

Then move into:

anatomy
safety
preparation methods
modern application

The Holistic Herbal Helper: Journal of Materia Medica

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A Final Word

African American herbalism is as much about reclaiming an identity, as it is about honoring responsibility. Our ancestors learned to care for their bodies because they had to. We study it now because we choose to! Learning this tradition well means respecting the people who carried it, the conditions they lived under, and the wisdom they left behind.