Workshop: Radical Herbal Histories
Illustration of Carolina sphinx moth (Manduca sexta) sucking nectar from a peacock flower (Caesalpinia pulcherrima), once used in reproductive health and autonomy in enslaved communities in the global south (by Maria Sibylla Merian, 17th century)
Join community herbalist Rasheeqa on a journey through the cycle of history. This unique, discussion-based session will explore how societal processes and narratives from the last thousand years have led us directly to how and where we live now in our relationships with the earth, healthcare, and plant medicine. Unearthing the origins and roots of herbal medicine, the stories of women healers in history, and the violence of patriarchal; colonial; and capitalist destruction, this workshop will consider how we can respond to the histories we are born from, and how we might move into healthier relations and futures. The session will also include:
Herb tasting and collective medicine making to honour and continue the ancient intelligence and care of ancestors
Majority world wisdoms and resilient traditions
The sharing of experiences, knowledge and perspectives
Resources for future explorations
Research and consideration on this history informs Rasheeqa’s work with the daily experiences of healthcare injustice and neglect that she holds space for in her clinical and community practice, and informs her approach to her work in supporting the health of people, in collaborating with others, and in responding to imbalances in our power dynamics that generate systemic illness.
Meet Rasheeqa
Rasheeqa is a community medical herbalist based in east London with 5 years’ experience of facilitating group learning and teaching short and long courses in many aspects of herbal medicine. She is passionate about collaborative and participatory herbalism in the community, with a focus on sharing and exchanging healing traditions between the diverse cultures and knowledge of London. She is currently initiating a community apothecary project in Walthamstow - Community Herbal Hands - which seeks to develop networks of medicinal plant cultivation, harvesting, preparing, knowledge-sharing and use for health and well being support in our neighbourhoods.
Price: £85
Note for Southwark residents: Looking to book a free place? Unfortunately, our limited quota of free places for the 2023-24 academic year have now been claimed. We will be releasing a refreshed number of free places, along with a new calendar of workshops, in Autumn 2024 so please check back then. Subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media, at the bottom of this page, to be notified.