What We DoSanta Cruz Herbal Mutual Aid strives to support the health of both those in our community who lack access to healthcare resources and our broader communities by distributing herbal remedies and providing access to herbal care and skills in the Santa Cruz Area.
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Group Mission and Praxis:Santa Cruz Herbal Mutual Aid strives to support the health of both those in our community who lack access to healthcare resources and our broader communities by distributing herbal remedies and providing access to herbal care and skills in the Santa Cruz Area.
Currently what that looks like for our small group is hosting a pop up with Food Not Bombs once a month, where we distribute a medicinal tea and handmade herbal remedies, and hold conversations with those who visit the table about their herbal knowledge and health priorities among other topics. Some of the remedies we’ve distributed so far include fire cider, elderberry syrup, nervine-infused vinegar, anti-fungal powder, flower essences, and salve. We also support other local political and cultural events with herbal remedies. Up until now, this has mostly consisted of bringing medicinal tea to gatherings or distributions connected to organizations like the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band in their efforts to Protect Juristac and Remove the Mission Bells, healing clinics at the Beach Flats Community Garden hosted by the Campesina Womb Justice Project and Sanitation for the People. Some of the things we value in our work include accessibility, moving at a pace that is sustainable for our whole group, right relationship with land, plants, water, and Indigenous communities, and growing community autonomy through health resources and skills. Group History and Future:
This group was formed in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and consisted of a group of concerned herbalists looking for a way to respond to emerging community needs. The group has evolved over the years and held many roles, from supporting the Campesina Womb Justice Project to providing street medic aid. Supporting Food Not Bombs with medicinal teas was a consistent project throughout much of this history which has stuck through to the present.
As a group we continue to hold space for what this project could evolve into. Some of our goals include growing our membership and our capacity for responsiveness, building networks of care in our community, and facilitating skillshares around health and herbal practices. |
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