HERBAL STREET MEDIC KIT
UPDATED: June 2020
Herbs and resources to help support your body~mind~spirit as you participate in protest, marches, demonstrations, and actions.
Stay Safe! In solidarity, Berenice
FLOWER ESSENCES FOR SHOCK
Flower Medicine are very gentle and easy to carry in a kit. A very common flower essence is the Rescue Remedy. It helps with crisis and shock by stabilizing our energy and the energy around us. You can add a few drops in a spray bottle with distilled water and carry it with you to help emotionally and energetically support someone that may go into shock. People make their own flower essences so you can experiment with what feels right for you.
With flower essences, the more frequent you give them the better in times of shock so maybe 1-4 drops every 5-10 minutes can help for as long as the person needs it. If you are taking it internally, make sure to put the drops under your tongue. You can take the essence over the course of a couple of days as well. It all depends on how your body responds to it.
Other Flower Essences:
- 5 Flower Formula
- Rescue Remedy
- Star of Bethlehem - trauma that makes you want to wither away
- Bougainvillea - anxiety resulting in shallow breathing
- Crown of thorns - protection of your anger onto others
- Self -heal - inherent ability to heal oneself
- Coral bean - loss of will or concentration, especially if you have experienced trauma or dangerous situations in the past
- Scorpion weed - fear of a person or group
- Thurber’s gilia - fears that freeze you so you cannot advocate for your own safety
- Saguaro - feeling like you want to give up and looking for spiritual meaning behind what you are doing
- Fairy duster - nervous system overwhelm (avey has mother essence)
- Ocotillo - boundaries, protection, return to heart-center
- Carnelian (gem) - to stabilize, protect and support abilities of medics; stimulate initiative & dispel passivity
- Green Fluorite (gem) - to clear emotional trauma, restore a sense of crisp freshness and direct focus towards universal love & light.
- Yellow Fluorite (gem) - to stabilize group energy, promote cooperation and direct focus towards connectivity between all that exists.
RESOURCE: Herbalists Without Borders
WHERE TO BUY ESSENCES: Local Herbal Shops, Natural Food Stores, your local herbalist, Flower Essence Society, Alaskan Essences Company, Desert Alchemy.
NERVINES FOR TIMES OF CRISIS
Photo credit: Mountain Rose Herbs
Nervines are a category of herbs that help support your nervous system (which is usually hyper or under active in times of crisis). My personal favorites are Skullcap and Passion Flower.
Skullcap helps with twitching, agitation, chronic stress, tension, pain, calming, insomnia (related to grief), and it is great for "taking the edge off" in a situation where you may feel too upset.
Passion Flower has similar properties but it is specifically good for relaxing the muscles.
Other herbs that are good to have are Vervain for head shock, Lemon Balm for calming and uplifting (especially because it is an anti-depressant), Chamomile, Lavender tea or as an essential oil (for headaches, cramping, and first aid/disinfecting wounds).
You can have these herbs fresh, dried for tea, in essential oils, in massage oils, or in tinctures. They are stronger in tinctures and they need specific dosages so I always like to have them ready to give as a tea. Please do your own research or consult someone that is knowledgeable about herbs if you have any questions.
Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint essential oil helps people come back to their body in times of shock. It helps people stay focused and centered. You can add drops of the peppermint essential oil in a bottle with some carrier oil (almond, olive, grapeseed, coconut, etc) and have it ready to use by rubbing it in your forehead, neck area, or temples.
As a tea, it has many benefits but it specifically relaxes our digestive system. Our digestive and nervous systems are intimately connected so when we are under highly stressful situations, our digestion is impacted. Many people suffer from constipation or loose stool (poop) because of stress. Since the intestinal organs get tight from all the emotions we hold in the belly, it is hard for food to go through or for nutrients to get absorbed. Peppermint is heating and soothing to our belly.
Yarrow
Yarrow is another great herb to have in your kit. Yarrow helps stop external and internal bleeding. If someone is bleeding, you can have them chew some yarrow (i like to carry a little ziploc bag with dried yarrow) and then place it in the bleeding area (like a poultice). Cover it with cloth, a wrap, gauss, or anything else available. If you have the tincture, you can place a couple of drops on the bleeding area to help. Yarrow also helps regulate internal bleeding or help move blood clots out of your body.
You can take it internally as a tincture or tea. Energetically, Yarrow is a protective herb and it helps us set boundaries with ourselves and with others. This information is specifically for emergency situations. If you have issues with internal or external bleeding that are more long term, please see a doctor, health practitioner, and herbalist to talk about treatment. Yarrow just has an amazing ability to go in the body and work for both stopping and allowing stagnant blood to flow. Be cautious when you use it internally. DO NOT give to anyone that is pregnant!
Chocolate
I also like to carry chocolate. Chocolate (especially the one with a high percentage of raw cacao) is very grounding.
Other grounding include Barks (Cinnamon) and Roots (Burdock, Dandelion, Yellow Dock, Astragalus).
Burdock is one of the most grounding roots. You can make a Lavender (Nervine), Tulsi/ Holy Basil (Adaptogen), and Burdock (Grounding) tea blend and add Comfrey flower essence. Comfrey is good for bone and connective tissue. Spiritually, comfrey supports people when they feel "broken." It is stabilizing after shock.
Other Helpful Herbs, Tips, and Resources:
- Calamus Root
- Olive Flower Essence
- Healing/First Aid Salves
WAYS TO COPE WITH RACISM AND TRAUMA
NEED SOME SUPPORT?
- Check out Peacock’s list of QTPOC low-cost therapists and other resources.
- Bay Area QTPOC Mental Health Services
ARTICLES
- 4 Self-Care Resources for Days When the World is Terrible
- How to Handle the Emotions of Racial Injustice While at Work
- Herbal Support for Stress and Trauma
- "You Feel Like Shit" Interactive Self Care Guide
- The Radical Politics of Self-Love and Self-Care
- We Breathe Resistance
- The Need for Emotional Justice
- Our Bodies are Intelligent, Our Bodies Remember
ACTION RESOURCES
ACTION RESOURCES
- People's Community Medics (Each One, Teach One)
- ACLU Know your Rights
- Healing Spaces for Black, Indigenous, PoC organizers, mobilizers and folks who need space to connect, heal and grieve
- Rosehip Medic Collective
- Boston Co-Op
- HERBALISTS without BORDERS herbal street medic collective
- Solidarity Apothecary
- Herbalist Street Medic-7Song
- Atlanta Resistance Medics
- Protocols for Common Injuries from Police Weapons
- UJIMAA Medics
SOCIAL MEDIA
@soularbliss added the following things to their wellness kit in ferguson:
"Heart healing oil, elderberry syrup, peaceful feeling tea, healing salve, protection spray, a dream pillow, a love note, a quartz crystal, epson salt, vitamin C packets, mint ginger candy, ginger honey packets, nervous system support, immune support and detoxing, cleansing medicine."
HOME MADE GAS MASKS
GAS MASK OPTION ONE
It is super easy to make this version of a homemade gas mask. You only need:
- coffee filters
- charcoal
- good masking tape
- and string!
When you actually use this gas mask, you need to activate the charcoal by adding water to it or spitting on it. The charcoal will act as a filter.
GAS MASK OPTION TWO
Illustrated in the image, the important value of this mask is being able to breathe if shit hits the fan.
NOTE FROM BERENICE:
How this article can be more useful:
I always recommend finding fresh herbs or flowers. Use them to clean yourself after you leave any action/demonstration/protest.
Depending on what you use to smudge yourself it is always a good idea to set up space if needed to clear your energy. You can use copal, cedar, sweetgrass, palo santo, sage, myrrh, tobacco, or any other herbs that are accessible to you or that you use to smudge in your community. Just be cautious when you use herbs because every body will have a different reaction to them.
I am available if you need any help making the kits or if you want to gather a group of people to make them with.
