Getting to Know Herbal Allies

by Nicole Rose, from the Solidarity Apothecary and the Prisoners Herbalism Collective

When I was 21 years old, I entered one of Britain’s highest security prisons for women and began a 3.5-year prison sentence for my role in a campaign to close down an animal testing company. I was no stranger to the prison system with my first partner getting sent down at 16 years old. I was, however, expecting to be totally removed from nature. Yet even on my very first day I encountered crows sitting on the prison fences and dandelions breaking through the concrete. A couple of months into my sentence, I got a job in the prison gardens. This involved weeding and mowing grass in the small triangular prison yards.

Even in these hostile environments, I was amazed by the diversity of plants I encountered. I began to read more about herbalism and got some funding to do a distance learning course in herbal medicine. My life changed forever. In 2019, I published book called the Prisoner’s Herbal that explores the medicinal uses of the common plants I found such as dandelions, nettles, chickweed and mallow. It also contains detailed descriptions of how to use things like fruits and vegetables, salt and pepper and other spices in medicinal ways which you can occasionally access in prisons. Please see the end to learn how to request a free copy of the book. Throughout my time inside and in the ten years since of supporting friends and people in the prison system, it’s clear that medical neglect is a constant reality. My best friend had to fight for more than 2.5 years to get the cancer treatment she needed. On the wing, people would laugh at all the random leaves and roots I had drying in my cell. Yet they’d come to me and say “Nicole, can I have a few of those things you gave me for period pains?” Or “Nicole, what can I take for my headache?”. I learnt to experiment with all manner of plants, teabags and condiments I could scavenge in the prison. Partly because I knew it could take weeks to see a doctor. I smuggled dandelion leaves in my bra to eat with my bland prison food knowing they were full of vitamins and minerals.

Connecting with plants in prison isn’t just about medicinal or nutritious uses - it’s about friendship. It is about contending with the isolation, despair, trauma and violence with something alive and beautiful. I slept with a dandelion root under my pillow and it made me feel less alone. During days we were locked down, I would draw herbs or read books, even dream about plants.

How do you prepare plant medicines in prison?

Most plants listed in the Prisoner’s Herbal book are edible, meaning you can safely eat them fresh. The most simple thing I often did was make a tea - simply adding herbs to a cup of hot water, letting it sit a while, and then drinking it. We didn’t have kettles for a long time, so I would infuse herbs in a flask of hot water that we were allowed in our cells. This meant the tea got really strong overnight and I’d drink it in the morning.

The Prisoner’s Herbal book contains many other options for medicine making including decoctions (where herbs are boiled up in water on a stove) - something I wasn’t able to do but some prisoners can access kitchen equipment. It’s also possible to make herbal vinegars with vinegar bought on the canteen (commissary) where herbs are stored in a jar for two weeks and then strained out. The medicinal vinegar can then be added to food for extra nutrition. Other options include making eye baths or using different herbal teabags on the eyes, as well as DIY herbal foot baths if you can scavenge a big enough container.

I also give examples of how to make a compress or poultice, whereby plants are prepared and applied to the skin, or where herbs are infused with water and then soaked in material and wrapped around sore joints. Herbal steams and burning herbs

are also options. In the book, I include information on how to dry and store herbs using paper, prison radiators and sneaky storage solutions that meant everything I had dried didn’t get taken away during cell searches.

Two common plants in prison

I now want to introduce two of my favourite plants that I found growing everywhere in prison and touch on some of their medicinal properties.

Dandelion

Dandelions have the Latin name of Taraxacum officinale and have been used for thousands of years in traditional medicine. They have amazing yellow flowers that bees adore and toothed leaves (see the picture). The leaves are edible and have a bitter taste. You can also eat the roots and flowers. The plant is high in iron, vitamins and other minerals. The bitter flavour of dandelion helps stimulate the juices of the digestive systems in the stomach, pancreas and liver. With help to digest our food better, dandelion can aide with constipation, gas and indigestion. The inulin in dandelion root can also help create a better balance of helpful bacteria in the gut.

Dandelion’s support for the liver makes it useful for people during and in recovery from drug and alcohol use. Dandelion also has a diuretic action - this means it can increase the amount you urinate (pee) and can support people with fluid retention, such as swollen ankles. Dandelion can also help with joint pain, sprains and bruises, warts, stings and blisters.

Plantain

There are many kinds of plantain but the most common are Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) which grows in narrow, longer leaves and Greater Plantain (Plantago major) which has broader rounder leaves. The leaves and seeds are edible. Plantain is a wonderful ally for wound healing and skin injuries. A leaf can be chewed up in the mouth and then placed directly on a bite, sting, cut or scrape. Plantain can help draw out dirt or infection and also has antiseptic and antibacterial properties. It can aid the skin in healing with to its astringent action (that helps pull tissues together). Plantain can also be placed against sore teeth and gums, amongst many other uses, internally and externally.

Using condiments medicinally

Another big section in the book is about how to use things like spices or condiments in medicinal ways. One example is pepper (black pepper). I was in prison with an older Scottish woman called Helen who was always cold when we were working in the prison gardens together. She swore by pepper tea - simply pepper from the prison kitchen added to hot water. It was a warming mixture that helped her resist colds. Pepper can also stimulate digestive juices which is why it is commonly added to food.

Mustard is another warming remedy. Beyond adding it to food, mustard has also been added to foot baths or made into a chest poultice for people wanting to get rid of damp, cold coughs. Onions have also commonly been used as part of poultices applied to the chest to help with chest infections.

Learning herbalism and the importance of herbal safety

Learning about plants is an amazing journey. One important part is knowing the importance of herbal safety - this means accurately identifying a plant so you are not accidentally eating something poisonous. It can also mean understanding the energetics of a plant and its actions. For example, if something is particularly warming or cooling, relaxing or energising. I’m a very dry and ‘hot’ person so taking very warming spices or herbs can often not be a good idea for me. Before I understood this about herbalism, I’d often be surprised at my intolerance to certain herbs and spices, coming out in rashes or blisters on my tongue. Once I understood their energetics, I started to notice the meaningful difference plants that were cooling and moistening made to me (such as mallow - one of the amazing plants featured in the book).

It’s also good to know how herbs react with commonly prescribed medications as some can have significant effects.

I feel a major part of learning about herbalism is also about connecting with our different heritages. My ancestors are mostly English, Welsh and Irish so I love learning about traditional medicines on these Isles. Many forms of plant medicine have been traditionally repressed by colonialism and capitalism, and so learning about herbal medicine from your own cultures can be very empowering and an important part of resistance.

If you would like to receive a free copy of The Prisoner’s Herbal book please write to: Solidarity Apothecary, PO Box 220340, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Or ask a friend and family member to go online and request one from this website: https://solidarityapothecary.org/ prisonersherbalrequest/