:Community Herb Apothecaries

Herbalists Without Borders Community Herbal Apothecary Project promotes community grassroots, cost-effective, plant-based health and wellness that is accessible to all people.

The word apothecary has its roots in the historical word apotheca, a place where special spices, herbs, cordials and wine were stored and the apothecarist was the person who prepared and dispensed these medicinal commodities within the materia medica.

In 80% of the world’s population, plant-based medicine IS primary health care.  Referred to as Medicine of the People by Herbalist Susun Weed.  Village wise women, healers, and midwives for years have utilized common, local plants for wellness. The Wise Woman Tradition is shared person-to-person, based on nourishment with food and plants, self-love, compassion and heart centeredness. It encompasses activities such as serving a winter wellness tea at a Peoples Clinic, cooking up a comforting soup, applying a compress at a first aid station, blending a salve, even conducting a Plant Identification walk for a community that does not have access to much medicine.

Herbalists Without Borders Community Herbal Apothecary Project promotes community grassroots, cost-effective, plant-based health and wellness that is accessible to all people. This need is becoming more urgent due to high costs of mainstream medical care, lack of insurance coverage, along with the resurgence of folk herbalism integrating medicinal and nutritive plants grown regionally.  There is a strong need for sustainable, readily accessible herbs and herbal products at any given time, from prevention to times of community emergencies.

Herbalists Without Borders Community Apothecary Project Vision:
To help communities and countries strive to have an Herbal Apothecary in every community, extending affordable, sustainable Herbal Medicine for all people.

Did you know this global medicine fact?

A geographic area of 15 square miles could have several apothecaries located within that proximity, as it is in Northern India.

Herbalists Without Borders embraces a vision of Herbal Apothecaries in every community in future years.
​Consider starting your Community Herbal Apothecary now!

Project Coordinator

Joanne Bauman

“Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good; try to use ordinary situations.”
~ Jean Paul Richter


What is CSH?
​
It's Community Supported Herbalism!
At Herbalists Without Borders we're big believers in CSH farms and projects. Community Supported Herbalism is a relatively new concept within the past 5 years.  Similar to CSA's, with Community Supported Agriculture programs there's an opportunity for individuals, families or households to become 'members' by purchasing annual or seasonal shares in an herb farm in exchange for a variety of regular seasonal herbs and botanical products.  By participating in a monthly share members receive regular shares of bulk culinary and medicinal herbs, plus other select botanical products that are delivered or picked up each month at convenient designated community locations.  The herbal goodies are typically organically grown, ethically wild crafted and handcrafted.   Each month members receive seasonally aligned botanical medicines, similar to the seasonal foods principle.  
An herbal share and delivery may include medicinal tinctures, tasty tea blends, infused herb oils, salves, vinegars, cordials and of course fresh culinary herbs.    
A CSH is one of the best ways to support regional organic growers, skilled herbalists and the overall local economy in a sustainable manner.  Herbal-focused CSA's transform the entire experience from connection to the land into the realm of plant-based heal care, wellness, and education.  What we call down to the ground green medicine for local people at Herbalists Without Borders.  CHS's enhance healthful options in communities--fresh herbs and botanical products to members in a way that seldom happens, similar to local community herbal apothecaries.  Each CSH has a unique design in its structure, philosophy, cost, and the products and services it provides to members. Some CSH programs are called by other names, such as herb shares, herb exchanges, community supported medicine (CSM), and community supported herbalism (CSH).

One example of a CSM project that we like to point out as a barrier-reducing program is Third Root Community Health Center in Brooklyn, New York.  They have many interesting aspects to their program.  Third Root’s CSM--Community Supported Medicine--is based on a sliding pay scale in which members pay according to their income level. Prices start at $100 for a half share (10 installments) and $200 for a full share (20 installments) and increase in increments of $5 to $10 for higher income brackets.  A similar concept to some of our Herbalists Without Borders sliding scale Peoples Clinics. 

“In the CSH program specifically, the sliding scale means that people who couldn’t otherwise afford to stock a home herbal apothecary can build one over a season and that we can have a more diverse membership,” said Ballard of Third Roots.  “In Brooklyn, that’s key, as so many immigrant communities have in-tact herbal traditions but can’t necessarily afford herbal products in stores. Our sliding scale means that we can reach these communities and validate the kind of healthcare they are more familiar with in their home country.”   

To learn more about Third Root, contact them at: www.thirdroot.org/csh.html.
Information on other herbal CSAs and their locations around North America is available at the LocalHarvest database at www.localharvest.org.   To learn more about other tools and resources related to CSH's or to become involved with our Herbalists Without Borders model project contact us:  infoHWB@gmail.com

By Gigi Stafne, Herbalists Without Borders

eGuides & Project Manuals

The HWB Community Herbal Apothecary Project Manual providing guidelines and resources for developing a local apothecary is available by clicking here or contacting our main office:   officeHWB@gmail.com

New e-document available this year 2017: "Accessible Apothecaries" describing alternative economic models for Herbal Apothecaries. Order this through our main office, too:   officeHWB@gmail.com
​All of these eGuides are FREE to our paying members.​

VOLUNTEER>>

COMMUNITY HERBAL
​APOTHECARIES PROJECT

​Our vision for the future is that every town, urban and rural would have a Community Herbal Apothecary!   HWB will link you with existing apothecaries, offers set-up and operations tips, in the future will disseminate a HOW TO GUIDE and trainings.
​
Consider becoming a member  & volunteer on a project!

Contact Coordinator
​Community Herbal Apothecaries: 
Joanne Bauman

​Herbalists Without Borders wants to highlight your Community Herbal Apothecary

Global Industry Analysts indicated that the market for traditional medicine was a $114 billion industry in 2016. [1] By these standards, shouldn't all people have access to true sustainable natural and botanical medicine?  All herbalists and growers could be making a sustainable living wage doing what they love to do.  Support local herbalists and Community Herbal Apothecaries everywhere.  
​ 
Share more about your Apothecary with HWB.  We'd like you to become involved!   
Please contact Community Herbal Apothecary Project Coordinator or our main Herbalists Without Borders office:

Herbalists Without Borders Intl:   officeHWB@gmail.com   or  Joanne Bauman,  prairiemagic@gmail.com  www.prairiemagicherbals.com

Herbalists Without Borders is sustained by volunteers, donors & members delivering herbal health, holistic wellness and humanitarian aid to those in need. ​​