The mission of the Solidarity Apothecary is to materially support revolutionary struggles and communities with plant medicines to strengthen collective autonomy, self-defence and resilience to climate change, capitalism and state violence.

This episode shares some of the Solidarity Apothecary's plans for 2025!

Links & resources from this episode

• Solidarity Apothecary 2025 Plans Post

Find them all at solidarityapothecary.org/podcast/

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Music from Sole & DJ Pain – Battle of Humans | Plant illustrations by @amani_writes | In solidarity, please subscribe, rate & review this podcast wherever you listen.

Welcome to the Frontline Herbalism Podcast with your host Nicole Rose from the

Solidarity Apothecary.

This is your place for all things plants and

liberation.

Let's get started.

Hello. Welcome back to the Frontline Herbalism Podcast.

It is nice to be back on the microphone.

I hope you listened to the kind of 2024 review

post where I went over different things that happened with the Solidarity Apothecary.

This little post is just like a kind of continuation from that.

So every year I kind of publish my goals publicly to kind of create accountability for

the apothecary, you know, and includes.

Include some personal stuff in there.

But yeah, the mission of the Solidarity Apothecary is to materially support

revolutionary struggles and communities with plant medicines to strengthen collective

autonomy, self defense and resilience to climate change, capitalism and state violence.

And yeah, as I'm recording this, the fires are raging in Los Angeles and yeah, I'm just

sending all my love and strength to people there.

I know different herbalists are kind of mobilizing to support people with kind of

herbs for the respiratory system who are obviously in recovery and kind of out of the

crisis, like who've evacuated.

But yeah, I just, it just feels like more important than ever to do, do this work and to

focus on how the hell we're gonna be adapting to climate change, you know, in our

communities.

But I digress.

So yeah, I just want to share this post.

So I'm gonna put a link in the show notes to where this post is written so you can check

that out and I'll just.

Yeah, I'll just kind of read through it.

And in the next episode I'm gonna go through all of the kind of current Solidarity

Apothecary authorings.

So they're like all in one place.

So yeah, please make sure you check that out as well.

And then I will be back.

Proper herbal content.

I'm going to be doing a series about herbs for

sustaining resistance.

Excuse me.

Or for folks who are struggling with burnout

who are trying to like challenge this up world in different ways.

And yeah, I know that takes a lot of emotional, physical, energetic energy, all the

things.

So yeah, we're going to be looking at some kind of plant allies that can support us

through those challenging times.

Okay, so 2025, major focus.

So the kind of overarching focus of the year

is to invest in the Solidarity Apothecary ecosystem and long term offerings.

So what does that mean in practice? It means developing systems and structures.

So this is like my jam for 2025 is like how to improve all of these systems.

Because, you know, like, systems work can sometimes feel like a bit of a luxury of like,

it's not urgent, it's not like right in front of your nose.

Um, but they are ultimately things that we invest in that help us kind of like function

better functions, function more strategically, reduce time and energy, like going forward.

Um, and as I've got my little Bubba, like, I need to be more and more strategic about

getting everything organized.

And you know, I'm quite an organized,

systematic person, but I just, yeah, I'm longing for a bit more structure.

Um, so, yeah, what are the plans? I'm going to be creating a

learning.solidarityapothecary.org website.

Actually I'm going to be pay my beloved techies who are called autonomic who do.

I mean, I do like the website content stuff, but they do all the like, amazing, hey, my

website's broken, please fix it stuff for me and developmental stuff.

So yeah, we're going to be creating like a dedicated website.

So if you've enrolled in an online course, for example, then it's going to be much easier for

you to access that content.

Much more sort of streamlined with different instructions and yeah, clear overview of

lessons and things.

It's going to be really nice.

I mean, if you've logged into the herbalism, PTSD and traumatic stress course, you can see

that, you know, it's pretty well, well laid out and.

But yeah, I just kind of want to make that like a separate thing because my website's

getting a bit heavy ensuring all systems are set up for book sales which fund the prisoners

herbal work.

So if you didn't know, the books that I sell, Prisoners Herbal, the coloring book,

Overcoming Burnout, Herbalism and State Violence, like all of the kind of income from

those books funds everything I do in terms of making medicine, distributing it, distributing

prisoners herbals to people around the world.

And let me tell you, postage is inexpensive.

Thankfully printing is like fairly affordable

and active distribution are amazing at kind of fronting the costs for us.

But yeah, every time someone is requesting a book in the U.S.

for example, we're posting it from the U.K.

which is not strategic.

And I know we need to get a whole pallet of books to the U.S. it's just, yeah, that was

what was happening happening originally but hasn't happened in a fair while.

And again it's all this stuff that I want to sort out.

So I want to get all their ebooks sorted as well with like an online distributor so that

they can kind of get to, like, other platforms.

And yeah, I won't say too much because I haven't signed the contract, but a certain

radical publisher has contacted me about publishing the Herbalism and State Violence

book and the Prisoners Herbal Books, which would be ******* amazing because it would mean

someone else can do all the printing and posting and, yeah, would make it much more

accessible for getting books to prisoners.

So watch this space.

With that, completing the redesign of our

Prisoners Herbal database and reconnecting with folks who've received books to see if

they can distribute more.

So I'm Sitting on about 800 prisoners herbals, I think, at the moment.

And, yeah, I would really like to get them into people in prison before doing another

kind of print run.

This is a thing like, once you've got rid of all the books, you're like, yay, we did the

thing.

And then it's like, okay, we'll do another

print run.

This happened like three times in a row.

But, yeah, someone who I've been kind of, yeah, paying basically to help with my.

To help with my emails a couple of hours a week, Chantelle just.

Hello.

If you're listening to this from Herbs, Fruits

and Remedies, she's been updating this kind of database that we have of prisoner herbal books

and just making it much kind of like clearer and more structured so that it will be easier

to come back to a prisoner family member who requested a book and be like, hey, can we

double check that the book got through?

Because obviously prisons stop a lot of books getting in.

Do you need an.

Anything else?

Like, could the prisoner write a testimonial? Do they have any friends that want a copy?

We can, like, reconnect with all the prisoner book projects that have taken loads of us.

Loads off us, like, historically and yeah, just kind of make the whole thing a bit more.

A bit more structured, a little less ad hoc.

Investing in my herb shed.

So I have a beloved herb shed which is like

the size of a big kitchen.

It's amazing.

And yeah, it's.

I built it when my granddad died and left me some money, which is what I bought the shed

with.

And I bought my van with, which I also need to

sell.

So if anyone wants a Mazda Bongo that's 1080,000 miles, let me know.

It's probably not worth much anymore, but, yeah, they need the income and it's a

beautiful van.

And unfortunately, I don't know if the Calais

project are able to take it on or want to take it on, so might have to sell it privately.

Please send me an email if you're interested and you're in the uk.

But yeah, anyway, investing in my herb shed.

So I'm thinking about maybe organizing

building like a second storage shed.

I also want to kind of improve the INV system,

make it kind of less in my head and more that like, if I needed to like bring someone on

board to be some sort of like dispensing assistant, for example, then they could just

like know exactly where everything is, how much we've got of everything.

I could know which glycerites I need to make, for example.

You know, like, everything has just been in my head for such a long time of like, I know

exactly what I'm running out of all the time.

And yeah, no one's brain should have to kind of hold that much information.

So I want to improve my system.

I want to tighten up my GMP practices, my good

manufacturing practices.

You know, they're not too bad for like someone that's kind of like, you know, I'm very on it

with more kind of prescriptions that I give to clients, but I'm less, you know, rigorous with

other sort of DIY projects.

And I just want the whole thing to be kind of like solid.

Redesigning my herb garden.

So I've got this amazing herb garden that is

like completely neglected and I just, I look at it with so much sadness and grief about not

being able to managed it.

And I think ultimately the design of it was wrong at the beginning.

But you obviously only learn that a few years in.

So I'd like to redesign the whole thing with much bigger paths, much kind of bigger raised

beds.

If you love growing herbs and you are good at herb garden design, I would actually be

genuinely interested in maybe paying someone to help with it because I just don't have the

time or head space to do it at the moment.

But it's just, yeah, such a big part of not only teaching people about herbalism, but

just, you know, feeling connected to plants.

You know, my background is in sort of community food growing and horticulture and

stuff.

So it's like I feel sad that I'm doing less of

that stuff, if that makes sense.

And yeah, it's something I can do with the baby as well when he's a bit bigger is

gardening and stuff.

So email templates.

So systematizing my inbox with different filters and templates to make it kind of

easier to manage, you know, easier for Chantal to manage.

I also want to sort of document more of my procedures, you know, in the Kind of geeky

world.

They call them like standard operating

procedures, SOPs, but like just basic things of how I do things like sending newsletters or

updating my website or you know, like really getting all my medicine recipes.

Like one of the things I'm doing with the glycerites is like writing down the exact

amount of time and temperature it's taking to make them so that it's easier for someone

else.

Like I could trust someone else to.

To do it, if that makes sense.

And yeah, and so that's kind of all the system stuff and then investing energy in creating

long term offerings.

So I am working on this course at the moment called do no Harm, which is like a

comprehensive introduction to kind of clinical safety and herbal like safety for, excuse me,

for like grassroots herbalists and also like kind of quote unquote clinical herbalists.

And we're going to be looking at that binary in the course.

But it is, yeah, I think that so many people want to do amazing community work and they

feel restricted because either they don't feel like quote unquote qualified enough or yeah,

there may be a herbalist, but they don't feel like competent enough, for example.

And like I want to create a resource where like you feel very confident in your practice

of actually you are really supporting people and you know in your bones when you need to

refer.

So there's like a whole module all about red flags.

Like this is something we've talked about in Cali, like so much is like there's one thing

knowing, okay, this cough syrup that I've made is like unlikely to harm anyone.

There's another thing triaging people and missing someone that's got potential TB for

example.

So it's kind of like yeah, how we manage red

flags, like looking at some of the kind of medic, different categories of medication, you

know, what are our absolute no nos that can keep us safe.

And also like how can we do harm by not practicing herbalism?

Right.

And what does kind of like more community

grassroots herbalism? Like what, what does that look like?

What's in our scope of practice for that?

So yeah, every night when he goes to sleep, and he Normally sleeps between 6 and 7, I then

spend 2 hours on my phone working on it, just kind of doing bullet points, ready to make the

slides and researching things and bits and bobs.

Yeah. So it's gonna take a long time at that rate, but I think it will be a really good

offering to f.

Um. And yeah, another thing on the sort of horizon for like this winter is like this kind

of frontline herbalism kind of membership or learning community, as I'm phrasing it, which

is going to be bringing together kind of different online courses about like herbal

preparedness, herbal first aid, like action medic work, herbalism and stay violence, like,

you know, some of the things I've already done.

And making that kind of content accessible to people for one sort of like monthly price.

And again, like, no one will be turned away for lack of funds, like all of my offer

offerings.

But yeah, having like an option for people to subscribe and kind of engage in that content

at their own pace.

But then also having like a community aspect,

bringing in a bunch of like more experienced herbalists or differently experienced

herbalists, herbalists that have experience working with like unhoused folks or harm

reduction projects to do kind of like individual, like webinars or workshops with

people in that community.

I want to have like a whole sort of decolonizing herbalism series with people from

different kind of herbal lineages talking about kind of herbalism in their context and

stuff.

And then like a community care, like, thread

series where we're looking at herbalism for like different groups of people.

And then, yeah, having these kind of standalone courses and then having like a call

a month where we can like really coach people on, like, who want to start new projects.

Like, hey, I want to start a free clinic.

Like, how do I do that?

And then everyone participating can share their knowledge and learn from them.

And, you know, if it went well, it could create like a nice kind of like steady stream

of income to fund, like, the apothecary's work to fund other grassroots herbal projects, you

know, like the mobile herbal clinic in Calais, for example.

And yeah, that's just a dream.

Like, I think I love the herbalism, PTSD and

traumatic stress course, but the kind of launch, like feast and famine model is like

quite kind of stressful.

And it also means, like, people aren't accessing those courses for like several

months at the time who maybe need them.

But yeah, so this is all in progress.

I'm just beavering away at it like a little

mouse on my phone in the evenings when the baby's asleep.

But yeah, watch this space.

I also want to focus on, like, increasing enrollment and things that already exist.

So I really want to kind of up the enrollment in the herbalism, PTSD and traumatic stress

course.

I really want to increase the amount of people that are signing up for the glycerin workshop,

especially people that pay for it.

That would be great.

So, yeah, I Just kind of want to make the most of things that are already there, increase the

kind of book sales and like, build my newsletter list because, you know, that's how

I can put out calls for solidarity.

It's also how I can generate donations and people doing action alerts for people in

prison and stuff.

And also, you know, like, selling you the

things.

So. Yeah. And then, yeah, just kind of like, that's all the kind of, I guess, like, online

things.

But I also want to, like, continue on with the kind of, like, important aspects of the

solidarity apothecary.

So continuing to respond to requests for

herbal care packages, and I'm going to be talking about them more soon.

Continuing to post out prisoners herbal books to folks in prison, teaching their practical

medicine, making intensives, which I'll talk about more in the next episode.

Creating regular podcast episodes.

So, like, I think I mentioned this before, but

I have literally just surrendered to the fact that interviews are really, really hard while

I'm trying to breastfeed and do, like, contact naps with Lee.

So, yeah, I might have to just do more sort of like solo series like this until Lee is older.

Yeah. But I would love to do some seasons this year, like, particularly about herbs and harm

reduction.

You might have heard at the beginning of the review episode that, yeah, been in the kind of

throes of it with active addiction in terms of my partner relapsing with heroin during my

pregnancy, which was just like, horrific timing for both of us in terms of finances and

instability and anxiety and things.

And yeah, he went to rehab for six weeks and he's out and he's doing amazing.

He's going to Narcotics Anonymous meetings every single day.

He's, like, doing therapy with the rehab.

Like, he's doing so good.

And, you know, when it's the right time, we want to do a kind of series where we'll be

interviewing people he knows from the rehab and other projects and sort of NA and stuff.

Like, not as representatives of NA as it's kind of anonymous.

But, yeah, we're going to be interviewing different people and we're going to do like a

big fundraiser for his rehab, which is a charity who are really struggling financially.

And I wanted to kind of bring in like, the herbalism stuff with that.

I also want to do a series about herbalism and climate change because it just feels so

important.

So. Yeah. Any recommendations for guests is welcome.

You know, I have also thought about, is there anyone that could, for example, do other

interviews that we could publish on this podcast, you know, with like, radical

Herbalism projects around the world and stuff.

Like, you know, I want it as a platform to still be useful.

Just because I'm limited doesn't mean that it should be limited, if that makes sense.

Anyway, and I've written here on this blog, I'm trying so hard not to indulge in shiny

object syndrome by getting excited about new projects before systematizing existing ones.

Gemini Ascendant, anyone?

This is like classic Nicole.

I am Aquarian with a Gemini Ascendant and a moon in Capricorn, which means I get stuff

done but I also have like a billion one ideas that take me in like all the directions.

So yeah, anyway, these are the like sneaky things I would really love to do if I can do

everything I've mentioned already and if I'm able to organize child care.

So I haven't been seeing like one to one clients because it's very time consuming.

It's really not very well paid.

Like I basically often do it unpaid to support

people like prisoner families and things.

And I, you know, I subsidize my time with the PTSD money.

So it's not like it's completely unpaid.

But I just mean like if I've only got two afternoons a week with childcare and I would

maybe be able to see like a couple of people a day with that like in the afternoon.

So it just doesn't feel like possible.

But I would really love like in the autumn to create like a group program for burnt out

organizers where we could like come together in a collective way.

Shout out to Attica Apothecary because I've been like swooning over their model for this

and I need to ask them some questions about how it all works.

But yeah, basically like a kind almost like a group coaching program.

Program, but I hate the word coaching.

But yeah, but having like group calls and like

everyone for example is like taking different nervines or taking herbs to sleep and then we

all come together and talk about it or we're all trying to implement changes in our diets

for example.

Yeah. Just to create kind of community and accountability.

And I was thinking if it's for like organizer types and there would be this like

relationship building across different movements which could be super, super nice.

So yeah, that's on the back burner.

I also there's a new project near me in Glastonbury called the People's Apothecary and

yeah, they're operating at Bridie's Yard.

I'm not sure if it's like officially launched yet.

But anyway, they contacted me about being involved somehow and I've been thinking like,

could I do that like one afternoon a month for example, just see people like for free as part

of a free clinic.

So yeah, that's a. Maybe, maybe seeing one to one clients again.

I've also wondered if kind of finances and time allow about developing these like

workbooks for prisoners.

So like loads of people want to continue doing

a distance learning program in, in herbalism and I just.

It just hasn't happened basically.

Well, there's been like little inter iterations of it but nothing kind of

consistent.

So I had wondered about working with people to

put together kind of workbooks that we could send to someone in prison that they could like

work through slowly and yeah, be involved in some kind of herbal harm reduction project

locally.

So yeah, who knows what that could look like.

It's just something I'm like more and more

passionate about now after all my experiences with my partner and stuff.

Okay. Beyond the solidarity apothecary, other organizing goals so supporting the mobile

herbal clinic to receive £3,000 per month in monthly supporters.

I've just got the text sorted on the website, I've got a graphic ready to go and I just,

yeah, I'm going to be sending that to the newsletter soon but I would just love it if

people could donate like once a month to the clinic.

I mean if we had enough people doing that then the project could kind of continue

indefinitely and that would just be so incredible.

Organizing an online prisoner solidarity training.

I've done like several face to face prisoner solidarity trainings with different

collectives over a really long time and I just would love to make that as like a more online

resource, you know, and collaborate with a bunch of people to make that happen and have

like different workshops on different things.

Continue to amplify calls for solidarity on my networks.

I've mentioned my partner's fundraiser personal goals.

Get fit Postpartum, you know, pregnancy really changes your body and I'm trying really hard

to love myself and know that I've just literally grown a ******* human.

And that's amazing.

But it also feels disorientating not feeling

like strong and not feeling like kind of athletic or like how I've been historically.

So yeah, I would like to get more physically fit.

I think it would help my mental health a lot as well.

Get to more local things, make more local friends.

Because yeah, traveling to Bristol just isn't.

Is impossible really.

Like with Lee it's just.

Yeah, it's just really far in the car and he

hates the car.

So I'm trying to figure that stuff out.

Need to build my confidence in getting out of the house with Lee more.

I want to participate in some family kind of Al Anon type meetings.

And yeah, when me and Rob go to Cornwall in the summer, I really want to get some time in

the ocean because I miss it.

And I want to develop my skills in surfing, which are zero right now.

And yeah, paddleboard and stuff.

And then learning pathway goals.

I want to enroll in like a functional medicine training.

I want to complete my kind of foot health diploma course.

And yeah, my word of the year is root systems.

So, yeah, it's all about growing these roots, getting everything stronger, getting

everything systematized so that when I do have more capacity and energy out of this kind of

baby phase, then yeah, things will hopefully flourish more.

But please get in touch if anything that you've heard now is like, oh, that sounds

interesting.

I'd like to maybe do that with Nicole or with

the Apothecary.

I'd love to hear from you.

And yeah, definitely messages on Instagram and stuff are much easier for me than emails at

the moment.

But yeah, thanks for listening.

And the next episode is going to be all about

out the kind of offerings of the Apothecary.

Okay, take care.

Thanks so much for listening to the Frontline Herbalism podcast.

You can find the transcript, the links, all the resources from the

show@solidarityapothecary.org podcast.