Hello First name / herb angel,
 

With valentine's day around the corner, I've got love on the brain. I've been dreaming up self-care, radical intimacy, & herbal infused love languages! I thought I'd share some ways to practice loving up on yourself over the weekend. Not only is self-love pandemic-safe, but I hope this serves as a reminder to cultivate a relationship with yourself in intentional, loving ways. Get to know yourself so you can be yourself, authentically, in community, relationship, & romance!

GIFTING

-buy yourself some fresh flowers! for your bedroom, altar, bathroom, dining table, kitchen….

-this Heart to Heart tincture & the Love Triangle are excellent additions to your heart led, self-care rituals

PHYSICAL TOUCH

-moisturize bb! grab your favorite herb infused oil & give yourself a massage. maybe your feet could use some love, your legs need a break, or your neck & shoulders are tense. take 10-30 minutes to really give your body some gentle attention & nourishing touch. you can always sub in your fave lotion, salve, or body butter.

ACTS OF SERVICE

-draw yourself a rosemary bath (or other herb of choice). one of my fave ways to draw a bath, is to make a large pot of tea on the stove with my chosen herb. I then strain it into my bath & add any epsom salts, fresh flowers, honey, milk, &/or bubbles (get creative here!).

QUALITY TIME

-sit down with a journal & cup of tea. write about what comes up for you as you sip! maybe you feel the tea in certain parts of your body or hear messages from the plant. 

-make art with nature! take your supplies to the garden or on a walk & draw/paint/etc what you see. this is a lovely way to get to know a plant & no art skills are needed! if it's too cold out, try a window view or grab some produce & spices from your kitchen for some still life.

WORDS OF AFFIRMATION

-the next time you take your tinctures, do it in front of your mirror as you speak words of love & affirmation over yourself. drink a big glass of water afterwards! the mantras are up to you! what do you need to hear? “I am enough" & "All I need is within me now" are supportive for me these days.

This week, we are continuing to highlight dark-skin Black herbalists & artists in wellness doing incredible things whom you. must. know! While dismantling colorism is more complex than this gesture, it is one of many in a daily life committed to (un)learning & doing. I am no where near perfect or an expert. I do want to show up for the changes I want to see in the world & risk making mistakes along the way though. While me must do the work to free ourselves, I also believe that when our most marginalized are liberated, we all are. That said..

"Hi, my name is Nikki Minor. I use she/her and they/them pronouns and I am the creative force behind Chicory Botanicals. I’m passionate about plants, Black joy, accessible herbalism, anti-racism, Black and African botanical legacy, community based mutual aid, abolition, and being a public school educator. I believe plants can be used as tools for liberation.

I was born and raised on Chitamacha-Houma land (aka New Orleans, LA) and I have been a practitioner of folk herbalism for about 5 years. I got my start working with plants as a child and spending time as an apprentice for Rosalie Botanicals.

Chicory Botanicals is a self-published zine and line of small-batch herbal goods. I began Chicory Botanicals in 2017 with a mission to make affordable plant medicine and raise money to donate to a local bail fund. To date, @chicoryzine has donated nearly $1,000 in cash and herbal products to bail funds, local and national mutual aid funds, Indigenous organizers, reproductive justice funds, and members of the QT/BIPOC community.

I’m excited to make several important announcements on Instagram, including two product drops, a virtual workshop on  Exploring Herbal Vinegar on Feb 28, 2021, and free medicine for BIPOC folks.  

To learn more about my work, you can check out my conversation on Plants for Liberation with Smoke Perfume, listen to my podcast episode with Rise Up! Good Witch, & visit my linktree."

be sure to follow, support, patron, & connect with nikki minor

CHIcory Botanicals 

@chicoryzine on IG

venmo: majorlyminor

Cashapp: $majorlyminor

paypal: Paypal.me/chicoryzinenola 

Thank you for being here & see you next week!

LINK