For the Love of Medicine

For the love of medicine, let us stop this endless assault on the body, mind, and soul. Let us have grace—for ourselves and for each other—as so much of what burdens us is out of our control. We have been living for some time now in an era of disharmony and disconnection. Modern society and culture have created conditions where we are exposed to overwhelming levels of toxins—both physical and spiritual—while simultaneously stripping away the very medicines that could help us cope and heal. Our vital reserves are being sapped, only to be replaced by poisons that pull us deeper into imbalance and illness.

Yet, for the love of medicine, we must remember: there is still so much within our control. There is still so much at our disposal to reclaim our health, our power, and our wholeness.

The Earth is still deeply in love with all the life it nurtures. We know this because it continues to offer us alternatives—moments of grace, routes to healing, remedies hidden in plain sight. We are not separate from this divine force; we are agents of it. Support is literally at our fingertips. So, for the love of medicine—access it. For the love of yourself, your lineage, and all those who will come after you, embrace the plant medicines.

Imagine how ungrateful we have been—ripping the source of healing from the Earth, only to toss it into landfills and incinerators. And all the while, not realizing that we are tossing ourselves into that same inferno of waste, neglect, and numbness.

We are living through a revolutionary time—fraught with endless social, political, and economic strife. Many of us are being pushed to resist systems so fundamentally toxic that it's hard to see how they can be reformed. But here’s the truth: nothing will change if we continue to rely on the very system that is making us sick to also be our healer. Nowhere is this contradiction more evident than in medicine.

Of course, this argument could be made for other forms of government dependency. But when it comes to medicine, the stakes are even higher. We will all need healing at some point in our lives. And if we are coerced into relying solely on pharmaceuticals—often over-the-counter and synthetic drugs—we place our health into the hands of a system that profits from our ongoing illness.

When it comes to food, moving away from processed and system-dependent sources can be challenging, but is often manageable and non-life-threatening. Transitioning away from pharmaceutical medicine, however, requires deeper support and commitment, particularly when we are already physically or emotionally unwell.

As a clinical herbalist working in the holistic field for over a decade, I’ve seen countless examples of this exact struggle. Even when individuals are ready to shift to a more natural, holistic lifestyle, there is often deep repair needed from the damage caused by years—sometimes decades—of harmful allopathic medications.

The difficulty intensifies when the medications in question are for psychological conditions. Transitioning from these can be painful and complex. That’s not to say that western medicine doesn’t have its place—there are situations where it is truly necessary. But it should not be our first resort. It should be the last.

One of the hardest moments in my practice is when I teach children and young adults about the love that the Earth expresses through her medicines—and they look at me with confusion. They ask why, instead of learning about this natural wisdom, they’ve been placed on a cocktail of synthetic drugs that leave them feeling numb, nauseous, and disconnected.

For the love of medicine, use your mind and your soul to harness the healing spirit within you. Let it regenerate, restore, and guide your body toward wellness. There is no greater gift than health, balance, and alignment with your purpose.

There is no positive revolution on this planet that is not deeply intertwined with health. And there is no true fight we can win without the support of herbal medicine.

Everything you need is waiting for you. You can begin your journey at Black Lotus Apothecary.