Herbalists Without Borders

​Becs and Annwen founded the group Herbalists without Borders Bristol in 2016 as a collaboration between herb growers, medicine makers and clinical herbalists to provide free ethical herbal medicine treatment for migrants and asylum seekers within the city.

This has now grown into a vibrant project with many volunteers, and its own room at St Werburghs Community Centre.  ​The group distributes free basic Bristol-made medicines (e.g. cough medicines, chest balms and sleep teas) via a medicine cart that we take to refugee drop-in projects around the city several times a month.
​
Setting up this project is a deeply rooted act of resistance against an unjust global political system that has created such unjust borders, as well as successive government’s introduction of immigration bills which further isolates migrants. We believe that herbal medicine is an important part of any healthcare system and can have profound positive  effects. 
​​
Help us fundraise for this important project by buying The Herbal Yearbook written by Annwen and Becs in collaboration with other members of the project.

St Werburghs Medicine Garden

Around 2013, we established a community herb garden on an allotment plot in St Werburgh's. The project, which began with hard work and a lot of digging by a very small group of people, has grown over the years to be a collectively run collaborative project that has been through several incarnations.

We have used the garden to share skills on growing and propagating medicinal herbs, as well as information on harvesting, making medicines and how to use the herbs in self-care.

The garden is now part of the Herbalists without Borders project, growing herbs for our free herbal healthcare provision for refugees. It also provides a resource for the community so that everyone is able to experience working with herbs and deepen their connection to the wider landscape.
​
You can get involved with the public monthly herb gardening sessions by contacting Herbalists Without Borders or coming on the first Sunday of the month.

Radical Herbalism Gathering

​Becs Griffiths first came up with the idea to hold a gathering about Radical Herbalism after being inspired by similar gatherings in the United States. The gathering would include speakers and workshops directly placing herbal medicine within a social and  political context, rather than being simply about individual development as is so often the case. 

Annwen and Becs were part of a collective putting on an amazing event each summer in the UK for five years between 2014 and 2018, which were attended by hundreds of people.
​
‘Rad‘ in latin means root. Radical herbalism is about getting to the root of health, addressing all dimensions – the physical, emotional, social, political, spiritual, environmental.  We believe that everyone should have the basic knowledge and skills to look after themselves naturally. Herbal medicine, one of the oldest medicines in the world, should play an important part in our healthcare system.

Subscribe to our mailing list