Forest as Pharmacy
/One woman’s quest to save endangered traditions
SHANNON PRINCE WAS THE FIRST BLACK PERSON MANY MONGOLIANS HAD EVER SEEN, AND AS A RESULT, THEY WERE OFTEN CURIOUS ABOUT HER SKIN AND HAIR. (PHOTO COURTESY SHANNON PRINCE)
“In Cherokee thought, ‘plant’ and ‘medicine’ are practically synonyms. ... Our traditional stories teach us that there’s no such thing as a non-medicinal plant – only plants whose medicinal purpose we aren’t aware of.”
Shannon Prince comes from a family with a rich relationship to the natural world. Her Cherokee ancestors were skilled at using plants to heal the deepest of wounds, and Shannon grew up with the understanding that nature could — quite literally — save you.
But her family’s eco-literacy had been stripped away over the generations, and by the time Shannon came along, there wasn’t much left to teach her.
Yearning to rediscover forgotten knowledge, Shannon traveled across the world, to a place where ancient traditions were more intact than her own.
On this episode, she shares her story, exploring the surprising things that can happen to us on a personal level, when we attempt to preserve a way of life that’s slowly being stripped away.
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More by Shannon Prince
Shannon Prince’s book Tactics for Racial Justice is for people who want to end racism but may not know how. It gives you the tools you need to help create a more just world.
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