Food is Our Medicine: Black Women’s Herbal Wisdom

RS
Apr 16
5 min read

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only, and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a qualified health care professional for guidance regarding your individual health needs. Also, some of the plant images below may not accurately depict the plants themselves, as some are AI-generated.

When examining the history of clinical care for Black women, many areas deserve attention. One of the most central is reproductive health—spanning menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, fertility, and the postpartum period. From African, Caribbean, and Native Americans traditions, this knowledge of herbal remedies has allowed Black women to nurture themselves and their communities for generations.

The African diaspora has carried a rich tradition of herbal medicine from West Africa and the Caribbean to the United States, shaping generations of women’s health practices. Even today, research shows that up to 80% of African women make use of herbal remedies for their healthcare needs and, most frequently, these remedies are “ambivalent plants” that can be used as both medicine or food. Much of this knowledge has been passed down, verbally, creating traditions steeped in lived experience and communal care. Some research shows that about 17% of African Americans make use of herbal medicine. Herbal remedies have a long history of providing relief and agency to Black women with (and without) limited access to formal medical care. Below are seven essential herbs and plants—some rooted in the lived experiences of enslaved women, and others that continue to be staples in modern Black wellness practices.

Hibiscus Sabdariffa L.

Across Africa, hibiscus is used to treat irregular menstruation. It can act as an emmenagogue to stimulate or increase menstrual flow and, as such, may also interfere with fertility and certain fertility treatments themselves, like IVF. Concoctions of this plant can also be used to induce or improve lactation in postpartum women. Further, the plant has been shown to improve iron levels in women of childbearing age, and to even prevent stunted growth of such women’s children. This plant appears quite robust in addressing various women’s health issues!

Zingiber officinale Roscoe

Oh, ginger. It has been termed a “miracle plant” for its many medicinal uses. In almost all African countries, many women chew it or take an infusion of this plant to treat morning sickness during pregnancy. Ginger can also help to alleviate menstrual cramps, and may even be as effective as common NSAIDs. Even more, ginger has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antiulcer effects. (Of course, the latter are not so specific to women’s health issues, but such effects need mention.) Perhaps it is a miracle plant. Of course, it’s also tasty—if somewhat an acquired taste for some.

Alstonia boonei De Wild and Lippia multiflora Moldenke

Across various African countries, infusions from the sacred Onyame dua (ie, “God’s Tree,” in the Twi language of Ghana) or Ahùn (Yoruba) tree are used to assist in placental expulsion in childbirth. As for Lippia multiflora Moldenke, the boiled leaves from this perennial aromatic shrub are used to make Gambian tea or “grandmother’s tea,” which can also help to expel the placenta after childbirth.

Gossypium herbaceum

Cotton root was used by many enslaved women to prevent pregnancy, abort it, or to simply regulate menstruation. Because countless enslaved women were forced to produce as many children as possible, the root of the cotton plant served as their secret salvation from unwanted pregnancy—and as a deliberate act of resistance against a system that sought to exploit their wombs for labor and profit. By preventing or ending pregnancies, enslaved women asserted control over their reproductive lives and disrupted the cycle through which slavery reproduced itself. Enslaved people had to make use of what they had access to in order to maintain their health, and cotton was, of course, very accessible.

Unsurprisingly, enslavers were not so pleased to discover such common practice and, according to records from the mouths of formerly enslaved women, they faced violent beatings in response to their resistance.

Turpentine and indigo

Quite difficult and dangerous to make, turpentine was derived from pine resin, and used to induce abortion, as well as indigo (the latter readily available, given its use in dyeing clothes). Women used turpentine and indigo to “unfix” themselves in a climate that commodified their life-bearing capacity in the slave trade. In a 1930s interview for the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Slave Narratives—later compiled by George P. Rawick into his 41-volume series, The American Slave: A Composite Autobiography—a formerly enslaved woman named Lu Lee explains:

"In them days the turpentine was strong and ten or twelve drops would miscarry you. But the makers found what it was used for and they changed the way of making turpentine. It ain’t no good no more."

Mind you, enslavers used turpentine as a form of punishment in a practice known as salting—where turpentine was poured onto wounds, like those from whippings. Not only was turpentine dangerous to make and highly toxic, but it was also very painful to ingest, which underscores the desperation felt by so many enslaved women.

There are countless other herbal remedies and treatments that have been—and continue to be—used by Black women across the world, and throughout history. These plant-based remedies and preparations erupted from interest, necessity, and deep wisdom. Black women have nurtured themselves and their communities for centuries, empowering one generation to the next. A veritable herbal apothecary has helped to sustain the health, autonomy, and dignity of millions of Black women—then and now.

Further Reading

Brahmi F, Kampemba Mujinga F, Guendouze N, Madani K, Boulekbache L, Duez P. Benefits of Traditional Medicinal Plants to African Women's Health: An Overview of the Literature. Diseases. 2025 May 20;13(5):160. doi: 10.3390/diseases13050160. PMID: 40422592; PMCID: PMC12110240.

Campbell D, Bates S, Hickmon A. Hibiscus Tea, Hormone Balance, and Thrombosis: A Case Report. Integr Med (Encinitas). 2023 May;22(2):40-42. PMID: 37363150; PMCID: PMC10289109.

Covey H. African American Slave Medicine: Herbal and Non-herbal Treatments. Lexington Books; 2007.

Gardiner P, Whelan J, White LF, Filippelli AC, Bharmal N, Kaptchuk TJ. A systematic review of the prevalence of herb usage among racial/ethnic minorities in the United States. J Immigr Minor Health. 2013 Aug;15(4):817-28. doi: 10.1007/s10903-012-9661-z. PMID: 22723252; PMCID: PMC4401997.

Kubuga CK, Hong HG, Song WO. Hibiscus sabdariffa Meal Improves Iron Status of Childbearing Age Women and Prevents Stunting in Their Toddlers in Northern Ghana. Nutrients. 2019 Jan 19;11(1):198. doi: 10.3390/nu11010198. PMID: 30669431; PMCID: PMC6357016.

Lu Lee, Rawick, The American Slave, Supplement Series 2, Vol. 6. Texas Narratives, Pt 5 (Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1979), 2299.

Morgan A. Roots of African American herbalism: Herbal use by enslaved Africans. The Herbal Academy website. Published August 18, 2020. Accessed February 14, 2026.

Mütter EDU Staff. Medicinal practices of enslaved peoples. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Education Blog. Published February 28, 2022. Accessed February 14, 2026.

Negi R, Sharma SK, Gaur R, Bahadur A, Jelly P. Efficacy of Ginger in the Treatment of Primary Dysmenorrhea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Cureus. 2021 Mar 6;13(3):e13743. doi: 10.7759/cureus.13743. PMID: 33842121; PMCID: PMC8021506.

Nikkhah Bodagh M, Maleki I, Hekmatdoost A. Ginger in gastrointestinal disorders: A systematic review of clinical trials. Food Sci Nutr. 2018 Nov 5;7(1):96-108. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.807. PMID: 30680163; PMCID: PMC6341159.

N Enwerem, M Azuine. Hibiscus sabdariffa L: Safety and Efficacy during Pregnancy and Lactation. Planta Med. 2013;79 - PS6. doi: 10.1055/s-0033-1348820

Ronquillo, F.; Melgar, M.; Carrillo, J.; Martínez, A. Especies Vegetales de Uso Actual y Potencial en Alimentación y Medicina de las Zonas Semiáridas del Nororiente de Guatemala; Cuadernos DIGI: Guatemala City, Guatemala, 1988; p. 5.

West E, David S. Reproduction and resistance. Hidden Voices: Enslaved Women in the Lowcountry and U.S. South. Lowcountry Digital History Initiative. Published December 2020. Accessed February 14, 2026.