One of Many Herbs I Used in Natural Parenting
- Oct 5, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 8, 2024
I have been pregnant 4 times. I have 5 children, and I breastfed for 10 years nonstop. I have worked from home a good amount of my children’s lives, so I could be with them. They were unschooled, so they could be with their parents primarily and otherwise doing cool things with other cool people. We have consumed cannabis as a regular part of our livity and natural parenting their entire lives, including inside our home in their presence and with them in the car. I suppose not sending our children to school was not unrelated to our freedom to consume cannabis, as most of our friends who indulged were hyper-conscious of the possibility of their children “telling on them” with a slip of the tongue at school.
My 5 children, collectively referred to as EMOZA, are all now young adults. They are all generally and relatively healthy, productive, intelligent, competent, fun, kind and charming contributors to society. Some of them smoke cannabis daily and some of them will eat a
cannabis edible occasionally, especially if I make it. Some have juggled cannabis for the reasons any of us ever have. I have always aimed to guide them with the thought that we use many herbs for many reasons and cannabis happens to be one, just like red raspberry, nettles, mullein, thyme or alfalfa. We also move with the overstanding and, willfully, the intention that if we wouldn’t eat it, we shouldn’t smoke it, because we must afford ourselves and the plant the same respect we would if it were food on our dinner plates. We don’t eat everything, so we don’t smoke everything! Discernment is key as much with cannabis as with choosing a restaurant, a piece of fruit, or whether to indulge in a buffet. Cleanliness matters. Chemicals matter. Packaging matters. Handling matters. In the restaurant world, this has led to “farm to table” and in the cannabis industry, the concept is called “seed to sale.” Who’s behind it matters as much as we can control that, and when we cannot, we do certain things to mitigate any possible negative effects we could experience from consuming that thing.
Plant medicine, which includes herbs, has always been our family’s first go to for healing ailments from upset stomachs to skin rashes, dental abscesses, insomnia, colds, wounds, headaches, menstrual pain, emotional stress, and whatever else. We use plant medicine to supplement our nutrition to ensure that our bodies have proper vitamins, minerals, digestion, absorption, elimination, immunity, strength and energy towards optimal function and vitality. Many herbs are just weeds to the untrained eye. Weeds are typically very sturdy and persistent in nature. Some of the things that make them that way are things that make some of them good for us. Cannabis is commonly called “weed” because it is scraggly looking and can grow pretty much anywhere temperate. However, nutritionally, it is a superfood due to it being a superior source of protein, omega3 essential fatty acid, and fiber. Medicinally, there is a very long list of uses for cannabis. Pain, anxiety, depression, and nausea are amongst the most common reasons for usage and are often dismissed, mistaken or misnamed, as simply recreational use. I, and many others in the cannabis community, uphold that recreational is medicinal.
My mother, as a self-described Black hippie, used to have me drinking herbal teas in my baby bottles and she still always has a cabinet full of herbal remedies in her kitchen. She also consumed cannabis freely in my presence from as early as I can remember. For context, she did not allow me to wear dangly earrings until I was like 12 and would not allow me to have boys in my room until I moved into my own space with the person who fathered all my children. My grandfather, her dad, was also an “herbs first” person, who always shared his knowledge with his family. He would be all over the Cannabis opportunities right now for his own health and for Black economic and social equity with his natural remedies-community -civics-Black economic power-New Yorker-self! I never thought to have this conversation with him while he was in the earthly realm, but my guess is that for him, herbal remedies and other natural healing modalities just made sense. As a stock market expert and very successful broker, he would have been keen on minimizing risk. Pharmaceuticals for healthy living are generally risky which often outweighs the long-term “reward.” Just think of all the ads online, in magazines, and on TV with their page-long side-effect warnings that commonly end in the words “or death.” While it is true that some herbs can also kill or have severe negative side-effects, that timing and patience may be required to reach desired effects, and that there may not be much, if any “scientific” evidence from any currently recognized regulatory bodies, there are millions of people and thousands of years’ worth of indigenous, anecdotal, historic, and historical scientific evidence supporting and guiding the safe, practical use of herbs and natural remedies for healing and curing the body, mind, and spirit.
My personal preferred way to consume is burning herb, aka “smoking” it in organic unbleached vegan hemp paper rolled by me. Smoking is the most direct way for immediate effect. It is also the spiritual way to engage the plant, aside from growing it, by transforming matter into antimatter literally and figuratively. Of course since we all know that smoking in general is not great for the lungs, I like to keep cannabis infused ingredients on hand for adding to things I cook, eat, or drink. I recently learned that in addition to being a great rub for sore or tight muscles, my skin enjoys infused cannabis oil on my face. Oils and tinctures in squirt or dropper bottles are also great for consuming while traveling and when in non-smoking/anti-cannabis spaces.
As a family of 7 in a 1296 sq ft house, who were at home a whole lot, cannabis served us well in keeping the energy calm, creative, and conscientious. The strange thing is that it was usually after a period of being without cannabis that I would notice the difference. It was before the time of easy accessibility, info, and decarboxylation gadgets, so though I did occasionally bake cannacookies or make cannabis tea for the house, burning herb was the main way. Putting it in the air is one of the most ancient ways to maintain irie vibes instead of contentious ones. I have larger thoughts on the topic of cannabis in the air relative to the whole emergence of vape, edible, and gadget culture, but that’s for another day in a separate article.
It is always important and best to do one’s own research. For everything in life— natural remedies, herbs, cannabis, and all things beyond. Check the links included in the article and there are other resources below. Well-informed self-experimentation is my preferred method of figuring out what works for me. It is up to you to figure out what works for you. Pay attention to your healthcare provider’s warnings and use them as a sign for further inquiry, not as a finite NO! Stay in conversation with them while you learn from reputable cannabis resources. And always as with everything, use your best judgement and best practices for best results. Cannabis is great for most, yet definitely not for all. Again, as with anything, if you choose to use cannabis or any plant medicine, pay attention to changes in health, capacity and behavior, and adjust or discontinue as necessary.
In the state of Pennsylvania, I am a registered (cannabis) PAMMP caregiver which means an adult PA resident may designate me to legally support them or someone of any age in their guardianship as a PAMMP patient by recommending, purchasing from a PA medical dispensary, and/or preparing medical cannabis for that patient’s consumption.
Please email me or book a Discovery Session if you are interested in having me as your cannabis caregiver or your general wellness, family, or relationship coach.
One perfect love.
~Naeemah :)
Resources to get you started (not Sources or Bibliography for this blog post)
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