It's common cold and flu season, but drinking an elderberry and rosehip herbal tea is a great way to boost your immune system, according to Taíno Boricua herbalist Lara Pacheco. Plants guided Pacheco to the path of uniting with the land and their ancestors, and as a result, they founded Seed & Thistle Apothecary, an educational resource to supports folks in reclaiming their ancestral traditions around plant medicine.
Indigenous communities have been using the flowers, leaves, berries, and wood of elderberry for thousands of years to battle fever and rheumatism. Both elderberries and rosehips are full of antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties useful in soothing the body aches that come with a cold. Pacheco recommends keeping the traditional knowledge alive by asking your grandparents for their favorite remedies.
"Do what your abuela, or 'Tata' as we called her, said," Pacheco said. "Your DNA is made up of your ancestors and their experiences. We're all trying to navigate how to feel grounded and connected, and remembering what our ancestors endured is a part of reclaiming that strength. To be connected to entities outside of yourself can also feel really hard and sad sometimes, but the key is not being stuck, so relying on nonhuman entities and human ones can help us to move these emotions. We really can't do any of it alone."
Try Pacheco's elderberry and rosehip tea recipe here.
