Community Care Holistic Healing Guide

While dealing with a pandemic, having access to proper medical care is vital and can mean the difference between life and death. For that reason, we at Bella's Apothecary believe that a compilation of practical resources can help those in disenfranchised communities to survive independent of immediate help from outside agencies. 

This list is a work in progress so make sure to check back often. Together we can do a lot to help keep one another safe and healthy during a pandemic. 

DISCLAIMER: We are not doctors. We do not diagnose medical issues or prescribe medications. The intention is to provide factual information about accessible ingredients that help manage symptoms of respiratory viruses in general. The COVID-19 strain is new and there is no known cure or treatment. The best we can do is manage the symptoms and boost our immune systems so that they my be strong enough to fight off the infection if you or a loved one are unfortunate enough to become infected with the virus. Everyone's body responds differently to various natural and prescription treatments so make sure to listen to your body, build support networks close by and keep yourself informed. People in Belize should be checking in with updates from the Ministry of Health by clicking here. 

ABOUT COVID-19

• COVID-19 is a new strain of respiratory virus belonging to the Coronavirus family.​
• Due to its quick spread around the globe, and in communities, it is best to limit travel and keep socializing to a minimum. 
• It can take between 2 and 14 days for COVID-19 symptoms to appear. 

Signs & Symptoms of COVID-19

• Symptoms can include: Fever, Cough, Fatigue, Sputum (thick mucus from lungs) and Shortness of Breath. For a detailed report on symptoms, see this report by the WHO, page 11.  
• Watch for symptoms, especially if you are a care provider. Do you have a thermometer to check your temperature? low grade fevers are an early sign. 
• If you feel like you have symptoms of any cold or flu, please self-isolate until you feel better. 

How Does It Spread?

• Since this is a respiratory virus, it most likely spreads the same way a cold or flu does through respiratory droplets. So COVER your coughs and sneezes! Use a tissue when possible and throw it in the garbage.
• It can spread when we are in close contact (less than 6 feet) with someone who has it and the longer we are in close contact with them, the more likely we might pick it up. 
• It is also possible to get it from touching something someone else coughed on, for example, and then touching our mouth or nose. So let's keep communal spaces clean and wash our hands. 
• Recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that COVID19 lives on surfces for different amounts of time, depending on the material. Cardboard - up to 24 hours, Stainless Steel & Plastic - up to 72 hours, Copper - up to 4 hours. 

Vulnerable Populations we should take special care of

While we have been told that the elderly & people with weakened immune systems at the most at risk, that doesn't consider those who are unhoused or far from home and unable to self-isolate. It is worth mentioning that people of any age can contract COVID-19 and can be used to spread the virus. 

Basic Sanitation & Prevention Methods

HAND WASHING
Wash your hands WELL with soap and water. It's better than hand sanitizer.

• ​Get all of the parts - palm, thumbs, fingernails, webbing and back of your hand. See the video for a good example of how to wash. 
• This takes about 20 seconds or so to do properly. You can count or sing the Happy

​Birthday song twice to keep time. 

• Shorter fingernails are best. The space under your nails can harbor three times as much bacteria and get missed when washing or applying hand sanitizer. 
• If you live or work in a communal space do not use shared cloth towels. Make sure hand soap & easy to dispense paper towels or electric dryers nearby. 

SANITATION - ALCOHOL-BASED HAND RUB
While washing your hands with soap and water is the best thing, we aren't always able to do so. In these situations, you can use n alcohol based hand sanitizer. Included below is one recipe that we use at Bella's Apothecary, but if you can't make this one exactly then make on that is at least 60% alcohol. 

SIMPLEST VERSION: 2 cups of 95% Everclear or Red Top Rum with 1 cup of distilled water. *recipe modified from Herbalista.org

SANITATION - SURFACE DISINFECTION

• Routine Cleaning - wipe down anything that is touched frequently. Door knobs, light switches, tables, toilet handles, remotes, computer keyboards etc. Make sure to wear gloves when cleaning. Gloves are not impermeable so things can get through the surface so remember to wash your hands well with soap afterward. 
• Disinfection - either 70% alcohol or Bleach Blend (4 teaspoons per quart of water) to clean services. Here is a detailed list of EPA registered disinfectants. 

PERSONAL PREVENTION - 

• Stop shaking hands & hugging. It's nothing personal, we are trying to decrease the spread of the virus. Just smile, bow, or say hello. All are perfectly acceptable alternatives. 
• Wash & sanitize your hands & trim nails. If you won't cut them, make sure to sanitize that area repeatedly. 
• Cover your coughs and sneezes using tissue or coughing into your elbow. 
• Boost your immunity & support your overall health
  • See the Medicine Chest Section for more details on health & wellness. 
• If you feel any symptoms of cold or flu - please stay home until you feel better. Contact your health provider or designated Ministry of Health, COVID-19 response team etc. 
• Social Distancing - the less we congregate, the less things can spread. It is suggested to keep at least 6 feet of personal space whenever possible. Limit social interactions to prevent more devastation later. 

Community Prevention in Shared Spaces

• Come up with Community/ Household Agreements and make sure entering guests are also aware.  For example:
  
  • Wash your hands upon entering the space/ house.
    
  • Wash your hands before working in the kitchen.
    
  • No smooching on the shared pets.
    
  • Are outside guests allowed?  How many at a time? Are they allowed into some spaces and not others? Make sure to inform them of the household agreements!
    
  • Having a plan for how to handle a sick housemate BEFORE folks get sick.
    
• Post informational graphix like this one to help educate folk on good hygiene.
  
• Encourage frequent handwashing.  Make hand soap and easy to dispense paper hand towels or electric dryers available at public sinks. No shared cloth towels.
  
• Offer hand sanitizer when handwashing isn’t an option.
  
• Routine cleaning of frequently used surfaces (think door knobs, tables, light switches, toilets, remotes, etc.).  Wear gloves when cleaning and clean your hands after you’re done. Consider burning aromatic oils or herbs to clean the air.  Ventilate the space regularly by opening windows.
  
• Disinfection: either 70% alcohol or Bleach Blend [4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water] to clean surfaces.  And here is a detailed list of EPA registered disinfectants.  
  
• Shared kitchens - If you live with others, you might want to keep your own personal set of dishes, utensils, and cup.  If your home doesn’t have a dishwasher, then have your own designated sponge and drying towel as well. Use hot soapy water.
  
• When eating in large community settings, use disposable if possible.  Don’t let people self serve from main dishes, but provide designated servers.  And most importantly - DON’T TOUCH YOUR THING TO THE THING! For example, this means let the food drop from the serving spoon to the plate, don’t tap the serving spoon onto someone’s plate.  Don’t touch the lip of the bottle to someone’s cup as you pour into it.
  

Masks
​Per the WHO, there are certain times when wearing a mask might be recommended--

• Wear a mask if you are caring for someone with a suspected COVID-19 infection.
• Wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing to protect others.
• Another mask benefit is to help stop you from touching your face.  A bandana can also help with this reminder.
• Masks aren’t that effective without also paying attention to other hygienic protocols. 
• Typically the suggestion is to use a fresh mask with each wearing, however, there also are recommendations for when reuse is required, per the CDC.
• Strategies for optimizing the supply of face masks, including a section on homemade masks at the end of the post, again, per the CDC.  ​

STAY INFORMED
​Public Health Links

• Center for Disease Control (CDC)
• Georgia Department of Public Health
• Ireland Health Services 
• World Health Organization
• UK Public Health for Community Care

Mutual Aid - Community Care Mutual Aid Groups are forming in communities around the world to provide support to our vulnerable populations, i.e. help with running errands, food delivery, medicine pick-up, etc.

• The UK Mutual Aid Groups List
• USA Mutual Aid Resources and List
• COVID-19 Mutual Aid from It’s Going Down.
• Mutual Aid Disaster Relief 

Street Medicine - Serving the Unhoused

• Street Medicine Practice during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Herb Care Resources

• Coronavirus Resources for Herbalists and Community Health Workers by Larken Bunce
• Treating Pandemic Influenza with Herbal Medicine (Treating the Swine Flu) by Christopher Hedley and Non Shaw
• Facebook Video COVID-19: An Herbalists Perspective featuring Guido Masé, Tammi Sweet, Deb Soule, and Charis Lindrooth
• Facebook post about Elderberry/ Cytokine phytohysteria by Larken Bunce

Printables to distribute and post

• COVID19 Community Care Brochure - 2 sided google doc brochure written with practical advice for our friends living on the street. 
• Folleto de Cuidado para el COVID19 - trabajo en progreso 

Image graphix with safe hygiene practices during COVID-19.  Courtesy of Dublin Airport.

MEDICINE CHEST
The following recommendations are based on traditional applications for managing respiratory viruses in general.  We make no claim regarding COVID19, as this viral strain is new and so unknown to us. All folks are different, with different needs and different ways that their bodies respond to illness and herbs.  Please listen to your body and trust your experience. Hopefully you will have other support as well, from family and friends, from the medical community, and from our government.

Dealing with Stress and Anxiety

• These are difficult times and our immune system functions better when we can manage our stress.  So take a moment in your day to release the stress.
• We are all in this together, even though we might need to keep our distance in this present moment.  Know that we are one gigantic community and the world is our shared home.
• Sit somewhere quiet.  Close your eyes and begin to slow down your breathing.  As you exhale, slow it down even more. Lengthening the exhale helps the rest of your body relax.
• Spend time with nature.  Sit in a park and listen to the leaves or water.  Watch the birds. Feel the breeze on your skin.
• Herbal Teas found at the grocery store: Chamomile, Mint, Sleepy-Time Tea. 
• Other relaxing herbs and nervines: Lavender, Rose, Passionflower, Hops, Valerian, Linden, Skullcap, Motherwort, Tulsi Basil, Fennel, Catnip, etc.
• Supportive Adaptogenic Herbs - Schisandra, Astragalus, Reishi (and other mushrooms)
• Use Aromatics.  Some to try: Lavender, Peppermint, Cedarwood, Rose.  If you don’t have access to essential oils, buy an orange or a lemon.  Peel it and enjoy the lovely oils in the skins!

Herbal Prevention + Wellness
Basic suggestions we often use during the cold + flu season to stay healthy.

• Support your immune system!
  • Get rest!
  • Reduce stress - see Dealing with Stress and Anxiety Section
  • Stay hydrated! When we get dehydrated, our protective barriers aren’t as strong.
  • Get a little sun on your face (Vitamin D) and wind in your hair (fresh air).  
  • Support your lungs by taking a break from smoking!
• Kitchen Medicine (For more detailed information, see our handout Cold Care Kitchen Medicine Handout)
  • Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruit and veg! 
  • Drink herbal teas like chai or peppermint. Consider blends containing herbs like Thyme, Mullein Leaf, Elecampane, licorice, marshmallow, chamomile and lavender.
  • Herbs + Spices to season your meals and cook with: Thyme, Oregano, Herbs de Provence Blend, Garlic, Onion, Ginger, Cinnamon, Garam Masala, Turmeric. 

Soup Broths - Fluids and easy to digest foods are tremendously important when you

• • are feeling sick.  So stock up now on stock! Have cans of chicken broth in your pantry, or prepare a batch of our Winter Soup ( made with Astragalus and Reishi Mushroom) and stick it in the freezer.
  • Support your microbiome - eat ferments, yogurts, kimchi, sauerkraut!
• Nutritional Supplements: Vitamin C + Zinc
• Use Herbal Remedies like Fire Cider, Elderberry Syrup, the B.R.A.V.E formula [Botanical Respiratory Anti-Viral Elixir] 
• Consider gargles and steams (even breathing in the steam off a lovely cup of herbal tea) to keep your air passages healthy.
• De-Stress yourself - See Dealing with Stress and Anxiety Section

HOME CARE FOR MILD ILLNESS

• Being sick sucks!  But we can do things to help manage symptoms during these difficult days.  If you live alone, having a friend to check on you regularly, via phone, is important.  Having supplies prepped BEFORE you get sick is also a good idea. You will have very low energy and not feel like prepping big batches of soup if you begin to run a fever and aren’t sleeping well.
• Basic Supplies List to be ready ahead of time: (printable version of shopping list here)
  • Thermometer to check your temperature
  • Batches of Soup (cans, instants, or in the freezer) - chicken soup, stocks, miso, etc.
  • Oatmeal: instant is fine, but not with added sugar.
  • Hydration: Teas, clean water, broths, apple juice (to dilute), or other clear liquids for hydration. Simple electrolyte blend.  Here is a handout from the University of Virginia on homemade oral rehydration blends.
  • Kitchen Herbs: Garlic, Onions, Ginger, Thyme, etc. For a more complete look into the medicine chest that is our kitchen, please check out our Cold Care Kitchen Handout.
  • Diaphoretic Tea: Peppermint Tea, Gypsy Cold Care (by Traditional Medicinals), Ginger Tea, or our  Cold Care Tea Recipe (Elder Flower, Yarrow, Peppermint, Chamomile, and Linden)  to help you sweat off a fever. 
  • Soothing Tea: Throat Coat or our Sweet Soother Tea Recipe to support the lungs and for dry cough.
  • Chamomile Tea for relaxation.  It’s also a gentle diaphoretic.
  • Vitamin C + Zinc
  • Batch of Fire Cider! Which hopefully you’re using preventatively as well!
• Continue using the recommendations in the Prevention Section!  Most are helpful homecare remedies that have been traditionally used to support us when we have a respiratory virus.  
• Drink lots and lots of fluids!  Preferably warm and steamy fluids. Hydration is of utmost importance.  Here’s a handout from the University of Virginia on how to make homemade oral rehydration solutions.
• Take Lung Supportive Herbs - Elecampane, Mullein, Thyme, Licorice, Hyssop, etc.  Try blending a batch of Lung Re-Leaf Tea.
• General Herbal Support per Chinese Protocols
  • A herbal formula being used in China for COVID-19 is called Shuang Huang Lian [5 parts Honeysuckle Flower, 5 parts Baikal Skullcap Root, 1 part Forsythia Fruit].  Both honeysuckle and forsythia are blooming now.  Gather these for use in formulas. Pick the honeysuckle when it is in bud form, before the flower fully opens.  Pick the forsythia fruit when it is unripe.

Easier to find in the USA is a similar formula called Yin Qiao San.  Also consider 

• Airborne which is a combination of vitamins with similar herbs.

Fever Support

• Take plenty of fluids--  1 cup per hour. Water, barley water, chamomile tea, diluted apple juice, broths, etc.  
• IF you feel dehydrated, make a batch of electrolyte blend.  Here’s a Simple Electrolyte Blend. And here’s a handout from the University of Virginia with a variety of homemade oral rehydration solutions.
• While fever is part of the body's natural immune response, and is a good thing, it can make you feel bad and sometimes bringing the fever down may be necessary.  Some folks use OTC’s to lower fever, another option is sponging the body down with water and letting evaporation cool the body. Do you have a thermometer? For more info on fevers, check out these thoughts on fever phobia by herbalist Jim McDonald.
• Diaphoretics: Cold Care Tea Recipe (Elder Flower, Yarrow, Peppermint, Linden Flower, and Chamomile); other options Blue Vervain, Ginger, Fennel, Catnip, and Lavender.
• Boneset Tea or Tincture.  Tasty it mightn’t be, but it has a long history of use for cold and flu, both as a diaphoretic and for help with that achy feeling.  Combine with other herbs to improve flavor.
• For more information on holistic understandings of fevers and working with diaphoretics, check out this recording of Jim Mcdonald: Herbal Energetics and Fevers
• Dry Cough Support
  • Take plenty of fluids--  1 cup per hour. Water, Barley Water, Chamomile Tea, diluted apple juice, broths, etc.
  • Moistening (demulcent) herbs: Marshmallow, Slippery Elm, Licorice, Shatavari, Fíle.  Try our Sweet Soother Tea Recipe
  • Moistening (demulcent) foods: Oatmeal, Okra, Broths, Honey, Seaweed (Miso Soup)
• Thin the Mucus and GET IT OUT!
  • See suggestions for Dry Cough Support, as it’s important to stay moist and hydrated.
  • Use warming, spicy herbs.  Famous expectorants are herbs and spices like Fenugreek, Hyssop, Ginger, Elecampane, Thyme, Anise Seed, and Fennel Seed.
  • Try this recipe for Lung Re-Leaf Tea.  It combines warming, aromatic expectorants with a little moistening to help expectorate.
  • Get Steamy - hot shower; sit under a towel over a pot of tea (try thyme leaf); use a humidifier; etc. A third of folks (according to this WHO report) report sputum production, aka. mucus in the lungs.  It is important not to let this mucus dry out and steam helps.
• Take a foot bath - hot foot baths are not only relaxing, but also a great cold + flu treatment. Add herbs to your foot bath for additional healing.  Think about aromatic herbs like lavender or warming herbs like ginger!  
• De-Stress yourself - See Dealing with Stress and Anxiety Section
• Maintaining a Healthy Atmosphere - open your windows + doors to keep things fresh.  Burn aromatic herbs, spray hydrosols, etc. to keep the air clean and fresh.

AFTER THE ILLNESS - RECUPERATION + RECOVERY
Americans are so go-go-go, that we have forgotten the importance of the recovery phase, post illness.  Please be gentle with yourself.  

• Gentle Tonic Support and Lung Support  
  • Convalescence foods: Gruels (Oatmeal), Barley Water, Meat Broths, etc.  For a more complete look into the medicine chest that is our kitchen, please check out our Cold Care Kitchen Handout.
  • ​Nourishing soups (try Winter Soup Recipe with Astragalus and Reishi)
    • Tonic Herbs: Astragalus, Reishi and other mushrooms
    • Lung Supportive Herbs: Astragalus. Elecampane, Mullein, Thyme, Licorice, Hyssop, etc.  Try blending a batch of Lung Re-Leaf Tea.
    • Moistening (demulcent) herbs: Marshmallow, Slippery Elm, Licorice, Shatavari.  Try our Sweet Soother Tea Recipe
  • Maintaining a Healthy Atmosphere - open your windows and doors to air out the space, keeping things fresh.  Burn aromatic herbs or oils to keep the air clean and fresh.

​
WHEN YOU’RE FEELING SICK…
First - maybe it’s just the flu or allergies?  
How to tell the difference:

• Flu: Usually don’t have shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.  Without testing, we have no real way of knowing. At this point in time, depending on your location, tests are not readily available, so at the very least you can practice self-care and isolation if you have symptoms that could be COVID-19.    
• Allergies: Particularly this time of year, allergies are common.  Typically, there is no fever and you have symptoms like wheezing, sneezing, and itchy eyes.  If you are experiencing allergies, consider plant based medicines such as Nettles, Eyebright, Quercetin, Turmeric, etc. to reduce those symptoms.  Try our Springtime (aka Allergy Re-Leaf) Tea Blend, or something similar to ease allergy symptoms.
• If you are coming down with a respiratory virus, remember that it isn’t necessarily COVID19.  There are plenty of other bugs around.  And if you do contract COVID19, your symptoms might remain quite mild.  At this point in time, depending on your location, tests are not readily available, so at the very least you can practice self-care and isolation if you have symptoms that could be COVID-19.  If you have a doctor, you can also call them for advice. As a species, we often suffer from respiratory viruses and there is a lot we can do for ourselves when symptoms are mild. Here is a simple resource by the CDC on what to do if you get sick.  

When do we need to go to a hospital? When do we escalate care?  

• Watching other countries we see that hospital resources are being stretched beyond capacity.  We hope that whomever needs serious medical interventions will be able to access and receive them.  It is important that we do our best to manage mild symptoms when possible.
• The CDC says, “Mildly ill patients should be encouraged to stay home and contact their healthcare provider by phone for guidance about clinical management. Patients who have severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, should seek care immediately. Older patients and individuals who have underlying medical conditions or are immuno-compromised should contact their physician early in the course of even mild illness.”

Emergency Warning Signs per the CDC
“If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19 get medical attention immediately. In adults, emergency warning signs: (This list is not all inclusive Please consult your medical provider for any other symptom that is severe or concerning)

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Persistent pain or pressure in the chest​​
• New confusion or inability to arouse
• Bluish lips or face”

Considerations for care at home include whether:

• The patient is stable enough to receive care at home.
• Appropriate caregivers are available at home.
• There is a separate bedroom where the patient can recover without sharing immediate space with others.
• Resources for access to food and other necessities are available.
• The patient and other household members have access to appropriate, recommended personal protective equipment (at a minimum, gloves and facemask) and are capable of adhering to precautions recommended as part of home care or isolation (e.g., respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette, hand hygiene);
• There are household members who may be at increased risk of complications from COVID-19 infection (.e.g., people >65 years old, young children, pregnant women, people who are immunocompromised or who have chronic heart, lung, or kidney conditions).

SAFE PRACTICES FOR HERBALISTS

• For the community herbalist, this has been a difficult time.  One of the most pressing issues we’ve been grappling with is how to balance our continued service to the communities we care for-- and who needs us now more than ever-- with the changes that we obviously need to make in order to provide safe services, to mitigate further transmission, and to protect ourselves and the greater community. And it’s hard.
  
  How do we protect these populations who are already so vulnerable? How do we protect ourselves and how do we protect our patients? If we are in leadership roles, how do we protect our volunteers or students? What planning must we do that we are not being careless and arrogant? How do we open lines of communication to hopefully make informed decisions? How do we protect our families and roommates when the work we do increases their exposure?
  
  Community Herbalists and Medicine Makers
• These are simple suggestions (thanks MADR for your leadership on these issues).  They have published an excellent manual/ zine that covers Safety Practices for Food and Supply Distribution:
• If you intend to serve, you must closely watch your own health!  The team should have self-monitoring protocols in place.  Here are CDC recommendations for healthcare workers.  Since we are front line healthcare workers, we must make sure we don’t ourselves become a vector.
  • Monitor daily for fever (do you have a thermometer?)
  • Notice and report to teammate symptoms of respiratory infection (dry cough, shortness of breath, sore throat)
  • Discontinue work if ill (if fever or symptoms emerge)
• Implement basic recommendations in your personal lives of social distancing and appropriate hygiene.
• When working, implement extra sanitation practices.
  • Wear mask (or bandana) and gloves when working
  • Routine cleaning of work space
  
  
  • Minimize contact between workers
  • Consider quarantines of 72 hours for donated materials before redistribution.  Recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that COVID19 lives on surfaces for up to that amount of time, depending on the material.

For more information on best practices:

• Safety Practices for COVID-19/ Coronavirus Mutual Aid Projects
• Food4Life Sanitation Protocols - General Sanitation Guidelines for Volunteers

Community ClinicsThese are difficult decisions and thought we would just share the decisions we’ve made thus far. This pandemic is revealing how torn the social and welfare fabric of our country is. Many, actually all of us, will suffer greatly due to this lack of public health policy, lack of universal healthcare, lack of housing, lack of food security, lack of so many things… maybe these events will teach us as a nation and a globe that health and happiness are not independent of others. They are collective pursuits. True healthcare is based on a foundation of mutual respect and mutual aid!

To close or not to close...

• We have had to make changes to our clinical services in response to the current COVID crises. In addition to cancelling this month’s Community Health Fair, we have also needed to close our Community Clinic Location to all onsite consultations until further notice. Our herbalists are still able to conduct phone and online consultations.  We have a drop box for remedy pick-up, though at the moment we are also trying to help folks understand what they may already have in their pantries, at the grocery store, or in their yard. We will link the checklist for our apothecary protocols we are making soon.
• We have pivoted our focus to distribution.
  • Information - online documents such as this Community Care Guide and brochures to be available for those who don’t have easy internet access.
  • Remedies - these are being distributed in the form of HerbCare packages, filled with supportive remedies.  Basic List: hand sanitizers, elderberry elixirs, Lung Re-Leaf Tea, Vitamin C, Zinc, Electrolytes, cough drops, etc.
• Here is a publication by the American Society of Acupuncturists to give guidance on navigating this decision, as well as if you do choose to stay open, some best practices to follow.  Recommendations such as postponing non-essential visits from patients and having the consult via phone; prescreening for acute illness and respiratory illness; avoid waiting rooms and having patients go directly from entrance to consult room; etc.

Distribution of Remedies

• Initial Approach: We are still distributing remedies (now needed more than ever) in our community.  In order to reduce contact and minimize exposure, we are utilizing the distribution chains that were already in place for the communities we serve, providing them with HerbCare Packs.  For an example of our distro packing lists, please see the COVI-19 Community Care Center Page.  
• Distribution Chains: Utilize the chains of distribution that already exist - soup kitchens, Food Not Bombs, CSA’s, etc.  For example, we work often alongside Mercy Community Church. They are still serving their soup kitchen, so we simply drop the care packs off at their facility and they distribute them along with meals. We are doing the same thing in Dublin with a local soup kitchen there.  We give them boxes of care packages for ​distribution.  
• Safe Practices: Once we pack the bax with the care packs, we close and mark with the date packed and then the date to be ready for distribution - 3 days later.  This is based on the recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates that COVID19 lives on surfaces for up to that amount of time, depending on the material.

Distribute Herbal Support to the Front Line: 

• We have provided our local soup kitchen with more cooking herbs and spices so they can infuse the food they are serving with medicine. Herbs de provence for example, goes well with many dishes.  They are including it in their soups as well as on the egg and sausage breakfasts they do.
• We have made a point of preparing care packs especially for Service Providers.  We want to make sure the folks on the front lines have the support they need.
• Clinic Distribution: For phone and Skype consultations we offer pick-up of herbs outside the clinic, in our little Herb Hut (picture the little free library boxes).  The handle is cleaned regularly. Other options are delivery service. All herbal preparations are quarantined for 72 hours before pick-up per a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicating that COVID19 lives on surfaces for up to that amount of time, depending on the material.

SUPPLY CONCERNS - HERBAL INFRASTRUCTURE

• It is important that at times like these we look around us and assess our local herbal infrastructure.  Herbs are getting harder to order, and why not produce more in your own yard or neighborhood? Why not support your local farmer to grow herbs?  This is the time to also learn more about the herbs growing wild in your community!
  
  Local Herbal Cultivation
• On Valentine’s Day of 2015, we began the Grow A Row Program in Atlanta,  to promote herban-agriculture in the Atlanta area.  We are feeling grateful that we can utilize this program to help us produce more raw herbal materials, and we hope it can help you as well!  The Grow a Row Program offers:
• Seeds or plants as available to get folks started.
• Free skill-share sessions on topics such as seed saving, harvesting, and processing herbs.  These workshops are in partnership with The Wylde Center and The Urban Food Forest at Brown’s Mill.
• Advice on growing, harvesting, production and processing technique, 
• Online resources for growing tips, where to get supplies, medicinal uses, and more.  We have also added these resources to the Community Care Page to make it easy to use.
• An awesome network of folks to hang out with!
• Current Cultivation Considerations
• What herbs do we need to be planting now, to have later?
• How will we process and dry those plants to preserve them?
• 
  Wildcrafting + ForagingThe land around you is chock full of edible and medicinal plants – even in the urban landscape. What’s growing in your neighborhood?  Learn basic botany skills and learn to identify your green neighbors. But always remember that Wildcrafting is Stewardship!
• Practice with Identification
• Join Botany Everyday, an incredible online course facilitated by marc williams.  This ​
• course is held by donation, so no one is turned away for lack of funds.  Support as you are able!
  • Use a reliable field guide such as, Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants by “Wildman” Steve Brill, or Newcomb’s Wildflower Guide.
• Wildcraft + Forage Responsibly - Wildcrafting is Stewardship!
  • Eat the weeds! Weeds are plants that are abundant! Let’s use them!
  • Be aware of plant communities that may be under pressure. Don’t harvest endangered or threatened plants. Check the "Species At-Risk List" maintained by the United Plant Savers.
  • Harvest in a way that promotes regrowth or makes minimal impact [i.e. taking twigs and branches as opposed to stripping bark from the main trunk of a tree; respecting the seasons for when it is better to harvest different parts of the plant; etc.]
  • For more detailed information, please read the Wildcrafting Checklist by Howie Brounstein, an early teacher of mine while studying at Michael Moore's School.  He impressed on me not only the importance of respecting the responsibility we have as wildcrafters, but the true intimacy of it all.  In order to "Wildcraft Responsibly" you must have a deep relationship with the plant communities you wish to harvest from.  ​​​

This modified work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License - original document by Herbalista.org