Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust | Iwilla Remedy

Hi Herbalists!

Have you ever felt excited to try a new herb or create a new blend, only to have that excitement immediately followed by disappointment when you remember your tincture needs four to six weeks before it is ready?

There is nothing wrong with waiting. Slow maceration is a valuable, time-honored medicine-making method. But if you are like me, when inspiration strikes, you also want the opportunity to explore, test, and learn from that preparation sooner rather than later.

Part of becoming a more confident herbalist is having more than one method available to you. It means knowing you have options, and understanding the process well enough to choose among them with discernment.

Someone recently commented on my Percolation Method tincture-making video that, because they allow their tinctures to sit, they felt others were taking a shortcut. They felt deceived and I understand the concern. We want the medicine we make and purchase to be prepared with care, skill, and integrity.

But a shorter extraction time is not automatically a shortcut. It is not about rushing the process or choosing a faster method simply because it is faster. Every method has its tradeoffs.

The real question is: Do we understand the principles behind the method we are using?

This is one of the things I love about the chemistry of herbalism. When we understand how surface area, movement, temperature, time, and solvent choice influence extraction, we can make informed decisions that honor both the plant and the preparation.

In the final video of my tincture-making series, I am sharing the blender method, a rapid extraction approach that can help you make a tincture in far less time.

In this new video, you’ll learn:
➡️ How surface area, movement, temperature, and time work together to influence herbal extraction

➡️ How to choose a tincture-making method based on the plant, your goals, your timeline, and the tools you have available

➡️ Why the “strongest” alcohol is not automatically the best solvent, and how to begin thinking more intentionally about your menstruum

➡️ The practical tradeoffs, safety considerations, and challenges that come with rapid blender extraction

The more you understand the relationship between the plant, the menstruum, the method, and your own needs, the less you have to rely on one-size-fits-all instructions.

I hope you find it helpful!! Love yall 😘

1 week ago | [YT] | 7

Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust | Iwilla Remedy

The results are in, and overwhelmingly you all are waiting weeks for your tinctures.

Today's video shows you another way. The blender method.

I'm making an elecampane root tincture start to finish, and walking you through the chemistry that makes it fast: surface area, agitation, and heat. Plus the mistake I made running a batch for ten straight minutes. It came out so hot it felt like I'd made a tea instead of a tincture.

This completes our four part tincture series. Folk, percolation, glycerite, and now blender.

Which method are you trying next?

1 week ago (edited) | [YT] | 26

Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust | Iwilla Remedy

Question for my tincture makers.

When you make a tincture, how long do you let it sit before you strain it?

Tomorrow I'm sharing a method that can take you from dried root to finished tincture in the same day. And for my traditionalists already side-eyeing that, I have something for you too.

Cast your vote and tell me in the comments what you're working with right now.

1 week ago | [YT] | 10

Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust | Iwilla Remedy

We’ll see chapters on Indigenous nations as we should, but also Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, the ancient Greeks, sometimes Africa as if the people who reside there are all the same. And of course the North American eclectics who are practically worshipped like gods.

But pages dedicated to the singular experience, wisdom, and resourcefulness of African Americans in this country are very rare.

I remember the moment I stood in a bookstore, flipping through pages of an herbal book I was considering purchasing when I came across a line that basically said African Americans didn’t contribute anything to herbalism here.

You know those scenes in movies where the character just explodes, feels helpless, enraged, and proceeds to destroy every object in the room. I always shake my head at those scenes because now they gotta clean all the shit up!

But in that moment in the bookstore, reading this line, which was written so matter of factly I nearly lost it.

I was flipping the page to see if there was more. More context, more nuance, more of anything. Nope. In that moment I understood how you can be filled with so much emotion that the only impulse you have is to fuck some shit up. But as a fellow small business owner, I was not going to damage their shelves. All I could do was try to hide my tears as I walked out.

Because it wasn’t the first time. As Black herbalists we experience this invisibility of our ancestors everywhere, even when folks are actively co-opting and earning off of their practices just like enslavers did during the antebellum period.

Out of one side of their mouths they’re saying our ancestors aren’t intelligent and don’t know anything about healing, while out the other side they’re looking over our ancestors’ shoulders writing down the herbal blends and putting the recipes in their plantation journals.

I say this all the time, but I really don’t think people get it. If not for herbalism, we wouldn’t be here. I am not being hyperbolic. It is true for every culture because prior to modern medicine, plants were all everyone had.

But plants held an indelible role in the survival of roughly 10 million people who were enslaved in what is now the United States—people brutally kidnapped, tortured, raped, and bred under a system of chattel slavery. What closed their wounds, supplemented their nutrition, sheltered them when they escaped or stole away to learn how to read, opened portals for rituals before rebellions, and allowed them to claim agency over their bodies by refusing to birth more children who would never be free?

I’m glad that author wrote down how she really felt because do you know what it emboldened me to do?

I pioneered the first ever collegiate African American Herbalism course at my alma mater, Spelman College.

I’m currently teaching my 4th cohort and not only is this class an homage to our ancestors, it is a correction of herbal memory.

We need to take the mic, y’all. Share our experiences, reclaim our narratives, archive our stories, and research our own history because while the truth of our ancestors’ legacy lives in our cells, we need to keep those receipts on the tips of our tongues.

And be proud. Be consumed by—and drown in—absolute reverence and adoration that we are here and come from their genius, their will, and courage.

Black herbalism is not an aside to American herbal history. It is one of its essential lineages.

Where can you learn for free? LIBRARIES!
Archives, ancestor (formerly enslaved) narratives, WPA Narratives, as well as plantation diaries and antebellum medical journals to understand the soul-stirring, violent conditions they survived-and they created and protected.

My book The Confident Family Herbalist comes out in November, y’all! 📚 Pre-order on iwillaremedy.com.

1 week ago | [YT] | 84

Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust | Iwilla Remedy

We have been carrying the most since forever. And we have had plants supporting us since the beforetime.

Public-health scholar Dr. Arline Geronimus calls the cumulative wear of racism, economic strain, exclusion, and chronic stress weathering. Her research shows how these conditions can accumulate in the body over time, contributing to earlier health deterioration and higher allostatic load among Black Americans, especially Black women.

Black people have spent generations fighting for policies that widened freedom for everybody. Yet when protections are stripped away, costs rise, and public systems are allowed to fail, we are so often among the first to feel it. Our bodies carry that reality right alongside us.

There is a lot to carry right now: economic pressure, political instability, the demand to keep working, keep watching, keep responding, and keep going while so much feels uncertain.

That is why herbalism has always had a place in our care toolkit, not as some silly wellness trend, but as a living practice of tending to ourselves and one another. The tea. The bath. The bitters. The nervine tincture. The plants growing in the yard. The remedies passed through kitchens, gardens, grandmothers, aunties, neighbors, and community.

Our plant practices help us make room to rest, regulate, nourish, and return to ourselves.

They help us build the capacity to care for our families, show up for our communities, and engage in the movement in whatever way our gifts are designed.

Our care is not separate from the movement. It is part of it.

For the people ready to move from collecting herbs to using them skillfully at home, Family Farmacy teaches you how to build practical herbal knowledge, make remedies, and care for yourself and your people with more confidence.

Become the herbalist the movement needs. Enjoy 20% off Family Farmacy for a limited time with code: FARMACY26.

family.iwillaremedy.com

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 65

Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust | Iwilla Remedy

Doctor says, “Wait and see.”

But you’re about to fudge around and find out because “watchful waiting” can mean two very different things.

For you, it should never mean: sit at home and do nothing.

It may mean what you have going on is likely self-limiting: a virus or another acute issue your body can often resolve on its own without unnecessary medication, testing, or intervention.

Or, it may mean your symptoms, labs, or imaging do not yet give your doctor enough information to make a diagnosis, order additional testing, or recommend treatment.

In other words, the condition may need more time to become clinically clear, aka worse.

But when they say “wait and see,” do not translate that to mean: do nothing.

In many instances, it is the perfect window to learn herbalism.

And notice that I did not say, “Go take some random herbs TikTok made you buy.” 

Learn herbalism. Research, study, apply and let it become part of your daily life.

Because while your doctor may be monitoring a symptom, a lab value, or an imaging result, you can be learning what your body needs, tracking patterns, asking better questions, and building sustainable habits that support your health.

Our medical system does not invest enough in preventive care. So if you are on your way toward a diagnosis connected to a preventable or lifestyle-responsive condition, early intervention may help slow progression and, in some cases, substantially change the course.

For example, structured lifestyle intervention for people with prediabetes reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58% in the landmark Diabetes Prevention Program. That is why a creeping A1C is not merely a number to recheck later. It is a warning sign, information, and an opportunity to act.

Remember your legacy. We come from a long line of people who knew how to take care of themselves at home. I invite you to read the narratives from our ancestors.
From medical care being sought to preserve our labor—not our humanity—to medicines being used as punishment for disobedience; from egregious medical experimentation to being denied adequate care altogether; from delayed diagnosis to dismissal and neglect today—our relationship with the health care system has always been complicated and, in many ways, unreliable.

Is this an indictment of the entire system? No. The medical system has and continues to save lives. We can hold multiple truths at once.

But when you already carry medical mistrust, feel that something is off in your body, and your doctor says, “Wait,” it can be a recipe for your stress to skyrocket.
Enter herbalism. The practice our ancestors relied on then remains relevant now.

Not because herbs replace emergency medicine, diagnostic testing, surgery, or necessary prescriptions.

Herbalism gives us another way to participate in our health: to build daily support, recognize patterns earlier, and make informed choices before we reach a crisis.
If your A1C is creeping up, this is your warning sign and your opportunity to make dietary shifts, learn what affects your blood sugar, and study herbs that have been researched for metabolic support, including gymnema, cinnamon, and milk thistle.

If your blood pressure is creeping up, please do not wait until you need two medications to keep it stable before you look at your sodium intake, sleep, stress, movement, alcohol intake, and daily food patterns.

This is also a time to learn about gentle stress-supportive herbs, such as linden, as well as traditional cardiovascular herbs like hawthorn and hibiscus. 

If your periods are getting heavier, your cramps are worsening, or you have growing-but-still-small fibroids, this is the time to build a thoughtful support plan. Track your cycle, your bleeding, and your pain and build an inflammation-conscious herbal plan that also support hormone metabolism and iron levels.  
You do not have to wait until the pain, exhaustion, bleeding, or anemia becomes your normal.

From the beginning, herbs have been among the most steady and reliable forms of support available to our communities.

The biggest difference between our ancestors and us, however, is that many of us have lost the skills to use them well.

So much of my work is about helping us reclaim autonomy in our health care choices by encouraging us to become more educated, more observant, more prepared, more herbally skilled and therefore more capable participants in our own care.

Let "wait and see" become an invitation to course-correct.

This is exactly what I teach inside my intermediate herbal program, Family Farmacy.

This is where we bridge the healing knowledge our ancestors had with the research, safety awareness, and practical skills we need today.

Because confidence does not come from having a cabinet full of herbs. It comes from knowing how to use them wisely.

Enjoy 20% off your enrollment in Family Farmacy until Friday with code: FARMACY26. Check it out here - family.iwillaremedy.com.

With joy,Selima

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 12

Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust | Iwilla Remedy

Want more of this type of content?

I've got formulas for days, so lemme know in the comments with a 👍🏽 if this is a hit or a 👎🏽 if it's a miss. 😘

🔥 Full Fire Cider Tutorial on our YT channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc-32...

🌿 Learn more about Family Farmacy my 12 week program here - family.iwillaremedy.com

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4 5

1 month ago | [YT] | 96

Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust | Iwilla Remedy

You have been making alcohol free tinctures for years and still are not sure your ratio is actually right.This is how I get certainty every time. 30 grams of herb, a 1 to 5 ratio, 150 milliliters of total liquid, split precisely between glycerin and water before I pour a drop.
I cover the folk method too in the new video, but this is the one I trust when stability matters. Come watch the whole thing, then tell me: are you weighing your herb, or eyeballing it?

How to make alcohol free tinctures: https://youtu.be/PtF0oirtbWg

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4

1 month ago | [YT] | 39

Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust | Iwilla Remedy

😬 Well, this is going to be an uncomfortable 75 minute intake.

I know y'all mean well, but when you decide that your spouse/partner needs to get their health together and you set up the appointment on their behalf, it rarely works.

Yes, they are suffering. Yes, you hate seeing them in pain. Yes, you’re probably also tired of them complaining about their health.

None of this changes the fact that people will not change for you. And them not changing doesn’t mean they don’t love you.

From my experience, multiple things are true…

They love you and they love fast food.

They hate that you’re mad at them and they hate the gym.

They don’t want to argue and they’re only going to follow my recommendations long enough to shut you up.

Everyone wants to be in charge of their own life and own their decisions. Whether you perceive their choices as good or bad, is irrelevant.

People change when they are ready, when they are clear about their problems, and when they are eager to receive help.

And as sad as it may be, that day may never come…

Self-determination theory (SDT) says people are more motivated when three needs are supported: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In plain language, people change more easily when they feel like the choice is theirs, when they believe they can actually do it, and when they feel supported instead of pressured.

I beg of you, please stop setting your practitioners up on blind dates. If it wasn’t their idea, they are starting from resistance instead of readiness.

And we want our clients to be eager, open, and not checking the time waiting for the call to end.

Fellow practitioners, please tell me I’m not the only one experiencing this? How do y’all handle it when the person in front of you isn’t actually ready?

1 month ago | [YT] | 30

Selima Iwilla Harleston Lust | Iwilla Remedy

I think a lot of us come into herbalism through our own health journey.

We turn our health around with plants. Maybe we get off pharmaceuticals. We finally feel better. And somewhere along the way, it’s easy to start believing that because herbs changed our lives, they can change everyone else’s in the exact same way.

Clinical practice has a way of humbling that belief.

It certainly humbled me.

I can think of a few moments over the years where I had to change—not just my mind, but my beliefs about healing—because it would have been dangerous, and in some cases completely irresponsible, to tell a client they could do this without their medications.

I remember someone walking into the shop straight from the hospital after being treated for diabetic ketoacidosis. She didn’t want insulin. She wanted herbs.

I’ve had more than one person ask if herbs could heal their thyroid, only to tell me they had their thyroid removed years ago and weren’t sure if they still needed their medication.

One time I was with someone whose blood pressure was reading at stroke levels. I remember thinking, How are you talking to me right now? How are you functioning? And how are you denying that you have hypertension?

You don’t forget moments like this.
They made me realize how little nuance there is in many wellness spaces. Medical professionals and herbal professionals each hold distinct areas of expertise, and there is often a significant gap between what each field understands and what the average person has been taught about their own body.

And it does not help any of us —not herbalists, not medical professionals, and not the public— to know so little about the full range of modalities and tools that can support our well-being.

Too often, the conversation about herbs and pharmaceuticals is framed as one or the other. Natural versus pharmaceutical. Good versus bad. Healing versus harm.
But real clinical practice is rarely that simple.

Those experiences taught me that believing deeply in plant medicine does not relieve me of the responsibility to recognize when herbs are not enough.

They taught me clinical humility.

Continue reading on The Remedy blog: learn.iwillaremedy.com/herbalism-humbles-you-002

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 86