How did you arrive here, where is here?
For years, I've used the herbal knowledge I've gained from my family, community & extensive research in hundreds of texts and books regarding herbalism & botanical medicine. My mother is a nurse, grandmother is a descendant of Maroon herbalists & grandfather was a chef & dental practitioner in Jamaica. They each passed down & imparted to me knowledge about medicinal herbs/pharmacognosy rooted in traditional Chinese & Caribbean cultures, with or without realizing. Home-cooked meals with ingredients fresh out of the garden were the norm and I was taught early on that food is medicine. I've taken these teachings along with me on this journey, stepping heavily onto the path of Spiritual Herbalism & holistic wellness. I’m currently a student of a Nutritionist certification program & an incredible Spiritual Herbalism apprenticeship program here in Brooklyn, NY. Sacred Vibes Apothecary. This apprenticeship has taught me in my adulthood, that maintaining a relationship with the plants and my ancestors would change my life in an honest &healing way, every single day. I welcomed the journey and am a life-long student.
How do you regard plants and work with them?
As much as I’ve a voracious mind and would consume as much information as I could about practical applications of plant medicine, I’ve learned what it is to be thankful & appreciative of getting to know each plant one by one. This gratitude, born of my experience with mentors and community within the plant world, has stirred up familiar feelings towards the land for me. “By the fruits we know the tree,” and there is no truer statement when regarding plant history, taxonomy, cultivation, parts & usages. The earth, untainted by human colonization & destruction, provides us with everything we need. Mother Earth has exhibited the largest scale of compassion I know of. That's why I regard & nurture plants the way I do, allowing them to shine in daily rituals. What started as an interest combined with a labor of love for friends & family, has since deepened & expanded into a loving service I wanted to extend to anyone I can mutually access.
Deodorant, toothpaste, facial toners, teas, etc. The products we buy for use on our skin & in our bodies shouldn't contain harsh chemicals & unsafe metals that disrupt our body's natural/healthy processes. I find that as we advance technologically with time or look to the world of capitalism for our herbal understanding, we still manage to overlook very obvious hazards & environmentally destructive harvesting/manufacturing techniques. Aliensauce is about an honest attempt to use plants with 100% reverence and remembrance, & to operate through spiritual & scientific integrity always. I believe in making products that are effective & small-batching so they last with as little need for commercial preservative. But it IS important to inform community about the differences between various preservative methods before making assumptions about all of them. As we wouldn't want to forsake something that's helpful just because we know nothing about it. Education is key & in that regard, we must always consider the source. As an avid researcher/student/practitioner of holistic living, I am adapting to what Mother Earth asks of me with respect to mind/body/spirit. Keeping informed on what ingredients are safe, effective & sustainable - respective to nature, history, conscious cultivation/wildcrafting & context in which it is being used. As I continue to further my education in herbalism/holistic wellness & do the work, I will make it my mission to share what I’ve learned the best way I know how. Chopping wood, carrying water.
What can customers expect?
Every ingredient used in Aliensauce products are with purpose, absolutely no inactive ingredients over here. All hydrosols & essential oils are a by-product of steam distillation or CO2 extraction. No heat or chemicals are applied for plant infusions or extractions. All of Aliensauce's ingredients are sustainably & reliably sourced. All products are handcrafted & made with love, gratitude & remembrance. <3