Herbalism and State Violence (Practical Herbal Medicine for Surviving State Repression)

State violence is a daily, brutal reality for millions of people. It is not random. It is racialized, classed, and gendered in both its design and its impact, shaping who is targeted, who is punished, and who is left to rebuild their lives. This violence intersects with nearly every form of oppression—from policing and prisons to borders, detention, and militarism. In the face of these forces, plant medicines offer more than comfort: they offer tools for survival, solidarity, and collective resistance.

This book explores how herbalism can support people living under the weight of state repression. From practical care for handcuff injuries, tear-gas exposure, and chronic stress to long-term healing from incarceration, displacement, and trauma, it brings together stories of herbal solidarity from struggles around the world. These are examples not of passive wellness, but of active care—care that builds resilience, nurtures autonomy, and strengthens movements.

Drawing on her lived experience of incarceration, political organizing, and running the Solidarity Apothecary, Nicole Rose maps the many connections between plant medicine and the work of liberation. She shares recipes, remedies, and frontline practices developed in collaboration with communities resisting state control. Each chapter highlights how herbs can help us rest, repair, and return to the struggle with strength and intention.

Through these stories and strategies, Nicole invites us to reconnect with some of our oldest allies—the plants—and to imagine forms of care that defy punishment and deepen solidarity. This book is a call to heal, to support one another, and to keep fighting for a world free from state violence.