Books from my shelf: The Prisoner's Herbal

I've recently put up some new bookshelves, and for the first time in a long while, I can see my collection as a whole. It brings me a heck of a lot of joy to peruse through them all. My books are reminders of interests, ideas, people and places throughout my life. They are my main record of being here.

As I become more interested in the atmosphere, I'm starting a blog here on pckt. I thought a gentle guide to some of the more diverse titles on my shelves would be an interesting place to find inspiration to post! And so, here we are.

The Prisoner's Herbal is a wonderful paperback guide written by Nicole Rose. Nicole was imprisoned in the UK for activities relating to exposing animal torture by large companies, and whilst there saw how physical and mental health is often neglected by those in charge.

Their interest in herbalism became an asset, as they found helpful friends such as dandelions and daisies growing in between the hardest concrete around the prison. Once released, Nicole then put together this guide to using very common plants for their medicinal purposes, for those inside and outside of incarceration.

Buying this book was very memorable for me. It was a few weeks before a very close friend was nearing a trial for protest-related things. My fears and feelings were obviously secondary, but I was growing rather terrified of a potential custodial sentence for them.

A day out bookshopping in central London is my usual tonic for times of distress, and so that's when I happened upon The Prisoner's Herbal on the shelves of Housmans, Kings Cross.

Housmans is a personal favourite - the gold standard for left-of-centre and radical books in the capital (alongside Freedom Press). If you're ever at Kings Cross or St. Pancra's, it's worth the 2 minute stroll. They have titles you've never seen before, I guarantee it.

Obviously, it felt the least I could do to help my friend. And don't get me wrong - a book on treating coughs with weeds wasn't the bulk of my support! But I couldn't walk away from it just in case it helped if the time came.

Solidarity Apothecary posted a great review of this book, and talk a lot on their site about herbalism as mutual aid. It's a wonderful, human topic that deserves our time and thought. It's a practice communities have shared for a long time, mainly out of great need.

(The time didn't come).