13 Black Woman-Owned Apothecaries That Will Get Your Chakras All The Way In Alignment
Over the past decade, herbal healing has made a major transition into the mainstream world and although smudging, meditation, and crystal work may be a new concept for many of us, there are many Black women who have been making waves in the wellness world for a very long time.
Thanks to all-natural medicine, big pharma isn't our only solution to day-to-day medical problems and these Black apothecary owners are making access to skincare, haircare, and healthcare easier, one tincture at a time.
What you water will grow and nobody knows that better than these Black women business owners. With a wide variety of herbs, crystals, and oils, these natural magicians have all the tools you need to get your chakras all the way in alignment. Scroll below for 13 Black female-owned apothecary shops that you can shop right now.
Heritage Apothecary (Los Angeles, CA)
Heritage Apothecary
Featured image by Shutterstock
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
The Reality Of Living With Severe Asthma – As Told by 2 Women On Their Disease Journey
This post is in partnership with Amgen.
The seemingly simple task of taking a breath is something most of us don’t think twice about. But for people who live with severe asthma, breathing does not always come easily. Asthma, a chronic respiratory condition that inflames and narrows the airways in the lungs, affects millions of people worldwide – 5-10% of which live with severe asthma. Severe asthma is a chronic and lifelong condition that is unpredictable and can be difficult to manage. Though often invisible to the rest of the world, severe asthma is a not-so-silent companion for those who live with it, often interrupting schedules and impacting day-to-day life.
Among the many individuals who battle severe asthma, Black women face a unique set of challenges. It's not uncommon for us to go years without a proper diagnosis, and finding the right treatment often requires some trial and error. Thankfully, all hope is not lost for those who may be fighting to get their severe asthma under control. We spoke with Juanita Brown Ingram, Esq. and Jania Watson, two inspiring Black women who have been living with severe asthma and have found strength, resilience, and a sense of purpose in their journeys.
Juanita Brown Ingram, Esq.
Juanita Ingram has a resume that would make anyone’s jaw drop. On top of being recently crowned Mrs. Universe, she’s also an accomplished attorney, filmmaker, and philanthropist. From the outside, it seems there’s nothing this talented woman won’t try, and likely succeed at. In her everyday life, however, Juanita exercises a lot more caution. From a young age, Juanita has struggled with severe asthma. Her symptoms were always exacerbated by common illnesses like a cold or flu. “I've heard these stories of my breathing struggles, but I remember distinctly when I was younger not being able to breathe every time I got a virus,” says Ingram. “I remember missing a lot of school and crying a lot because asthma is painful. I [was taken] to see my doctor often if I got sick with anything so I was hypervigilant as a child, and I still am.”
Today, Juanita says her symptoms are best managed when she’s working closely with her care team, avoiding getting sick and staying ahead of any symptoms. Ingram said she’s been blessed with skilled doctors who are just as vigilant of her symptoms as she is. While competing in the Mrs. Universe competition, Juanita took extra care to stay clear of other competitors to ensure she didn’t catch a cold or virus that would trigger her severe asthma. “I would stand off to the side and sometimes that could be taken as ‘oh, she thinks she's better than everybody else.’ But if I get sick during a pageant, I'm done. I had to compete with that in mind because my sickness doesn't look like everybody else's sickness.”
Even when her symptoms are under control, living with severe asthma still presents challenges. Juanita relies on her strong support system to overcome the hurdles caused by a lack of understanding from the public, “I think that there's a lot of lack of awareness about how serious severe asthma is. I would [also] tell women to advocate and to trust their intuition and not to allow someone to dismiss what you're experiencing.”
Jania Watson
Jania, a content creator from Atlanta, Georgia, has been living with severe asthma for many years. Thanks to early testing by asthma specialists, Jania was diagnosed with severe asthma as a child after experiencing frequent flare-ups and challenges in her day-to-day life. “I specifically remember, I was starting school, and we were moving into a new house. One of the triggers for me and my younger sister at the time were certain types of carpets. We had just moved into this new house and within weeks of us being there, my parents literally had to pay for all new carpet in the house.”
As Jania grew older, she was suffering from fewer flare-ups and thought her asthma was well under control. However, a trip back to her doctor during high school revealed that her severe asthma was affecting her more than she realized. “That was the first time in a long time I had to do a breathing test,” she describes. “The doctor had me take a deep breath in and blow into a machine to test my breathing. They told me to blow as hard as I could. And I was doing it. I was giving everything I got. [My dad and the doctor] were looking at me like ‘girl, stop playing.’ And at that point [it confirmed] I still have severe asthma because I've given it all I got. It doesn't really go away, but I just learned how to help manage it better.”
Jania recognizes that people who aren’t living with asthma, may not understand the disease and mistake it for something less serious. Or there could be others who think their symptoms are minor, and not worth bringing up. So, for Jania, communicating with others about her diagnosis is key. “Having severe asthma [flare-ups] in some cases looks very similar to being out of shape,” she said. “But this is a chronic illness that I was born with. This is just something that I live with that I've been dealing with. And I think it's important for people to know because that determines the next steps. [They might ask] ‘Do you need a bottle of water, or do you need an inhaler? Do you need to take a break, or do we need to take you to the hospital?’ So, I think letting the people around you know what's going on, just in case anything were to happen plays a lot into it as well.”
Like Juanita, Jania’s journey has been marked by ups and downs, but she remains an unwavering advocate for asthma awareness and support within the Black community. She hopes that her story can be an inspiration to other women with asthma who may not yet have their symptoms under control. “There's still life to be lived outside of having severe asthma. It is always going to be there, but it's not meant to stop you from living your life. That’s why learning how to manage it and also having that support system around you, is so important.”
By sharing their journeys, Juanita and Jania hope to encourage others to embrace their conditions, obtain a proper management plan from a doctor or asthma specialist like a pulmonologist or allergist, and contribute to the improvement of asthma awareness and support, not only within the Black community, but for all individuals living with severe asthma.
Read more stories from others like Juanita and Jania on Amgen.com, or visit Uncontrolled Asthma In Black Women | BREAK THE CYCLE to find support and resources.
Tailor Your Love Life To Meet Your Needs With The Help Of This Viral Dating Practice
If you ask any of your single friends how they would describe their dating life, words like “pitfall” and “nonexistent” may come to mind. Not at any fault or lack of effort on their part, but largely due to the lack of viable options available. Because of this, the way that millennials and Gen Zers approach their romantic endeavors has drastically changed.
What was once a time for spontaneous meet-cutes and pre-date butterflies that arrived days in advance, has now become more of a personal obligation like any job or doctor’s appointment — your attendance is required if you want a well-rounded life. In fact, the integration of our dating lives with our day-to-day work-life balance is becoming increasingly normal as we make the most of our expendable time.
This, in turn, has resulted in a new dating practice called, “stack dating.”
What Is Stack Dating, Anyway?
In essence, stack dating (or stacking dates) involves adding a date to existing calendar commitments and scheduling back-to-back dates instead of allocating a dedicated evening or weekend.
According to Tinder’s 2023 Future of Dating report, young daters are incorporating the search for new connections into their daily routines, with 68% using dating apps while at work. Additionally, 32% have gone on dates during work hours, indicating a growing trend of blending personal and professional lives in the realm of dating.
If you think of it from this perspective, stack dating is a means to remove the formal, interview-style nature that comes with traditional dating. Have a meet-up with friends happening later in the evening? You’re already getting dressed up, so why not add a cute coffee date right before? Have errands to run in the city? Text that cutie you met at the bar to meet up after you're done.
By approaching dating as a routine aspect of your life rather than a significant event, you can start to present a more authentic version of yourself.
Blame it on all the rom-coms and Black love movies we consumed growing up, but as a millennial, I can say that we’ve been inundated with images of falling in love as a passive thing that just “kind of happens one day.” We often find ourselves waiting to be chosen as opposed to taking a more proactive approach to our love lives. We wait at the bar to be approached. Lean on the comfort of our homegirls when we go out to parties. Or even swipe aimlessly on dating apps, hoping to land a date.
Stack dating, however, involves a forward strategy where individuals allocate specific time slots in their schedule for dating prospects. By intentionally integrating romantic interactions into our routines, we can build confidence and feel empowered to gain a clearer understanding of long-term compatibility with our potential partners.
Yes, dating can be time-consuming and even monotonous at times, but you can always tailor your dating experience to fit your needs, mental capacity, and lifestyle.
If stack dating sounds like something you want to give a try, consider the following.
1. Stack dating is dating made efficient.
Adding a date or two to your Google calendar doesn’t sound sexy, but it is an efficient way to block out moments for your personal life in the middle of your work life or when you're not pursuing other interests.
One of the ways dating feels like this “big event” is that our brains have made it that way. But when you mix in the pursuits of love with other normal activities, it seems as approachable and manageable as any everyday task.
2. Block your time accordingly.
In an effort to avoid feeling burned out from your dating life too soon, space out your dates in a way that speaks to your own capacity. If you go on a lunch date, give yourself some time to collect yourself before heading to a dinner date. Went out for a late-night rendezvous on Friday? Schedule a cute museum date for Saturday afternoon. It’s all about balance.
3. Learn to compartmentalize.
As humans, it’s in our nature to compare one experience to the other. But when you’re going on multiple dates a day, it’s important to take each date for what it was in the moment so that you can be present for the next. One awkward encounter doesn’t mean the next one will be. And the information you learned about one person will have to be put aside while you meet the next. Compartmentalizing your experience allows everyone a fair shot in the process.
In all, remember that your dating life is just that: yours. Have fun with it and take the pressure off. The right one will come when you least expect it or when you schedule it.
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Featured image by Charles Olu-Alabi/Getty Images