Fund the health packs

Herbal medicine packs for people on the move across the Balkan route: preventative medicine, self-care support and first aid, to reduce the risks of untreated illness and injury.

We thank the Solidarity Apothecary and the Mobile Herbal Clinic Calais for sharing their recipes with us. We have adapted and swapped some of the ingredients according to the availability of the supply at our disposal, prioritising ingredients coming from our own foragers & growers networks.

€0raised

6 donations

  • Partner fundraisers: €200

Where the money goes

  1. Bulk production of medicine

    Herbs, oils, alcohol, food-grade glycerine, waxes, emulsifiers, essential oils, hydrosols, packaging.

  2. First aid supplies

    For the 1-to-1 interventions.

  3. Shared car & fuel

    Maintenance of the car the distribution depends on, including any backup emergency repair fund. Travel costs, such as fuel and tolls.

  4. Short-term accommodation

    Crashing space needed for travelling to locations near the distribution points, when hospitality within the local community is not available.

  5. Food basket

    For the crew when spending time on the field.

  6. Digital security

    Tools to protect the collective and the people we work with.

  7. Legal protection

    Solidarity is criminalised in the region. Money set aside for legal support.

What's in a pack

Ingredients and instructions in several languages in every pack.

winter

Winter pack

  • Cough syrup

    A glycerite blend of immunity and respiratory supporting herbs: elderberry, thyme, echinacea, as well as marshmallow, elecampane and other warming spices.

  • Bruise ointment

    Ointment and muscle rub for pain relief from muscle pain, bruises, sprains and strains.

  • Chest rub

    A warming, balsamic mix of infused and essential oils with capsicum pepper, ivy, thyme, bay, eucalyptus, pine and more.

summer

Summer pack

  • Immune tonic

    A glycerite of immune-supporting and antimicrobial herbs: elderberry, thyme, ginger, turmeric, fennel, cinnamon, hyssop.

  • Bruise ointment

    Same as in the Winter pack.

  • Anti-itch cream

    Calendula and lavender against inflammation and for some respite to sleep.

all year

Nervous system support pack

  • Lavender oil

    An infused oil that aids sleep and for muscle relaxation.

  • Nervous system soother

    A glycerite blend of lemon balm, hawthorn berry and chamomile.

  • Nerve nourisher tea

    Skullcap, lemon balm, oatstraw, lavender to support rest & recovery, and to aid sleep.

all year

Wound care kit

  • Wound spray

    Water extracts and tinctures of myrrh, witch hazel and calendula for cleaning, disinfection and treatment.

  • Anti-microbial cream

    For both bacterial and fungal infections of skin and wounds, with calendula, thyme, oregano, tea tree, yarrow, zinc oxide.

  • Dressings, gauzes, plasters

on request

Toothcare kit

Handled with extra care because of the alcohol content.

  • Herbal mouthwash

    Supports dental pain and upper respiratory infections with myrrh, raspberry, licorice, yarrow, clove, mint, fennel.

Give supplies instead

In the region and able to give materials? Or further away and still want to contribute? We could get organised with international shipping or punk post.

We have added down here a list of plants that can be either foraged (responsibly and safely!) or cultivated. Also menstruums like olive oil can be self-produced, as well as essential oils and water extracts (hydrosols), tho more rarely. Already made infused oils and tinctures are also welcome, but need to be specified with ratio, alcoholic percentage and need to go through some checks to assure quality and potency.

Herbs can only travel dried; fresh herbs only work through local suppliers.

For any questions, including about plants that are not mentioned in the list, write to us at nobordersherbals@systemli.org.

Note: we want to acknowledge the problematic use of colonial latin names and how they have supplanted regional and indigenous terms; we are using them here for the only purpose of plant identification in an international context, to avoid confusion. Friends in our circles are working to create a directory of plant names in multiple languages and alphabets across the world. We wish to link this up onto our website as soon as it’s ready. If anyone knows about any already existing similar project, hit us up!

Herbs (dried)

  • ElderberrySambucus nigra
  • ThymeThymus vulgaris
  • Cinnamon sticksCinnamomum verum
  • Fennel seedsFoeniculum vulgare
  • Ginger, root cut or powderZingiber officinale
  • Turmeric, root cut or powderCurcuma longa
  • LavenderLavandula angustifolia
  • St John's wortHypericum perforatum
  • ComfreySymphytum officinale
  • DaisyBellis perennis
  • CalendulaCalendula officinalis
  • Marshmallow, root cut or powderAlthaea officinalis
  • ElecampaneInula helenium
  • Raspberry leafRubus idaeus
  • Liquorice rootGlycyrrhiza glabra
  • Bay leafLaurus nobilis
  • Capsicum pepper, fresh (local suppliers only) or powderCapsicum annuum
  • CloveSyzygium aromaticum
  • EchinaceaEchinacea purpurea
  • ChamomileMatricaria chamomilla
  • Hawthorn berryCrataegus monogyna
  • Lemon balmMelissa officinalis
  • SkullcapScutellaria lateriflora
  • OatstrawAvena sativa
  • SageSalvia officinalis
  • RosemarySalvia rosmarinus / Rosmarinus officinalis

Menstruums

  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Sunflower oil

Tinctures

  • Calendula90%Calendula officinalis
  • Myrrh90%Commiphora myrrha
  • YarrowAchillea millefolium
  • Raspberry leafRubus idaeus
  • Liquorice rootGlycyrrhiza glabra
  • EchinaceaEchinacea purpurea

Water extracts (hydrosols)

  • ThymeThymus vulgaris
  • RoseRosa damascena
  • YarrowAchillea millefolium
  • SpearmintMentha spicata
  • SageSalvia officinalis
  • RosemarySalvia rosmarinus / Rosmarinus officinalis
  • LavenderLavandula angustifolia

Essential oils

  • CloveSyzygium aromaticum
  • FennelFoeniculum vulgare
  • Tea treeMelaleuca alternifolia
  • OreganoOriganum vulgare
  • WintergreenGaultheria procumbens
  • LavenderLavandula angustifolia

Packaging

  • 100–125 ml plastic bottles with screw tops
  • 45–50 ml plastic tubs or tins
  • 50 ml bottles with spray nozzles

First aid supplies

  • Dressings and gauze
  • Bandages
  • Medical tape
  • Plasters
  • Disposable gloves
  • Hand sanitiser
  • Wet wipes
  • Tweezers

Why

After nearly a year and a half of fundraising, researching, networking, sorting out logistics and building capacity, we are finally at the stage of planning to establish a presence at border locations in South Eastern Europe.

Once the collaborations and distribution points will be mapped out after this autumn, we want to have enough funds to cover a bulk production of medicines, field work related costs such as travel, accommodation and food for the field crew, defence tools for digital security and any necessary legal protection.

This work is demanding on a small self-organised collective, and it is highly criminalised. We expect our resources to be regularly depleted by the ongoing activities.

We have no connection to institutions, NGOs, academia or grant schemes. All our funds come from distros and infoshops, merch sales, benefit events and donations made in solidarity.

More about the project

How to support the ongoing fundraising

If you are an individual, a collective, an infoshop who would like to support us as a one-off or on a regular basis, please hit us up!

Some ideas:

  • sell our merch at any events you plan to attend
  • organise benefit gigs, community meals, raffles or stalls at your local squat, social centre or bookfair.

For any questions, proposals or to discuss logistics, write us at nobordersherbals@systemli.org.