Invasive Apothecary

The Invasive Apothecary is a radical art project and clinical herbal ‘farmacy’ that confronts the violent, capital-driven, and xenophobic systems shaping our relationship to land and plant life. Focusing on the so-called “worst of the worst” in terms of invasive species, it challenges dominant narratives that cast these resilient plants simply as enemies to be eradicated. Instead, it reveals their cultural histories as powerful allies, in the healing of both people and ecosystems while offering creative strategies that also support biodiversity and ecological balance. 

This project questions the limits of modern relationships with the land being one of resource extraction and colonial notions of ecological restoration which challenge the current “alien”, “thug”, “nuisance”, “noxious”, “nasty” rhetoric of invasive plants by reexamining: 

                 1. their larger ecological role

                 2. the contemporary & historical human relationships to the land

                 3. and the use of invasive species as food, medicine & material resource

Some of the questions being asked by this project:

• Can we produce more caring, vibrant, and creative relationships with land?
• Can we reimagine more creative avenues to land management that don’t involve corporate-driven, toxic pesticide use & other soil-depleting eradication methods?
• Can we begin to reverse the damage done do to the erasure of indigenous land stewardship?
• Can we engage in symbiotic relationships with herbalists & crafts people, who have their ears to the ground & the skills to utilize & understand this abundance; a collaboration that would not only save tax- payer dollars but help us evolve beyond the commonly held perspective that these species are mere “biological pollution.”
• Can we cure cultural plant blindness by holding space to meet & greet these plants? Can we challenge negative projections from the powers that be to bring about positive ecosystems change for all? 
• What would happen if we shed our war-like mentality in managing land & took on one of mutualism & symbiosis? 
• Can we address the negative aspects of a growing herbal market (e.g. problems of access to “the people’s medicine” & the extinction of species due to over harvesting) by pointing herbalists to what thrives in abundance within their immediate surroundings? We care for the land & the land gives back.
• Can we reclaim urban spaces for the public to engage in land stewardship as a path toward biodiversity & a path toward true sovereignty and security over our own health & well-being?

This project explores ecological literacy and resource sustainability, recognizing that we are living through an unprecedented convergence of environmental and health crises—rooted in the degradation of our sacred relationship with the land.

Rather than vilifying so-called invasive plants, The Invasive Apothecary invites reflection on how negligent human decision-making has fueled the very invasions we condemn. Our work does not advocate for the unchecked spread of invasive species; instead, it asserts that a non-hierarchical, reciprocal re-engagement with our local environments is essential to cultivating a thriving, biodiverse world.

Many restoration ecologists continue to promote herbicides and other destructive eradication methods as “necessary evils” in the fight against invasive species. But consider this: how is it that industrialized societies—capable of driving countless species to extinction through extraction and over-harvesting for profit—cannot find a way to manage a few resilient plant species without resorting to toxic chemicals that harm all life?

This normalization of the unthinkable comes at a devastating cost—to ecosystems, to human health, and to our collective future. Herbicides and synthetic interventions sever our bond with the earth, inflicting irreversible damage on soil microbiomes, wildlife, and ourselves. They perpetuate a cycle of ecological imbalance that demands ever more chemicals, reinforcing the very conditions that favor “invasive” species.

Humans are both the problem and the solution. The outcome depends on how we choose to direct our energy.

To see six viable solutions to Japanese Knotweed “invasion” click here.

While genetically modified agriculture is often marketed as the answer to world hunger, the same corporations promote toxic, carcinogenic chemicals to be sprayed on the edible and medicinal plants already thriving in our own communities. We have ceded ecological literacy and land stewardship to corporate interests, surrendering our health, sovereignty, and well-being in the name of “invasion gospel”.

In 2017 alone, over 500 gallons of glyphosate were applied to the grounds of New York City’s parks, schools, hospitals, retirement homes, community centers, and government buildings. Glyphosate exposure has been linked to a 41% increase in Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, along with rising rates of autoimmune disorders, neurodegeneration, infertility, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illnesses.

What if the very plants we label “invasive” could actually help heal the diseases perpetuated by these chemicals?