THE REBEL’S MANIFESTO

When you hear the words “cannabis” and “mushrooms,” the first thought you may have is to equate them with recreational drugs, not medicine. We’ve been conditioned that way. Thankfully, this perception is evolving, and the therapeutic properties of cannabis and mushrooms (both non-psychedelic and psychedelic mushrooms) are becoming widely known. Stories are being shared, research is being conducted, and the medicinal value of these plants and fungi can no longer be ignored.

Conventional medicine, science, and doctors have made huge progress for us as a species, but there are options from the natural world that can supplement our conventional healthcare and enrich our quality of life. In fact, many of the pharmaceutical drugs we use today were originally derived from plants. Conventional medicine can be a wonderful thing—it’s just not all there is. This book will introduce you to some of the ways you can use the Earth’s gifts for your own healing.

Nature’s medicine chest is right outside your door. It’s right under your foot. It’s only in the last 100 years or so that this has fallen away. We are reawakening it now.

—Cheryl Boiko

The Rebel’s Apothecary isn’t about going against conventional medicine, pharmaceutical companies, or the legal system. To me, being a “rebel” is about questioning. Investigating what you’ve been taught about health and healing. Doing your own research. Asking “why?” more often. Understanding your options. And most important, making choices about your body and your health that feel right to you.

In a world that’s feeding us endless processed junk food, pills, and chemicals, it’s an act of rebellion to use natural plants and eat natural foods. It’s an act of rebellion to take your power back—the power of having a hand in your own well-being.

Being a rebel means having your own opinion. Paying attention to the wisdom from everyone you meet along the way, yet still blazing your own trail. Getting to know your body and what feels good to you. You can take the advice of your doctors, follow conventional wisdom, embrace Western medicine as much as you’d like, while also adding in gentle but powerful remedies and practices to support every system in your body.

I don’t go first to Western medicine, but thank God it’s there when we need it. Take the best of everything, at the time that makes sense for you.

—Jo Anne Richards

IT’S A REBEL’S JOURNEY TO CREATE YOUR OWN PATH.

We’ve been encouraged to listen to only our doctors when it comes to our healthcare—and I believe our doctors are good-intentioned, smart, and genuinely out to help us. But I also believe it’s time to get back to our roots—back to the herbs, plants, and fungi that have been available to us and used as potent medicines for healing since the beginning of time.

The information in this book is not to be considered a substitution for your doctor, therapist, or other healthcare professional. I am here, however, to be a messenger—to let you know what your options are in the world of cannabis and medicinal mushrooms, so you can start to ask questions, experiment, and make more informed decisions about your health.

It’s time we get back to the ancient practices of using plants as medicine.

I’ll help you get started.

It’s not rebels that make trouble, but trouble that makes rebels.

—Ruth Messinger