The plants that raised me: how mexican folk remedies led me to herbalism

By Jennifer Monroy, Founder & Herbalist

my prima and I as kids

Growing up, we didn’t call it herbalism.

Back in the day, words like “nervine,” “adaptogen,” or “ individual constitution,” were not in mine or my family’s vocabulary, yet, plants were already a part of my life. They were the star of remedies passed down from my ancestors. They were teas brewed when someone wasn’t feeling well and an unspoken feeling that nature always had something to offer when we needed some extra support.

Growing up in a Mexican-American household, ‘remedios’ weren’t “alternative medicine,” they were just simply part of everyday life.

If I was sick, best believe someone in my family had a remedy. If I couldn’t sleep, there was a bath with chamomile. If I had a belly ache from the chile my tio dared me to eat from the nursery (or the hot cheetos lol), there was a tea for that made with menta from the yard. If I had a cough, someone was reaching for herbs, vapor rub, honey, limón, garlic or whatever wisdom had been passed down through generations before me. In hindsight, I see that those were the moments that planted the seeds of what would eventually become a lifelong fascination with herbalism.

At the time I didn’t think much of it. I used to roll my eyes when my mom would yell at me “no andes descalza, que te vas a enfermar!” (Thank you TCM)

I didn’t know that cultures around the world had long histories of working with plants. I definitely didn’t know that people dedicated their lives to studying herbal medicine. I only knew that it sparked curiosity in me.

As I got older, that curiosity only grew.

I found myself wanting to find out not only what people used, but why. Why did certain plants become trusted staples? What was in them that made them unique? How had different cultures worked with them throughout history? And most importantly, why weren’t they more popular? The more I learned, the more I found that herbalism is at the crossroads of science, tradition, culture and relationship.

What began as a thirst for knowledge, led me to pursue formal herbal education.

I dove deep into herbal studies, learning plant energetics, traditional uses, how to prepare formulas, safety considerations, and the unbelievable complexity of the natural world. The deeper I went, the stronger the connection felt to something much larger than myself. I was blessed with a lineage of people who have looked to the natural world for nourishment, comfort, and support.

Once I felt comfortable enough, I began creating my own blends.

In the beginning, they were made for myself and my own health struggles, then for friends and family. I fell in love with the process of thoughtfully and sometimes intuitively combining herbs and sharing them with people I cared about. What surprised me the most was how passionate I became with helping others discover plants they may have never worked with before.

That passion eventually grew into Erekani Herbs, with a little helpful nudge from my mentors.

It started with kitchen experiments and handwritten notes slowly evolving into a small business built around intentional, whole-plant formulas that would appeal to my generation. Today, Erekani Herbs offers teas, capsules, salves, and smoke blends made with organic or ethically wildcrafted herbs inspired by both traditional herbal wisdom and modern herbal education.

At the core, Erekani is about connection.

The reconnection to my ancestral practices, the reconnection to plants, the reconnection to community, and the reconnection to the small rituals that help us feel more grounded in our everyday lives.

While my approach to herbalism has been and continues to be fine-tuned by formal education, I still largely carry the influence of the remedios, tradiciones, and curiosity that I grew up with. Those experiences taught me that wellness doesn’t always have to be complicated. Sometimes it all starts with a cup of tea, a familiar scent, shared storytelling, or a simple plant that has quietly supported generations.

I think it’s safe to say that the plants that raised me are the same plants that continue to inspire my work today.

And this is only the beginning of the story.

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