Shereel Washington: Topical Herbalism

In this episode of HerbMentor Radio, we continue our journey through National Geographic Herbal with Chapter Four: Topical Herbalism.To guide us into this deeply sensory and ancestral world, we are joined by herbalist Shereel Washington, founder of Ixalted Natural Body Care & Botanicals. Shereel brings a rich perspective rooted in folk herbalism, body care traditions, ancestral knowledge, and relationship with the plants that nourish and protect the skin.Together, we explore how topical herbalism lives far beyond modern skincare trends. Shereel shares vivid childhood memories of being lovingly coated from head to toe in warm cocoa butter, opening a conversation about touch, care, scent, and the ways herbal body traditions become woven into everyday life and memory.We also explore how herbs work through the skin to influence the body more deeply, supporting comfort, inflammation, restoration, immunity, and relationship with ourselves. From herbal baths and foot soaks to infused oils and body butters, the conversation highlights topical herbalism as both practical and deeply nourishing.Shereel also shares beautiful insights into traditional herbal craft, including working with infused animal fats as deeply nourishing carriers for topical remedies. The conversation explores how herbal oils, salves, and body butters made with tallow and other traditional fats carry both practicality and ancestral memory, connecting modern herbalists back to longstanding traditions of skin nourishment and whole body care. In this episode, we explore: Topical herbalism as both ancestral care and practical everyday medicine Childhood sensory memories connected to herbal body care Herbal baths, foot soaks, infused oils, and body butters How herbs work through the skin to support the body Folk herbalism, bioregional traditions, and relationship with plants Infusing herbs into oils and traditional animal fats for deeply nourishing topical remedies Shereel’s Folk Herbalism course on HerbMentor Learn more about Shereel Washington and her work at Ixalted Natural Body Care & Botanicals and at Berkeley Herbal Center.   Are you ready to take your herbal learning to the next level? Sounds like it’s time to check out HerbMentor! HerbMentor offers a wide variety of rich herbal content — including an in-depth course on food as medicine — that gives you the opportunity to choose your own herbal adventure, take your time, and connect with other herbal learners and experts whenever you login. Get a special offer on HerbMentor at https://HerbMentorRadio.com Are you just starting to make herbal remedies? Build your natural first aid kid with our free Herbal Preparation Cards: https://Herbal.Cards