The below video features interviews with herbal medicine practitioners who serve patients in Alabama, in the Black Belt, along with Journei Bimwala (a local clinical herbalist), and Sadies Estela Yanes. You can also see the celebration of the closing of the exhibit at Alice Austen House. They discuss dietary changes they have recommended to their patients in Alabama, where their own testimonies on the life-changing effects of dietary changes and herbal medicine could clearly be seen with medical tests and examinations. Where they previously were diagnosed with multiple chronic health conditions, including asthma, diabetes, and high blood pressure, their tests came back as negative for these same conditions after following the protocol for several months:
The following information was provided about the exhibit and the overall project by Jasmine Murrell. It includes info for the founders of the natural medicine practice in Alabama, where they treat low-income individuals with nutritional and herbal medicine. You can also find out about natural medicine practitioners, including those trained in herbal medicine, that serve the New York City (either Brooklyn or Manhattan itself) below:
The Soldiers of Love Anthony D. Paul, PhD, and Marlo E. Paul, MD
🌐 dp3herbs.com
Dr. Marlo E. Paul, MD, and her husband, botanist and biochemist Dr. Anthony D. Paul, are redefining care and community through their work as farmers and healers in Alabama’s Black Belt. Together, they grow medicinal plants and provide free healthcare to residents in a region where Medicaid expansion has been denied and hospitals are chronically understaffed. By combining rigorous scientific research with cultural remedies nearly lost, the Pauls help address chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure and diabetes with homegrown plants. During the height of COVID-19, the couple made house calls, delivered herbal remedies from their farm, and checked in daily with patients — all at no cost.
About Dr. Anthony D. Paul, PhD
● Botanical science professor and expert in plant science, neuroscience, and biochemistry.
● Published extensively in peer-reviewed journals; cited alongside Dr. Ben Carson for his
work in health education.
● Dedicated teacher whose students have gone on to become medical doctors, scientists,
nurses, and dentists.
● Has spent 25 years traveling the world studying medical botany in Africa, Madagascar,
the Philippines, the Caribbean, and the Americas.
About Dr. Marlo E. Paul, MD, DipABLM
● Board certified in Internal Medicine and Lifestyle Medicine.
● Graduate of Loma Linda Medical School; residency at the University of Tennessee
Medical Center.
● Over 20 years of international experience researching medicinal plants in Africa,
Madagascar, and South America.
How to Support or Connect
● 🌱 Purchase their herbal supplements at dp3herbs.com
The following questions were also answered, which provide more info and context:
Here are some local healers below:
Karen M. Rose
Trained in Eastern and Western Herbal Medicine, Master Herbalist, Karen M. Rose created an outlet for her teachings and healing modalities with the opening of Brooklyn-based Sacred Vibes Healing and Sacred Vibes Apothecary in 2002. Her inspiration for this work began as a child in her native home of Guyana, where she was exposed to how African, Caribbean and Latin American traditions profoundly influenced plant medicine and community healing. The legacy of these lands is the foundation of Karen’s spiritual and healing practice.
Karen is dedicated to empowering individuals to make informed decisions not only about their health, but their total lifestyle. She has developed authentic and enlightening materials as well as an extensive line of herbal products, all of which are available through the apothecary, apprenticeship classes and mentoring programs, such as her Get Off Your Knees platform, in which she weaves myth, fairytale, folklore and her own experiences to uniquely coach clients on how to become their spiritual, physical, and emotional best selves based on their innate talents and gifts.
A strong advocate of community partnerships in healing, she believes that all spiritual traditions offer guidance on the path to finding truth, and she has authored articles on the power and simplicity of herbs used to heal and nourish mind, body and spirit.
Karen and her work have been featured in a variety of media outlets, including on The FEED, featuring culinary celebrity Marcus Samuelsson, the New York Times, Black Enterprise Magazine, Organic Life, and the New York Daily News. Aside from her dedication to healing, Karen is also a devoted mother of three, who she proudly believes are her best apprentices.
Karen M. Rose
Creator @sacredbotanicabk @sacredvibesapothecary
Author Art + Practice of Spiritual Herbalism
Journei Bimwala
Journei Bimwala is a Clinical Herbalist, Foraging Practitioner, and educator dedicated to reconnecting communities with nature and ancestral plant knowledge. As a founding member of NYC’s only public Foodway, she advocates for equitable access to green spaces and traditional healing practices. Through foraging tours, herbal wellness classes, and storytelling, Journei teaches people how to identify, use, and honor the plants around them. Her work has been featured in The Guardian and The New York Times. She is also the founder of One Heartbeat, a nonprofit supporting water access and community well-being in the Congo.
Banner image: Exhibit catalog cover. Image Credit – Jasmine Murrell
Alice Austen House
The Alice Austen House is a national landmark located in Staten Island, and is operated by the Friends of Alice Austen House, and owned by the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. The museum is open to the public, where the photographs of Alice Austen are on display, and there are also group tours and special events. From their website: “The Alice Austen House fosters creative expression, explores personal identity, and educates and inspires the public through the interpretation of the photographs, life and historic home of pioneering American photographer, Alice Austen (1866-1952).”