Cliffside Herbal Apothecary is currently collaborating on an edited volume, Healing Paradise: A Radically Reimagined Ethnobotany of the Caribbean, to be published by DIO Publications and released in late 2021.
Cliffside Herbal Apothecary was formed shortly after Hurricane Maria struck the beautiful Island of Puerto Rico in the fall of 2017. I visited the island within weeks and witnessed first hand the devastation left in Maria's wake, but also the courage, resilience and optimism of the Puerto Rican people. I was struck by the calm stoic acceptance of circumstances beyond human control, the generosity of spirit that led them to shoulder their neighbor's burdens and the pride and commitment to homeland. Puerto Rico, or Boriken as it was called by the native Taino, is a land rich in herbal healing tradition and lore. I became determined that this legacy of compassionate healing and environmental stewardship, based on the spiritual beliefs and practices of our ancestors, be resurrected. Hence the establishment of cliffSide Herbal Apothecary - dedicated to the idea that food is medicine and both should be freely available to all. We support the ideals of the food sovereignty movement, but go further in reclaiming re-educating and re-establishing the sacred medicinal and agricultural practices of our ancestors in moving toward a more sustainable and equitable future.
-Rosalina Diaz Ph.D
Certified Community Herbalist