No Borders Herbals

No Borders Herbals is a self-organised project of grassroots herbalists and organisers distributing herbal medicine packs to people on the move across the so-called Balkan route. Rooted in mutual aid and solidarity, the project supports people experiencing border violence and denied access to healthcare.

Who Are No Borders Herbals 

No Borders Herbals is a self-organised project that stems from the need to create autonomous healthcare networks in our regions and across borders.

The project, made up of international radical herbalists, anarchists, organisers and plant lovers, aims to start a self-production of herbal medicine for first aid and acute conditions to distribute on the migration route across the Balkans, working as close as possible with local groups and people already active on the ground.

Some of us are clinically trained, others are self-learners with hands-on medicine making experience, some are long-term community organisers. This project doesn’t want to replicate the elitist society, herbalist sector not excluded, we are surrounded by. Instead it’s a clear statement that says learning basic first aid knowledge and taking care of each other’s health while rediscovering plant kinship, can be down to us as individuals and resisting communities by breaking down the walls of information hierarchy.

The project is an attempt to partly fill the gap that people on the move, migrants and other communities in marginalised and precarious conditions face to access healthcare in South Eastern Europe.

While states worldwide are pumping billions of public money into warfare, mega-prisons and large ecocidal construction projects, national healthcare systems are fast collapsing under the pressure of funding cuts and privatisation. In the meantime, the Western ‘Medical Industrial Complex’, with interests tightly intertwined with the Big Pharma and companies who pursue cruel practices such as animal torture, intends to gatekeep the medical profession by making it accessible only for the members of civil society who have access to formal education, often in a classed manner, and reserves treatment only to those with the right papers, conforming bodies and wealthy enough to afford to pay (or just ‘unlucky’ to run into debt).

This project, together with others across past and present like Ukraine Herbal Solidarity and the Mobile Herbal Clinic Calais, is rooted in the practice of herbalism as mutual aid and as a tool for radical solidarity against border violence.

Border Violence in the Balkans 

Border violence is an everyday reality for people on the move crossing borders worldwide, and in the Balkans it shows one of the most inhumane and violent side, causing brutality and even deaths in what is one of the least publicly known geo-political contexts in Fortress Europe.

We suggest reading the reports groups like Border Violence Monitoring Network and others have filed in regards to incidents of systemic oppression on people on the move which happen on a daily basis in the region, as well as many cases of criminalisation of solidarity.

For this reason, this project also takes the opportunity to shed light on what happens on the Balkan route.

Content warning: police violence, death (including explicit, vivid references).

  • ‘Bloody Borders’ archive of border violence testimonies gathered by No Name Kitchen (NNK) field teams. https://bloodyborders.org/
  • ‘Frozen lives: an investigation into how Bulgarian authorities put the lives of people on the move at risk of death’ (PDF) by NNK and Collettivo Rotte Balcaniche. https://share.google/fsyc8fgrK6QhGgUUK

Healthcare Neglect and Violence

People on the move face severe barriers to healthcare. In many countries, people without papers are denied access altogether. Elsewhere, visiting a hospital can trigger detention and deportation. Even when healthcare is technically available, it is often obstructed by racist discrimination, language barriers, and other systemic obstacles.

No Borders Herbals works from a principle of harm reduction. The project provides preventative medicine, self-care support, and first aid materials to reduce the risks of untreated illness and injury. For example, herbal remedies can support the immune system and help prevent a cold or flu from escalating into a serious chest infection. Herbal wound sprays can provide antimicrobial protection, reducing the chance of minor injuries becoming dangerous infections.

Volunteers with the Mobile Herbal Clinic Calais have shared that many of the worst wounds they encounter come from refugees who crossed the Balkans without access to even basic wound care. With our herbal packs, our aim is to equip people with tools to care for themselves as best they can while surviving border violence and neglect on their journeys.

Distribution Goals

Due to the sensitivity of the context and criminalisation of solidarity in the region, we are currently unsure we will be able to share regular updates about the distribution. However, we are aiming to publish any major news whenever we can.

Our plan is to distribute 50 ‘health packs’ a week with seasonal picks to best suit the changing weather. A couple of ‘special care kits’ will also be dispensed upon request.

Each pack will come with an ingredients list and instructions for use translated into multiple languages.

The ingredients and the recipes are subject to change to prioritise any available stock coming from local, ideally independent suppliers who we are looking to link up with.

WINTER PACK 

  • Immune Tonic
    • A glycerite blend of immune supporting and antimicrobial herbs
    • Elderberry, Thyme, Ginger, Turmeric, Fennel, Cinnamon
  • Bruise Ointment
    • A bruise ointment and muscle rub that brings pain relief to muscle pain, bruises, sprains and strains. 
  • Lavender Oil
    • This is an infused oil that aids sleep, skin inflammation, burns and other issues. 

SUMMER PACK

  • Immune Tonic (as above)
  • Anti-Itch spray
    • This is a blend of herbal vinegars, aromatic waters and essential oils that is incredibly effective at reducing the itchiness of insect bites. This prevents further inflammation and infection and allows some respite that can support people to sleep. 
  • Herbal Cream
    • Made with infused oils such as chamomile and calendula.
    • Soothing for skin inflammation. 

WOUND CARE KIT

  • A witch hazel spray for wound cleaning/debridement 
  • A wound spray for disinfection and treatment that contains water and tinctures of myrrh and calendula 
  • Dressings, Gauze, Bandages

TOOTHCARE KIT

Upon request and handled with extra care and recommendations due to alcohol content.

  • Herbal Mouthwash. This mix supports dental pain as well as upper respiratory infections.

Current Stage: October 2025 

We have been at the fundraising and planning stage for the past few months. We will finally run our first small-scale test production and distribution this autumn from Serbia thanks to the help of local active groups and people who will share some of their resources with us.

Familiarising with the local context is a constant work in progress not likely to end soon, both in terms of figuring out the scale of impact of the project, as well as finding connections with locals and other logistical practicalities related to the herbal supply chain. In the long-term, we would like this project to thrive thanks to the connections between local communities, medicine makers and distribution folks, as well as thanks to the establishment of solidarity economy links with regional autonomous herbal suppliers.

Support Needed and How to Get Involved 

As the infrastructure of the project solidifies, it will become clearer how people can properly get involved both at local and international level.

In the meantime, we need more hands on deck to figure some more stuff out.

If you can help with any of these requests, get in touch at nobordersherbals@proton.me

The following questions apply to any of the Balkan countries, especially Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia (but not limited to them).

1. Do you know of any herb grower networks or individuals in the region? We are especially interested in small independent growers to start developing plans for a solidarity economy circle.

2. Do you know of anyone who has access to land in the region?

3. Do you know any local suppliers in the region who sell, either online or at high street level or independently, any of the following:

– dried herbs

– alcohol-based tinctures

– infused oils

– essential oils

– food-grade palm oil-free glycerine?

4. Do you have access to a space for medicine making or storage? Such as a commercial or collective kitchen area. 

5. Are you based in the Balkans and interested in medicine making for the project? We also aim to organise some DIY trainings for people new to medicine making.

Wishlist 

Note: we are aware of how problematic it is to use the Latin name of plants due to its history of colonisation and oppression. We are using this terminology for exclusively practical reasons. Regional names are wholesome and nuanced but often it’s hard to communicate with precision which plant we are talking about.

Are you based in the region and want to give any herbal supplies?

We are looking for:

HERBS

Herbs can be effectively delivered from a distance only dried.
The handling of fresh herbs is only possible through local suppliers. 

  • Elderberries (Sambucus Nigra)
  • Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris) 
  • Cinnamon sticks (Cinnamomum Verum)
  • Fennel seeds (Foeniculum Vulgare)
  • Ginger (Zingiber Officinale) –  root cut or powder 
  • Turmeric (Curcuma Longa) – root cut or powder
  • Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia) 
  • St John’s Wort (Hypericum Perforatum)
  • Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)
  • Daisy (Bellis Perennis)

MENSTRUUMS

  • Sunflower oil
  • Extra virgin olive oil

PACKAGING 

  • 100-125ml plastic bottles with screw tops
  • 45-50ml plastic tubs or tins 
  • 100ml plastic bottles with spray nozzles

FIRST AID SUPPLIES

  • First aid essentials such as dressings, gauzes, bandages, medical tape.

Fundraising and Donations 

For fundraising, we are planning a merch sale coming up very soon in the month of October, with posting planned for the end of November / early December. Watch this space for the opening date! The sale will be on for 2 to 4 weeks.

For fundraising, we have organised an online merch sale during October for 3-4 weeks. Shipping is planned for mid-November and the parcels are estimated to arrive between late November and early December. 

Big up to artist Minty Mori (Instagram: @mintemori) for supporting this project by offering their stunning artwork; to UK-based screenprinters Carry On Screening (www.carryonscreening.co.uk) and Italy-based Split Image Screenprinting (Instagram: @splitimage_screenprinting) for working with us to make this project possible.

Click here to order your merch: https://solidarityapothecary.org/store/

You are very welcome to donate to No Borders Herbals via this link: https://solidarityapothecary.org/campaigns/nobordersherbals/

Contact

Please get in touch with us at nobordersherbals@proton.me

The collective is currently in the process of building capacity so allow potentially a few days for us to reply. We will prioritise messages that have got a direct point in response to any of the requests for support/information we have put forward. For anything else, please refer to this webpage while we do our best to get back to you.