Premye Herbals

Keeping on with keeping it simple, folx. If you’re shopping today and want to keep it easy, I can help. No codes, secret links, high spend amounts, or other complicated types of offers.... Simply spend $20 in my shop and be one of the first five folks to do so and get a surprise full sized vial of my new herbal incense and nose posy blend.⠀
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I really do appreciate the support and community around Premye and in keeping with my values, I’m happy to offer a small incentive to support small business that doesn’t compromise my integrity. I simply hope my small batch intentionally crafted offerings bring you the chance to take time and make space.⠀
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Hot Tip - The last slide is borrowed from and her brilliant post about why BlackFriday is kinda BS. A small part of me wants to find the movement of folx working to make Black Friday a moot point by making LITERALLY EVERY FRIDAY Black Friday [where folx spend with BIpoc as a means of disrupting big box/late stage capitalism]… but I’m getting better at remembering that I don’t need to do all the things. ⠀
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Do you know how to bend time? Sometimes it’s easy as making a conscious decision to sink deeply into a moment. Its taking time to notice the light playing in your space, how the sounds around you affect physical sensations in your body, deeply savoring a flavor aroma or texture… trying to memorize sensations in the moment. I call it treasuring the transitions...⠀
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I’ve been sharing these turns of phrase since October with intentions of speaking them into existence in some ways… Words have power and just because our non-selfie posts don’t get as much engagement here doesn’t mean they’re not resonating. I have to keep reminding myself of small true things to de-escalate the algorithm kerfuffles we small biz folx struggle with.⠀
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Some might call them mantras or credos or even slogans, but I knew I wanted to share them outwardly... To keep me accountable but also because a lot of this is about making connections locally and digitally, rooted (hah!) in plant medicine and magic. ⠀
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‘Treasure the transition’ is one of the first things that made me snap to attention. ⠀
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When I make a cup of tea, or sneak a sniff of a flower, or smoke a cigarette, or even snap a photo ... it’s really about me trying to slow down time and treasure that moment I am in. 🕰⠀
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It’s Friday. I’m black. You can buy stuff from me. ⠀
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Y’all I’m so over this “beat the algorithm stuff” and it’s only getting more intense as we head to and . I appreciate you rocking with me here as the world gets noisier and invisible forces try to move us “back to normal”... I hope you’re thinking that normal isn’t what we need, and that we can look inside for what our collectives need instead. ⠀
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In the meantime, an offering to help you savor the moments you get to steal for dreaming your new normal...⠀
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Similar to herbal tinctures, herbal glycerites are a great way to take in the healing properties of herbs and flowers in small but powerful doses. While most tinctures are alcohol based, glycerites use naturally derived Vegetable Glycerin (VG) to extract and store those healing properties.⠀
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I call my glycerites Sweet Drops since they are naturally very sweet and only include organic vegetable glycerin, high quality organic herbs, flowers, and plant materials. Sweet Drops are perfect on their own for a concentrated dose of herbal action, plus they can be added to your teas and drinks as a sweetener. Some folks also use glycerites to retain moisture by adding a small amount to their beauty products! Lastly, I take a dropper-full neat to instantly soothe a sore or scratchy throat, or to help swallow large pills. ⠀
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I’ve got limited quantities of these comforting cuties in the shop because they take about a month to make… If you’re into hibiscus and ginger, a floral medley, or a soothing simple blend of roses and lavender check them out via my shop link in bio!
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People, Plants, Premye.⠀
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At the end of the day, these three words sum up why we’re here. Plants are medicine. People are magic. Premye is our mantra.⠀
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Premye means ‘First’ in Haitian Creole. When I use that word, in my ancestors tongue, it is to emphasize the priority we place on caring for ourselves, our communities, and our environment. It’s a reminder and and invitation to take time to make space. ⠀
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Celebrating our who transitioned on 11/17/92 with a quote from my fave essay of hers, and a poem of hers I read fir the first time this year. It’s crazy when I think about how many of my saved IG quotes are from Audre Lorde ... swipe for a few of my faves...
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“The sharing of joy, whether physical, emotional, psychic, or intellectual, forms a bridge between the sharers which can be the basis for understanding much of what is not shared between them, and lessens the threat of their difference.”⠀
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— Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches by Audre Lorde⠀
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There Are No Honest Poems About Dead Women⠀
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What do we want from each other⠀
after we have told our stories⠀
do we want⠀
to be healed do we want⠀
mossy quiet stealing over our scars⠀
do we want⠀
the powerful unfrightening sister⠀
who will make the pain go away⠀
mother’s voice in the hallway⠀
you’ve done it right⠀
the first time darling⠀
you will never need⠀
to do it again.⠀
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Thunder grumbles on the horizon⠀
I buy time with another story⠀
a pale blister of air⠀
cadences of dead flesh⠀
obscure the vowels.⠀
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– by Audre Lorde

I’m tempted to do one of those “re-intro for the new folks” things that are so popular lately, but honestly I’ve been on The Socials for a while and get tired of trends sometimes... ⠀
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But... I mean, AND...⠀
I do want to show up on the grid now and then to say hi to the newer followers and share virtual hugs with the folx who’ve been rocking w me and Premyé for a while.⠀[shouts to my local faves for the diy bouquet they helped me make for season!]
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So, this post is for the newer folx... Hello! I’m Kim, and I started Premye to help me connect with people and plants on my journey into folk herbalism and community building. I'm an , introvert, maker-sharer, and empath by nature, but like everyone I have lots of shadow selves that I’ve been exploring and leaning into more lately. ⠀
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I’ve been studying herbalism for about 4 years now, and both folk and modern herbalism informs my products, which I call offerings. My dream is to be the person in my community who can whip up a brew or blend to help folx in my circle thrive, not just survive. I’m proud to be the of my Haitian family to be born in the US [brooklyn nyc, represent!] and my heritage informs my thoughts about privilege, the diaspora, indigenous cultures, and decolonization - among other things. ⠀
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I think as business owners and citizens of the world, we should speak our beliefs so I'm excited to be part of a growing group of people who want to by helping their local communities be healthier, happier and more informed. If you’d like to learn more and visit some of my journey, check the tag for similar posts!⠀
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In some ways it feels odd to talk about tea, ne, tisane given everything happening lately but I've spent the last two weeks deep in what folx call spooky season, with herbal blends being a big part of my work so I’m happy to share some of that with you here. ⁠⠀
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Funny thing is, if you turn to any form of media... it's still spooky season in a very different [world & political news] context.⁠⠀
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It’s felt like a blessing and a rest to work with my altars and flowers and rosaries and cards and ancestors all month and feeling more connected to the earth. For me that means integrating plants into my every day life, so among other things, I’ve been drinking way more tisane in fall than in the summer.⁠⠀
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This year, I've gone from drinking lemon verbena with hibiscus to mostly drinking black tea with spices... and those choices have been heavily informed by my Caribbean upbringing and my 9 month immersion program in Yogic practices, including Ayurveda and Asana. ⁠⠀
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Folk herbalism, what I like to think of as “the magick inherent in working with plant matter, elemental energy, and intention” is a balm and an aid in troubling times. My herbal teas and tisanes are grounded in those intentions and as an herbal artist it’s such a joyous practice to let aroma and aesthetics play a key role in how I formulate my blends and offerings. ⁠⠀
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If you are signed up for the newsletter, peep your inbox soon for a first chance to try my newest blend crafted from my love and appreciation for both my Caribbean roots and Ayurvedic doshas which I studied during my recent yoga immersion.⁠⠀
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When I was sitting with the idea of starting a small herbal offerings business years ago, I had lots of short punchy statements running through my head... it's a habit of mine when brainstorming. A few stuck around and have grounded this as it evolves. So following a month of the party celebrating two years of the web shop, I wanted to re-surface some of those primary Premye mantras.⁠⠀
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was one of the first mantras for Premye that felt like it belonged. While I make and sell niche herbal teas, I try to focus on the universal accessibility and benefits of adding herbs and hydration into our daily routines and rituals.⁠⠀
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Taking time off is a luxury, but even those of us who must grind to survive can find ways to steal time to revive. is about just that, and I'll be honest I've been availing myself of every unstructured moment I can find lately and taking that space. Sometimes I flip this mantra to because it still works, but it gives life to the fact that we sometimes need to reclaim our time in order to make spaces for what we need. Either way, I hope my signature sign off helps ground you and make room for what you need. ⁠⠀
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PS Folx who've recently ordered via my shop know this, but I designed a few different stickers with this mantra and have been sneaking them in with most orders since August. Make space, y'all!!⁠⠀
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