Photo by Nina Strehl on Unsplash
In line with our vision and values, Five Flavors Herbs partners with local and global organizations that work toward improving the health of our communities using the tools of integrative medicine. We believe that healthcare is a human right, and we also support the right to chose which modalities work best for individuals. We envision a world where botanical remedies have an important role within an integrative, holistic healthcare system that serves ALL.
Five Flavors Herbs supports activists and nonprofit organizations through in-kind donations of herbal remedies, sponsoring conferences & events, and by offering deep discounts on our products to free- and low-cost clinics that use herbal remedies on a consistent basis. We also use our social media platforms and our storefront as spaces for fundraising and building community. To request support for your cause or organization, please email info@fiveflavorsherbs.com.
Local Nonprofits
Street Level Health:
Founded in 2002 and located in Oakland’s Fruitvale district, Street level health is “ ...an Oakland-based community center dedicated to improving the wellbeing of underinsured, uninsured, and recently arrived immigrants in Alameda County.” In addition to a free medical clinic and mental health counseling, they link immigrants with housing, health insurance, and legal services, and also organize & serve day laborers in the East Bay.
Charlotte Maxwell Clinic:Integrative Cancer Care
“CMC provides integrated medical services primarily in Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, San Francisco, Marin and San Mateo counties, through a volunteer base of healthcare practitioners. CMC is a California licensed free clinic and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.”
National Organizations
Integrative Medicine for the Underserved
“Integrative Medicine for the Underserved is a collaborative, multidisciplinary group of people committed to affordable, accessible integrative health care for all.” In addition to hosting an annual national conference, IM4US hosts a free Integrative Medicine Toolkit for clinicians, educators and patients. Five Flavors Herbs has provided conference sponsorship yearly since 2015.
American Herbalist’s Guild
Founded in 1989, the AHG is the premier organization for professional herbalists in the United States. “The American Herbalists Guild envisions a world where herbal medicine is accessible to all as a core component of health care.” Benjamin Zappin, L.Ac. has been a longtime professional member, and Five Flavors Herbs has provided conference sponsorship yearly since 2009.
Social Movements & Disaster Relief
Standing Rock Medic & Healer Council
In 2016, thousands of indigenous people and their allies gathered on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation in South Dakota to protect the sacred waters of the Missouri River from the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). Five Flavors Herbs joined many other herbalists in donating herbal remedies to support the health of water protectors struggling against police violence and harsh weather conditions.
One way to support the Standing Rock Sioux now that the pipeline flows is to donate to the Mni Wiconi Health Clinic, a collaboration between Ingrid’s alma mater UCSF, traditional healers, and many other organizations to construct an integrative medicine clinic to serve the health of the community for generations to come
Puerto Rico Relief
In September 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, among many other Caribbean islands. In addition to sending donations of herbs and raising awareness about the ongoing health crises in the wake of the storms, we continue to extend our support to organizations such as the New York-based Integrative Health Project’s “Salud y Acupuntura para el Pueblo.”
North Bay Fires
In October 2017, massive fires destroyed thousands of homes in Napa, Mendocino & Sonoma counties, leaving many residents with only the clothes on their backs, and billowing toxic fumes throughout the Bay Area. Five Flavors Herbs collaborated closely with other North Bay community herbalists and herb shops including Farmacopia in Santa Rosa, Gathering Thyme in San Anselmo, the Sonoma County Herb Exchange in Sebastopol, Ancestral Apothecary in Oakland, and The Scarlet Sage Herb Co in San Francisco to donate & distribute herbal remedies to hundreds of residents and first responders.
Black Liberation Uprising
Following the murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, MN in May of 2021 and many other acts of state sanctioned violence and murder of Black people across the United States, the summer of 2020 saw a significant uprising of activism in the name of Black Liberation and a call to Defund the Police in the US. Five Flavors teamed up with several local activist including BAY.HRT and the Freedom Community Clinic to distribute emergency response kits to the hundreds of Oakland activist taking to the street as well as local healers who were providing free wellness services for Black and brown people.
