I’m Alexandra Crofoot—clinical herbalist, former co-owner of Black Locust Gardens herb farm, educator, mom, and the founder of Bloodroot Apothecary. My work is rooted in the belief that you dont need a degree to help others, and that plants are some of our oldest allies on the journey toward wellness, community resilience, and sovereignty from oppressive systems.

Bloodroot was born out of a personal need for reconnection: to my body, to the land, and to something deeper and wilder within me. Like many, I came to herbalism through my own wounds—grief, burnout, chronic stress, and the feeling that modern systems were not made with me or my community in mind. I found solace in the woods in upstate NY, the wild margins, and the quiet power of tending plants. It wasn’t long before I started sharing this medicine with others.

In 2014 when I first moved to Michigan after attending the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine in Ithaca NY, I remember talking to others in Ann Arbor on opening a herb shop there. After feeling like I didn't have the capital to start a retail store, I started working towards Growing the herb farm and soon we started supplying bulk medicinal herbs across the United States. In 2018 we milled lumber to build the herb shop on the farm. I become a mother to my first and only born (Moss) and felt deeply alone and isolated. As years went on life brought us changes. And instead I decided to take the risk to open a shop in 2022 in Ypsilanti MI. After years of teaching, growing herbs, making products from the farm, and doing mutual aid with the rotating houseless warming centers, I carried those values while brithing Bloodroot Herb Shop.

What began as tinctures and teas made from my farm has grown into a brick-and-mortar apothecary, education center, and mutual aid hub in service to our greater community. We grow and wildcraft many of the herbs used in our formulas, and we source others from small U.S.-based farms committed to ethical practices. Every product is made with intention, care, and respect for the plants and the people who need them.

This work is deeply relational. It’s about showing up for one another. Whether it’s crafting formulas to ease anxiety, running a donation-based clinic, or organizing herbal care for unhoused folks at the warming center—Bloodroot is a place where healing is both personal and collective.

I’m here to support those navigating transition—new parents, queer folks, those recovering from trauma, seekers, caretakers, and anyone yearning to belong to themselves again. My goal isn’t just to offer herbal remedies, but to build a space where people feel seen, held, and empowered to remember the medicine they already carry.