“We’ve always had herbs in our life, at this point its hard to remember a time without it,” Nakia Stith tells us. She and her sister, Taahirah, are the co-owners of the urban plant-based apothecary, Dope Botanicals located in the Rittenhouse Square section of Philadelphia.

Nakia and Taahirah blend, sift, mix, and extract every herbal product found on their shelves in house. The shop features liquid, powder, and cut herbal products that range in use and function. Additionally, Dope Botanicals offers an “herb bar” where they make organic hot and iced lattes and smoothies, each featuring one of their herbal products.

“[At] first when you come to the herb bar you may not know what’s on the menu… [but] I’ll go through all of that with you, and my first thing is ‘”how would you like to feel today?'” Taahirah explains.

Nakia and Taahirah pride themselves on their genuine ability to connect with their customers, and offer the products that will help them achieve their health and wellness goals.

“I think the biggest product that we sell here is that we care,” Nakia tells us. “Even if its just for a second, you know that when you step into Dope Botanicals it doesn’t matter what happened out there, in here its a very safe space for you to pull it all together.”

The Stith sisters are no strangers to plant based medicine, together they have been practicing herbal medicine for over 30 years, and are both certified health coaches. The sisters are also no strangers to the city of Philadelphia which is why they’ve structured there practice around the idea of “urban herbalism.”

“You could be tired, worn out, maybe that game didn’t go the way it was supposed to go, anything could happen…[so when] people come into the shop, we just want to make sure that they feel good,” Nakia explains.

The term urban herbalism stems from the idea that as residents of a big city, “we always have something going on,” Taahirah says. Nakia and Taahirah are here to help you adjust and find rituals that work for you to balance the stresses of everyday life. From trouble sleeping, to hormonal imbalances, to skin health, etc. the Stith sisters will listen and find an herbal elixir to make you feel good.

For more information about Dope Botanicals and the products they sell please visit their website.