Legacy Women and Healing | The Strange Story of the Penis Nest Trapped in a Tree | 1
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Jan 29, 2026 A hidden history of women as the first healers, from shamanic plant knowledge to ancient surgical practice. The rise of male-dominated medicine, university gatekeeping, and church hostility that pushed women out. The strange “penis nest” myth and its role in demonizing traditional healing. Tensions around witchcraft, reproduction, and the loss of embodied medical knowledge.
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The IV Drip Moment
- Afua Hirsch describes getting an IV vitamin drip in a clinic and feeling like the most ridiculous version of herself.
- She contrasts the artificial quick-fix of drips with the older, wiser wellness approaches women historically held.
Women As Foundational Healers
- Women historically developed deep knowledge of plants because they managed domestic cycles and reproductive needs.
- That expertise formed the foundation of medicine and connected bodies to broader ecological systems.
Reproduction Drove Medical Expertise
- Women's reproductive roles made them experts in contraception, abortion, and childbirth techniques over generations.
- Managing fertility was practical survival, not a modern invention, and shaped medical knowledge transfer.
