our roots

at arookah, we recognize you seek natural means to heal and restore depleted body and mind to their optimal, balanced state. as we roll out the site, you will find solutions to aid most common ailments, ever mindful that what you put on your body is just as important as what you put in it. our aim is to provide a community of resources where every item, question or concern can be fully met with competency and love of life, not governed by love of profit. 

arookah ... healing and restoration

in a world where mass production is the norm, where chemicals have replaced nature, our food supply is so far away from that which was designed to heal, nourish and restore. most seeds (whether plant or an animal) have been manipulated through research and engineering to inflate profit margins, thereby generating copious amounts of capital and further cultivating an addictive, gluttonous society. healing and restoration are not a part of the equation, masking and medicating are. after all, a profitable business is considered to be one that stays afloat. how can an industry thrive if there are no repeat clients, consumers, addicted, ill, flailing or needy people? where's the market? this is their mindset, not ours.

integrity is a huge reason behind the why of arookah. we source, sell and create quality products we feel confident and comfortable using daily without adverse reactions or side effects and definitely without the news report issuing a warning years later after years of use.

there was a time when we listened and learned from our village healers through oral and written tradition. with a quick and slick turn of phrase natural healing became a laughable term and connotes the people who practiced and those who trusted these individuals were backwards, uneducated. the fog of this misdirection has been lifted for years, but more so in the recent ones. so lets get back to our roots. we want to assist people with restoring their well-being on a holistic level: spiritually, emotionally, mentally and physically. it can be done, and is being done.

and as always, all of our products are environmentally safe and never tested on animals.

healthy healing is who we are. nature guides us ... innovation and creativity make it fun and fulfilling. 

meet nia imani
arookah nyc owner

coming from a family with a plethora of health conditions and seeing how certain companies and businesses claim to provide them with some sort of solution / help instead then feed off an ill individual’s fears keeps the cycle of illness going. now let me explain that better … clarify if you will. have you seen those commercials where they are promoting some drug said to help / aid a particular problem, but then as the commercials progresses it lists the many severe and far more drastic side effects than the original issue / condition trying to be treated. i can’t help but chuckle every single time. like why would I trust them? how could i?

although i have not experienced any massive health issues, several of my family members have. and what troubles me the most is that before we sit down to reflect and ask ourselves what we were doing prior to feeling this way, we are more comfortable seeking “professional” help where they can test, prescribe, and assume what may be wrong based off of comparisons. honestly, to this day i’ll be down to eat a whole bunch of sweets and then i’d regret it when I feel off or ill. but i’m aware of what was put in my body to make me feel that way. then i ask myself when i would just eat not taking note of what it was, how much, how often, i’d just consume and then be confused when i get sick regularly or felt ill or congested. it all starts with what we feed ourselves.

so my goal . . .
who is nia? what is her purpose? nia wants to help people question. whether that be questioning your diet, questioning your beliefs, questioning your relationship with others, but most importantly questioning your relationship with self. because once you start questioning the answers will soon flow. a surplus of options will come your way once you take that first step in a healthy direction, solely dependent on yourself, your choices, and wanting better all around.

naturally inquisitive and not afraid to get my hands dirty describes me best. known among family and friends as the one who touches everything, tinkers with things to see how it works, and is always making something, i'm decidedly on my way to becoming a chemist. i've always enjoyed making / creating things, whether it is food, playing with clay, painting (mixing colors mostly), etc. the point is, i'm quite fond of hands-on type of work. loving hands-on work goes hand-in-hand (pun intended) with our business. having this opportunity to work with my cousin opens doors for us and you.

arookah may seem like just another company, but it is not. arookah is part of a larger community dedicated to healing and restoring. when you think about healing something a simple as a cut, several ways to treat it comes to mind and while there are several products in the marketplace designed specifically for that purpose, most aren't natural and eventually can cause more harm than good. we want to offer choices ... better choices and point you to your own backyard to source the medicine necessary to help you.

from our perspective, healing doesn't only mean taking care of the physical appearance (what others can naturally see), we hope to heal internally as well. what you use on your body is just as important as what you put in it. our body butters are a good example. you can pronounce each component found in our batches, and you may even be familiar with the plant and where it's grown. every component we use in our products is beneficial for you.

meet miyka'el
arookah owner

this will not be long, as i know time is of the essence! 

raised in chicago, i had the privilege of being exposed to some of the best tasting food and “foodstuffs” you can think of. as a child, my parents always put emphasis on eating my vegetables. i remember nights where they made me sit at the table until i finished them. i would pout and shout, but eventually ate them, while trying not to vomit.

during my teenage years, i developed unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol, on top of the candy, pop, pizza, sugary cereal, and other junk “foodstuff.” i had no idea that what i ate contributed to my constipation, congestion, eczema, energy levels, mental clarity and even vision. 

the universe shook me up a little bit in my late teens and i started gaining interest in a more clean and natural lifestyle. most of my free time outside of work was focused on learning more about history, natural health, herbs, essential oils and the human body. most of it was self-study until i became a certified health and wellness consultant back in 2009 under instructor dr. akua gray, n.d.  of A LIFE OF PEACE AND WELLNESS INSTITUTE.   

after certification and with continued research and increasing my knowledge of a subject i hold dearly. over time not only did my health improve, but i was able to assist others in their journey of living a healthier lifestyle.

seeing the fruits of my labor, i felt it necessary to start a business where more people can find the assistance, information and products needed in order to obtain our natural birth right, which is optimum health! 

who knew that the child who would sit hours at the dinner table to avoid eating broccoli, would become an advocate on why you should eat more!