Commonwealth Podcast For Holistic Herbalism

Yes, it's true: even herbalists get the flu. Two in one house sometimes, even! Each of us gets it a little bit differently, as our constitutions are balanced differently. But at least we can take care of each other. Listen in and learn all our tricks for getting through Actual Flu with a little more ease and comfort, the surprising role of marshmallow, and why a bath might be the most important thing you do all week!Herbs discussed include ginger, calendula, self-heal, heather, elderberry, purple loosestrife, goldenrod, sumac, ground ivy, mullein, catnip, nettle, blue vervain, thyme, garlic, elecampane, angelica, osha, codonopsis, pleurisy root, marshmallow, Irish moss, monarda, tulsi, rose, & orange.How many of those herbs are you familiar with? Well, almost every one has a detailed profile in our Holistic Herbalism Materia Medica course. Get to know the herbs on their own terms, as complex and unique as they are: what their qualities and actions are, how to make them into effective remedies, everyt

It may not have occurred to you that “psychological first aid” is even a thing, let alone that there might be herbs for psychological first aid! But let us assure you, it is very real and very important, and herbs can play a leading role.When working as a street medic or first responder, you’ll soon find that at least as many of the issues people need help with are mental/emotional as are physical. Bleeding wounds & broken bones get all the attention, but panic attacks, trauma-triggers, and uprushing grief, fear, or anger all require attention too. Herbs can help!In this podcast, Katja shares her favorite herbs for psychological first aid, along with some helpful strategies for framing traumatic situations and helping people define and direct their own stories about the experience. Listen in and learn a few allies who might help you – or help you help others – when some psych first aid is needed!The Emergent Responder Program is a deep dive into these concepts at the intersection of personal preparedness

Things are complex, and there are many factors. But guru syndrome is bad for the teacher and for the student, both. And believe it or not, active measures are required if you want to know how to not be a guru. Because humans have these tendencies: as students, to seek a guru; as teachers, to seek that status.When the student believes their teacher is a guru, it may be comforting, but it’s also disempowering. It makes the student feel & believe that they have to depend on the teacher. But it’s important for students to make their own experiments, and express their own experiences!When the teacher comes to believe they’re a guru, they start to think everything they’re doing must be right, down to finer and finer detail. But it’s important to question yourself first of all, otherwise you stop learning – and to step back and see the big picture, on the regular.So here are some ways we’ve come up with when working out how to not be a guru in our own work, that we do our best to live up to.As teachers – and as

There are so many fantastic herbs for first aid purposes, it’s hard to name them all! But if we focus our thoughts specifically on a post-disaster situation, this helps us narrow it down. Even better, think about the most likely emergency situations that might arise where you live, and you can keep your kit nice and targeted, your go-bag fully stocked. In this episode, Katja & Ryn share their must-have herbs for first aid both in the context of self-care and personal preparedness, but also in that of a large-scale emergency.Prepping isn’t just for preppers! Getting familiar with first aid herbs and how to prepare them effectively, bundle them neatly, and work with them quickly under pressure is a skill that could save lives. Start planning today!Our listener question this week: Are there any guidelines for knowing when an herb might have a drug interaction? (Listen in for the answer!)Herbs discussed include pine, blackberry, yellow dock, goldenseal, Oregon grape, barberry, goldthread, rose, witch hazel, c

If you’re a practitioner of food-as-medicine and are interested in integrating herbs into your work – or just a health-seeker wondering if herbs can support dietary interventions – this is the episode for you! We present what we think are the seven best herbs for dietitians and nutritionists to learn about and to integrate into their practice.These are plants that either provide direct nutrient content themselves, improve the ability to digest and absorb nutrients from the food you eat, or help shift mental and emotional patterns of relationship to food – each is equally important when it comes to improving one’s diet!Our listener question this week: Why would you advise against working with meadowsweet for the pain of stomach cramps – isn’t it a “painkilling herb”? (Listen in for the answer!)Herbs discussed include meadowsweet, tulsi, schisandra, chamomile, Irish moss, shiitake & maitake, nettle, rose, & calamus.Mentioned in this podcast:Gut-Heal TeaOrganic India Tulsi TeaThe Holistic Herbalism Podca

Hoo-ga? Hue-guh? However you pronounce it, hygge is big right now! And it makes sense: this time of year, we could all use a bit more comfort, coziness, and cuddly contentment as we contemplate the context of our current collective consciousness! . . . Or, uh, just have a nice way to find some warmth in the wintertime. But, how to make your hygge herbal? Listen & learn!Herbs discussed include solomon’s seal, ginger, meadowsweet, self-heal, licorice, kelp, chamomile, elderflower, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom; and our wedding tea: tulsi, betony, rose, violet, & spearmint.Mentioned in this podcast:12 Minute Yoga In Bed to Unwind – need some gentle movement? Start here!Herbal Medicine for Beginners, our book!The Holistic Herbalism Podcast, episode 59: SolsticeSouthern Folk Medicine, by Phyllis LightPhytochemistry and Pharmacy for Practitioners of Botanical Medicine, by Eric YarnellBehave: The Biology Of Humans At Our Best And Worst, by Robert SapolskyOther Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins o

This week Ryn & Katja share some thoughts on how to address chronic headaches – not just “getting rid of it” in the acute moment, but reducing the frequency & severity of your headaches across the board. This will require some changes to your habits around food, sleep, movement, and stress – but herbs are there to help you every step of the way. Listen in to learn more!Our weekly listener question this time is about blood-thinning herbs: how much is too much?Herbs discussed include willow, meadowsweet, Jamaican dogwood, feverfew, ginger, chamomile, wild lettuce, ashwagandha, ground ivy, ghost pipe, betony, black cohosh, calamus, linden.Mentioned in this podcast:Whole30Gut-Heal TeaGaia’s SleepThru4 Keys to Holistic Herbalism~Looking to learn herbalism in the new year? Herbalism 101 is our beginners’ program in practical herbalism: detailed profiles of 87+ medicinal plants, along with up-close instructions for making your own herbal remedies. Try it for 14 days with our zero-risk return policy! Learn yo

New Year’s Eve is right around the corner, and we, like many folks, are ready with our list of resolutions. Let’s all make them more about self-care and becoming who we want to be in the world, and less about guilt & shame! In this podcast we’ll give you some tips how to do that, along with our own holistic & herbal resolutions for 2019. There are plenty of ways for herbs to help you stick to your resolutions – listen in to learn how!Our weekly listener question this time is about what to do when herbs are out-of-stock & how to go about making elegant substitutions.Herbs discussed include violet, betony, kava, pedicularis, green tea, calamus, pine, elecampane, sage, tulsi, goldenrod, ginseng.Mentioned in this podcast:Stephany Hoffelt, “How I Make Tinctures” – great post with some thoughts on different methods. Find the Excel sheet and PDF downloads at the end, great details there!AromaCulture – an aromatherapy & herbalism magazine. We were on Episode 22 of their podcast back in May, about our

Solstice is the quiet time, a moment of pause between the dying of the old and the rebirth of the new year. This week we share some meditations, stories, and traditions that shape the way we think about this time of year and its effects on our habits & our health. Listen in with a mug of your favorite sunny tea, and some nice warm blankets!PLUS: Listen in to get a coupon code for 25% off ANY of our online courses, good until MIDNIGHT TONIGHT!~Herbalism 101 is our entry-level program in practical herbalism: detailed profiles of 87+ medicinal plants, along with up-close instructions for making your own herbal remedies. Try it for 14 days with our zero-risk return policy! Learn your herbs & make your medicines with this in-depth set of herb profiles & medicine-making instructions.Support the show (https://commonwealthherbs.com/supporters/)

Holiday foods are delightful & delicious, but what if you’re allergic to some of the ingredients? Never fear! In this episode we’ll share some of our best tips & tricks for when gluten, dairy, or other allergens are a no-no. Whether making a simple substitution, or trying out something entirely new, we’ve got you covered. We even have some strategies for if you accidentally get exposed – or even if it was accidentally-on-purpose!PLUS: Listen in to get a coupon code for 25% off ANY of our online courses, good from now until December 21st!Herbs discussed include calamus, ginger, chamomile, yellow dock, & blackberry.Mentioned in this podcast:Our Recipes – Here you’ll find Katja’s taste-tested recipes for everything from ginger-chamomile cookies to paleo pumpkin muffins to herb-powered cranberry sauce (it's in the Hawthorn post).Gut-Heal TeaEnzymedica Digest Spectrum – These are the enzyme capsules Ryn has found helpful when indulging in his allergens (just every once in a while).What To Do When

Handmade herbal remedies and self-care items are a great solution to the conundrum of gift-giving. In this episode we’ll share three DIY herbal gift ideas that you can make at home and share with all your loved ones: herb-infused wines, coffee-pecan cocktail bitters, and an evergreen-scented sugar scrub. The gift of herbs shows you care – give something unique this year!PLUS: Listen in to get a coupon code for 25% off ANY of our online courses, good from now until December 21stHerbs discussed include cacao, cayenne, ginger, cinnamon, angelica, calamus, hawthorn berries, goji berries, rose hips, hibiscus, elderberry, lemon balm, coffee, pecan, wild cherry, orange, black pepper, maple, pine, spruce, & fir. (Whew!)Mentioned in this podcast:Herbal Medicine-Making – Our video course teaches you to make more than two dozen types of herbal remedies.~Herbalism 101 is our entry-level program in practical herbalism: detailed profiles of 87+ medicinal plants, along with up-close instructions for making your own herb

This week we continue our exploration of herbal holiday traditions with a quick chat about some of the ways herbs turn up in holiday foods. Whether it’s a nice herbed roast, a ginger-enhanced cranberry sauce, or a paleo mulling-spice cookie (yep, we’ve got a recipe for those!), herbs add more than flavor to your season – as if that weren’t enough!PLUS: Listen in to get a coupon code for 25% off ANY of our online courses, good from now until December 21st!Herbs discussed include sage, pine, juniper, mint, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, orange peel, allspice, nutmeg, clove, & anise.Mentioned in this podcast:This post about hawthorn includes Katja’s cranberry sauce recipe. It’s super simple!These Ginger Chamomile Cookies can be modified to be Mulling Spice cookies with a simple substitution for a mulling spice blend in place of the ginger & chamomile powders. Try it!The Holistic Herbalism Podcast, episode 24 – Taco Seasoning HerbsThe Holistic Herbalism Podcast, episode 35 – Cinnamon, Vanilla, & CacaoThe

Today we’re kicking off a series of podcasts on herbs and the holidays! We begin with emotional support, because no matter how you feel about the holidays, those feelings are probably pretty big. In this episode we take an energetics-based approach to sorting out emotional categories and matching supportive herbs to them. Whether you’d like to be more grounded, centered, resolved, or emotionally flexible, herbs can help you get there!Herbs discussed include lady’s mantle, yarrow, marshmallow, violet, lemon balm, elderflower, cardamom, vanilla, motherwort, hawthorn, linden.Mentioned in this podcast:Check out our YouTube Herbs for Holidays series from 2017 – wow, we’ve learned a lot about video production since then! We’ll be adding a lot more video content to YouTube soon – subscribe to our channel now so you don’t miss it!The Holistic Herbalism Podcast, episode 2 – Avoiding Adaptogen Debt & EmotionalymphaticsThe Holistic Herbalism Podcast, episode 14 – Alternatives to Adaptogens for BurnoutThe Holistic He

Every time we talk about cold & flu herbs, we seem to start out with elderberry syrup and a good old thyme steam. Well, this time we’re going to talk about something different! Here are a few good friends to have on hand as we move into cold & flu season.Herbs discussed include white pine, sage, ground ivy, boneset, elecampane, ginger, catnip–elderflower–chamomile, and lemon!Mentioned in this podcast:Herbstalk’s Wintergreen Market – Saturday November 24th at the Armory in Somerville. We’ll be there! Ryn’s doing a demo on electuaries (pastes made with honey + herbal powders) at 2:00pm, and we’ll have a small table with our Herbal Oracle Cards and our book, Herbal Medicine for Beginners for sale!~If you like our podcast, you might like learning from us in a more intentional way – like with our Herbalism 101 program! It’s a great way to start incorporating herbs into your daily life, to keep you and your loved ones healthy and resilient all year round!Support the show (https://commonwealthherbs.com/suppo

This week our episode is an interview with Shari & Russ Apotheker of Apotheker’s Kitchen, makers of fine honey-sweetened confections and longtime friends of ours. We visited them at their homestead in Way Up There, VT, to chat about their work and how it’s changed over the years. Along the way we talked about a lot of issues close to the herbal world as well as that of artisanal chocolatier-ing: ethical ingredient sourcing, navigating certifications, prioritizing pollinator protection, and life as intentionally-small, purposefully-scaled-down small businessowners. Give it a listen!Herbs discussed include cacao, cashew, & vanilla.Mentioned in this podcast:Apothekers Kitchen – go here to order directly from Shari & Russ!Apothekers Kitchen on InstagramHerbstalk’s Wintergreen Market – Saturday November 24th at the Armory in Somerville. The Apothekers will be there with their chocolates, marshmallows, & other confections. We’ll be there too – Ryn’s doing a demo on electuaries at 2:00pm, and we’ll h

This is our one-year anniversary episode! This week we cover a lot of ground. Katja talks about ways adding a little inconvenience to your home environment helps encourage you to move more. She also talks about how she came around to appreciating rhodiola as an herb on our honeymoon to Iceland, and offers some non-caffeine-containing stimulant herbs for midwives (and anyone who may have long nights ahead). Then, Ryn shares some of his discoveries on looking for exceptions to the herbalist’s adage that “nothing in the mint family is poisonous”.Herbs discussed include rhodiola, angelica, eleuthero, tulsi, betony, calamus, yarrow, ground ivy, & pennyroyal.Mentioned in this podcast:Roseroot – Herb of the North, Anna Rósa8 Poisonous Plant Families, Marc WilliamsBotany In A Day & Shanleya’s Quest, Tom ElpelToxic Plants of North America, Second Edition, Burrows & Tyrl~If you like our podcast, you might like learning from us in a more intentional way – like with our Herbalism 101 program! It’s a great way

Every year, our Advanced Studies Program ends with a weekend-long exam. There’s a written portion with short answers, essays, and case analysis, and an in-person oral & practical exam as well. This week, we wanted to share with you some of our favorite questions from the exam, mainly to focus on the reasonswe ask these questions in this way and how they help us change our ingrained patterns of thinking. We’re also sharing some particularly great answers from this year’s group!~If you like our podcast, you might like learning from us in a more intentional way – like with our Herbalism 101 program! It’s a great way to start incorporating herbs into your daily life, to keep you and your loved ones healthy and resilient all year round!Support the show (https://commonwealthherbs.com/supporters/)

This week we’re out in Coal River Valley, West Virginia, helping out at a free herbal clinic for folks in this area who’ve been affected by mountaintop removal mining. We interviewed three members of the local Herbal Medics team – Maureen, Hannah, and Lauren share their connections to the area, connecting with locals (and reconnecting them to their traditions) through plant medicine, and their experiences in the free clincs we’ve been running here together for the past three years.We also have new intro music, provided by our dear friend (and Herbal Medics WV team member), Jen-Osha!Herbs discussed include calendula, plantain, wild lettuce, & cayenne; plus formulas including joint liniment and sprain & strain salve.Mentioned in this podcast:West Virginia Herbal MedicsRAMPS CampaignJudy Bonds & Coal River Mountain WatchKeepers of the MountainsAppalachian Peace Paws Rescue – Morgantown, WVStudy finds taking the stairs, raking leaves may have same health benefits as a trip to the gym (EurekAlert)~If y

This week we do a lightning round of “minigraphs” on some of our favorite herbs. We started by taking a look at what we’ve got on our herb shelf (okay . . . *shelves*) in the kitchen right now, and selecting a few semi-randomly until our 45 minute timer went off.We covered reishi, catnip, mugwort, heather, st john’s wort, and za’atar (which is a spice blend, but totally still counts – right?). So give it a listen and meet some of our best friends!Mentioned in this podcast:Our Wedding Tattoo Herbs – including elder, betony, tulsi, bladderwrack (seaweed), pine, yarrow, sage, and marshmallow.Quintessential Arts – purveyor of fantastic plant ally jewelryBehave, by Robert Sapolsky – Katja’s current book / research fascinationCanaan Palestine – our favorite source for za’atar (when we’re not mixing our own)And here’s everything else in the way of loose dry herbs on our shelf right now:ashwagandhaangelicaelecampanetulsigingerlindenchamomilecalamusorange peelplantainschizandramatehawthornmotherwortself-healuva ursibe

It's not just for lattes anymore: the ubiquitous pumpkin spice blend is in fact an herbal formula! The standard pumpkin [pie] spice mix is cinnamon, ginger, clove, allspice, nutmeg. From an herbalists point of view, this is a mix of aromatic, pungent, carminative spices, very antioxidant-rich, and most of which are also antimicrobial. In this podcast we'll break it down and give you the details on each individual herb, as well as the formula as a whole. Spice it up!Mentioned in this podcast:Pumpkin spice as an aphrodisiac, study in the American Academy of Neurology and Orthopaedic SurgeonsCinnamon for blood sugar management, studyKatja's recipe for paleo pumpkin spice muffins!This episode originally aired on the HerbRally Podcast - they have tons of great content over there, check it out!~If you like our podcast, you might like learning from us in a more intentional way - like with our Herbalism 101 program! It's a great way to start incorporating herbs into your daily life, to keep you an