On today's episode I narrate Mel Kasting's devil's club monograph. 

Here's a sampling from her monograph which you can find here: www.herbrally.com/monographs/devils-club

If we parse this striking plant’s latin name into three segments, we find ‘opolo’ meaning armored, ‘panax’ meaning heal-all, and ‘horridus’ meaning to stand on end, fiercely. So this plant literally means fiercely armored heal-all; an apt description.

The first time I saw Devil’s club, I was on a field trip with the Columbines School of Botanical Studies. We had been hiking along an incline and down below, in the moist bellows where two hills met, stood a large patch quietly looming over the smaller ground cover plants. I remember feeling awed by its prehistoric appearance. And a little timid, like I was about to meet someone I have looked up to for years. Talk about presence.

For more monographs: www.herbrally.com/monographs

You can visit Mel online at: eclecticschoolofherbalmedicine.com/mel-kasting

Let us know what you thought of the episode! Thanks so much for listening. 

Mel Kasting is a Clinical Herbalist, Freelance Writer, and Assistant Clinic Director for the Eclectic School of Herbal Medicine’s student-led free clinic.  She has been in practice for 5 years, collaborating with free clinics, and working with private clients all over the country.