Herbal Radio

This week on Herbal Radio, host Lucretia Van Dyke is joined by the National Science Educators at Host Defense® Mushrooms™, Gina Rivers. Join us as we explore:

• How Paul Stamets grew the Host Defense® mycelial community
• Growing mushrooms vs. growing plants
• Science behind analyzing mushrooms for medicinal use
• Mycelium evolving alongside humans
• Fruiting bodies vs. mycelium: are they the same thing?
• Choosing the right mushroom(s) for your lifestyle
• The danger of online identification apps
• Lucretia's and Gina's favorite Host Defense® products

As always, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure and are so honored to have you tag along with us on this ride. Remember, we want to hear from you! Your questions, ideas, and who you want to hear from are an invaluable piece to our podcast. Email us at [email protected] or reach out on Instagram @Herbal.Radio to let us know what solutions we should uncover next within the vast world of herbalism.

Learn more about Gina below!

🍄 Gina Rivers is a community herbalist and educator with over 30 years of experience in the natural products industry. Her curriculum vitae includes retail management, sales representation, herbal and nutritional education and consultation, and formulation. She began her study of herbalism at the age of 15 and has had the opportunity to study with some of the most eminent leaders in the field. Although she holds certifications from the Natural Healing College as a master herbalist and nutritional consultant, she maintains that plants and mushrooms are her greatest teachers and considers herself to be an ongoing student of their wise ways. Gina has worked for Host Defense for the last 12 years, first as a representative and, in the last 9 years, as an Educator and Product Formulator. She travels extensively to educate the public, retailers, and practitioners across the nation.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Learn more about the parent company of Host Defense®: Fungi Perfecti, LLC

• Read the Host Defense® blog: The Truth About Mushroom Mycelium

• Check out the new line of Host Defense® mushroom gummies: Grateful Dead Gummies™

• Shop Host Defense® Mushroom Blends

Find Host Defense® on social media!

• Instagram: @hostdefense

• Facebook: @Host Defense

• YouTube: @Host Defense Mushrooms

Lucretia VanDyke began her herbalism journey as a little girl mixing herbs, clays, and muds on her grandparents' farm. Today, Lucretia VanDyke has been in the herbal industry for over 20 years. As a holistic educator, speaker, herbalist, ceremonialist, spiritual light coach, intuitive energetic & reiki practitioner, diviner, storyteller, artist, and world traveler, Lucretia has accumulated over 3000 hours of training. She has studied with indigenous healers and some of the greatest minds of our time. Lucretia has been a holistic esthetician & healing arts practitioner for over a decade focusing on integrating indigenous healing rituals, plant spirit medicine, and meditation into modern-day practice. Lucretia brings her vivacious spirit and message of self-love in her work to inspire others to embrace their unique beauty and purpose. Her work with herbs and sacred practices honors women's wholeness through grief work, sexual trauma, ancestor connection, womb healing, self-empowerment, food alchemy, and holistic skincare. She is currently collecting stories throughout the south while working on expanding her BIPOC community healing arts and herbal education program.

• Find Lucretia on social media! Instagram: @lucretia.vandyke
• Lucertia's website: https://www.lucretiavandyke.com
• Lucretia's Book, African American Herbalism: https://mountainroseherbs.com/african-american-herbalism

Watch the video version of this interview: https://youtu.be/sGs_Y0AWYhw

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Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods. You can find our organic botanical offerings on MountainRoseHerbs.com.

📖 Request a FREE copy of our 2026 Printed Journal to be shipped straight to your door!

Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok

🌿 Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. 🌿

The Purpose Pledge is a collaborative initiative anchored in 10 clear, time-bound commitments that embed purpose into company governance, operations, and supply chains. It brings together an ecosystem of companies and allied support organizations in a shared, accountable community—where members learn from one another and measure progress publicly and transparently.

This week on Herbal Radio, we are sharing a special conversation with David Bronner of Dr. Bronner's, joined by host Jiling Lin, and Mountain Rose's very own CEO/CFO, Cameron Stearns. Tune in to explore:

• Purpose Pledge: what it is, why it matters, and who should be paying attention
• What collective accountability looks likes through a business lens
• Radical transparency: from supply chain to consumer
• Envisioning a future of regenerative agriculture and natural products
• How other companies can join the Purpose Pledge movement
• What's in store for the Purpose Pledge in the coming years?

As always, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure and are so honored to have you tag along with us on this ride. Remember, we want to hear from you! Your questions, ideas, and who you want to hear from are an invaluable piece to our podcast. Email us at [email protected] to let us know what solutions we should uncover next within the vast world of herbalism.

🎥 Watch the video version to this episode on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/npMYSEt-_jk

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🌷 Cameron Stearns is the CEO and CFO of Mountain Rose Herbs, leading the independently-owned benefit company with a commitment to sustainability and ethical business practices. With a strong financial and strategic background, she ensures the company's mission-driven growth while maintaining its core values of organic integrity, environmental stewardship, and community well-being.

"Mountain Rose Herbs is delighted to commit to the Purpose Pledge and continue our journey towards a transparent and collaborative future that benefits both community and planet."

– Cameron Stearns, Mountain Rose Herbs CEO/CFO

🫧 David Bronner is Cosmic Engagement Officer (CEO) of Dr. Bronner's, the top-selling natural brand of soap in North America. David was born in Los Angeles, California in 1973 and earned an undergraduate degree in biology from Harvard University. A dedicated vegan and an advocate for drug policy and criminal justice reform as well as regenerative organic agriculture and other social justice and environmental causes, David serves on the board of MAPS and the Regenerative Organic Alliance. He lives in Encinitas, California.

"As a society we have to collectively embrace an economy based on ethical and not extractive and exploitative business practices. Purpose Pledge is an invitation for companies to rise and journey toward that just and healthy economy together."

– David Bronner, Dr. Bronner's CEO

🪷 Jiling Lin is an acupuncturist and herbalist in coastal southern California. A clinician and teacher, Jiling is also a passionate traveler, artist, and adventurer. Visit Jiling at JilingLin.com— and get her free Nourishing Life (養生) template and Five Phases (五行) outline. Join her newsletter for seasonal beauty— and updates on her coming book! (Publication 2028)

~~~

Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods. You can find our organic botanical offerings on MountainRoseHerbs.com.

📖 Request a FREE copy of our 2026 Printed Journal to be shipped straight to your door! 📖

Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok

🌿 Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. 🌿

On today's episode of Herbal Radio, you'll hear from a collection of herbalists answering the question:

🌿 What herb do you wish more people knew about? 🌿

Each month, we bring together a variety of herbalists to explore thought-provoking, herbally-inspired questions to share the different voices and diverse experiences that shape the botanical community.

Featured speakers: Meghan Henshaw, Maureen Judith, Lucretia VanDyke, Roy Upton, Jiling Lin, and Julia O. Bianco.

Want to share with us what herb YOU wish more people knew about? Have a question in mind you're itching to have answered on the show? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] to let us know what we should uncover next in the vast world of herbalism.

Check out our other episodes featuring these guests below:

• Plant Stories | Featuring Lucretia VanDyke
• Animism & Alchemy | Featuring Mo Judith
• Jiling Lin | Interviews on Herbal Radio
• Plant Stories | Featuring Julia Orquera Biano
• Flora's Daughters | Featuring Julia Orquera Bianco & Meghan Henshaw
• The Man Behind the Monograph | Featuring Roy Upton….coming soon!

🎥 Watch the video version on this epsiode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/J7VNIrvsfzI

WANT MORE HERBAL RADIO?

• Watch all video interviews here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1mbKr5N28toNtPFecp5VqiqfMUK2nsrr
• Follow along on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herbal.radio

Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods. You can find our organic botanical offerings on MountainRoseHerbs.com.

📖 Request a FREE copy of our 2026 Printed Journal shipped straight to your door! 📖

Join the Mountain Rose Herbs community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok

🌿 Strengthening the bond between people and plants for a healthier world. 🌿

This week on Herbal Radio, host Jiling Lin is joined by Patricia Kyritsi Howell, an herbalist in the mountains of northeast Georgia and director of the BotanoLogos School of Herbal Studies. Patricia recently published the second edition of Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians, a guide to 44 native North American herbs. She also leads tours to Crete, focusing on herbs and traditional cuisine, and supports emerging herbal practitioners through her virtual course, Crafting Your Herbal Practice.

Listen in as Patricia and Jiling discuss:

• One of Patricia's favorite ways to cultivate relationships with plants as beings
• Writing and self-publishing her book twice, Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians
• Some of the plants in the book, and plants unique to southern Appalachia
• Expanding the uses of plants
• Food as medicine in Greek culture
• Preventative herbalism for our complex times

🎥 Check out the video version of this interview on YouTube:

Visit Patricia Kyritsi Howell:

💻 Website: PatriciaKyritsiHowell.com

📸 Instagram: @botanologos

📱 Facebook @Patricia Kyritsi Howell

📚 Get Patricia's book: Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians: Second Edition

🌿 Crafting Your Herbal Practice Course: https://www.yourherbalpractice.com/

~~~

🪷 Jiling Lin is an acupuncturist and herbalist in coastal southern California. A clinician and teacher, Jiling is also a passionate traveler, artist, and adventurer. Visit Jiling at JilingLin.com— and get her free Nourishing Life (養生) template and Five Phases (五行) outline. Join her newsletter for seasonal beauty— and updates on her coming book! (Publication 2028)

~~~

Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods. You can find our organic botanical offerings on MountainRoseHerbs.com.

📖 Request a FREE copy of our 2026 Printed Journal to be shipped straight to your door! 📖

Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok

🌿 Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. 🌿

This week on Herbal Radio, host Lucretia Van Dyke is joined by the herbalist and artist dynamic duo, Julia Orquera Bianco and Meghan Henshaw. Tag along with us as they explore:

• Behind the scenes of Meghan's and Julia's zine, Flora's Daughters
• Committing to collaboration: the intersection of art and plants
• Cyanotype printing: a unique way to connect with plants
• Weaving different cultures and backgrounds together
• Women's connection to plants throughout history
• What can we do for the plants vs. what can the plants do for us

📘 Get your hands on a copy of Julia and Meghan's herbal zine: Flora's Daughters

🎥 Watch the video version to this interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/p5GRbFzvRb0

Learn more about Julia and Meghan below!

Julia Orquera Bianco was born in Argentina and lived in Mexico before moving to the United States in 2016. She earned a BFA from Universidad del Museo Social Argentino in 2012. In 2018 she graduated from the MFA program at Roski School of Art and Design, University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Bianco earned a Certificate on Sustainability from UCLA in 2020, was an intern in the Medicinal Plant Conservation Program at United Plant Savers in 2022, and earned a Certificate in Permaculture Design from Cincinnati Permaculture Institute in 2023. Bianco interrogates Modern Western Culture, collective memory, and migration through the lens of a guest on the Land. Identity becomes an experience rather than a concept. Her work draws from her family and cultural heritage and from her practice with plants to craft stories where past, present, and place come together, redefining notions of belonging.

🌿 Julia's business website, Mundo Q'enti: https://www.mundoqenti.com/

🎨 Julia's artist website: https://www.juliaobianco.com

🎭 Check out Julia's upcoming gallery exhibitions and events: https://www.juliaobianco.com/catalogueandevents

Meghan Henshaw has spent many years studying the plethora of ways in which medicinal plants are woven into the fabric of everyday life. This has led her all over the United States and abroad where she has worn many hats as a field researcher, wildcrafter, herbalist, and educator. Her medicinal plant studies began with an internship with a large herb company twenty years ago and was followed by formal botanical study in herbal science and ethnobotany. Meghan currently has a private practice in Cincinnati and sees clients for one on one herbal support and bodywork. As Ocotillo Herbals, she teaches herbal classes throughout the Midwest and crafts a line of herbal products which emphasize bioregional plants using many of the herbs she grows in a community garden in the city.

🌿 Meghan's website, Ocotillo Herbals: https://www.ocotilloherbals.com

🌀 Meghan's upcoming workshops: https://www.ocotilloherbals.com/events

📓 Ohio River Valley Herbal Zine Project: https://www.ocotilloherbals.com/herbal-zine

📚 Llyod Library: https://lloydlibrary.org/

Lucretia VanDyke began her herbalism journey as a little girl mixing herbs, clays, and muds on her grandparents' farm. Today, Lucretia VanDyke has been in the herbal industry for over 20 years. As a holistic educator, speaker, herbalist, ceremonialist, spiritual light coach, intuitive energetic & reiki practitioner, diviner, storyteller, artist, and world traveler, Lucretia has accumulated over 3000 hours of training. She has studied with indigenous healers and some of the greatest minds of our time. Lucretia has been a holistic esthetician & healing arts practitioner for over a decade focusing on integrating indigenous healing rituals, plant spirit medicine, and meditation into modern-day practice. Lucretia brings her vivacious spirit and message of self-love in her work to inspire others to embrace their unique beauty and purpose. Her work with herbs and sacred practices honors women's wholeness through grief work, sexual trauma, ancestor connection, womb healing, self-empowerment, food alchemy, and holistic skincare. She is currently collecting stories throughout the south while working on expanding her BIPOC community healing arts and herbal education program.

📱Find Lucretia on social media! Instagram: @lucretia.vandyke

🌻 Lucertia's website: https://www.lucretiavandyke.com

📚 Lucretia's Book, African American Herbalism: https://mountainroseherbs.com/african-american-herbalism

~~~

Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods. You can find our organic botanical offerings on MountainRoseHerbs.com.

📖 Request a FREE copy of our 2026 Printed Journal to be shipped straight to your door!

Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok

🌿 Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. 🌿

This week on Herbal Radio, we are joined by Andrea Miller, a passionate Earth steward and Sustainable Forestry Director at Rural Action, an environmental nonprofit organization based in Appalachian Ohio. Tag along with us as we explore:

• Rural Action: who, what, where, and why
• Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Database
• Finding medicinal herbs in unexpected urban areas
• How the pandemic sparked an increased interest in forest farming
• Hockings College: get an associate degree in forest farming!
• United Plant Savers & Rural Action: how industry can support medicinal plant conservation

As always, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure and are so honored to have you tag along with us on this ride. Remember, we want to hear from you! Your questions, ideas, and who you want to hear from are an invaluable piece to our podcast. Email us at [email protected] to let us know what solutions we should uncover next within the vast world of herbalism.

Learn more about Andrea below!

🌲 Andrea Miller has roots that run deep in Appalachian Ohio. As a child, she spent countless hours on her great-grandparents' farm in southeastern Ohio. Her great-grandmother was a ginseng steward and maintained a massive garden—interests that inspired Andrea to earn a degree in conservation biology from Bowling Green State University, followed by a master's in herbalism from Maryland University of Integrative Health.

After college, Andrea worked in Maryland for a time, managing the university's herb garden and serving as the garden curator at Dr. Jim Duke's Green Farmacy Garden. After living in Maryland for four years, she returned to Appalachian Ohio, where she worked for three years at Companion Plants, a medicinal plant nursery. In 2021, Andrea began managing the Sustainable Forestry Program at Rural Action, and in 2024, she was promoted to Director of the program.

In addition to her work at Rural Action, Andrea serves on the board of directors for the Athens Conservancy and the Native Foods Education Organization, and the leadership committee of the Southeastern Ohio Chapter of Women Owning Woodlands. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, kayaking, cooking, and spending time with her cat, Kiwi.

🎥 Watch the video version to this episode here: https://youtu.be/MDQ7HzUm8hc

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Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods. You can find our organic botanical offerings on MountainRoseHerbs.com.

📖 Request a FREE copy of our 2026 Printed Journal to be shipped straight to your door! 📖

Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok

🌿 Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. 🌿

🌿 What's Your Favorite Herb Right Now? 🌿

On today's episode of Herbal Radio, we are excited to share our first-ever mini episode! Each month, we will be asking our guests thought-provoking, herbally inspired questions to gather unique perspectives on a wide array of topics. Tune in with us to hear a collection of their answers and reflections—different voices, diverse experiences, and plenty of herbal wisdom along the way.

In this mini episode, you'll hear from: Lucretia VanDyke, Lindsey Feldpausch, Donette Lowe, Asia Suler, Selima Harelston Lust, Jessicka Nebesni, Pamela Spence, and Maria Noel Groves.

Want to share with us what YOUR favorite herb is right now? Have a question in mind you're itching to have answered on the show? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] to let us know what we should uncover next in the vast world of herbalism.

Check out our other episodes featuring these guests below!

• Plant Stories | Featuring Lucretia VanDyke
• Interviews on Herbal Radio | Featuring Lucretia VanDyke
• Holistic Herbalism for Interconnected Health | Featuring Herbal Academy
• The Bloom of Online Herbalism Education | Featuring Lindsey Feldpausch
• Black Herbalists Collective | Featuring Donette Lowe
• Mirrors In the Earth | Featuring Asia Suler
• Herbal Gut Health | Featuring Maria Noël Groves
• Body into Balance, with Maria Noël Groves | Tea Talks with Jiling

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Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods. You can find our organic botanical offerings on MountainRoseHerbs.com.

📖 Request a FREE copy of our 2026 Printed Journal to be shipped straight to your door!

Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok

🌿 Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. 🌿

This week on Herbal Radio, host Jiling Lin is joined by Alex Williams. As a clinical herbalist and founder of First Curve Apothecary and Greenspell School of Ecological Herbcraft, Alex offers herbal consultations, herbalism classes, and plant walks throughout the Chicago region, supporting those he works with in cultivating rest, genuine self-care practices, ecological awareness, and a deep sense of embodied aliveness.

Join Alex and Jiling to explore:

• Bioregionalism: principles of bioregional herbalism
• How bioregional herbalism applies within urban—and all—contexts.
• Alex's favorite bioregional plants of his bioregion
• How to apply bioregional herbalism to your own life and home

Visit Alex Williams at:

🌿 Greenspell: https://greenspell.org

🪻 First Curve Apothecary: https://firstcurveapothecary.com

🍃 Check out the companion article to this podcast in Alex's online herbal knowledge base: the Virtual Garden

🎥 Watch Alex's video interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/IeJ1mBF0jx4

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🪷 Jiling Lin is an acupuncturist and herbalist in coastal southern California. A clinician and teacher, Jiling is also a passionate traveler, artist, and adventurer. Visit Jiling at JilingLin.com— and get her free Nourishing Life (養生) template and Five Phases (五行) outline. Join her newsletter for seasonal beauty—and fresh updates about her coming book! (Publication 2027/ 2028)

~~~

Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods. You can find our organic botanical offerings on MountainRoseHerbs.com.

📖 Request a FREE copy of our 2026 Printed Journal to be shipped straight to your door!

Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok

🌿 Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. 🌿

This week on Herbal Radio, join host Tommy Nevar and the Seattle-based herbalist who weaves her knowledge of herbalism, motherhood, and mental health into her practice, Cassidy Moss.

Tag along as we explore:

• Reconnecting with yourself after becoming a mom
• Herbs to support an anxious mind and body
• Importance of community for parents and children
• Leaning on foundational herbalism during and after pregnancy
• Nutrition and herbalism for postpartum depression

As always, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure and are so honored to have you tag along with us on this ride. Remember, we want to hear from you! Your questions, ideas, and who you want to hear from are an invaluable piece to our podcast. Email us at [email protected] to let us know what solutions we should uncover next within the vast world of herbalism.

Learn more about Cassidy below! ⬇️

🪻Cassidy Moss is a Clinical Herbalist in Seattle, seeing herbalism clients worldwide through her business, Moss Herbalism. Her path into herbal medicine began in the garden as a young girl and evolved into a lifelong pursuit of plant-based health - rooted in science, tradition, and real-world practice. After moving to the Pacific Northwest, she became immersed in organic farming and permaculture on Whidbey Island, and began studying wildcrafting, plant ecology, sustainability, and herbal cultivation.

She has three children and as a parent and a person pursuing natural health strategies, Cassidy began managing a naturopathic clinic in Seattle while completing her training as a clinical herbalist. Working alongside naturopathic doctors has further expanded her knowledge of integrative care, pathophysiology, and the therapeutic use of botanicals.

Cassidy has a special interest in women's health, mental health and stress resilience, pregnancy and postpartum support, and optimizing neurodivergent minds through botanical medicine and lifestyle supports. Today, through Moss Herbalism, she offers personalized herbal consultations that draw from years of study, clinical collaboration, and land-based wisdom. She specializes in creating practical, holistic wellness plans that fit into modern life, helping clients reconnect with their health through medicinal plants and evidence-informed strategies.

📱 Find Cassidy on social media!

Instagram @mossherbalism

YouTube @mossherbalism

🌿 Book a consult with Cassidy: https://mossherbalism.com/

🍃 Check out the Moss Herbalism resource page: https://mossherbalism.com/links-menu/

🎥 Watch the video version of this interview on YouTube: https://youtu.be/25Y6GtVVmjo

~~~

Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods. You can find our organic botanical offerings on MountainRoseHerbs.com.

📖 Request a FREE copy of our 2026 Printed Journal to be shipped straight to your door!

Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok

🌿 Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. 🌿

This week on Herbal Radio, we are joined by host Lucretia Van Dyke, and the spiritually attuned clinical herbalist who has found herself guided on an ancestral path to unite the Black herbalist community, Donette Lowe.

Join us as they explore:

• Spiritual herbalism: cultivating connection between person and plant
• Alchemizing ancestral medicine as a poisoner in the Hoodoo tradition
• Food as medicine: onions, collard greens, and everything in between
• Customizing care aligned with the individual's lifestyle
• Donette's calling to connect the Black herbalist community
• Herbalism and social media: the real herbalist vs. the reel herbalist

As always, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure and are so honored to have you tag along with us on this ride. Remember, we want to hear from you! Your questions, ideas, and who you want to hear from are an invaluable piece to our podcast. Email us at [email protected] to let us know what solutions we should uncover next within the vast world of herbalism.

Learn more about Donette and Lucretia below! ⬇️

🌸 Donette (Títílọlá) (she/they) is the clinical herbalist behind Honeybalm Health and founder of the Black Herbalists Collective (BHC), an association of Black herbalists. For a decade, she has been a spiritual student of plants, formalizing her medicinal studies at the Land of Verse with certifications in Clinical Herbalism and Plant Spirit Medicine. Recognizing that wellness is holistic, her work is rooted in healing justice as she practices as a spiritualist, medium, and energy weaver. Standing firmly in her ancestors' footsteps, she is a poisoner in the Hoodoo tradition, Òrìṣà and Ifá devotee, and ritualistic student of African Traditional and Diasporic religions. Based in Raleigh, NC, Donette currently teaches holistic herbalism for Black herbalists, facilitates healing justice workshops, and continuously deepens her academic research of our ancestral practices.

📱Find Donette on social media! Instagram: @blackherbalistcollective & @honeybalmhealth

👚 Want to support Black herbalists? Shop BHC tees and totes!

📝 Read Donette's article for the Mountain Rose Herbs blog! What is African-American Herbalism?

🌻 Lucretia VanDyke began her herbalism journey as a little girl mixing herbs, clays, and muds on her grandparents' farm. Today, Lucretia VanDyke has been in the herbal industry for over 20 years. As a holistic educator, speaker, herbalist, ceremonialist, spiritual light coach, intuitive energetic & reiki practitioner, diviner, storyteller, artist, and world traveler, Lucretia has accumulated over 3000 hours of training. She has studied with indigenous healers and some of the greatest minds of our time. Lucretia has been a holistic esthetician & healing arts practitioner for over a decade focusing on integrating indigenous healing rituals, plant spirit medicine, and meditation into modern-day practice. Lucretia brings her vivacious spirit and message of self-love in her work to inspire others to embrace their unique beauty and purpose. Her work with herbs and sacred practices honors women's wholeness through grief work, sexual trauma, ancestor connection, womb healing, self-empowerment, food alchemy, and holistic skincare. She is currently collecting stories throughout the south while working on expanding her BIPOC community healing arts and herbal education program.

📱Find Lucretia on social media! Instagram: @lucretia.vandyke

📚 Get your hands on a copy of Lucretia's Book! - African American Herbalism

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🎥 Watch the video version of Donette's episode here! - https://youtu.be/drPqcOOPhtM

Mountain Rose Herbs is a purveyor of the highest quality organically grown herbs and spices, teas, essential oils, & botanical goods. You can find our organic botanical offerings on MountainRoseHerbs.com.

📖 Request a FREE copy of our 2026 Printed Journal to be shipped straight to your door!

Join our community! Subscribe to the Mountain Rose Herbs newsletter Subscribe to Mountain Rose Herbs on YouTube Follow on Instagram Like on Facebook Follow on Pinterest Read the Mountain Rose Herbs blog Follow on TikTok

🌿 Strengthening the bonds between people and plants for a healthier world. 🌿