If you're newer to body literacy, cyclical living and cycle tracking, you might be wondering what the heck FAM (Fertility Awareness Method) is. 

Or maybe you've read about it and kind of know, but you haven't started practicing it. Or maybe you are already practicing it but you're not sure how to tell what your personal cycle rhythms are telling you about your hormones.

Wherever you're at on your cycle tracking journey, this episode is an introductory glimpse at what FAM entails (tracking BBT, cervical mucus and the optional sign of cervical position) *and* what those signs are telling you about your hormonal health.

Every person is unique, and your cycle and your signs will be unique to YOU. Which is why it's so important to start tracking earlier in your life and watch the changes over time. 

When you know how to confirm your own ovulation, you can use this method for contraception, conception AND to better understand your irregular cycle or *when* you're going to bleed in what can otherwise feel like the unknown times of perimenopause or postpartum. 

Understanding what your cervical mucus is telling you about your estrogen, and why your temperature rise and pattern throughout your luteal phase is an important indicator of progesterone levels is empowering to say the least. 

What if you didn't have to invest in expensive hormonal testing in order to understand what kinds of imbalances you're working with? 

FAM is a perfect place to start. You can always incorporate other methods in for conception, contraception or your hormonal health goals, but it's a foundation that all of these other methods can build on. 

Learn why in this week's episode.

Listen to learn:

• what FAM (Fertility Awareness Method) is
• why FAM is foundational for TTC, natural contraception or hormonal imbalances
• the two required signs and the optional sign to practice FAM effectively
• how your cervical mucus and BBT relate to estrogen and progesterone
• insights into what your cycle is telling you about your hormones

Resources:

• Free Guide: Track Your Cycle Naturally with FAM
• Grab a spot on the Natural Contraception course waitlist
• Today's shownotes: What is FAM?
• Episode 5: Are you ovulating? And why it matters
• Episode 98: Reclaim your cervix!
• Episode 105: What is your fertile window? + how to decipher it

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.  

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

So many of us have all but lost connection with our ancestral lineage traditions.  

Especially those of us living in westernized, industrialized cultures...

and even more so if we live in the United States (or somewhere far from our lineage homelands) where so many of us have been cut off from the threads of deep relationship to land, place, community and family story for generations.

But even those of us who feel entirely lost from our ancestral folk traditions can begin to weave our way back in with a little effort.

Today's guest, herbal brewess, myth-teller and musician Heather Wolf, shares about ways she's explored the history of folk traditions like herbal brewing, music and song, and ritual both in her own ancestry and around the world.

She speaks of how many of the folk traditions (and even herbal brewing!) as well as ancient initiatory rituals were often held in the hands of women...

often post-menopausal elder women in their crone years.

And how these potent traditions were systematically taken away from women (herbalism included) and placed into the expanding power structures that embraced capitalism over commerce, Christianity over earth-based rituals, and professional arts and music over folk traditions.

Heather's way of weaving myth into history and a commitment to reclaiming our throne as the powerful leaders we have the potential to be - true creators in all senses of the word - is deeply inspiring.

In the end, it really is all about the resurgence of folk culture, meaning that each and every one of us has a place in creating it.

It's community, connection, creativity, expression.

And it's carrying on the crafts (and adding in modern elements) so we can find meaning and purpose in our lives and with each other.

With the womb at the center. ;)


Listen to learn:

• how herbal brewing was historically an elder woman's domain!
• what herbal brews are and how ancient they've been found to be
• how Heather has woven herself back into her own ancestral folk ways
• why learning myths can be a key to living a full life
• the connection between voice and the pelvic bowl

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Get the book references and Heather's links!
• Grab the free Womb Connection and Clearing meditation
• Episode 89: Return to wholeness w womb at center w Robin Rose Bennett
• Heather's website: Heatherwolf.love

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.  

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

We hold so much in our wombspace. 

Stories, trauma, imprints, births, losses, past sexual experiences, and even more energetic qualities like our creative energy or feelings of safety.

So, even if we aren't experiencing any issues "down there" we could still benefit from some regular caretaking just to tend our tissues.

But if you *are* someone (like many of us) who's got anything from menstrual cramps to fertility challenges to trauma history to endometriosis or PCOS or irregular cycles or bladder pain or even creative blocks...

it's likely that some extra presence and care would be a powerful option for you. 

Naturopathic physician, herbalist and bodyworker, Dr Kathryn Kloos has synthesized many years of working hands-on and clinically with thousands of patients and has developed her own practice of supporting multi-layered healing in the wombspace with a variety of techniques, including something she calls "uterine unwinding."

Combining hands-on presence in the pelvic bowl with somatic dialogue, uterine unwinding is a practice that encourages a client to listen deeply to what's present in the pelvic bowl and invites both awareness and possibility to change the imprints or stories that are alive there.

Unwinding and retelling the stories in those tissues. 

We talk about all of this and much more, including some actual cases from Kathryn's practice in this week's episode.

Listen to learn:

• why Kathryn finds bodywork to be a key to pelvic care
• how her own personal cancer journey exemplifies her somatic dialogue technique
• what uterine unwinding is and how you might explore some of this practice in your own body either solo or with a practitioner
• some inspiring and hopeful stories of womb, fertility and trauma healing
• about the possibility of generational trauma getting stuck in our tissues
• one simple practice to ground you in your body and pelvis

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Get links to Kathryn's online course, website, more
• Sign up for the Natural Contraception course waitlist (coming soon!)
• Episode 10: Traditional womb healing practices w Sondra Hamilton
• Episode 61: How to heal trauma with embodied listening w Dr Emily Wilson
• Episode 119: Clearing, releasing, tending womb trauma w Dr Sarah Wylie

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.  

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

If you've heard of mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), I bet the primary action you've heard about it is that it can enhance dreams. 

And mayyyyybe that it has an affinity to bring on menstruation?

But this herb is so much more dynamic than that. 

I've often heard of people adding mugwort to sleep blends (with names like "good night's sleep" or "sleep well") and I'm just like, "wait are they talking about the same mugwort as me?"

Because for me, mugwort has been incredibly powerful, and produced such vivid and lucid dreams that I would never ever consider adding it to a calming sleep blend. It's a FAR cry from passionflower, chamomile or California poppy energy!

While yes, it has some relaxing nervine and uplifting actions, it's also a strong dream-inducing plant that has potential to create a wakeful dreaming state that's so active someone might not feel rested when they wake up, even if they slept all night. 

For me, I did feel rested, but I started sleeping less and less. 

I don't recommend it for that unless you're intentionally wanting to activate your dream life in some way or another. 

I mean, mugwort was the plant that initiated me into the path of herbal medicine, but in no way was that a gentle process.

Instead I think of mugwort as an aromatic bitter to support enhancing your digestion, a warming circulatory stimulant to your pelvic region to help move stagnation and bring on bleeding "down there," and an herb that supports gentle relaxation and a brighter, clearer mood and mind. 

How do you experience mugwort? Any stories to share? 

Listen to learn:

• the basics on mugwort's actions, energetics and uses
• how mugwort was my initiation into the path of plant medicine
• multiple ways of working with mugwort
• why mugwort is an essential herb for your natural contraception apothecary
• cautions around dosing and constituents in mugwort
• some interesting recent research on mugwort's actions

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Get the references / research study citations 
• Sign up for the Natural Contraception Waitlist here
• Episode 18: Uterine tonics
• Episode 83: How mugwort prevented a hysterectomy w Andrea Webb
• Episode 89: Return to wholeness in your womb w Robin Rose Bennett

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.  

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

It's Autumn equinox time! Well, almost. Technically, it's this weekend (Sunday, 8:47 am eastern time). 

So, it feels fitting to offer an episode on how to align with the season through foods, herbs and lifestyle practices that can support the transition into Fall. 

And from the lens of Ayurveda, this seasonal change is particularly significant on the body, mind and spirit, partly because it's the transition from Pitta season (summer) into Vata season (Fall/early winter). 

Vata is the most unstable, light, rough, dry and mobile of the doshas, so it's especially easy to go out of balance as we transition from the vitality and heat of the summer into the chilly, crisp autumn. 

Have you ever noticed that your immunity starts getting quirky in this seasonal transition? That you perhaps sleep a little lighter, have some digestive weirdness, maybe even some cycle irregularity, anxiety, or even a tendency towards reflective meditation, inspired creativity or spirituality?

According to Ayurvedic practitioner Molly McConnell, Vata season is a perfect time to first cleanse and then replenish to cultivate resilience and capacity for the months to come. 

We talk about all of this, how you can tell if your resilience might be low, and some initial ways you can begin to work on building your resilience in your daily life to help you ease into and through this season. 

Listen to learn:

• the basics on how Ayurveda perceives seasons, particularly Autumn
• why you may want to consider cutting down coffee in this season
• how a slow but steady pace is essential for longevity
• some nuances on how your unique body may respond to different seasons
• a few simple ways you can begin to tend to Vata in your daily life this Fall

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Get links to Molly's reset + other offerings
• Sign up for the Natural Contraception course waitlist! (Oct 2024)
• Episode 3: Ayurveda and hormonal health w Kimberly Kubicke
• Episode 49: How to create a sacred window beyond postpartum w Ashlee Sakaishi-Wilkin
• Episode 88: How to ease into Autumn

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.  

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

If you're reading this, my guess is you're likely already aware that your menstrual cycle is something you can cultivate a generative relationship with.

In the process of getting to know our cycles (whether through pure observation, actively tracking signs and symptoms and/or embodying cyclical living practices),  we gain valuable understanding of what our bodies are telling each month during our cycling years. 

And even after we travel through perimenopause and into menopause and beyond, we're still impacted by the cycles of the moon and the seasons. 

According to today's guest, Rachael Amber, "anchors" are really anything that we can return to over time, to check in with, to know is there even when things feel hard or unknown. 

They help us to ground - even in the midst of change. 

And Rachael has created a couple of powerful tools that can support you to find the "anchors" in your own life, in creative and reflective ways. 

One of those tools is the Cycles Journal, which is an annual publication that encourages cycle tracking, physical/mental/emotional symptom tracking, and alignment with the moon phases and solar and lunar astrology. 

It's a beautiful way to engage more fully with your own internal menstrual cycle and/or the cycles of the moon and the earth. 

There is power in observing what your body is telling you and how that relates with the seasons and cycles outside of you too.

Rachael is also currently creating a whole tarot deck that explores the interconnectedness of our bodies and the natural world. 

We talk about all of this, the creative process, the ways that cycle tracking supported Rachael's mental and menstrual health and so much more. 

Listen to learn:

• why Rachael considers "anchors" to be a key to navigating life's uncertainty
• the story of how Cycles Journal came to be 
• how moon cycles and solar + lunar astrology can enhance cycle tracking
• the gift of observing patterns in your body/mind/spirit month after month
• how personal healing is integral to collective healing
• a little on the forthcoming Embodied Ecosystems Tarot Deck

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Get links to Cycles Journal and Rachael's offerings
• FREE GUIDE: Track your cycle naturally with Fertility Awareness Method
• Episode 5: Are you ovulating? How to tell (and why it matters)
• Episode 38: Your menstrual cycle is a vital sign
• Episode 78: Your cycle superpowers
• Episode 90: 5 effective non-hormonal birth control options

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.  

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

Well late summer is here, and between medicine making, food preservation and family visits, life is full. 

So today I'm bringing you a medley full of juicy past episode snippets all about understanding your cycle and your choices.

First you'll hear about your choices of non-hormonal birth control -- specifically focusing on the copper IUD and condoms, but you can absolutely go listen to the entire episode to learn about all your other options too (see link below!).

Then you'll hear about when you even NEED to use birth control (hint: only during your fertile window and your follicular phase sometimes if you're practicing FAM) and a little about what your fertile window is telling you.

And finally, I dive into the incredible benefits of ovulation that we often don't hear about. 

Ovulatory cycles are a sign of health *and* there's actually a lot to know about the gifts of progesterone in the luteal phase for your body and mind.

Leaning the basics of your cycle and what your choices are is power. 

I hope you feel that, too.

Listen to learn:

• some ideas for non-hormonal birth control
• specifics on the benefits, risks and efficacy of copper IUD's
• why I think condoms are essential for everyone to consider
• how barrier methods like condoms are a part of Fertility Awareness
• basics on your fertile window and what it's telling you
• the benefits of ovulation
• some of the gifts of progesterone

Resources

• Free Natural Cycle Tracking (FAM) guide
• Get on the Natural Contraception waitlist
• Episode 5: Are you ovulating? How to tell (and why it matters)
• Episode 90: 5 effective non-hormonal birth control options
• Episode 105: What is your fertile window (and how to understand what it's telling you)

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.  

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

How do you find resources you can trust around perinatal herbal care?

Whether you're a birthworker, an herbalist, or on your own fertility/pregnancy/postpartum journey, it can feel confusing to sort through all the information on herbal safety and efficacy in pregnancy, birth and postpartum (especially if you're nursing). 

Not to mention how to comfortably incorporate herbs into the world of assisted reproductive technology (IUI, IVF, etc).

It's actually not something taught extensively at herb schools or foundational programs. And in my experience of being in both the midwifery world and the herbal world, I actually found that there are a LOT of gaps in people's understanding of safety and efficacy with herbs in these times. 

Even experienced herbalists will shy away from working with clients in pregnancy. And I found some midwives and birthworkers working with herbs that have been clearly shown to be questionable in pregnancy.

Herbs can be incredible allies when TTC, pregnant, during the birthtime, and postpartum.

But figuring out which ones are appropriate is a little less straightforward, and it's essential to get some guidance (or have some resources on hand).

In her new book, The Herbal Doula, herbalist-author Marie White weaves together her embodied herbal practice with current scientific evidence to offer a balanced view on how to work with herbs in these more sensitive times. 

Her approach is very gentle, nourishing, simple, accessible and inclusive.

I really love that she creates space for the gender spectrum *and* the diversity of family structures that aren't just heteronormative, while also including those who fall into more typical structures too.

It's a beautiful world-bridging resource, and also a wealth of solid information about herbal allies in the childbearing years and beyond - and we talk all about this and more in today's conversation.

Listen to learn:

• why Marie White all but left the "herbal community"
• how ableism impacts all of us, including how we work with herbs
• about the lack of resources for those on the gender + relationship spectrum
• some very simple herbs to support nourishing + replenishing postpartum
• the impacts of climate change + extreme weather events on hormones
• how herbs can help mitigate the effects of ecological extremes
• Marie's favorite herb (I bet you already have this growing, or know someone who does!)

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Pre-order The Herbal Doula + get Marie's links
• FREE GUIDE Track your cycle naturally (using FAM)
• Episode 25: Immediate postpartum care the herbal way w Liz Philbrick
• Episode 49: How to create a sacred window
• Episode 68: Milky Oats herbal spotlight

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.  

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

As humans, grief is an unavoidable part of life. Loss, illness, unexpected upheavals internally and externally, in relationship to others, self, the earth, our wombs, the cycles and seasons of life, and on and on. 

There's no poverty of opportunities to face grief, but there is a poverty of grief literacy -- at least here in the United States. 

Most of us are socialized to contain our emotions and only allow them to flow in privacy. We apologize for crying, we're expected to get back to work and responsibilities weeks or months after an immense and debilitating loss. 

Our identities change and we barely acknowledge it. 

It's fascinating how absent grief practice has become. Especially when you consider that every single one of our ancestral lineages had ways of navigating the "wild terrain of grief." 

Whether through ritual, community space, embodied expression, or just allowing ourselves to fully, deeply feel in whatever unruly ways that might show up. There are many paths to metabolize grief. 

Today's guest grief doula + doula activist, Siobhan Azgarzadeh, has devoted her life to navigating and tending grief -- both in herself as a lifelong practice and also facilitating online and in-person spaces to encourage this practice for others.

To, as she puts it, "re-enliven a wailing culture" because in this process, we not only metabolize grief in our personal lives but it also helps us to become more alive and belong together to a world in which we "honor our emotions as holy messengers." 

I'm excited to share this conversation with you. 

Listen to learn:

• some ideas on what grief IS in a world that wants us to contain it
• the 5 aspects of ourselves that relate to grief totally differently
• how grief encourages us to feel more alive
• the difference between elder and older
• why not all walk with loss are initiations + how grief can be initiation
• the diverse ways our wombs carry grief throughout our lives
• what a "re-enlivened wailing culture" could look like

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Get links to Siobhan's offerings
• FREE Womb connection and clearing meditation
• Episode 20: Earth, womb + seed connection
• Episode 65: The intersection of grief and pleasure
• Episode 112: How to tend grief w support from the earth
• Episode 121: Navigating heartbreak with Internal Family Systems

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.  

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

Last week I had some discomfort "down there." I felt a slight tinge of pain when I walked, and a little itchiness, and it felt like something was growing on my vulva.

I took a mirror and a headlamp and checked it out. (Yes, you can do that too. If you've never looked at your vulva, please do. It's a treasure.)

What I found was a little red stretched pea size lump inside my inner labia. It was by all signs a Bartholin's cyst.

It's something I've heard about enough to basically identify it immediately. It's not rare, so maybe you've had one too.

But I think perhaps I'd been ignoring it (had a lot going on) and it was getting inflamed and maybe even heading towards infection (the redness and itching and pain got me curious).

So I immediately took action and made myself a strong tea of gotu kola, yarrow, calendula, lavender and rose, which I then applied warm as a compress.

I did this for a couple days, and then it drained. It reminded me of how easy herbal medicine can be. 

And also inspired me to share an entire episode all about this topic since I think it's the kind of thing we should all know how to do, and how to choose which herbs make sense for our specific condition. 

Herbal baths, sitz bath and herbal compresses are one of the most accessible ways to extract the active constituents from herbs - all you need are herbs, water and something to heat the water with.

But they're also very effective. Sometimes what we really need is to bathe a part of our body in warm herbal tea. And especially when it comes our vulva and pelvis, it's also an incredibly beautiful way to honor this precious place.


Listen to learn:

• what herbal baths, sitz baths and herbal compresses are
• how to make these preparations
• why I chose the herbs I did for my Bartholin's cyst
• what conditions may be best supported by herbal baths + compresses
• which actions you may want to consider when choosing herbs
• how to determine which herbs to choose for you unique symptoms

Resources:

• Free Natural Cycle Tracking (FAM) guide
• Today's shownotes: Herbal baths, sitz baths, compresses
• Episode 12: Simple + sacred practice of making tea
• Episode 25: Immediate postpartum care w herbs w Liz Philbrick
• Episode 82: Herbal vinegars, oxygens + shrubs

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.  

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)