Herbs with Rosalee

You have a double treat in store with this episode.

First, have you ever wondered what it takes to grow herbs commercially on a large scale? 

I kept hearing about Oshala Farm from my students, so last year, I placed an order to check them out. I was so impressed with the herbs I received and knew immediately that I wanted to interview Elise Higley, the farm’s cofounder! 

From finding the right location to the hard work of growing, harvesting, processing the harvest, fulfilling orders, stewarding the land… there are so many details to juggle! I came away from this episode with even more respect for herb farmers than I already had. I hope you’ll enjoy this peek into running a successful herb farm, too!

Second, stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is one of those herbs that people grow to love and crave, even if they’re not initially drawn to the taste. I loved discussing the gifts of this nutrient-dense herb with Elise! Who couldn’t benefit from an herbal ally that:

► Is deeply nourishing, strengthening, and energizing – an herbal tonic you can enjoy every day (and that your body will thank you for)

► Can provide support to folks who suffer from seasonal allergies

► Supports kidney health

► and more…

To quote Elise, “Nettle is nutritive, high in iron, high in minerals… I feel like it’s a staple as far as nourishing and fortifying the body.” I completely agree.

This episode is full of tips and ideas you can borrow like:

► Best practices for growing medicinal herbs (whether you use this to inspire your own garden or as a springboard for asking questions when you’re sourcing herbs to purchase)

► Possible herbs to blend with nettle when making infusions (and how they complement nettle)

► Various ways to work with both fresh and dried nettle leaf

► How to grow stinging nettle in your own garden

For those of you who don’t already know her, Elise Higley is a folk herbalist, wife, mother, grandmother and farmer.

With her background in Western Herbalism at California School of Herbal Studies and her husband Jeff’s background in organic farming, they blended their dreams and created a full-fledged herb farm in 2013. Together they own and operate Oshala Farm. Located in Applegate Valley, Oregon, Oshala Farm has over 80 medicinal herbs in cultivation.

Elise’s teachers and mentors include Cascade Anderson Geller, Rosemary Gladstar, Karen Aguiar, Teri Jensen, Lily Mazzarella, Autumn Summers, David Hoffman, Shana Lipner-Grover, Jon Carlson and, of course, the plants themselves! In her downtime, (9pm-5am) she helps with the Breitenbush Herbal Conference and TerraVita Herbal Symposium and works on agricultural advocacy with Our Family Farms.

If you’d like to hear more from Elise, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for her website and social media. You can also find the transcript for this episode in the show notes.

I’m so delighted to share our conversation with you today!

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Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here. 

Calendula (Calendula officinalis) is one of my most-adored herbs! So I was thrilled when today’s guest, Alex Crofoot, chose calendula as a focus for this interview. And I loved hearing both new and familiar ways of working with this favorite (and very versatile!) plant. Calendula is an herbal friend that:

► Is powerfully healing to the skin, yet is gentle enough to soothe a baby’s diaper rash or to bring some relief to red and irritated eyes. Calendula belongs in every herbal first aid kit!

► Has a range of applications for women’s health, from postpartum healing to helping relieve symptoms of vaginal atrophy

► Supports the lymphatic system and is healing to the gut, both of which can benefit folks who suffer from chronic allergies or frequent illness (or just about anyone, really!)

► and that’s naming just a few of calendula’s gifts…

To quote Alex, “Calendula is such a great introductory plant that also builds upon itself.” I couldn’t agree more.

This episode is full of tips to help you:

► Make infused oil with fresh calendula flowers (without spoilage due to  moisture content)

► Make a full-spectrum calendula tincture (and why you might want to take the extra steps)

► Avoid problems with mold on your harvested calendula

For those of you who don’t already know Alex, she was born in the southern tier of NY, among rich farmlands and birch forests. She is a trained community/clinical herbalist and full spectrum doula who is passionate about accessible herbal care and supporting all pregnancy outcomes. Alex was raised around her Southern great grandmother who was a birthing assistant for her mother who worked as a midwife and herbalist with the Chestnut Ridge People. This may explain her admiration for the plant and reproductive world since childhood.

Alex is a queer cis woman. She is the founder of the Community Care Camper, a free mobile herb clinic serving underserved populations in and around Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is the co-owner of Black Locust Gardens herb farm and plant nursery, a coordinator for the Great Lakes Herb Faire, an herbal educator, mom, animist, pagan, writer and is currently working on opening up a mutual aid herb shop. She works on a sliding fee scale, weaving together a harm reduction and client centered lens. She works mostly with AFAB people's health around postpartum, pregnancy loss, gut and hormonal health.

If you’d like to hear more from Alex, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for her website and social media. You can also find the transcript for this episode in the show notes.

I’m thrilled to share our conversation with you today!

----

Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here. 

We often grow in important ways because of mistakes. But while experience can be a powerful teacher, it can also be a painful one. The cool thing is that hearing other people’s mistakes can help our own growth and learning…minus the regrets. 

With that in mind, a theme for Season 8 of the podcast is looking back at herbal mistakes, a bit like alerting other drivers to a hazard on the road ahead. 

I’m getting the ball rolling by sharing my three most important mistakes with herbs. I’m also sharing tips and resources to help you avoid those same potholes. 

After listening in, you’ll know:

► How to minimize waste in your home apothecary (and why that’s important)

► One big reason why herbs sometimes help and sometimes don’t…and a more nuanced approach to herbalism that’s far likelier to be successful

► How I learned that at its heart, herbalism is about so much more than swapping out herbs for drugs

Show Snippet: 

“The beauty and joy and even the biggest impact of herbalism… is finding our way back to tending this beautiful earth.”

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Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here. 

What to treat to sit down with herbalist and author, Nancy Phillips, to discuss dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)! Who couldn’t use an herbal friend that:

► Supports our hardworking livers (which may beautify our complexions, too!)

► Is rich in inulin to feed the beneficial bacteria in our guts

► Is bursting with nutrients AND enhances digestion

► Benefits pollinators

But, as if all that wasn’t enough, dandelions usher in joy with their sunny blossoms and whimsical seedheads. These unique plants serve as models of resilience and tenacity while simultaneously inviting the child in all of us to play.

There’s a lot to love about dandelions! 

Nancy shares two delicious recipes for dandelion greens, too. (Now I have even more reasons to await Spring with happy anticipation!)

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► Why growing a plant yourself is such a special way to get to know it

► Why to pay attention to your intuitive nudges when choosing which herb to work with

► The easiest way to make dandelion wine (this could become a fun seasonal celebration!)

► The benefits of focusing on getting to know just a few herbs really deeply

Here is one of my favorite takeaways from our conversation: 

“If there’s a possibility of growing a plant and seeing it move from seed to seedling and to see it through the seasons, that’s really my favorite way to get to know plants.”

For those who don’t already know Nancy, she is an herbalist, yoga/Ayurveda instructor, and small-scale farmer. She delights in supporting people on their path to finding more peace, joy, and vitality through healing herbs, healthy food and strengthening their connection to Earth and Spirit. She and her daughter, Gracie, lovingly tend Heartsong Farm, an herb farm, organic apple orchard, and holistic educational center. They offer consultations, workshops, grower’s intensives, and healing retreats at their farm in Northern NH. Nancy and her husband, Michael, co-authored The Herbalist’s Way: The Art and Practice of Healing with Plant Medicines.

If you’d like to hear more from Nancy, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for her website and social media. You can also find the transcript for this episode in the show notes.

I’m so glad to share our conversation with you today!

----

Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here. 

It was an honor and a deep pleasure to have this informative conversation about the medicine of calamus root (rhizome) and leaves with Karyn Sanders. Herbalism is about so much more than “this herb for that condition” and Karyn personifies that truth. Her deep connection with this lovely and versatile plant shines throughout as she shares the many ways of working with calamus medicinally, such as:

► Lending its grounding qualities to facilitate trauma work, soothe nervous energy, smooth the edges around times of rapid change like puberty or menopause, and more

► Calming the gut when there’s heartburn, ulcers, cramping, or chronic gassiness

► Soothing toothaches and teething pain, relaxing the throat (Karyn even included it in a throat spray for professional singers!), and strengthening and supporting the healing process from hiatal hernia

► and so many more…

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► What makes calamus “deep medicine” – and what can it help with?

► Who should avoid calamus – and when?

► How one city worked with calamus for water purification

► What is the dosage for calamus?

► How you can make a yummy summer tea with calamus leaf

Here is one of my favorite takeaways from our conversation: 

“Be humble, humble, humble. These [plants] are gifts and they’re beings and they’re sharing those gifts… If you took the herbs away from herbalism, you wouldn’t be doing a whole lot.”

Karyn has been working with plants for most of her life. She was first trained in Native American traditional plant medicine by her grandmother. In her mid-teens she apprenticed with a Mexican curandera and has subsequently studied with various traditional teachers as well as Western herbalists. Karyn has been teaching and practicing herbal medicine from an energetic perspective for over 47 years. 

Karyn has been a teacher at the Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine for over 20 years. She also has had a live radio show, The Herbal Highway, that has aired weekly since 1997 on KPFA, 94.1FM out of Berkeley, California.

If you’d like to hear more from Karyn, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for her website and social media. You can also find the transcript for this episode in the show notes.

I’m thrilled to share our conversation with you today!

****

Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here. 

While many swoon over its amber balsamic scent, the cottonwood tree (Populus spp.) is more than just a pretty smell. For thousands of years, cottonwood has been used as medicine and to make a variety of tools. 

I honestly can’t imagine my life without this powerful tree and cottonwood bud oil (also called Balm of Gilead oil), which I use in practically all of my herbal salves, creams, and body butters. 

With this episode you’ll also receive FREE access to a downloadable recipe card you can refer to again and again for how to make cottonwood bud oil of your own. 

After listening in, you’ll know:

► How to work with cottonwood bud oil medicinally

► How I discovered that cottonwood is an amazing preservative

► The super-cool way researchers studied Poplar trees as a potential treatment for warts… and the intriguing results

► What you need to know to ethically harvest cottonwood 

Show snippet: 

“Cottonwood trees are water sentinels that offer healing gifts to all those around them including bees, mammals, fish, birds, and even the soils and waters they grow in.”

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Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here. 

My dear friend, herbalist jim mcdonald, returns to the show to share all about calamus root benefits. Among its other gifts, calamus root is known as an herb that can help you clear away mental cobwebs and enhance your focus. jim is a gifted storyteller and I know you’ll enjoy hearing how an early experience with calamus root set the stage for how he approaches learning about herbs to this day.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► The many gifts and medicinal benefits of calamus root. 

► Does it matter what species of calamus you work with?

► Is calamus root safe?

► How you can grow calamus at home.

Here is one of my favorite takeaways from our conversation: 

“I didn’t just learn about calamus from chewing on it and feeling how did I feel before and how did I feel after, I learned a way of learning about plants.”

For those of you who haven’t already met him, in 1994, jim mcdonald's life changed when he drank tea from a wild plant he harvested from the land he lived upon.  Since those first sips of strange tea, his life in the woods and meadows of southeast michigan has been centered on the plants & ecosystems of that land, and how he might share their virtues to restore wellness with those around him.  jim's approach to herbcraft is deeply rooted in the land he lives upon, and blends traditional european folk influences with 19th century eclectic and physiomedical vitalism, which he conveys with story, experience, humour, common sense and lore to students, clients, random passersby and readers of his websites www.herbcraft.org & herbcraft.podia.com.  He's taught classes throughout north america, is one of the organizers of the Great Lakes Herb Faire and is currently alternately writing Foundational Herbcraft and the A Great Lakes Herbal, in addition to articles for journals and other publications.  jim is a community herbalist, a manic wildcrafter and medicine maker, and has been an ardent student of the most learned teachers of herbcraft… the plants themselves.

I’m so happy to share our conversation with you today!

****

Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here. 

It’s always exciting to hear about a little known herb with powerful medicinal action, especially when it also happens to grow abundantly. And that’s what you have to look forward to in this conversation about ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea) with Val Alcorn! 

You’ll also receive Val’s recipe for an Upper Respiratory Tincture which contains ground ivy. This is a formula she describes as ideal for “heavy, stagnant congestion and/or pain in the upper respiratory system.” 

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► Are there ever any advantages to invasive plants?

► Why look at how herbs were used ancestrally?

► How following your curiosity and intuition can lead to powerful medicine

Here is one of my favorite takeaways from our conversation: 

“I feel like everybody’s so excited about the exotic plants, the adaptogens, those buzzword herbs, but sometimes I feel like the most common plants are the most powerful.”

If you don’t already know Val, she is an herbalist, herb farmer, writer and artist living on Anishinaabe land in what is now Michigan. Her goal is to connect people with the stories and the medicine of the plants so that we may heal body and spirit with curiosity and reciprocity. She crafts a variety of herbal tools and goods with a focus on herbal bitters and runs a brick and mortar store in Gladwin, Michigan.

If you’d like to hear more from Val, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for her website and social media. You can also find Val's recipe as well as the transcript for this episode in the show notes.

I’m so grateful to share our conversation with you today!

****

Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

----

Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here. 

You have a real treat in store with today’s episode, all about the many gifts of stinging nettle (Urtica dioica). My guest, renowned herbalist David Winston, shares multiple stories about the rich herbal medicine of nettle leaf, nettle root, and nettle seed, gleaned from his decades of clinical practice. 

David shares so many pearls of wisdom about stinging nettle, herbs, and herbalism during our  conversation that I think you’ll agree I made the right choice in letting the interview meander longer than usual.

As a listener, you’ll also receive access to David’s recipe for Green Powder Spice Blend. This nutrient-dense blend is delicious sprinkled on eggs, cooked grains, soups, stews, salads, cooked greens, and other savory dishes.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► What are the benefits and applications of nettle leaf, nettle root, and nettle seeds?

► Is there any real hope for remineralizing bones weakened by osteoporosis?

► How herbalism and Western medicine beautifully shore up one another’s weak spots

► Why it’s so important to treat the person rather than the disease

► Why do so many herbal traditions emphasize complex formulations?

► What is David’s advice for aspiring herbalists?

Here is one of my favorite takeaways from our conversation: 

“Opening your mind to listen…I’m a big fan of research and science and looking at the old literature and clinical experience, but never downplay the importance of learning to listen to the plants.”

For those of you who don’t already know David, he’s an Herbalist and Ethnobotanist with 54 years of training in Chinese, Western/Eclectic and Southeastern herbal traditions.  He has been in clinical practice for 47 years and is an herbal consultant to physicians, herbalists and researchers throughout the USA, Europe and Canada.  David is the founder/director of the Herbal Therapeutics Research Library and the dean of David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies, a two-year training program in clinical herbal medicine. He is an internationally known lecturer and frequently teaches at medical schools, professional symposia and herb conferences.  He is the president of Herbalist & Alchemist, Inc. a manufacturer that produces herbal products that blend the art and science of the world’s great herbal traditions.

In addition, David is a founding/professional member of the American Herbalist Guild, and he is on the American Botanical Council and the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia Advisory Boards.

He’s the author of many books including the co-author of Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina and Stress Relief. 

David has taught thousands of herbalists around the world and is the recipient of many notable and prestigious awards and fellowships.

If you’d like to hear more from David, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for his websites and social media. You can also find David's recipe as well as the transcript for this episode in the show notes.

I’m beyond delighted to share our conversation with you today!

----

Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

----

Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here. 

In this episode, we look to the medicines that bees make with plants. Propolis is a medicinal resin made by bees which can be sustainably harvested to use as medicine. Benjamin Pixie is an herbalist, mead maker and bee keeper who has lots to share about plants, the wisdom of bees, and making medicines from the gifts of the hive. 

Benjamin also shares a recipe and important tips for making your own propolis tincture, including the best alcohol to use and tips for finding propolis. 

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► Why bees are the original herbalists

► What is propolis and many amazing health benefits

► How best to work with propolis as medicine

► How to support the bees

For those of you not familiar with Benjamin, he has been a treatment free, bee centric sustainable beekeeper since 2007.  He is mead maker at Pixie Mead, and Distiller of honey spirits at Spirit of the Hive.  He is a founding member of the Skalitude Pollinator Sanctuary and the Skalitude Community.

If you’d like to hear more from Benjamin, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for his websites and social media. You can also find Benjamin's recipe as well as the transcript for this episode in the show notes.

I’m so happy to share our conversation with you today!

----

Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

----

Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.