Hello plant people! It's been a year and some change since we launched our Plant Stories series on Herbal Radio, and we thought what better time to reshare our first-ever episode in this series than during the sunny and blooming spring season! 🌷

Plant Stories is all about the heartfelt, fun, entertaining, educational, inspiring, and personal plant stories that stand out to our guests. Tune in to hear from esteemed herbalists, nature-based artists, and plant-lovers to learn about a specific plant, hear a touching tale, bask in a poem, or possibly dive into some folklore. 

Our good friends, Howie Brounstein and Steven Yeager stopped by our podcast studio back in January 2023 to record the inaugural episode. Having taught together for decades at the Columbines School of Botanical Studies, Howie & Steven showcase their unique teaching style, philosophy, and humor as they banter about their personal and professional plant connections. Always entertaining, we hope you enjoy the many plant stories and botanical song beats brought to you by Howie & Steven. 

Howie Brounstein has taught botany, herbalism, and wildcrafting extensively for nearly four decades, including at such herbal establishments as the Michael Moore’s Southwest School of Botanical Medicine. He is the co-owner and a primary instructor of the Columbines School of Botanical Studies and has a clinical practice in Eugene, Oregon. He is well known for his inspiring in-depth teaching style and his passionate love of plants.

Steven Yeager moved to the Pacific Northwest in 1994 and has been rooted in Eugene ever since. He has been an employee of Mountain Rose Herbs since 2007 and recently became the Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs (formerly the Director of Quality and Regulatory Affairs, congratulations, Steven!). Steven Yeager has been exploring Oregon's wild places and studying the Pacific Northwest's native flora since 1995, botanizing, wildcrafting, and preparing herbal preparations for himself and his family. Steven is also an herbal educator and former co-owner of the Columbines School of Botanical Studies. His years of working in the plant world have contributed enormously to Steven's ability to direct quality control, laboratory operations, and regulatory compliance at Mountain Rose Herbs, where a thorough knowledge of plant identification, GMP and FSMA regulations, and herbalism is essential. He believes cultivating a relationship with plants and the natural world is vital for a healthy existence on this planet In 2011, Steven became an elected trustee of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) and is currently participating with many of AHPA's committees. He also serves on the Board of the AHPA Foundation for Education and Research on Botanicals, United Plant Savers, and the Native Plant Society of Oregon. When not at work or volunteering with various non-profits Steven enjoys spending time with his family, cooking, hiking, camping, wildcrafting, and botanizing in the Cascade Mountains.

Visit the Columbines School of Botanical Studies website.

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Want to learn more about Steven's work? Check out our Q & A with Quality Control blog!

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