The Herb Walk with Jessica Baker

It’s hard to describe how I’ve been feeling the last several months. The last few years really. Life has been overwhelming for so many of us, including me. Despite not being active on the blog, I have released a few podcast episodes, grown a bunch of ganja, played guitar, and got back into an exercise routine.

None of it has come easily this year and I am grateful that I have been able to “accomplish” anything at all. Early on in my adulthood I chose a different kind of lifestyle than what is perceived as normal. Now that cannabis is the mainstream, I find myself wishing for the “good old days.” Not the fear of punishment for growing medical cannabis, but for the serenity of the old-growth redwood forests and the community that we had in Humboldt and Mendocino counties.

I know many of us are struggling to find our new place in the world. A lot of us feel lonely, insecure, and unsure of what lies ahead. You are not alone. Our society (and dare I say, the world) is having a serious identity crisis. The idea that our worth is defined by how hard we hustle and how much money we make is dying fast, as it should!

I look forward to the day when our worth is measured in our acts of kindness and compassion towards ourselves and others. Until then, I will navigate this life with as much gentleness and love as I can. I will also do more of what lights me up, like teach!

Tomorrow I will be at the American Herbalists Guild Annual Symposium giving a pre-intensive class on Preserving the Herbal Legacy of Cannabis Culture. In February and March 2024 I’ll be at the Colorado School of Clinical Herbalism in Lafayette, CO teaching several classes, including 3 Free Qi Gong classes. You can check out online and in person classes on my website

I’d like to leave you with an offering to attend an online grief circle on October 22. The gathering is facilitated by one of my best friends, Willow Meili, of the Grief Well. I have also included the podcast episode Willow and I recorded back in July.

With love,

Jessica

Summer is here! For those of us that love plants, this is our season. Here in Oklahoma the wildflowers are blooming everywhere. On the land where I live, I am surrounded by some of my favorite palnts, Yarrow, Wild Rose, Milkweed, and Echincae, just to name a few. My herb garden is also going off, my Thyme, Mints (peppermint and mojito mints), Pineapple Sage, and Lemon Verbena smell divine. My Garden Sage bloomed early and has already gone to seed, and my Passionflower is spreading wildly through the raised bed. Happiness is watching these plants grow year after year.

Meeting new herbalists also makes me happy. I had the pleasure of talking to Amy Anthony, the herbalist, distiller and educator behind NYC Aromatica. Amy was a student of Jim McDonald (a hilarious and fun herbalist) and has studied aromatherapy extensively through the NY Institute of Aromatic Studies.

What I really like about Amy is she is one of the few aromatherapists that is also an herbalist. For me, herbalism and aromatherapy are two sides of the same coin, but for many aromatherapists their experience is only with essential oils or hydrosols, not actual plants. Our conversation on the importance of being an herbalist as well as an aromatherapist really resonated with me and gave me an even greater appreciation for our craft.

We also had an open and frank discussion about social media influencers with little or no herbal knowledge,our concerns of over-harvesting, and the environmental impact of essential oil production. Thank you Amy for giong there with me!

When not teaching or seeing clients, Amy is distilling her favorite aromatic plants and immersing herself in nature as much as she can. Her podcast, Essential Aromatica, is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to listen to as I travel or work in the garden. On her show, she has interviewed incredible aromatherapists like Cathy Skipper, Gabriel Mojay, and Hanna Tisserand. I highly recommend listening!

For this episode, sit back with a cup of aromatic tea (rose, mint, and citurs peel would be nice) and enjoy our conversation about aromatic plants. Then please subscribe and share The Herb Walk with your friends!

As always you can find my podcast, The Herb Walk with Jessica Baker, on most streaming services. If interested, you can also follow me on Instagram @jessicabaker_herbalist

With love,

Jessica

Happy Spring Equinox! This has been one of my favorite days of the year since I was a kid. Knowing that the days are getting longer and the weather warmer, has always brought me joy! As a farmer and herbalist, I get even more excited knowing it’s time for me to get my hands in the dirt. For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, Happy Autumnal Equinox!

Way back in my first Season of The Herb Walk Podcast, I interviewed Jane Bothwell, the original proprietress of The Dandelion Herbal Center (DHC). Jane was my first herb teacher and opened my eyes (and heart) to our herbal allies. Here I am over two decades later and I am even more in love with what the plants teach us. Thank you Jane for bringing so many of us into the world of herbalism. I love you!

Last year Jane passed the Dandelion torch to two incredible women, Allison Poklemba and Jessica Shepherd. Allison and Jessica met in Jane’s Beginning with Herbs series way back in 1999. You will hear in our conversation just how much love, respect, and gratitude they have towards Jane and the herb school they have been entrusted with. Allison and Jessica are bringing a lot of enthusiasm and knowledge to DHC. I can’t wait to see how the school will evolve over the years. Many good things ahead (like their podcast, The Dandelion Diaries!)

Jessica Shepherd and I have been dear friends since we worked together at Humboldt Herbals many, many moons ago. We have both studied aromatherapy extensively and have traveled to many symposia together. Jessica is a community herbalist, masterful distiller and skillful creator. Her hydrosols and body creams are the best I’ve ever had (seriously!) and she won best product at The International Herbal Symposium a few years ago for her unique and delicious Fire Cider Fairy Dust. She has a talent for creating the most exquisite aromatic blends. I am so proud to call her my best friend.

Allison Poklemba and I have gotten to know each other more since we spent time together at the Northern California Women’s Herbal Symposium last year. Allison is a woman of many talents. She is one of the most knowledgable people on the various seaweeds of the Pacific coast. She holds seaweed classes in Petrolia, California and currently has a 2-part class on the Dandelion Herbal Center website. Along with being a teacher, Allison is a botanist, herbalist, environmental educator, and owns a small business, Backcountry Press. Humboldt County is lucky to have these women rooted in the community.

We had such a good time sharing our love of herbs and shouting out to our favorite teachers. You can feel the love permeating throughout our conversation.

As always before listening, make a cup of tea, sit back, and enjoy Episode 1 of Season Six of The Herb Walk Podcast!

With love,

Jessica

https://www.bakerbotanica.com

Needless to say 2022 has been incredibly stressful. Most of us could’ve used more herbal medicine to help cope with the weariness and exhaustion we have felt the last couple of years. I have tried to remember to take my herbs, breathe deeply, have patience, etc. It hasn’t always worked. The grief I have had over deaths of dear friends has spiraled me more than a little out of control. It has only been the last month that I am coming out of the mindfuck of two years of living through a pandemic. As I begin to care for myself again, I am reminded of how essential herbs are to my health and well-being.

We all know cannabis is one of my herbal allies. Like many people, I love smoking weed. When I got to college I went to a Cannabis Action Network meeting (where I met my future husband, Chip!) and learned about cannabis as fiber, fuel, medicine, and I became a true believer. In 1997, Chip and I moved to Humboldt County, California and I have been growing cannabis as medicine ever since. I am primarily still a joint smoker, but the popularity of cannabis extracts shows that concentrated cannabis is on the rise. Concentrates and edibles are 50% of the consumer market in states where medical and recreational cannabis are legal.

There are few cannabis products that are as strong as FECO (Full Extract Cannabis Oil). FECO is an ethanol extraction of cannabis leaves/flowers, more often taken orally or rectally, than smoked. FECO is also reffered to as RSO or crude cannabis oil (the first pass extraction before distillate is made). Back in the day we just made it on the stove, called it hash oil and smoked it on hot knives. We have come a long way!

In this episode of The Herb Walk, I interview Jim Gerenscer and Jack Kungle of the FECO Playbook. We had a lively conversation about cannabis, terpenes, and how important lifestyle choices are to health. We are a culture of quick fixes and fad modalities, but the reality is cannabis is not always a miracle cure. Cannabis can be an important ally in your overall wellness plan.

I haven’t always taken the hype around FECO seriously, but I never doubted the healing powers of our medicinal plants. Hearing Jack and Jim talk about FECO use and cancer, I am beginning my own research of the benefits of FECO for chronic pain, tumor reduction, and nutritional analysis.

Thanks to their collaberation with cannabis growers and dispensaries in Oklahoma, if you are a medical cannabis patient with cancer you may be able to get FECO for a penny! The FECO Playbook informational website is loaded with recipes, videos, and resources for those that want to learn more. They also have a members only website for medical cannabis patients where they catalog personal experiences working with FECO.

Jim Gerenscer also has a non-profit, E.R.I.C. (which I name incorrectly in the episode- sorry Jim!) E.R.I.C. stands for Early Recognition is Critical and they educate about why getting a correct diagnosis is so important for survival. They are working with the Paul McBeth Foundation to educate about early breast cancer screening in Ugana, where there is a 50% mortality rate for women with breast cancer. We all know someone that passed away from cancer, many may have been prevented if they were diagnosed sooner. The E.R.I.C. website has resources for Free Cancer Screenings. Please share with your colleagues and loved ones.

Holidays are challenging for those that are grieving. While I don’t pretend to know what you’re going through, I do know that I, like all humans, have experienced sadness for those that are no longer here with us. Please reach out to loved ones and/or organizations if you need it. You are not alone and there is no shame in needing help. It is fucking hard out there!

It has been an honor to share another year with you. May you be safe. May you be well. May you be surrounded by those that love you.

With Love,

Jessica

It is with great pleasure (and a few tears) that I share this episode of The Herb Walk Podcast with you all. Like so many of you, I have been actively grieving the past couple of years. My grief began with the death of millions of people worldwide at the beginning of the pandemic.

Early on I didn’t know any person that died of COVID, but I felt deeply the loss that affected billions of people worldwide. In January of 2021, two people I have known since the late 90’s, died of drug overdoses (fuck fentanyl) and exacerbated the grief I was feeling for the world.

Then on Easter Sunday 2021, I received a call that one of my best friends, Kelly, died while in Mexico. He had been going through a very rough time and felt completely overwhelmed by his family life, business, COVID. Many of us knew he was struggling and had tried to help, but none of us could have guessed he would take his own life. He is not the first friend I have had that committed suicide, but his death has been the hardest. You can hear my interview with Kelly from 2018.

With all of that loss, I am so grateful to have Willow Meili in my life. Having a friend that works so intimately with grief and those that are grieving, has opened my eyes (and heart) to my own grief. As a culture, we believe we should get over it and move on as quickly as possible. As a practitioner I know that is unrealistic and unhealthy, but I was still trying to shut myself down and speed up my grief. Willow has been my biggest advocate for just letting my grief flow, with no expectations of what it should look like or how long it should take.

Despite the heavy topic of grief, this is actually a very positive episode with lots of laughter! Throughout our talk, Willow explains how a death doula supports not only the person passing, but also their community. We talk about ritual and herbs that can help support the grieving process and how Nature can be a profound ally. One of the most important thing we discuss is about planning your advanced directives so your family doesn’t have to make hard decisions after your death.

Before you listen, I encourage everyone to make a nourishing cup of tea (mimosa, rose and hawthorn would be amazing). If possible, listen to this episode with your loved ones. If you are in a safe space, let yourself feel any emotion that may come up. Contemplate your own thoughts around loss and the resources that may be available to you. Below is a list of a few places you can go for assistance.

Resources for Grief:

www.griefsupportnet.org

www.thegriefwell.ca

Be Ceremonial

988- Suicide Prevention Hotline

With love,

Jessica

“Slow down and drink more water.” These are the wise words of Diane Avitable, esthetician, brow architect and beauty devotee. I have known Diane for a long time and I knew I wanted to have her on the podcast, because she is the expert I consult when I have questions about skin care. Her botanical skin care line, Take Time Out For Beauty, has been in my daily regimen for the last five years. When I run out and try other “natural” products, within a couple of weeks my skin looks dull and begins to feel dry and itchy. I have made all of my own skin care products for years and none have had the positive effects that Diane’s have had.

I love Diane for several reasons, but why I consult her with my skin, is her less is more approach to products and treatments, and how incredibly passionate she is about the concept of beauty.

In Diane’s words, “I believe beauty is my superpower. I feel very strongly about giving people the space and permission to prioritize themselves. I also think as women beauty is our birth right, it does not need to be expensive, packaged up in a trendy look , pushed on us by celebrities or something that takes up a ton of our time. It’s meant to be part of our daily practice, something that grounds us into our power. CARE OF SELF is more sustainable, finding ways to tend to yourself on a regular basis so it becomes part of your skill set to move through this world.”

Feeling beautiful, or even wanting to admit I wanted to feel beautiful, has always been hard for me. Diane embodies the birth right of beauty and her attitude is contagious! We all demonstrate beauty. It is the daily practice of caring for self that exemplifies it.

Our conversation on simple ways to care for your skin (and yourself) was also great reminder about how little time it takes to have radiant skin. Spoiler…start with a washcloth, warm water and one minute.

Key takeaways for me were sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen, large hat, hydration, and being gentle with myself. There’s a lot of gems in this episode, as you will hear. I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as we did having it.

Make a cup of tea, grab your favorite infused oil, sit back, and listen to this episode of The Herb Walk with Jessica Baker.

If you feel inclined, please become a Patreon supporter and receive information and classes on herbalism, aromatherapy, Chinese medicine, and more!

Happy 420 Everyone! I hope you are in a place where you have access to affordable, high quality cannabis and can safely partake without the paranoia of law enforcement. After decades, New York is finally one of those places. When I was there a couple of weeks ago, ganja smoking and selling was Everywhere. A refreshing site after harsh drug penalties and routine shake down from police. There is hope!!

Today’s episode is a great conversation I had with Laura Lagano, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Dietitian Nutritionist, and Holistic Cannabis Practitioner. She is a long time cannabis advocate and her passion for cannabis and nutrition is evident in her outreach and education. Laura shares an intimate story of the profound changes her daughter had with nutritional and lifestyle changes and the help of cannabinoids.

A little about Laura Lagano, from her Website:

As one of a handful of dietitians worldwide to have completed the prestigious Institute of Functional Medicine training program (IFM certification- eligible), Lagano is unique in her ability to integrate nutrition, biochemistry, functional medicine, and cannabis/cannabinoid medicine. Her expertise and passion involves healing the body with alternative practices including food as medicine, orthomolecular nutrition, essential oils, and medical marijuana. Areas of foci for Lagano include Alzheimer’s disease, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, chronic inflammation, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, inflammatory bowel disease, insomnia, irritable bowel syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and skin and women’s health.

Always ahead of the curve, Lagano was among one of the first dietitians to work in communications back in the go-go ‘80s. She served as the New Jersey Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson and has written for and been quoted in numerous media outlets including The New York Times, Forbes, HuffPost, Stitcher, MerryJane, The Daily Beast, Freedom Leaf, CNN, and NJTV. She writes regularly for Holistic Primary Care and Kitchen Toke about the ancient plant.

Take this opportunity to make a cup of tea, roll one up, and listen to Laura and I share our love of cannabis. Happy 420!

With love,

Jessica Baker

I had the pleasure of meeting Tre’von Dorsey, COO and Mercedes Teasley, cofounder and CEO of CEED Inc., through a good friend of mine (thanks Jenny!) CEED stands for Community for Entrepreneurs Engaged in Development. CEED is a cloud-based, collaborative project & supply chain management platform that provides direct & alternative pathways to Cannabis & Hemp business ownership for Black entrepreneurs and professionals.

That is the professional way of saying Mercy and Tre’ are bridge builders, dedicated to making sure people of color are educated, encouraged and supported to own cannabis and hemp businesses. The thing that stood out the most to me in our conversation was their mission to change the mindset of their community from cannabis consumer to cannabis entrepreneur. Tre’ and Mercy spoke about how black and brown skinned people have been disproportionately affected by the war on drugs and how much more work it takes for them to enter a wealthy, white dominated industry.

Much of the social equity opportunities are still going to companies primarily owned and operated by white people. People of color are given seats on boards so companies can say they are partially owned by “minorities” to gain access to licenses that costs hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars.

It’s disgusting to me and it’s why organizations like CEED are necessary. We need a digital platform where governments, organizations, and business owners can find and work with cannabis businesses that are actually owned and/or operated by people of color. I am inspired by what Mercy and Tre’ are creating and I am encouraged that businesses with integrity like CEED, will grow in the cannabis space.

If you are a law maker, venture capitalist, seed investor, cannabis entrepreneur, please listen to what Tre’ and Mercy are saying. We need to work together to create a better business model for cannabis, one with less barriers of success for those that have been the most affected by the war on drugs.

Let me know what you think about this week’s episode by leaving a comment or by liking or subscribing toThe Herb Walk Podcast with Jessica Baker

You can also become a Patreon Supporter and receive free classes, videos and consultations. I always appreciate your support!

With Love,

Jessica

What do some evangelical Christians and many wellness influencers have in common?

Many people in these groups have been outsmarted by the social media algorithms. They have chosen to put individual rights over the health and welfare of the masses. A lot of people have witnessed a pandemic that has killed millions of people worldwide and have chosen to deny the truth.

As an acupuncturist, herbalist, and primary care provider, I am extremely disappointed by many people in the “wellness industry.” For example, one of the most toxic things I have heard some friends, wellness influencers and spiritually minded people say is, “The government can’t tell me what to do. I am a sovereign being.” Really? Please ask the Sovereign Nations that reside alongside us how their communities fared during the pandemic.  I recently had to walk away from a women’s gathering I have been part of for years over their self-righteous belief of their health sovereignty. I cannot be part of a group that puts their right to live and thrive over everyone else’s. 

It is the attitude of superiority, of I over Us that  is the epitome of how problematic our society is. To put yourself over the health of your community, to believe that your right to live is more important that someone of color, or disability, or poverty, or poor health, is awful. It makes me sad to think people I love believe this.

I partially blame social media. People held these beliefs beforehand of course, but social media is designed to put controversy and drama to the top of everyone’s “news” feed. The developers of the algorithms have created a virtual world of discord, misinformation and lies so users will stay on their sites longer and argue over politics, race, COVID, anything that ensures you stay engaged.

I have been grappling with this issue for some time now, and as you can tell, I am still charged by it. It has been one reason that I haven’t spent much time engaging online the last two years. 

In my latest episode of The Herb Walk, I interview Derek Beres, one of the co-hosts of The Conspirituality Podcast. Derek and I spoke about his new book, Hero’s Dose: The Case for Psychedelics in Ritual and Therapy, the Conspirituality Podcast and the dangers of misinformation by social media influencers, and Chinese Medicine. While I don’t agree with everything Derek, Matthew Remski and Julian Walker say on their podcast (especially when it comes to Traditional Chinese Medicine), I appreciate the work they are doing. They are leading the conversation on how rampant and dangerous misinformation is in the wellness industry.

The Conspirituality Podcast isn’t always easy to listen to, but it is important that we hear what they have to say. We must come back to common sense. We must hold ourselves accountable for thinking, believing, and acting like our well-being is all that matters, even if it means affecting (and infecting) others. We must care for those not as healthy, able bodied, or privileged as we are.

To the wellness influencers, politicians and others that gain followers, fame or monetary gain by perpetuating these lies,

“May the algorithms spit you to the bottom of the pile so you can’t infect others with your ignorance and cruelty. May knowledge, kindness and a sense of community prevail.”

Before listening, take some deep breaths, sit back with a joint and/or a cup of tea, and enjoy (or try to!) this episode of The Herb Walk Podcast. Conversations are not always easy, but they are necessary for the sake of our society.

With love,

Jessica

PS. If you haven’t watched the Social Dilemma, please do! The insights into the creators of social media are invaluable.