Welcome back for the second part of our exploration of the herbal medicine chest in your cabinet! Last episode,we talked about savory culinary herbs and how they can help you & your family. In this episode, we’ll look at delicious spices that show up in our sweeter holiday fare although no herbs we’ll discuss are actually sweet. They do, however, have the spice & warmth complimented so well by more sugary profiles. Afterall, we can’t have a spice cake without the spices, can we? The plant friends featured here are Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum), Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum), Ginger (Zingiber officinale), and Peppermint (Mentha × piperita), well, all the mints, really.

Some of the commonalities shared by our herbs last time we see today too. Most are carminative, which means they “ease gasiness, bloating, & tummy upset”. That’s a must during  holiday feasting, right? Also helpful for the chilly weather days & nights, most are very warming, keeping our blood flowing so all those fingers and toes stay protected from the nippy air. Again, these plant friends have long historical traditions and lore.So we’ll touch on some historical points as well, often stretching all the way back to ancient Greece & Rome. How cool is that?

All of us at the Herbalist’s Path hope you have a good (if not necessarily conventional) holiday season in this crazy 2020. 

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

Did you know that there might be a whole entire medicine chest in your kitchen cupboard?

As your cooking for the holidays, we’re going to look at what herbal goodness we can slip into your meals (savory) & treats (sweet, next episode!). In this episode, we’ll talk about savory culinary herbs and how they can help you & your family. Here we go to Scarborough Fair --parsley, sage, rosemary, & thyme (JK. No parsley today.) In actuality, the plant friends featured are Sage (Salvia officinalis), Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Oregano (Origanum vulgare), Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus), Cayenne Pepper (Capsicum annuum), & Black Pepper (Piper nigrum) 

You’ll find some commonalities shared by all our herbs today. All of this episode’s herbs are carminative, which means they “ease gasiness, bloating, & tummy upset”. I’d say that’s a must during our holiday feasting, right? Additionally, many are antimicrobial, antioxidant, astringent, and/or toning for a few different body systems.

One of the coolest things about these plant friends is the long culinary and medicinal traditions behind them! Black Pepper was even used as currency once upon a time! So we’ll touch on some historical points as well, often stretching all the way back to ancient Greece & Rome. How cool is that?

All of us at the Herbalist’s Path hope you have a good (if not necessarily conventional) holiday season in this crazy 2020.

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

How does stress impact your immune system?

Have you ever been super stressed out, spread way too thin, and next thing you know, you’ve gotten sick (which certainly doesn’t help the stress!)? Well, stress and what it does to your body can really adversely affect your immune system. And right now-- post-election, pre-holidays, global pandemic-- we’re all worn out and worn down. But there are things we can do (and herbs we can use) to help our brains stay chill so our bodies can stay strong. There’s lifestyle habits we can use like yoga or deep breathing exercises, connecting with others (using other pathways when physical closeness isn’t an option), connecting with yourself, and getting outside!

There are herbs we can use to help too. The class of herbs I seek when I need body/mind support is Adaptogens. These herbs help our bodies to adapt to stressors, regulating and supporting our neuroendocrine & immune systems. Some nourish, some boost immune system. The herbs we’ll talk about in this episode are Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra), Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum) , and Ashwaganda (Withania somnifera)

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

We’ve all heard that we should take echinacea for a cold, or garlic is good for you, or elderberry. All of it’s true, but have you ever wondered why or how these plants work their magic? This episode is a big shout out to Immune Stimulatants! These virus & bacteria-fighting herbs ramp up your immune system to help fight illness. They are best employed at the beginning of symptoms, but can help through the duration too.

We’ll learn a bit about how the immune system works and some of the specific ways that broad spectrum compounds found in medicinal plants create a breadth of actions and applications. These compounds can potentially outsmart the bugs that have already outsmarted synthesized antibiotics and antivirals. And some of the plant friends --like garlic, onion, or ginger-- may already be in your kitchen! How cool is that!? (For more info on some specific herbs, check out Episode 10 “Herbs to Boost Your Immune System, Some of my Favs!”)

Immune stimulators are quick to act, but the effects are short-lived. Hence, they’re best used for short-term acute treatment or prevention. We’ll talk about the best ways to use them to protect your health and recover, but not over medicate (which, yes, you can do with herbs too).

But the best part is, in addition to putting cleaner medicine in your body, it’s cleaner for our planet too. At a time when synthetic medication is showing up in drinking water and in fish, these plants that you can grow or Mother Nature provides furnish medicine to which microbes can’t adapt and that returns to the earth as natural as it came.

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

Nicole Telke is a practicing herbalist, educator and activist. In 2009 she became a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild.  Nicole has practiced, collected herbs, and taught since 2000, and has studied ecology, botany, and bioregionalism since 1995. She is also the Director and Founder of the Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine and a founder and spokesperson of the Traditions Not Trademarks Free Fire Cider Movement.
Nicole believes strongly in herbal medicine being “the people’s medicine”; she too, has a goal of putting “an herbalist in every home.” Nicole specializes in bioregional medicinal plants and her approach to wellness and herbalism in general blends together the ideas of permaculture on the land and holism in the body.
In this episode, we talk all things great and small; the changing face of herbalism education in the information age and the dilution of knowledge by streams of misinformation, to our fire cider friend, to Nicole’s current favorite herb, Tulsi (available here).

LINKS:
Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine
Nicoletelkes.com
Wild Spirit Podcast
Elderberry Syrup Recipe
The Herbalist's Path Facebook Group

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

“When we draw in a breath, we share that air with all other human beings and all other life on our planet. Through respiration, our oneness with trees becomes a manifest fact, and our communion with the oceans has immediate impact. The reality of the planetary whole reveals itself, with implications for all human life, through the circulation of the gases and the energy of the atmosphere. This vision underlies holistic healing as much as it does ecology. The anatomy and physiology of the respiratory system is a complex and beautiful embodiment of integration and wholeness.” ~~David Hoffmann, Medical Herbalism

There are various ways to think about the way herbs work and act on your respiratory tract.  Many of us are still dealing with the aftermath of the wildfire smoke, or some even still in the middle of it.  The lungs of our planet, and the lungs of our body are screaming together! And then we have the CoronaVirus. We all share the same air. It's so very important that we try to come together and help stop this virus by wearing a mask, washing our hands, and taking care of ourselves, our immune & respiratory systems. 

So let's talk about some of the herbs that can help us with our own lungs, and our collective lungs of the planet!

Althea (Marshmallow) (Althaea officinalis) 
Elecampane (Inula helenium) 
Mullein (Verbascum thapsus) 
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)
Lungwort Lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria)

LINKS:
 Lung Lovin'! Immune Boostin'! Bundle (DIY Elderberry Syrup Kit, Immuni-tea & Respiratory Rescue herbal teas)

Elderberry Syrup Recipe

The Herbalist's Path Facebook Group

United Plant Savers

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

Ah, elegant Elder, the shrubbery with so much to give. Elderberry syrup is certainly a hot topic these days and rightfully so! Not only is this stuff is a powerhouse when it comes to boosting your immune system and fighting off viruses, it’s delicious too. I mean, with cold and flu season plus a global pandemic, it’s refreshing to have a medicine even the kids are happy to take.

But Elder is so much more than just berries for syrup. Even outside its clinical, medicinal properties, there is an abundance of history and lore surrounding the plant. It’s been presumed a conduit to the realms of fairies and the underworld; and these legends span across multiple cultures. Maybe that’s because this plant is exceptionally useful and it is EVERYWHERE. North America, Europe, Western Asia, Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and many pacific islands. It’s almost as if mother nature is begging us to use this plant!

Elder is a veritable “medicine Cabinet” ready for immediate use. From its roots to the stems, leaves, flowers, barks, and berries, there was always a way you could get medicinal benefits from Elder. It’s a shrubbery I love to see winter, spring, summer, and fall. It makes great medicine no matter the time of the year.

Excited to make your own? Click here to get a free download of my favorite Elderberry Syrup Recipe. 

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

Have you ever seen a butterfly wrestling to leave its chrysalis? It may seem like an unnecessarily arduous task, but as it works its new, rumpled body & wings out through a small opening, fluid is pushed into the wings, giving them strength & structure once dry. Without this proper distribution, the butterfly would not be able to fly. So you see, by nature, it is this very struggle that breathes a new life into the animal.

This episode is Mel Mutterspaugh's very own herbalist's path, told in her own words, on her 42nd birthday (ya know, life, the universe, and everything). This is the story of growth and struggle and joy and purpose. Mel's mission is to start a movement to inspire an herbalist in every home...again. A return to empowering anyone to find better health with ingredients from their kitchen cabinet to their own backyard. There is such a rich opportunity in this time of global upheaval for every one of us to become a little more self-reliant and, in the process, be kinder to ourselves and kinder to the planet. And Mel wants to help us all access the power of the plants!

Mel has always believed in doing what you love for a living, and for her, that means being surrounded by nature. During the years she spent volunteering and working as a hiking guide, Mel noticed that hikers often brought harsh toxic chemicals with them in backpacks and first aid kits. They were heading out to nature to soothe their souls, but had no idea how the plants surrounding them were able to heal them physically. It was this realization that inspired Mountain Mel’s Essential Goods. Mel wanted to create products that people would feel good about putting on their bodies as they went out and explored nature’s splendor. Passionate about nature, sustainability and herbal medicine, Mel’s mission is to share the abundant power of plants and respectfully preserve them for generations to come.

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

This episode is a conversation I had back in February (before the world went bizarro) with Madelyn Mickelberry Morris of Mickelberry Gardens. We both share a passion for plant medicine; on our separate herbal paths, our passions organically grew into our respective businesses with all the twists and turns that involves. But we stick close to source, remembering why we are here in the first place: to share nature’s medicine with the People! We talk about all sorts of great things including some of our favorite plant friends and books. We share some really practical information on how a plant becomes a healthy, usable product and ways you can get started in your own kitchen, on your own herbalist’s path. As Madelyn says, “You always have friends when you’re friends with the plants.”

Mickelberry Gardens is the vision of husband and wife team, Matt and Madelyn, who started backyard  beekeeping in Portland back in 2007. When Madelyn discovered that she was extremely sensitive to honeybee stings, their growing apiary moved to Troutdale where, within a year, Matt was working with 20 hives. 

Madelyn was already interested in garden medicine, medicinal plants, and home remedies. Her passion started with sustainable food production (because growing your own food is just cool!), then shifted to garden education (because more people feeding each other is even cooler!). Chance encounters with medicinal plants shifted her focus toward herbal medicine so she began experimenting with making infused honeys, beeswax salves, and other herbal products made with their own beeswax and honey. They officially started their business in 2011 and launched with a single farmer’s market booth in Portland’s Montavilla neighborhood. The response was hugely positive! In our second year, they did 12 different farmers markets all over the city,  rented a larger kitchen space, and started selling a wholesale line to naturopathic clinics and cooperative groceries, as well as opening an online store.

Today, Mickelberry continues to craft a variety of different healing remedies using raw honey, propolis, beeswax, bee pollen, and medicinal plants. They raise bees in several yards and farms, and work with other beekeepers and farmers to source the finest Pacific Northwest ingredients available. They continue to craft unique honey tonics and beeswax-based skin care in Portland, Oregon.

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

It’s September 2020. We’ve been talking a lot about back-to-school stress and how to “braintain” with the help of herbal medicine. Our immune systems are probably already a little compromised by stress and emotional fatigue of living in this upside down era; now we get to move into cold & flu season whilst still battling a pandemic virus. Indeed, any cough or sneeze or sniffle puts anyone within earshot into a mild panic (did we mention that stress can compromise an immune system?).

In a time when almost everything seems out of control, today we’re going to talk about how you can be proactive with plant medicine to protect yourself from seasonal assailants. The herb friends we’ll discuss today are:

Garlic (Allium sativum) --so good for your immunity and digestive system. It’s a two’fer! Echinacea (Echinacea purpura) --such a beautiful plant to grow! And powerful preventative medicine.

Astragalus (Astragalus propinquus) --one word: “interferons”. So cool! Keep your ears open. Elder (Sambucus nigra) --this shrubbery (yeah, I said it) provides us layers of medicine, starting with elderflowers, then elderberries (check out this DIY Elderberry Syrup Kit and look below for links to recipes). 

These guys are often helpful for more than immunity, some are more preventative, some more curative.Different bodies react to herbs in different ways, so find out what works for you maybe with the help of a certified herbalist or naturopathic practitioner.

LINKS:

Elderberry Syrup Kit

 Syrup Recipe

Popsicle Recipe

Maintain Your Brain Tea Bundle

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.