Adaptogens are marketed as a solution to stress, burnout, hormonal imbalances, and a lot more. They can help a lot! But they’re not always appropriate. Today we discuss a few cases in which adaptogens might not be the best solution for feelings of burnout and exhaustion, and offer some alternative herbs you might consider instead.

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You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

We moved! We made it with just a few bumps & bruises and some sore muscles. That was no accident - we thought ahead and stayed mindful with some mental, physical, and herbal supports to make our moving week as smooth as possible. Mentioned this week: 

• Kings Road Apothecary - maker of the lovely kava & vanilla massage oil, among other wonders.
• Atlantic Holdfast - highest-quality seaweed straight from the pristine waters of northern Maine.
• Instinctive sleeping and resting postures: an anthropological and zoological approach to treatment of low back and joint pain, Michael Tetley (BMJ) - this is the article Ryn mentioned; also check out this podcast from Katy Bowman for more on sleep and alignment.

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You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

This week we’re sharing a class Katja delivered recently about basic applications of herbal remedies to improve digestion and relive digestive discomforts. Enjoy! We’ll be off next week as we are moving from one apartment to another. We’ll return the following Friday, don’t worry!

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You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

This weekend we kick off the year for our Advanced Studies Program, so we invited our students to participate in the podcast. Somehow, without any prior coordination, everyone seemed to have linden on the mind! Listen in and hear a few different formulas and perspectives on this helpful friend.

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You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

Katja shares three simple ideas for integrating some herbal self-care into your life, especially during the work day, which have helped us a lot during the writing of our forthcoming book. Ryn's taking a MovNat certification course this weekend, so he offers a formula for supporting joint health.

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You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

As 2017 draws to a close, we look back over our year and some of the herbs who helped us get through it.

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You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

Katja draws parallels between the Hanukkah story of unexpected abundance, and the gift of goldenrod for helping us persevere through adversity and exhaustion. Ryn shares this year’s solstice elixir formula and the medicine of captured moments.

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You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

Ryn talks about the yaupon holly, a caffeine-bearing plant of North America, as well as a few ideas that apply to caffeine herbs in general. Katja is happy to be reading The Wee Free Men again, and tries to come up with a boring formula for everyone, but it turns out to be awesome.

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You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

This week, Ryn notices he’s been getting stuck in the same sitting positions too frequently while working on the manuscript, and talks about different ways to avoid getting sedentary at home or in the office. Katja shares her enthusiasm and recipes for working with cranberry, one of our local “superfoods”.

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You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

In this episode, Ryn tells you about the herbal strategies he's been using to cope with a respiratory infection for the last few days. Katja shares some thoughts spurred on by the creation of her Herbal Oracle and Study Cards, about the parallels we find between physiological and psychological effects of herbal remedies. (Katja wanted to call this episode "No Goldenseal Was Harmed In The Making Of This Podcast + Things You Can't See With A Microscope", but that was too long.)

Support the show

You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!