The Wu Way

Another installment of Materia Medica Monday, this time Eileen will be introducing you to our good friend, Rooibos Aspalathus linearis. Native to the mountainous region of the South African Western Cape, this humble herb is sometimes overlooked. However, Eileen is doing her utmost to make sure that’s no longer, as she explores one of her favorite herbs. 

She covers:

-Energetics & Taste

-Organ Affinities

-Actions

-Her personal experience 

-So much more! 

If you liked this episode please consider giving us a review or a follow on instagram @herbgirlsathens

Show Notes:

The Herb Girls Rooibos Materia Medica (free)

More on Roobios' Protected Designation of Origin Status

Materia Medica Resources:

The Modern Herbal Dispensary - Thomas Easley

Adaptogens in Medical Herbalism by Donnie Yance (another big fan of Rooibos - this book has an excellent write-up on it)

The Herbal Academy: Herbarium (online subscription ~$6.50 a month)

Materia Medica Monthly: Sajah Popham - also subscription but very in depth

American Botanical Council

Today on the Wu Way, we wrap up our 2 part series deep diving into the wise and wonderful Chinese 5 Element. Season by season, we will walk through this ancient way of existing *in sync* with Nature’s rhythm. We cover:

•  The origins of Chinese 5 Element Theory & its distinction from Traditional Chinese Medicine
• What the 5 elements are (and why they matter)
• The elemental, physical emotional, & spiritual attributes of each season
• How to THRIVE seasonally & find internal harmony by living according to Chinese 5 Element (including all the herbs, food, & lifestyle tips to get you there!)

We finish with the 3 remaining seasons of Late Summer (Earth), Autumn (Metal), and Winter (Water) We highly recommend you listen to Spring (Wood) & Summer (Fire) first.

If you loved the episode, give us a review or a follow on instagram @herbgirlsathens

• Today on the Wu Way, we kick off our 2 part series deep diving into the wise and wonderful Chinese 5 Element. Season by season, we will walk through this ancient way of existing *in sync* with Nature’s rhythm. We cover:
•  The origins of Chinese 5 Element Theory & its distinction from Traditional Chinese Medicine
• What the 5 elements are (and why they matter)
• The elemental, physical emotional, & spiritual attributes of each season
• How to THRIVE seasonally & find internal harmony by living according to Chinese 5 Element (including all the herbs, food, & lifestyle tips to get you there!)
• It was impossible to cover everything in one episode, so this week it’s all about Spring (Wood) & Summer (Fire).

**Note the audio is a little quiet during the episode so turn it up!**

Water Links (Affiliate):

Pristine Hydro

Berkey use code: HERBGIRLS for a discount!

Welcome to a mini podcast series where we take a deep dive on an herb. We hope to better aquaint you with the day's herb while we cover everything from the mystic to the science, the habitat to constiuents. Amy takes you on a journey to know our first Materia Medica Monday plant, Hawthorn.

Hawthorn is known as heart food! Today we explore:

-Actions

-How to prepare it

-Where to find it

-The science behind why it's so useful

If you enjoyed this podcast please leave a review or follow us on instagram @herbgirlsathens

Show Notes:

The Herb Girls Hawthorn Materia Medica (free)

Materia Medica Resources:

The Modern Herbal Dispensary - Thomas Easley

Winston & Kuhn's Herbal Therapy & Supplements - Merrily A. Khun & David Winston (Amy's favorite resource mentioned in the podcast)

The Herbal Academy: Herbarium (online subscription ~$6.50 a month)

Materia Medica Monthly: Sajah Popham - also subscription but very indepth

American Botanical Council

Studies:

Gildor A. (1998). Crataegus oxycantha and heart failure. Circulation. 98(19):2098.

Loew D. (1994). Pharmacological and clinical results with Crataegus special extracts in cardiac insufficiency. ESCOP Phytotelegram. 6:20-26

Tassell MC, Kingston R, Gilroy D, Lehane M, Furey A. Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Pharmacogn Rev. 2010 Jan;4(7):32-41.

Zapfe jun G. Clinical efficacy of crataegus extract WS 1442 in congestive heart failure NYHA class II. Phytomedicine. 2001 Jul;8(4):262-6.

On this episode, Part II of my Bean Journey, It’s time for all the science-y bits. We answer the questions:

• How do beans resolve autoimmune conditions in the gut?
• Will beans work on any other inflammatory diseases?
• What the heck is enterohepatic recirculation of bile, and why should I care? 

We’ll also discuss why it’s a good idea to put your liver on sabbatical if you’ve been struggling with gut or hormonal issues as well as get an insider look on where I am now, 6 months later on the bean protocol. (We highly recommend listening to Part I before this episode!)

Show Notes:

• Karen Hurd’s Website
• Unique Hammond’s Bean Protocol 
• Expanded by To Be Magnetic: Magic Beans, Episode 83
• Heen’s Bean Journey
• Follow us @herbgirlsathens

Today on The Wu Way:

Walk with Eileen on her bean journey as she tells the tale of an unexpected emergency room visit, colitis diagnosis, and deliverance from despair via the humble bean. On this episode we get real up-close and personal (yes, there will be tears) with what can go wrong when inflammation and stress consume you, but how resurrection may just be a spoon of beans away.

Show Notes:

Karen Hurd’s Website

Unique Hammond’s Bean Protocol 

Expanded by To Be Magnetic: Magic Beans, Episode 83

Heen’s Bean Journey

Eileen recently finished a course on Sports Nutrition for her Masters program and picked up soooo many clinical pearls, specifically for females. We were inspired to put it in an episode because up until this point, we were training all wrong! Amy interviews Eileen and asks the questions we’ve all had, in hopes it might help you, too!

In this episode we cover:

• Physiological differences between men and women that inform training (metabolism, hormones, body temp, fat storage, etc.)
• Cold plunges, hot saunas, & fasting 
• Menstrual cycle variations
• Characteristics of estrogen & progesterone 
• Zone 2 vs. strength training
• And much more!

Show Notes:

• Dr. Stacy Sims, MSC, PHD, international exercise physiologist and nutrition scientist - check out her new book ROAR
• Alan Aragon’s book Flexible Dieting
• UWS Human Nutrition & Functional Medicine

Adaptogens are one of our favorite class of herbs to talk about, that's probably why we've been exploring them for the better part of a decade. We like to think of them as your body's personal trainers, pushing you to grow while also being supportive and nourishing. They're an easily accessible way to become more resilient in the face of stress.

In this episode we explain:

• How they work on your body's stress pathways, the HPA Axis and SAS
• The relation of these longevity herbs through a Traditional Chinese Medicine lens
• Define what a true adaptogen is
• How they affect protein structure on a cellular level
• Explore Ginseng and Eleuthero

Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, & Stress Relief, David Winston and Steven Maimes

Herbalist & Alchemist, David Winston’s Spagyric Herbal Tincture line featuring adaptogens 

SHADY GROVE BOTANICALS Ethically wild-crafted American Ginseng 

Natura Health Products, Donnie Yance’s product line featuring adaptogens 

Mountain Rose Herbs affiliate link for adaptogens & bitter nervines

SOURCES FOR AMERICAN GINSENG:

• SHADY GROVE BOTANICALS
• Mountain Rose now has forest grown
• NATURA 

Total list of Adaptogens: most are roots with a few berries and aerial parts thrown in there too. American Ginseng, Asian Ginseng, Ashwagandha, Cistanche, Codonopsis, Cordyceps, Eleuthero, Jiaogulan, Holy Basil, Horny Goat Weed, Licorice, Maca, Manchurian Aralia, Morinda, Prince Sheng, Shatavari, Shilajit, Reishi, Rhaponticum, Rhodiola, Russian’s Devil Club, Schisandra, White Bryony

Stress gets an awfully bad rap. But where did this concept even come from and could it be used for our benefit? In this episode, we explore:

• The origins of stress and its many forms
• Our adaptive stress response 
• The concept of “hormesis”, or using stress to make us stronger
• Our favorite herbs to elicit a positive hormetic response
• Our personal experiences in making stress work for us

Show Notes:

• How to Enhance Performance & Learning by Applying a Growth Mindset, Andrew Huberman Podcast
• Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Robert Sapolsky
• Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, & Stress Relief, David Winston and Steven Maimes
• Mountain Rose Herbs affiliate link for adaptogens & bitter nervines

Welcome to our very first episode! Wu Wei, or the art of doing nothing, is a concept that has impacted our lives in every way. From business, to relationships, sports and spiritual growth - Wu Wei has totally transformed how we perceive and address challenges. It is our greatest teacher and we are stoked to share it with you!

In this episode we talk about:

-What is Wu Wei and how it's deceivingly simple

-How we found it

-Strategies on incorporating it

-A little "get to know us" and how we view the world