If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ve probably heard me say that herbalism is about so much more than, “Take this herb for that problem.” To me, reciprocal connection with the web of life is at the heart of herbalism and this episode with Laura Gilmour illustrates that beautifully.

You’ll hear stories about white pine, as well as the beautiful ways Laura has developed a relationship with this tree over time. As Laura points out, she isn’t a clinical herbalist and this episode isn’t about giving you lists of ways that white pine can be prescribed as medicine. What it will give you is inspiration for how you can deepen your relationship with the plants that give so generously to us. I also really like Laura’s parting thoughts about finding your way as an herbalist and her wisdom about failure, so don’t miss those.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► The easiest way Laura’s found to harvest super-nutritious pine pollen

► The culinary principle that guided Laura in the creation of her best-selling spice mix

► The cultural and historical significance of white pine

► How to find your own niche in herbalism

► Why embracing failure is so important to your growth as an herbalist

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t already know her, Laura Gilmour is a forager, herbalist, and business owner living near Dwight, Ontario, Canada. Laura has a passion for herbalism, naturalist studies, homesteading, and ancestral living skills that connect us to our food and the land in the most human of ways. Laura runs Wild Muskoka Botanicals, which produces artisan wild foods and cocktail products. It exists to reconnect people with the natural world and to promote wellness and fun by incorporating wild plants back into people’s modern lives. She also teaches foraging and herbal medicine classes in the Muskoka area from an animist and relationship-based perspective.

If you’d like to hear more from Laura, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for her website and social media channels. You can also find the transcript for this episode in the show notes.

I’m so happy to share our conversation with you today!

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Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

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On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.