The Holistic Herbalism Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Herbs A-Z: Angelica & Artemisia dracunculus Oct 09, 2021

Show notes

There are so many medicinal plants! In an effort to pay some more attention to herbs that aren’t quite our favorites, we’re profiling all of the herbs we keep on the shelves in our apothecary. (Check out the podcast stream for previous episodes!)

Angelica, Angelica archangelica, is an herb who thrives in extremes. Long days or nights, hot and cold temperatures, wind, rough soil – these conditions make strong angelica. We draw on that strength when we drink decoctions of the roots. When we make infusions of the seeds, they carry a light uplifting scent right into the spirit. Both parts are at least as much nervines & restoratives as they are emmenagogues, so don’t restrict angelica to “an herb for slow periods”!

Tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus, is the tastiest little dragon around. It’s less bitter and much more aromatic than wormwood, or even mugwort (two close relatives who we’ll be profiling next week). Tarragon is great in chopped cranberry relish, and it makes a lovely tea for calming anxiety while improving digestive motility.

These quick plant profiles done off-the cuff & on-the-spot. If you enjoyed them, we have more! Our organized & comprehensive presentation of our herbal allies is in the Holistic Herbalism Materia Medica course. We have detailed profiles of 90 medicinal herbs! Plus you get everything that comes with enrollment in our courses: twice-weekly live Q&A sessions, lifetime access to current & future course material, discussion threads integrated in each lesson, guides & quizzes, and more.

If you have a moment, it would help us a lot if you could subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen. This helps others find us more easily. Thank you!!

Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

This episode was sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs. We thank them for their support!

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

Herbs A-Z: Alnus & Althaea Oct 03, 2021

Show notes

Every herbalist has their core favorite herbs. Sometimes we lose sight of the vast array of plants we have to work with. In an effort to not neglect our less-than-favorites, we’re profiling all of the herbs on the shelves in our apothecary. (The herbs go marching two by two, hurrah hurrah!)

This week our pair of herbs is two plants who are both very helpful with the regulation of fluids in the body. First up is alder, Alnus incana and other species. Alder is a plant with excellent integrity: it holds itself together in watery areas, and it can help us hold water where we need it – or disperse it from where it’s stuck. Got swollen lymph nodes? Got varicosities & edema? Alder can help.

Marshmallow, Althaea officinalis, is our #1 demulcent herb. It’s very helpful whenever dryness is the defining state we’re trying to shift. But marshmallow is also an excellent wound healer, and a surprisingly powerful antimicrobial too! We quite like to work with the leaf, despite that the root is a bit more famous and common as an herbal remedy.

Mentioned in this episode:

Alnus incana profile at GoBotany, an excellent plant ID site, especially for the New England area.
Althaea officinalis at GoBotany.

Enjoyed these herb profiles? These were done off-the cuff & on-the-spot, but our organized & comprehensive presentation of our herbal allies is in the Holistic Herbalism Materia Medica course. We have detailed profiles of 90 medicinal herbs! Plus you get everything that comes with enrollment in our courses: twice-weekly live Q&A sessions, lifetime access to current & future course material, discussion threads integrated in each lesson, guides & quizzes, and more.

If you have a moment, it would help us a lot if you could subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen. This helps others find us more easily. Thank you!!

Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

This episode was sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs. We thank them for their support!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Herbs A-Z: Agastache & Alchemilla Sep 27, 2021

Show notes

This week we’re continuing our review of herbs in our current apothecary, from A to Z by their botanical Latin names. We want to give all our herbs an opportunity to get in the spotlight and share their particular talents.

Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is neither an anise nor a hyssop! Its flavor and digestion-warming actions may remind you of fennel, or of black licorice candy (which is anise-flavored). Its capacity to relax respiratory tension and quell coughs may remind you of hyssop (without the bitterness). But it is an herb all its own, and one of our favorites for improving the taste of our formulae.

Lady’s mantle (Alchemilla vulgaris) is a protective and comforting plant for anyone – not only ladies – who needs to cultivate feelings of safety. On the physical level it has a measured and helpful tonifying effect on the pelvic floor; it also improves fluid circulation in this part of the body. A flexible herb that pairs well with others to adjust its effects in the direction needed.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Holistic Herbalism Podcast, Episode 156: Herb of the Month – An Essential Herbalism Learning Method

If you have a moment, it would help us out if you could subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen. This helps others find us more easily. Thank you!!

Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

This episode was sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs. We thank them for their support!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Herbs A-Z: Achillea & Acorus Sep 18, 2021

Show notes

Hi everyone! We’re back from a brief hiatus, and kicking off a new series on our podcast feed. We’re going to be profiling every one of the herbs on the shelves in our home apothecary. Why? Because we definitely have our favorites, herbs we work with really frequently – and these also tend to be the herbs we talk about most on the show. So we want to make sure everyone gets a bit of attention!

We begin this week with Achillea & Acorus. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is an herb with complex energetic qualities, particularly along the warming/cooling axis. It’s what we call a “polycrest” herb, one with impacts on several different body systems and the capacity to help out with a wide variety of health issues.

Calamus (Acorus calamus) could perhaps be reductively described as “a digestive herb”, but it’s much more than that. Calamus acts notably on the vagus nerve – and so, on all the many internal organs which are connected to it. It eases transition into the parasympathetic “rest and digest” state, and opens the senses into wide-angle perception.

Mentioned in this episode:

The 2021 AHG Symposium is coming up soon -October 15th-17th – and tickets are still available! Katja will be presenting on Recovering Health in the Context of Chronic Illness; Ryn is presenting on Oneirogenic Herbs & Dreaming.
Herbstalk, Boston’s local herb conference, will this year will be one day only, September 25th. We’re presenting a class on herbal management of chronic pain.
Achillea millefolium profile at GoBotany, an excellent plant ID site, especially for the New England area.
Acorus calamus profile at GoBotany.
M Grieve attributes “sell your coat and buy betony” to “an old Italian proverb”. She also cites a Spanish saying. A number of other places (including Wikipedia) repeat the two in tandem without further citation… which makes us think she popularized, if not originated, these sayings! You’ll sometimes find it attributed to the Romans, too, and in fact we found a couple places claiming it for Wiltshire or Sussex, England. The thing Ryn was thinking of is the Regimen sanitatis Salernitanum, 12th-13th century; it doesn’t look like the quote comes from there.
Thetis is Achilles’ mother.
jim mcdonald’s profile on calamus has an excellent explanation of the asarone hepatotoxicity question, and also good clarifications on the botanical varieties of the plant.

If you have a moment, it would help us a lot if you could subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen. This helps others find us more easily. Thank you!!

Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Herbalism & Climate Change: The Plants! Aug 13, 2021

Show notes

Climate change affects everyone, and that includes the plants. Medicinal herbs and food plants growing across the world are changing, moving – and sometimes, struggling or dying – as a result of the changing climate. As herbalists, and as stewards of medicinal plants, we need to recognize these shifts and respond in ways that will help protect & sustain our herbal allies as much as possible.

Three steps any herbalist can take in this effort include:

Observe & recognize the changes in the local wild plant populations, and stop wild harvesting early when you see signs of stress.
Cultivate & steward the plants you depend on, so that you can harvest without impacting the wild populations.
Work with the new plants – often designated as “invasive” – who are coming in with the changing climate. Many of these are potent medicinals, and they’re so abundant that it’s safe to harvest them freely without worrying about damaging the population.

Changing our habits – of harvesting behavior, and even of perception – is difficult. But it’s incumbent on us as humans to interact with our environments in a responsible way. Every member of an ecosystem plays a role in it, and this is ours!

Mentioned in this episode:

Episode 77: Urban Wildcrafting Ethics & Guidelines
Episode 90: 3 Medicinal Invasive Plants
Episode 109: Sustainability for Herbalists
Invasive Plant Medicine, Tim Scott

Herbs discussed include: self-heal, st john’s wort, mugwort, calendula, solomon’s seal, fleabane, evening primrose.

If you have a moment, it would help us a lot if you could subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen. This helps others find us more easily. Thank you!!

Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

This episode was sponsored by Mountain Rose Herbs. We thank them for their support!

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Herbalism & Climate Change: Fires Aug 05, 2021

Show notes

This is #3 in our series on herbalism & climate change! Fires are most devastating where they occur, but the smoke and particulates they release into the air affects vast areas of space. So it’s good for all of us to be aware of the problem and have practical solutions to protect ourselves.

In addition to practical DIY methods for improving air quality in the home, herbs can be very helpful. Some of the herbal actions & specific herbs discussed in this episode include:

gentle herbs for steaming – chamomile, lavender, mint
demulcent herbs to protect mucous membranes and maintain hydration – marshmallow, mullein, linden, violet, fennel, licorice, pleurisy root, purslane, okra
expectorants to get mucous out of the lungs – mullein, horehound, hyssop, elecampane
respiratory relaxants for tense lungs & constricted airways – fennel, mullein, lobelia
nervine herbs to cope with the stress of fires – lobelia, blue vervain, linden, hawthorn, goldenrod
adaptogens for long-term stress resilience – codonopsis, jiaogulan, goji, reishi

Whether you’re in a fire path or affected by the drifting smoke & particulates already, or worried this is on the horizon, these herbs can help. But they’ll only be helpful if you have them on hand, prepared & ready to go – and know how to work with them! – when you need them. So planning, preparing, and learning ahead of time is critical.

Our Emergent Responder program is a complete guide to holistic disaster response & preparedness. Learn how herbal first aid, long-term care strategies, and emergency clinic management unfold in austere environments. Get the skills you need to be confident and ready to care for yourself, your family, and your community – even if help never comes. Once enrolled, your access never expires – and you get any updated material we add in the future, free of cost!

If you have a moment, it would help us a lot if you could subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen. This helps others find us more easily. Thank you!!

Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Herbalism & Climate Change: Flooding Jul 24, 2021

Show notes

This week we continue our series on herbalism & climate change. Flooding causes great devastation, and it also brings many risks. Foremost among these are isues of pathogenic load: mold, bacteria, and other pathogens spread through flood waters. Minor wounds can easily get infected, breathing in the spores of mold can make one sick, and it’s difficult to avoid introducing germs to the digestive system in these conditions.

Herbs can help. Antimicrobial herbs can be taken to protect against infection or fight off infection in all these areas of the body. Knowing the right method for applying or ingesting your herbs is critical to success here. Sometimes an herbal steam you inhale is much more important than herbs you eat or drink.

When it comes to herbs, their antimicrobial abilities are many & varied. Each plant (or group of similar plants) has a different set of chemicals to offer to the effort than all the others. Here are just a few key categories of antimicrobial herbs which may be helpful after a flood:

strong aromatics with sharp, hot, and piercing scents
berberine-bearing herbs with their powerful, bitter yellow signature compound
resins from evergreens and other plants, as well as propolis (resin + bee magic)
tingly herbs for local immune stimulation
skin-dyeing herbs for long-lasting protection

This variety & the synergy between these different compounds is one of the great strengths of herbalism. Climate change & flooding frequency come together, so this is going to be another part of the “new normal” as the world changes. Plan ahead!

Herbs discussed include: garlic, “mighty mints” (thyme, oregano, sage, monarda), “gentler mints” (peppermint, lavender), eucalyptus, aromatic evergreens (pine, spruce, juniper), yerba santa, elecampane, berberines (barberry, oregon grape, algerita, goldenseal), propolis, myrrh, chaparral, purple loosestrife, usnea, echinacea, prickly ash, spilanthes, turmeric, henna, black walnut, clove, cinnamon, cardamom, calendula.

Our Emergent Responder program is a complete guide to holistic disaster response & preparedness. Learn how herbal first aid, long-term care strategies, and emergency clinic management unfold in austere environments. Get the skills you need to be confident and ready to care for yourself, your family, and your community – even if help never comes. Once enrolled, your access never expires, and you get any updated material we add in the future free of cost!

If you have a moment, it would help us a lot if you could subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen. This helps others find us more easily. Thank you!!

Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Herbalism & Climate Change: Heatwaves Jul 16, 2021

Show notes

This episode begins a series on herbalism & climate change. Heatwaves have struck the US and many places throughout the world, and all signs indicate this is going to be our “new normal”. Climate change affects everyone and requires us to recognize our interdependence. We need to cultivate community care as a social ethic & public good before and until it becomes necessary as a disaster response. Herbalism offers a great deal to us in this regard.

Heat is dangerous. Heat with high humidity, even more so. Learning and sharing low-cost, low-energy methods for cooling your house, your body, and your pets is a great way to prepare and to help others near you. But herbs can help in particular ways, too:

demulcents to improve hydration (especially with a bit of sweet added: honey, maple syrup, or – yep – even sugar)
mineral-rich nutritive herbs for mineral repletion… more than just “electrolytes”, trace minerals too
relaxing & cooling diaphoretics to open the pores and allow release of heat
refrigerants to help cool the body, even if air conditioning isn’t available

Aside from nutritive aspects which could be gotten from food, all of these are actions unique to herbalism. Climate change, heatwaves, flooding, fires, changes in the ecosystems we inhabit – everyone can benefit from learning how to prepare & respond to these events.

Herbs discussed include: marshmallow, violet, elm, seaweeds, nettle, red clover, tulsi, peppermint, elderflower, linden, catnip, lemon balm, peppermint, skullcap, passionflower, betony, motherwort, blue vervain, lobelia, cucumber, watermelon, sumac, wild cherry, rose, hibiscus, citrus (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, etc).

Our Emergent Responder program is a complete guide to holistic disaster response & preparedness. Learn how herbal first aid, long-term care strategies, and emergency clinic management unfold in austere environments. Get the skills you need to be confident and ready to care for yourself, your family, and your community – even if help never comes. Once enrolled, your access never expires, and you get any updated material we add in the future free of cost!

If you have a moment, it would help us a lot if you could subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen. This helps others find us more easily. Thank you!!

Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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

Does Hops Cause Depression? Jul 09, 2021

Show notes

Recently it seems like there’s been a proliferation of hop-flavored beverages on the market. Not just beer, but also sodas, fizzy waters, and other gently bitter elixirs are competing for attention with kombucha and fancy herbal infusions. This seems like a good thing to us – more people getting some bitters in their lives couldn’t hurt! But it also brought to mind this week’s topic: a common warning herbalists make, that there’s potential for cases where hops cause depression, or worsen it.

This can absolutely be true in some cases, and we ourselves regularly pass on this caution! But as with most things in herbalism, it’s not so cut-and-dried as it seems at first. In this episode we’ll discuss historical and contemporary info sources on the subject, and try to get a more nuanced perspective. In certain situations, the cold and sedative nature of hops does make it contraindicated for depression. But in others, the term ‘depression’ is used as a catch-all for a variety of mental states, some of which hops can improve.

So does hops cause depression? It depends on the context! But a good grounding in herbal energetics helps us see through the superficiality and understand which situations are which.

Mentioned in this episode:

Herbal Tinctures in Clinical Practice, Michael Moore
Hops, Henriette Kress
Humulus lupulus, Marisa Marciano
Hops, Richard Whelan
Hops in A Modern Herbal (1931), Maude Grieve
Humulus in The Eclectic Materia Medica (1922), Harvey Wickes Felter
Humulus (U.S.P.) – Hops in King’s American Dispensatory (1898), Felter & Lloyd
Effects of a hops (Humulus lupulus L.) dry extract supplement on self-reported depression, anxiety and stress levels in apparently healthy young adults: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover pilot study, Kyrou et al (Hormones 2017, 16(2):171-180)
Assessment report on Humulus lupulus L., flos (2014), European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products
The Holistic Herbalism Podcast, Episode 101: How Herbs Are Different From Drugs

Our Energetics & Holistic Practice course has all the info you need to understand herbal actions, qualities, tissue states, and constitutions. These critical concepts set herbalism apart from other healing modalities and are essential to effective herblism.

That course is only a part of our Community Herbalist program. This program prepares you to support your family & community with holistic herbal methods.

As always, please subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen, so others can find it more easily. Thank you!!

Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

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

3 Herbs for Toothache Relief Jun 25, 2021

Show notes

Ryn’s got a toothache this week, so this seems like a great time to teach about herbs for toothaches! When your tooth hurts, you want to relieve the pain, and you want to make sure you prevent or manage any infection. Fortunately, herbs are great at both of these jobs!

Spilanthes & kava are great for relieving pain. Spilanthes also increases localized immune activity. Berberine-bearing herbs like goldenseal and barberry are fantastic at fighting pathogenic microbes, and kava’s no slouch there either. A rotation of these plants serves well to address both the pain and the possibility of infection.

These would all be good friends to have on hand – we like them as tinctures for this job. That way, you’ve got some herbs for toothaches in the home first aid kit, in case one strikes.

Herbs discussed include: spilanthes, prickly ash, echinacea, goldthread, goldenseal, barberry, kava, meadowsweet, willow, sage, clove, star anise, myrrh, propolis.

Dental health issues like toothache are covered in our Digestive Health course – along with a whole array of other common digestive troubles. Learning to care for digestion is a critical skill for herbalists, and a place herbs can do so much good. Course access never expires, you progress at your own pace, and you get access to our twice-a-week live Q&A sessions, so you can connect with Ryn & Katja directly. Check it out today!

As always, please subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen, so others can find it more easily. Thank you!!

Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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