Herbs with Rosalee

I've spent many hours poring over Thomas Avery Garran’s materia medica books.  In fact, his first book was one of the first herbal books that I bought when I started studying Chinese medicine!  And as you’ll see in this episode, Thomas clearly loves plants and has wonderful insights into them, from their gifts and energetics to how to grow and harvest them. I was surprised when Thomas ch...

I am thrilled to have David Winston back on the show! Like his last episode, which featured nettles, this episode is absolutely packed with knowledge and wisdom from David’s 55 years of experience. (Speaking of his incredible storehouse of herbal know-how, if you’d like to study with David, he’s enrolling students now! You can get the details in the show notes. I'm proud to promote David's co...

If you’re new to herbs, you might be most familiar with oats as a breakfast staple. But they’re so much more than that! As my guest today, Kimberly Gallagher, shares, oats can soothe frazzled nerves, contribute to endocrine balance and sexual wellness, provide a wealth of easily-absorbed minerals, and much more. (Note that in this episode, Kimberly discusses her latest work with aphrodisiacs, so t...

What a treat you have in store with today’s episode about the lovely (and, as you’ll see, very yummy!) rose plant. The best teachers breathe love and life into what they’re teaching. And my guest today, Liz Knight, is no exception! She reminds me of a little fairy, with her sparkly smile and deep rooted love of the green world. I know you’re going to love Liz, the bits of culinary and life wisdom...

Today’s episode is a little different from the usual.  To give context for newer audience members, Anna Rósa Róbertsdóttir was one of my earliest guests on the podcast. When Anna Rósa was last on the show, she shared a big adventure and new project she was just about to embark on, empowering women in refugee camps in Iraq.  Since we last saw her, that project has been realized and today,...

In this episode, my bestie, Rebecca Altman, and I dive deeper into one of our favorite herbs for resilience, tulsi (also known as holy basil). While we do talk about what tulsi can do for you, this episode is much more than a simple list of tulsi health benefits! Instead, we’re showing you how much fun you can have, creatively welcoming tulsi into your life. We share some delectable tulsi recipes...

Today is a special episode!  That’s partly because I’m with my bestie, Rebecca Altman. But also because we’re talking about something near and dear to both of our hearts: simple and practical ways to build resilience.  Because life’s too short and too precious to be trapped in a dread of Monday mornings, right? “Monday mornings” might not ever go away, but your experience of them can cha...

Today marks the first time mugwort ( Artemisia vulgaris ) has been spotlighted on the show. And as you’ll see, this is a plant with a variety of culinary, medicinal, and historical uses! So I love that today’s guest, Corinna Wood, chose mugwort as a focus for our conversation.  As a listener, you also have access to Corinna’s recipe for Mugwort Vinegar. Corinna shares that mugwort is her favo...

After 50 years of working with herbs, Dr. Mary Bove has a lot of wisdom and insights to share! In this episode, we get to hear about her love for lemon balm. She also gives a great summary on the lemon balm and hypothyroidism issue. You’ll also get to hear her take on herbs for pregnancy. This is something I’m asked about a lot and Mary is an expert in the subject. So I’m excited to be able to sha...

It was so much fun to have Richo Cech on the show to talk about the benefits of Andrographis , also known as the “king of bitters.” Besides all things Andrographis , Richo also covers some gardening advice and even life philosophies. We also hear why Richo loves chilis so much and what he includes in his herbal medicine kit.  As a listener, you also have access to Richo’s recipe for Andrograp...

Weeds are some of our most powerful and most loved medicines and self-heal ( Prunella vulgaris ) is a fantastic example of this. So I was really happy when my guest today, Caroline Gagnon, chose the beautiful and unassuming self heal as the focus herb for this episode.  Do you already love self-heal? After listening in, I have no doubt you’ll catch Caroline’s enthusiasm for this lovely herb!...

I felt like I found a kindred spirit in this interview! And not just because we both love cats! Dr. Laurie Dohmen, an herbalist and veterinarian, deeply loves valerian ( Valeriana officinalis ) just like I do. And she works with valerian in a very interesting way. For example, she shares how a valerian tea blend really saved the day when she had an extremely stressful experience after being robbed...

Today’s episode is my third interview with jim mcdonald and it’s brimming with soooo much information about the health benefits of mullein ( Verbascum spp).  When jim told me he wanted to do a really long episode on mullein, I admittedly wasn’t prepared for how long he really wanted to go. But he told me that he never feels like he gets to truly share all that he wants to share about mullein....

Do you love chamomile? I love chamomile! Yay, Matricaria chamomilla !  And as you’ll see, my guest today, Rebecca Luna, loves chamomile, too. We talked about chamomile tea, chamomile oil, chamomile glycerite, chamomile baths…  We full-on fan-girled about chamomile’s gifts for babies, for harried parents,  throughout menopause, and into elderhood. We also chatted about what it’s like...

In this episode, I’m excited to explore the benefits and properties of California poppy with Benjamin Zappin, one of my first ever herb teachers down at the East West School of Herbology in California.  When might you reach for California poppy ( Eschscholzia californica )? Among other things, it’s a wonderful herb to support sleep, relaxation, and emotional quiet. (Know anybody who could use...

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...

If you’re like me and love “behind the scenes” content, you’re in for a treat today! We’re pulling back the curtain to look at what it’s like to provide community support here at Herbs With Rosalee.  My guest today is our Student Services Coordinator, Karin Rose. As a person who loves to interact with students and the herbal community, Karin answers emails, direct messages through social medi...

In this episode, I’m sharing three ways to win over the herbal naysayers in your life. Here’s the backstory. Last fall, I sent a survey to my newsletter subscribers to ask them what was on their herbal minds. One of the responses I saw most often went something like this: “Help! I love herbs but my (spouse, partner, friend, etc.) doesn’t think they work. How do I get them to see how powerful herbs...

It was an honor to sit down with Mimi Prunella Hernandez to discuss the many gifts of Prickly Pear ( Opuntia spp.). Mimi also shared her passion for science and her herbal journey that led to becoming the executive director of the American Herbalists Guild and the author of her new book, National Geographic Herbal: 100 Herbs From the World's Healing Traditions (which, by the way, I LOVED). In...

There are so many benefits of elecampane root!  It’s famous for coughs but be warned: it doesn’t help ALL types of coughs. Instead, elecampane truly shines for one type of cough in particular (and yes, I’ve got all the details in the episode).  Elecampane root is also totally underrated as a bitter herb to support digestion.  In this episode, I’m sharing my love for this powerful me...

We all know how important sleep is. Our bodies and minds simply can’t be at their best without sufficient sleep. When we’re ill, sleep is foundational to healing. And yet, so many of us aren’t getting anywhere near the amount of sleep we need.  So I’m truly excited to have Tammi Sweet on the show to discuss herbs for sleep, as well as her brand new class on getting a good night’s sleep. (Don’...

It was such an honor to sit down with Rocio Alarcόn and talk about cacao, ancestral and traditional wisdom, hummingbirds, and so much more.  You can find a wealth of inspiration in Rocio’s stories to help you deepen your own relationship with the plants, animals, family, and larger community in your life. I know you’re going to love the sense of gratitude and joie de vivre that shines through...

It was such a pleasure to sit down with Frieda Kipar Bay to talk about angelica ( Angelica archangelica ). Not only is Frieda a really cool person, but she shared so much wide-ranging and in-depth information about this beautiful and medicinal herb!  I loved angelica before this interview. Now I feel like I’m falling for it even more and I know you’re going to love it, too.  Don’t miss d...

My conversation with Dr. Patrick Jones ranged widely, from the wonders of teasel to amazing tales from Doc Jones’ veterinary practice, including how herbs helped heal severe wounds and treat rattlesnake bites. (That last one was my personal question.) Teasel is an herb I admittedly don’t work with a lot, but it’s a fascinating plant, both in its gifts and how it grows. Doc Jones has seen it help m...

In this episode, I’m sharing six important rosemary plant benefits including a recipe for rosemary tapenade, which is a great way to address chronic inflammation (in a delicious way!). I love rosemary not only for how it smells, but also because this plant truly blurs the line between what is food and medicine. In other words, this is a potent medicinal hiding in your kitchen cabinet!  When m...