Remedy & Rhyme - by Joyful Roots

In this episode we're talking about Peppermint ( Mentha piperita ), an herb that has been growing alongside rivers and roadsides and in the gardens of healers for thousands of years. She is at once warming and cooling, stimulating and settling, ancient and utterly familiar. She is the taste of a childhood summer and a sophisticated medicinal ally. Like the best rivers, she meets you exactly where...

There is a plant that grows at the water's edge — pale-flowered, quiet, unassuming — that has been tending to human bodies and human hearts for thousands of years. She chooses the margins, the soft ground, the places where land meets water and the world slows down. Her name, Althaea officinalis , comes from the Greek word althainein — to heal. And she has been doing exactly that since ancient Egyp...

This episode is an invitation to be peeled. We begin with a poem about shedding the false skins we wear for the world — the polished, acceptable versions of ourselves — and descending into the dark long enough to let only what is true remain. From there we turn to the plant that knows this process better than almost any other: the onion. Humble, pungent, layered, and ancient, the onion has lived i...

In this episode, we enter the wide open heat of the Sonoran Desert with one of its most ancient and sovereign presences: Creosote Bush, Larrea tridentata — known in the desert borderlands as La Gobernadora, the Governess. She is the most common shrub across three North American deserts, the most drought-tolerant plant on the continent, and by some estimates, one of the oldest living organisms on E...

In this episode, we step into the threshold between winter and spring with nettle as our guide. One of the first greens to rise from cold soil, nettle teaches us about awakening before we feel fully ready — about rebuilding after long seasons of rest, grief, illness, or creative dormancy. Mineral-rich and deeply nourishing, this fierce plant reminds us that true vitality doesn’t come from forcing...

TW: I briefly mention violence and death in the myth section of the episode. In this episode, we sit with Dandelion ( Taraxacum officinale ), one of the most familiar—and most misunderstood—plants we know. Labeled a weed, sprayed, pulled, and dismissed, Dandelion carries a story that feels deeply human: of being overlooked, relied upon quietly, and punished for refusing to conform. And yet, season...

It’s the heart of winter here in the northern hemisphere. The holiday decorations are being taken down, the celebrations have passed, and yet the days are still long and shadowed. Even as the sunlight slowly begins to return, it can feel distant—something we long for more than something we can fully feel. This is the season that teaches us contrast: how darkness sharpens our awareness of light, ho...

Bee Balm is fiery, fragrant, and wildly alive! It is one of those plants that feels like it’s mid-dance the moment you meet it. With blossoms that unfurl like tiny galaxies or bursts of flame, Monarda carries the unmistakable energy of movement and transformation. In this episode of Remedy & Rhyme , we explore Bee Balm’s personality, its psycho-spiritual gifts, and the way its spiral-like stru...

In this episode, we’ll explore Rue (Ruta graveolens) and what it means to see clearly in an age clouded by noise — where media, politics, and consumerism all compete for our attention, and clarity becomes a form of rebellion. Rue reminds us that to see clearly is also to live truthfully, even when that truth makes us a heretic in the eyes of others. Together, we’ll explore Rue’s mythic threads, he...

Himalayan cedar seen from the Pipeline Track, Ayubia National park, Nathiagali by Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons Alongside stories and reflections, we’ll explore Cedar’s personality—its physical support, spiritual qualities, and the ways it weaves itself into traditions and daily life. Whether you meet Cedar in the forest, as a bundle...

In this episode, we explored the wisdom of mullein , a plant that teaches us to stand tall, root deep, and move through life with gentle courage . From its velvety leaves to its spiral flowers, mullein invites us to release what has become rigid or stuck, trusting the slow, steady unfolding of growth. We also shared a poem that came through as a personal message from the plant, highlighting breath...

In this episode of Remedy & Rhyme , we sit with the wise and aromatic presence of Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis) — a plant known across cultures not only for its culinary charm, but for its deep-rooted connection to memory, protection, and transformation. We explore how Sage’s gifts of clarity and discernment can support us in times of transition, especially as we age, offering the invitatio...

Content Note: This episode includes reflections on collective grief, injustice, and current global events, including war, displacement, and systemic harm. These topics are explored through the lens of healing, plant wisdom, and emotional transformation—but they may still feel heavy or activating. Please care for yourself as you listen. In this episode of Remedy & Rhyme, we explore the wild and...

In this episode of Remedy and Rhyme , we explore the radical abundance of Mesquite — a desert tree whose generosity stretches from myth to medicine . We reflect on what it means to live in relationship with abundance — the kind that’s rooted, reciprocal, and attuned to the rhythms of the earth. The kind of abundance that gives and gives and gives. We'll hear a traditional story of Siwani and Coyot...

In this episode of Remedy and Rhyme , we sit with the sacred plant known as Tulsi—Holy Basil—not just as an herb, but as a being that bridges the physical and the spiritual. Long honored in Ayurvedic tradition and daily rituals across India, Tulsi invites us into devotion, resilience, and deep remembering of our sacredness. We explore Tulsi’s stories, nourishing gifts, and the many ways she contin...

In this episode, we explore the timeless and tender paradox of Rose — a flower that embodies both softness and strength. From mythology to herbalism to personal reflection, Rose invites us to dwell in the space where opposing truths coexist: beauty and protection, openness and boundaries, love and discernment. We’ll dive into folklore, plant wisdom, and lived experience to ask—what can Rose teach...

In this episode, we explore the rich and rooted medicine of rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)—an herb of clarity, protection, and deep remembrance. From its physical gifts like supporting the nervous system and easing headaches, to its sacred use in rituals of honoring the dead, rosemary invites us to reconnect with our ancestors and the wisdom they left behind. We'll look at traditional uses across cu...

Welcome to the very first episode of the Joyful Roots podcast! In this opening episode, I’m sharing the heart behind this project—a weaving of plants and poetry as portals to reconnection with ourselves, each other, and the Earth. We’ll explore how the living world invites us back into resonance when things feel chaotic, and how both herbs and poems can help us remember who we really are. I’ll sha...