The Herbalist's Path

Hey, first podcast of 2021! Since the whole world is hollering “New year, new you!”,  I figured I'd talk about how you can work on healing your body from the inside out. So I'm just going to share with you a few of my absolute favorite herbs that I love to turn to when I have issues of inflammation in the gut. Our gut health is absolutely essential to healthy immune function, emotional w...

Gut check! Check 1...Check 2… Is your Digestion in Question? I don’t know about you, but holiday merriment and comfort food indulgence have left my digestion a bit questionable. So I figured we would do a little episode all about gut health and why it's so important in our every day. Because we all know that it's directly connected to the health of our brain, the health of our immune sys...

In this episode, I’m talking with educator, author, herbalist Kristine Brown. Kristine has devoted much of her life to creating herbal education curriculum for our youngest budding herbalists. We talk about how she sought to fill that blank spot in educational herbalism by creating her long-running zine, authoring books that make herbalism approachable, and creating new class offerings to share he...

It's no secret that life has been mighty tough for the majority of people these days. Whether these times have you suffering from stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, immune issues, or emotional trauma, adaptogenic herbs can offer a great helping hand to support you and your body during these trying times. Adaptogens produce an increase in bodily resistance and vitality. They help to support your...

“I’m so grateful to be living in times like this that demand so much of me.” You know, we’ve spent a lot of time learning about plants. Have you ever stopped to wonder what we could learn from plants? Scott Kloos has. And the plants have taught him many lessons about such things as reciprocity, nurturing, and cultural evolution (just to name a few). Scott shares with us his deep passion for search...

Welcome back for the second part of our exploration of the herbal medicine chest in your cabinet! Last episode,we talked about savory culinary herbs and how they can help you & your family. In this episode, we’ll look at delicious spices that show up in our sweeter holiday fare although no herbs we’ll discuss are actually sweet. They do, however, have the spice & warmth complimented so wel...

Did you know that there might be a whole entire medicine chest in your kitchen cupboard? As your cooking for the holidays, we’re going to look at what herbal goodness we can slip into your meals (savory) & treats (sweet, next episode!). In this episode, we’ll talk about savory culinary herbs and how they can help you & your family. Here we go to Scarborough Fair --parsley, sage, rosemary,...

How does stress impact your immune system? Have you ever been super stressed out, spread way too thin, and next thing you know, you’ve gotten sick (which certainly doesn’t help the stress!)? Well, stress and what it does to your body can really adversely affect your immune system. And right now-- post-election, pre-holidays, global pandemic-- we’re all worn out and worn down. But there are things...

We’ve all heard that we should take echinacea for a cold, or garlic is good for you, or elderberry. All of it’s true, but have you ever wondered why or how these plants work their magic? This episode is a big shout out to Immune Stimulatants! These virus & bacteria-fighting herbs ramp up your immune system to help fight illness. They are best employed at the beginning of symptoms, but can help...

Nicole Telke is a practicing herbalist, educator and activist. In 2009 she became a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild.  Nicole has practiced, collected herbs, and taught since 2000, and has studied ecology, botany, and bioregionalism since 1995. She is also the Director and Founder of the Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine and a founder and spokesperson of the Traditions...

“When we draw in a breath, we share that air with all other human beings and all other life on our planet. Through respiration, our oneness with trees becomes a manifest fact, and our communion with the oceans has immediate impact. The reality of the planetary whole reveals itself, with implications for all human life, through the circulation of the gases and the energy of the atmosphere. This vis...

Ah, elegant Elder, the shrubbery with so much to give. Elderberry syrup is certainly a hot topic these days and rightfully so! Not only is this stuff is a powerhouse when it comes to boosting your immune system and fighting off viruses, it’s delicious too. I mean, with cold and flu season plus a global pandemic, it’s refreshing to have a medicine even the kids are happy to take. But Elder is so mu...

Have you ever seen a butterfly wrestling to leave its chrysalis? It may seem like an unnecessarily arduous task, but as it works its new, rumpled body & wings out through a small opening, fluid is pushed into the wings, giving them strength & structure once dry. Without this proper distribution, the butterfly would not be able to fly. So you see, by nature, it is this very struggle that br...

This episode is a conversation I had back in February (before the world went bizarro) with Madelyn Mickelberry Morris of Mickelberry Gardens . We both share a passion for plant medicine; on our separate herbal paths, our passions organically grew into our respective businesses with all the twists and turns that involves. But we stick close to source, remembering why we are here in the first place:...

It’s September 2020. We’ve been talking a lot about back-to-school stress and how to “braintain” with the help of herbal medicine. Our immune systems are probably already a little compromised by stress and emotional fatigue of living in this upside down era; now we get to move into cold & flu season whilst still battling a pandemic virus. Indeed, any cough or sneeze or sniffle puts anyone with...

How is the whole “back to school” thing going for you? Stressful? Maybe? 2020 just doesn’t seem to let up. Are you a parent all of a sudden becoming a teacher, homeschooling your kids? Maybe while you’re still working a full-time job (or more)? Or are you a teacher trying to figure out how to do your job without being in a classroom? Or being in a classroom, trying to figure out how to keep you &a...

Are you wondering what herbs you can use to help you and your family transition into Back-to-School mode? Whether you’re still adapting to working from home, or, you have to homeschool your kids; you’re probably wondering how in the heck you’re going to be able to manage everything. It. Is. Hard. The good news is that there are plants out there to help you navigate the challenges you’re going thro...

Melissa Mutterspaugh sits down with Elise Higley, owner of Oshala Farm , a 50-acre farm in southern Oregon in its eighth season.  They discuss what it means to be an herbalist and maintain integrity within your own business while providing quality product that empowers others to explore herbs for mind, body, and soul.  Elise’s herbalist path began decades ago in California when she randomly picked...

6 Herbs for Summer Skin Care It’s mid-August and summer is awesome, but our skin is toast! Sunburns, bug bites, cuts, scrapes, bruises; all signs of the season. In today’s episode, we’ll learn about 6 of our favorite foliage friends that can help us heal our summer skin!  Calendula, my Friendula, is a magical wonder when it comes to skin issues. This beautiful plant can be used for any skin condit...

There’s one herb that I wish everybody knew, especially you, because it’s awesome for first aid like bug bites, bee stings, cuts , scrapes, and all that,  gut health, tooth infections, and even respiratory health. The herb is Plantain. No, we’re not talkin’ bananas here. We’re talking about Plantago major.  A cool little plant that grows in your sidewalk cracks, along roadsides, and pretty much in...

In this episode Alex talks about how we need to Inspire the Ripple Effect of The Importance of Using Plants As Medicine and Food!  She shares precious lessons and memories of her grandparents who lived off of the land and were an incredible influence in her passion for plant medicine. They walked for miles, harvested their own food, and were often found making tinctures from the plants they found...

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Orna Izakson and we go deep into the subject of despair and loss, and what plant allies we can use to help us through these tough times of life where we experience destruction, despair, and heartache. We dive into Skullcap, Linden, Milky Oats. She shares a story where she was in the middle of NYC park, and she found a Linden Tree! She talks about the value of being...

In this episode, Dr. Danielle Currey of Herbs And Hands talks about her favorite recipe that she calls the Gateway to Herbalism, Elderberry Syrup. There are some tips on how you can make your own Elderberry Syrup , and preserve them into all kinds of fun things! You can get a great Elderberry Syrup Recipe here   She talks about some of her favorite Herb Teachers like a mutual favorite of mine Paul...

Welcome to our first episode of The Herbalist’s Path where we’re on a mission to inspire a movement where there’s an herbalist in every home, again! In today’s episode we have a chat with Missy Rohs, herbalist, activist, teacher, and Cofounder of The Arctos School of Botanical of Herbal & Botanicals Studies. We take a deep dive into her Herbalist’s Path where she first got introduced to herbal...