Plant Cunning Podcast

In this episode we talk with herbalist, educator and author Kat Maier about energetic herbalism, the topics discussed in her new book Energetic Herbalism: A Guide to Sacred Plant Traditions Integrating Elements of Vitalism, Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine. We talk about what energetics are, and why they're important. If you know you're hot, taking hot herbs might make you too hot! So we get into the "doshas" (vata, pitta, kapha) the "tissue states" (hot, cold, dry, damp, tense and lax) and touch on five element theory and vital energy. We had a lot of fun speaking with Kat, and you can find her at www.SacredPlantTraditions.com And you can support the podcast and gain access to exclusive content at Patreon.com/plantcunning

Phyllis is a well respected traditional Southern Appalachian herbalist, who was raised in a family of folk herbalists and midwives going back at least 4 generations. In this episode we speak with her about her beautifully diverse ecoregion, about growing up in a family of healers, about some of her herbal mentors like the legendary Tommie Bass, about Southern Folk Medicine, the importance of decoctions, Wild Yam (Dioscorea villosa) and much more! You can find Phyllis at phyllisdlight.com and part 2 at Patreon.com/plantcunning

AC & Isaac reflect on the last dozen or so episodes since our most recent DuoCast. CW: We talk about harvesting and eating animals in this one.  Also, if you want to be in on the live recording of our interview with Kat Maier next week (Feb 16th at 1pm EST), and ask questions, become a Patron and RSVP!  We welcome comments, questions and feedback at PlantCunning at gmail .com

This is a fabulous episode where we dive into the field of medical astrology with legendary author, astrologer, researcher, educator and herbalist Judith Hill. She has written several comprehensive books on astrology that we have been devouring here at the homestead lately and it was a pleasure to get to pick her brain on some of the nuances of medical astrology from an herbalist perspective. This is a two part episode. In this part we learn about Judiths' background, define medical astrology and how it can be helpful to medical practitioners for example how to find out the seat of chronic health concerns using the birth chart and some tips for remediation. Judith tells us about the history of medical astrology and how it became divorced from the mainstream medical practice along with herbalism, homeopathy, midwifery and the like. We learned about her research that helps to prove the efficacy of astrology through the prediction of earthquakes based on astrology. Part two is available on our Patreon page, https://www.patreon.com/plantcunning where we get into how to use astrology for fertility, to work with our vital force, and how to differentiate physical health problems (constipation, having worms, etc.) in a person from supernatural problems like hexes, possession or elf shot. We also talk about the pressure and bullying that so many herbalists and natural medicine practitioners feel to conform to the modern western medical model that rejects astrology despite all of the evidence proving its merit. Judith is an incredible person and a wealth of knowledge and these episodes are truly gems. Check out her work at https://www.judithhillastrology.com/ and if you'd like to learn from her online astrology school, see the Academy for Astrological Medicine here, https://www.academyforastrologicalmedicine.com/

In this episode we interview herbalist, tattoo artist, folk magician, and author Rebecca Beyer (who you can find on IG at @Bloodandspicebush) about her new book Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies, gardening, wild crafting, wild tending, and some magical, herbal and edible uses of plants like Poke (Phytolacca americana), Sochan (Rudbeckia laciniata), Elderberry (Sambucus spp.), Mandrake (Mandragora officinarum)  and more! Here's Isaac's version of True Thomas: https://youtu.be/z7XA2rivLg8 And as usual, you can support the podcast at Patreon.com/plantcunning

In this episode we speak with Dr. Storl about connecting with plants from a young age, studying botany and being dissatisfied, anthropology, ethnobotany, biodynamic gardening, and so much more! You can find his books in English (most of his writing is in German) at https://bookshop.org/contributors/wolf-d-storl Also, we will be recording a live show with Kat Maier, the author of Energetic Herbalism: A Guide to Sacred Plant Traditions Integrating Elements of Vitalism, Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine on Feb 16, at 1 pm Eastern, which will be open to our Patreon patrons to join and ask questions. We'll be sending out invitations to patrons in the next few weeks, so if you'd like to join, find us at Patreon.com/PlantCunning

In this episode we speak with Sean, who is a gardener/permaculturist, nurseryman, and YouTuber about how he got into gardening, his gardening philosophy, hand dug ponds, and we geek out on some of our favorite plants including Schisandra chinensis and Diospyros virginiana. You can find him at EdibleAcres.org and us at Patreon.com/plantcunning.

In this episode we speak with Deatra and Adam about rediscovering the lost herbal traditions of Eastern European Jews. We talk about the kinds of folk healers, from the ba'alei shem and feldshers to the opshprekherin folk magicians and midwives. We talk about how this knowledge came to be lost, how Deatra found the key to the herbal practices in an old book, and we talk about some of the actual plants that these healers used, from Aristolochia clematatis to Hypericum perforatum. A wonderful conversation of history and ethnobotany. You can find the book at most places you'd buy a book, and Adam and Deatra on Instagram and at their website, https://www.ashkenaziherbalism.net/. And you can support the podcast at patreon.com/plantcunning

We welcome Zamboni Funk back on the show to talk about the year ahead. First we start with the context and the bigger picture with the 200 year Saturn and Jupiter cycle, the 84 year Uranus cycle, and then get into the nitty gritty of what all the planets are doing in 2022. We look at a few dates that are really good for certain activities: Early April is good for a concert or party, April 8th is good for dreaming big, May is great for starting garden projects, and there's plenty of time this summer to get into fights, if that's what you're looking for! We had a lot of fun with Zamboni, and wish you all a happy New Year! You can find Zamboni on Instagram at @ZamboniFunk and Patreon at Patreon.com/ZamboniFunk And you can support the podcast at Patreon.com/PlantCunning

Matthew Wood is an herbalist, educator (at the Matthew Wood institute of Herbalism), and author of several modern classics of American herbalism. His new book, Holistic Medicine and the Extracellular Matrix: The Science of Healing at the Cellular Level helps holistic practitioners validate what we knew all along: this stuff works! In episode we get into the nitty gritty of what the extracellular matrix is, how it works, how it validates holistic modalities like herbalism, cell salts, flower essences and more, and some of the herbs that work directly on the matrix like Red Clover, mushrooms like Reishi and Chaga, and mucilaginous plants like Marshmallow and Opuntia. We also get into some of the problems with modern medical-pharmaceutical-industrial complex and the work of Dr. Don Ingber with Tensegrity and the ECM.