Herb Mentor Radio

Phyllis Light is a fourth-generation herbalist and healer and has worked with herbs and in natural health for over 30 years. Her studies began in the deep woods of Northern Alabama, and now Phyllis lectures in herb schools, universities, medical schools, hospitals, and health conferences. In addition to Traditional Folk studies, Phyllis has studied Traditional Western Herbalism, Nutrition, Exercise Science, Body Work, and Energy Medicine. She continues to maintain an active herbal practice. Phyllis is also a consultant to business and physicians, a professional member of the American Herbalist Guild, director of herbal studies at Clayton College, and is working on a new book The Geography of Health: Southern Appalachian Folk Medicine, which explores the medicine that is at the heart of her personal herbal traditions. You can visit Phyllis and learn about her herbal studies programs at http://phyllisdlight.com

Roy Upton, RH, DAy has been working and practicing professionally as an herbalist since 1981. Trained in ayurvedic, Chinese, and western herbal medicine traditions Roy is the founder, executive director, and editor of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, is a co-founder, past president, and vice-president of the American Herbalists Guild (AHG), and serves on the Committee of Revision for the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and botanical expert advisory committees of AOAC International, the American Botanical Council, and NSF International. Roy is also visiting faculty for the Master of Science in Herbal Medicine program at Tai Sophia, Laurel, MD, and the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Program at the University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy, Los Angeles, CA. In addition, Roy is the staff herbalist for the California-based herbal supplements company, Planetary Herbals, is a member of the Standards Committee of the American Herbal Products Association, and is an internationally recognized lecturer and author of numerous popular and peer-reviewed scientific publications. Over the years, many HerbMentor members have asked questions about regulations regarding herbs, information, and products. We collected member questions, and this interview is based on those questions. You can visit Roy at the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia: http://www.herbal-ahp.org

Michael Pilarski is a farmer, educator, and author who has devoted his life to studying and teaching how people can live sustainably on this Earth. He has extensive experience in organic farming, seed collecting, wildcrafting medicinal herbs, plant propagation, horticulture, teaching, and international networking. He founded Friends of the Trees Society in 1978 and has authored many books on forestry, agriculture, agroforestry, and ethnobotany. Michael has been involved in the permaculture movement since 1981 as a writer, teacher, and networker. In this interview, Skeeter and I mostly focus on his work as a professional wildcrafter. We cover wildcrafting in general and then get specific with some of his favorite herbs, which include arnica, Oregon grape, lomatium, and devil’s club. He reveals his secret devil’s club processing trick that he hasn’t shared in public before! Visit Michael at http://friendsofthetrees.net/

Timothy Lee Scott is an acupuncturist and herbalist with a master’s in Traditional Chinese Medicine. His book, Invasive Plant Medicine, demonstrates the ecological benefits and healing abilities of invasive plants. Timothy studied extensively with Stephen Buhner, who wrote the forward to his book. Working with Buhner led him to work in the area of Lyme’s disease treatments, and Tim later formed Green Dragon Botanicals to provide remedies to the greater Lyme’s community. In this interview, we discuss invasive plants, Lyme’s disease, Japanese knotweed, and a few other herbs. You can visit Tim at http://invasiveplantmedicine.com and http://greendragonbotanicals.com

Brigitte Mars is an herbalist, author, raw foods chef, and nutritional consultant from Boulder, Colorado. Brigitte has been teaching for over 40 years, most recently Naropa University, Boulder College of Massage, and Bauman College of Holistic Nutrition. Brigitte is a professional member of The American Herbalists Guild. Her many book titles include The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, Addiction-Free Naturally, Beauty by Nature, Natural First Aid, Dandelion Medicine, Healing Herbal Teas, Rawsome! and Sex, Health and Love. In this interview, we focus on the doctrine of signatures. Visit Brigitte at http://BrigitteMars.com

Caroline Gagnon started teaching and practicing herbalism in 1995, and is co-founder and director of the FloraMedicina School of Herbal Studies in Montreal, Quebec. She also helped create the professional wing of the Guilde des Herboristes (Herbalist Guild) in Montreal. In this episode, Caroline and I explore plant energetics in a way we’ve never discussed on HerbMentor Radio. We can all learn to communicate with herbs in ways that can not be taught in books. It sounds esoteric, but it’s actually quite simple and practical. Caroline explains energetics in a much broader sense, which is really helpful should one want to go on and learn an energetics system, such as Chinese or Ayurvedic medicine. Get ready for a paradigm shift. Caroline also answers HerbMentor member questions. Visit Caroline Gagnon at http://FloraMedicina.com

David Bruce Leonard is a practitioner and teacher of all five branches of Chinese medicine: acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage, food medicine, and martial arts. Besides studying traditional medicines with healers in Asia, North and South America, David also studied Hawaiian native plants for over 20 years and is the author of Medicine at Your Feet: Healing Plants of the Hawaiian Kingdom and Wild Wisdom: Listening to the Heart of Nature. David is Dean of Oriental Medicine at the Hawaii College of Oriental Medicine and founder of Earth Medicine Institute. In this episode of HerbMentor Radio, David explores Hawaiian herbalism, including a few things the elders taught him about herbal learning, gathering protocols, and teachings that cross-cultural boundaries. Also, learn what Hawaiian herbalism can teach you about learning the plants of your own bioregion. Visit David at http://EarthMedicineInstitute.com

Emily Ruff is a community herbalist and health educator who has practiced the art and science of plant healing for over a decade. Her studies have taken her to three continents, where she has studied under indigenous healers of many traditions. She also apprenticed for many years with Rosemary Gladstar. Emily founded Orenda Herbals and is director of the Florida School of Holistic Living. Through the school, she founded the Community Herbal Clinic and the Florida Herbal Conference. The Florida Herbal Conference is February 15-17, 2013 in Orlando. Headline herbal teachers are Matthew Wood and Phyllis Light. Workshops focus on bioregional, earth-centered herbalism, with topics including clinical herbalism, herbal crafts, herbal tradition and history, medicine making, plant identification walks, and many hands-on demonstrations. The weekend also includes a marketplace of herbal vendors and musical activities each evening. LearningHerbs.com is a proud sponsor. Besides hearing Emily’s fascinating story, our interview focuses on many of the medicinal herbs found in Florida. Most people never consider that we have amazing botanicals growing right here on the mainland U.S. We take a virtual plant walk to discover saw palmetto, hibiscus, passionflower, tropical chickweed, St. John’s Mint, and even lemongrass and cayenne. Visit http://floridaherbalconference.org Visit http://emilyruff.com

The microphone is turned as John Gallagher, host of HerbMentor Radio, is interviewed by Rosalee de la Forêt in 2012. HerbMentor members asked for it, and John was happy to sit down and reveal the string of random events that lead to the creation of HerbMentor. How did spraying weeds with herbicide begin John on his herbal journey? Why is a dandelion in the LearningHerbs logo? How is Bruce Springsteen responsible for how John creates and markets products? How and why did he start LearningHerbs? What is in LearningHerbs’ future? It’s all here in this fun-filled, action-packed, chocolate-covered, death-defying act of thrilling audio goodness…

Margi Flint practices herbalism in the seacoast town of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and over the last 30 years has become their village herbalist. She is an adjunct professor at North Shore Community College, The Tufts University School of Medicine, Bastyr University, Pacific Rim College, and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy. Margi is the author of the textbook, The Practicing Herbalist: Meeting with Clients, Reading the Body. She also lectures internationally and is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. In this interview, Margi discusses her work as a practicing herbalist, how she mentors, facial diagnostics as well as other methods she uses and answers many questions submitted by HerbMentor members on health issues and being a practicing herbalist. You can visit Margi Flint at http://EarthSongHerbals.com