Herb Mentor Radio

When you enter MXED GREENS apothecary, one of the first things you'll notice is the deep care that herbalists Tasha and Devon Greenwood have put it into every detail of this herb shop... From the cozy self care station to the herbal zine library to the handmade signs outlining their sliding scale model, MXED GREENS is a space that centers the deeply rooted wellness of its community. In this episode of HerbMentor Radio, Tasha and Devon draw on their experience as new business owners and practicing clinical herbalists to share... Their #1 piece of advice for new herbal business owners The importance of healthcare settings that celebrate queer and trans experiences Why the gap between herbal and allopathic medicine might be smaller than you think We even go on a little herb nerd tangent to chat about one of Tasha's favorite seaweeds, Irish Moss, which has a rich history as a food, immune tonic, and skincare ingredient. You can find Tasha and Devon Greenwood at mxedgreens.com Get a special offer on HerbMentor at HerbMentorRadio.com Build your herbal first aid kid with your Herbal Preparation Cards: http://Herbal.Cards

When you first start studying herbs it can feel like you need to find the best herb school, the best herb books, and the best way to study herbs in order to become a "real herbalist"... But after studying and teaching herbalism for the last few decades, jim mcdonald (a Michigan herbalist who blends traditional folk influences and mixes it up with a bit of 19th century eclectic and physiomedical vitalism) can definitively say that there’s no one “right way” to learn about herbs. Rather than racing to find the right answer to every herbal question as quickly as possible, learning about herbs is actually about choosing your own herbal adventure and cultivating a growth mindset. And jim certainly fits into the “choose your own adventure” mentality we have here on HerbMentor Radio: this is our third interview with jim, and each time we’ve gotten to go on some of the most amazing herbal tangents and dive deep into exciting herbal questions. In this episode we ask questions from HerbMentor members and learn more about... jim's healing journey and the herbs that have supported him after a recent health crisis The difference between calendula and plantain How to use Solomon's seal And more! You can find jim at herbcraft.org. Get a special offer on HerbMentor at HerbMentorRadio.com Build your herbal first aid kid with your Herbal Preparation Cards: http://Herbal.Cards

Juliet Blankespoor shares 5 easy-to-grow herbs for container gardening with medicinal benefits that range from immune support to gentle skin care to first aid essentials — with just these 5 herbs you’ll be well on your way to having a full blown home apothecary.  With her B.A. in Botany and her new book The Healing Garden, it could be easy to assume that Juliet must have always had a green thumb... but Juliet reveals that she didn’t start gardening until her 20s, and her first garden was a total flop! Listen as Juliet guides us through how she went from a “flop garden” to stewarding several thriving herb gardens. Plus, Juliet shares the key to having a green thumb — it’s a lot simpler than you might think. You can find Juliet and get your copy of The Healing Garden at https://chestnutherbs.com/ Get a special offer on HerbMentor at https://HerbMentorRadio.com Build your herbal first aid kid with your Herbal Preparation Cards: https://Herbal.Cards

Some of Abi Huff’s earliest plant memories begin in her mother’s garden: delighting in the abundant beds of sugar cane and taro root, and climbing the apricot tree to feast on its delicious fruit. Abi carries these stories in her transformative work as an ever-evolving community and clinical herbalist, educator, medicine maker, intuitive life strategist, healing justice organizer, and overall plant nerd.

 In this episode, we dive into Abi’s work as a politicized herbalist and how to create more inclusion within herbalism. We also discuss food as medicine and how ancestral healing is deeply intertwined with herbalism. Abi then draws connections between stress and immunity and how herbs can support the radiant wellness of our nervous and immune systems. Abi then shares a simple way that you can incorporate healing herbs into your everyday life. Abi’s passion lies in connecting people to their inner wisdom, and responsibility to the planet and each other through gratitude for, and relationship with the plant kingdom. 
You can find Abi on Instagram @_thestingingnettle_

Explore the healing plants of the Southeast with CoreyPine Shane, including mimosa and sweet gum trees. Also, how to discover a plant’s personality so you can become an herbal matchmaker. This is a great episode for all you wildcrafters. CoreyPine Shane is a Holistic Clinical Herbalist who founded the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine in 1999. He is the author of Southeast Medicinal Plants: 106 Wild Herbs for Health and Wellness and has taught at schools and conferences across the country and in Europe. CoreyPine has written extensively on herbal medicine and is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. CoreyPine says, “Herbal medicine is your medicine. Not that you own it but that you inherited it because your grandparents or maybe your great grandparents used plants to heal themselves. Even if they didn’t call it herbal medicine. This is just a remembering and a reconnection.” Visit CoreyPine at PinesHerbals.com and BlueRidgeSchool.org

Jocelyn Boreta is the cofounder of the Botanical Bus, the granddaughter of a farmworker, and a community organizer committed to cultivating health equity through the empowerment of indigenous knowledge and self-healing communities. Long before the Botanical Bus became a bilingual mobile herb clinic serving Latinx and Indigenous farmworkers in Sonoma County, the seeds of this project were sprouting as Jocelyn Boreta and other local herbalists met weekly at a community garden to share their herbal knowledge. And when the devastating 2017 North Bay fires hit, they knew it was time to address health inequities in their community and launch the Botanical Bus. In this episode, Jocelyn shares the origin story of the Botanical Bus, why herbalism is activism, her go-to herbs for stress relief, how food is medicine, and the importance of culturally relevant care. You can learn more about Jocelyn and the Botanical Bus at TheBotanicalBus.org and follow them on Instagram @botanical.bus and Facebook @bilingualmobileherbclinic.

In this episode of Herb Mentor Radio, John Gallagher interviews Amanda McQuade Crawford, an experienced herbalist and author. Amanda is a prominent figure in herbal medicine, having authored books like "Herbal Remedies for Women" and "Herbal Menopause." She is a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, a founding member of the American Herbalist Guild, and the founder of the National College of Phytotherapy. Amanda discusses her upcoming book, "Herbs, Nutrition, and Other Natural Therapies," and her work at the International Herb Symposium. The conversation dives into topics including managing hot flashes, addressing adrenal fatigue, and Amanda's activism for sustainable practices.

7Song is an herbalist, naturalist, and director of the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine in Ithaca, NY. He is known throughout the herbal community as someone passionate about meeting new plants, someone who loves to help people whereever he travels, and as the “herbal first aid guy.” He has run the first aid tent at the Rainbow Gatherings for years. 7Song is an herbal practitioner and Director of Holistic Medicine at the Ithaca Free Clinic. He also teaches nationwide at herbal conferences and gatherings, as well as the California School of Herbal Studies. In this interview we discuss herbal first aid, go over a case study, and chat a bit about learning plants. You can visit his site at http://www.7song.com

I am truly honored to share with you a mentor that…well, let’s put it this way. There would be no HerbMentor.com without her. Also, I doubt I would be an acupuncturist as well if I had never met EagleSong. EagleSong is not only an extraordinary herbalist and gardener, but also one of the most grounded teachers and mentors you’ll ever meet. She has an eloquent way of sharing her views of health, herbs, sustainable living, gardening, and so much more. EagleSong was the first to teach me how to step back and look at the bigger picture when it comes to health. She has a way of “bringing it all together” and making sense of what can be an overwhelming course of study. Sure I had lots of influential mentors, but when it comes to herbs and health, EagleSong’s guidance became a foundation for me. It is the bedrock that LearningHerbs.com is built on. It is my hope and dream that YOU continue this lineage and one day teach others in your communities about herbs and health. In this Interview, some of what we cover includes… * What gardening and plants can teach us about health * The importance of community herbalism * A VERY unique look at Black Cottonwood EagleSong, CCH is a Community Centered Herbalist who started RavenCroft Garden in the Seattle area in 1991. Though she has been a practicing herbalist for over 30 years, she has also been the chief gardener at the world famous HerbFarm Restaurant as well as the environmental horticulturalist for Willows Lodge, ranked the #12 hotel in the U.S. Visit http://ravencroftgarden.com

James Jungwirth and his family run Naturespirit Herbs, located in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon. They are harvesters of edible and medicinal wild seaweed, herbs and mushrooms. They are also clinical herbalists and producers of high quality herbal medicines. I met James at the Northwest Herbfest in Oregon last summer. I was immediately drawn to his table, which was filled with the most beautifully harvested sea vegetables I have ever seen. If you have ever ordered kelp or other seaweed from Mountain Rose Herbs, there is a good chance you have purchased their handy work. I FINALLY caught up with James to ask him some questions about sea vegetables. We cover medicinal and edible uses, as well tips on harvesting. There is PLENTY of useful information even if you do not live near an ocean with cleaner waters for harvesting. I made sure our conversation was mostly geared towards folks who would not be harvesting their own. Visit http://naturespiritherbs.com