The Holistic Herbalism Podcast

It has been a rough few… weeks? Years? Well, a while, anyway! In the last month more than ever, people…

In this episode we explore the skills and disciplines necessary to conduct a successful self-experiment. Self-experimentation in this context might…

This week we take another look at COVID-19 and its long-term effects. First, we check in on what have been…

Dreaming matters: it’s a critical part of our identity-building and experience-processing work, and vital to our ability to regulate our…

Yes, they are herbs too! Medicinal mushrooms are an important part of our herbal practice, but it looks like we…

Samhain, Halloween, the death of the year – this is a good time to talk about grieving, and about how…

This week we listened to a talk by a Buddhist teacher about mantra chanting practices, and one particular facet of…

Maintaining a sharp & healthy mind has always been one of the things people ask us about most often. Whether…

When thinking about how to start working with herbalism for respiratory ailments, you might get really focused on WHICH ailment…

Our emotions part of our health just as much as our physical organs & system. When we have difficulties like…

Digestive issues are extremely common, and are one of the leading causes of missed work and reduced quality of life.…

Everyone gets hurt sometimes. Knowing how to take care of injuries at home is an excellent skill to have. You…

We work with herbs for sleep improvement purposes very frequently, because sleep is so critical to good health. During sleep,…

“Pain is a signal to change your behavior.” This motto comes from our friend the herbalist Tammi Sweet, and perfectly…

The holistic approach to herbalism for weight management doesn’t start with a search for “fat-burning herbs”. Instead, we focus on…

Edema is stuck fluid: stagnant blood and lymph that isn’t flowing the way it should be. Puffy ankles and swollen…

Diabetes is very common and can lead to a number of serious health issues. Holistic methods can improve diabetes by…

High blood pressure and high cholesterol are two very common cardiovascular issues that you can safely improve with herbs. You…

What do we want to build in place of the unjust systems we are living in? Everyone plays a role…

America is blanketed in righteous protests against police brutality and impunity. This is necessary. In the course of this work…

Our model of the primary determinants of health is the Four Pillars: food, sleep, stress, and movement. These things are…

The pharmaceutical model is the dominant paradigm for medicine in our culture. For those of us who grew up in…

Finding a tick embedded in your skin is distressing, even without the spectre of Lyme disease and other tick-borne pathogens.…

Happy mother’s day, 2020! The truth is, any herb could be an herb for moms, because not all moms are…

The battle’s done, and we kind-of won… Well, actually, the battle’s not entirely done either. But things are certainly shifting…

The pandemic has got all of us in a heightened state of alert. The news changes fast, stories come and…

Last week we urged you to look at learning herbalism like learning a language or instrument – something that requires…

Herbalism is experiential: you have to DO it to KNOW it. It’s like learning to play a musical instrument –…

It’s not just coronavirus, there’s a lot going on right now! Between the usual circulating strains of flu, some spring…

Whew! There’s a lot going on right now. Between coronavirus, the election cycle, and the approach of spring, we’ve been…

The new pandemic coronavirus, COVID-19, is on everyone’s minds lately. As herbalists, we’ve been asked a lot about our thoughts…

Join us for a discussion with our friend Rebecca Altman about the importance of self-awareness in the practice of herbalism…

This week we took a trip to New York City, because we were invited to teach a workshop on formulating…

It might seem difficult to grow your own herbs, but like so many things in herbalism, it’s all about being…

Pain is complex. Many factors can contribute to pain, or worsen it, including the food we eat, the sleep we…

There are a lot of myths about herbal aphrodisiacs – they don’t make you into an irresistible sex monster, let’s…

It’s really hard to really take a break these days – with smartphones and connected devices everywhere, the pressure to…

There are many facets to sustainability for herbalists to consider, from maintaining your personal energy reserves to establishing sustainable working…

It’s 2020, we don’t need to convince you that bone broth is good for you! But in case you’ve been…

The Whole30 is one of our favorite diet plans – or, as we prefer to call them, food experiments! It’s…

What do you want to bring into the new year with you? Our first piece of advice is to be…

Anxiety is a feeling of exposure, a feeling that one is without protection. The much-maligned ‘safe space’ is in fact…

The hawthorns are some of our most generous and protective herbs. Hathorn offers abundant berries, rich with heart-supporting medicine –…

It’s easy to get caught up in your to-do list and everything you “have to” do. Sometimes, it’s ok to…

As a brand new student of herbalism, you might think there are a lot of herbs to learn. As an…

Herbs differ from pharmaceuticals in important ways. Understanding how they’re different helps us make better choices about what to take,…

Wouldn’t it be nice if there were one book you could read, one teacher you could study with, one website…

Our ideas about health are often context-dependent, and clinging too tightly to rules about what is “good” and “bad” can…

Yes, there are herbs for joint pain, and they really work! But when we’re working with this problem, we like…

Everyone gets stressed out sometimes. So if you’re among “everyone”, you might like this herbal stress remedy formula! It’s one…

Change is hard. It’s hard for everyone, not just you! Acknowledging this is important, whether you’re trying to make a…

Earlier this month, Ryn attended a Level 3 certification event for MovNat – a 4-day course/test/immersion in natural movement. It…

Good health takes effort. It doesn’t just happen, and our cultural norms definitely don’t make it easy. You have to…

The itchy, inflamed, sensitive presentation of a fungal skin infection is something no one wants. These kinds of infections can…

This winter elixir is our #1 cold & flu remedy! We make a big batch every year around this time,…

Creating this community garden, and teaching families in your area how to grow food and look out for each other…

Where does loosestrife belong? Is barberry a badberry? And what’s with all the knotweed everywhere?! Most folks will tell you…

Your skin is your largest organ, and it’s your presentation to the world – so it’s important to take care…

Sweet herbs aren’t only flavoring agents – there’s real medicine in there. When an herb has a sweet flavor, that…

This week we’re talking about something a bit different for us. If you’re a regular listener, you know we’re very…

Coffee is surely America’s favorite herb. So many people rely on it as part of their morning ritual, and it’s…

The lymphatic system is criminally underestimated! It’s intimately tied to the function of your circulatory system, your digestive function, your…

An herbal smoking blend may not sound like your cup of tea – and it isn’t! – but it’s still…

If you’re an herbalist and you marry an herbalist, well, you’re going to need some special wedding herbs! We sure…

Cancer is not as rare as we once thought. Recent research has discovered that even healthy cells can contain potentially…

Boston’s homegrown local herb conference, Herbstalk, is next weekend, and the plant of the year is stinging nettle! In honor…

When we talk about “heroic” medical interventions, we mean the high-potency, high-risk (and potentially high-reward) tools that define conventional medicine.…

Mother’s day can mean different things for different people, but whatever your situation is, Motherwort can be a supportive friend.…

When it comes to chemical-free cleaning, there’s a lot of good stuff out there – but it can get pricey.…

It’s springtime! The plants are popping up everywhere in their colorful displays. This time of year, we always start to…

Is Easter really the best time to give up sugar? Well, given that there’s always another holiday around the corner,…

Everyone is different, and healthcare should be individualized for each person – especially when it comes to herbalism! But, on…

When choosing herbs for a health issue, herbalists like us use a system of organization called energetics. In this week’s…

Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune inflammatory skin problem. Problems like this are complex, because they don’t hinge on a single…

This is one of our favorite herbal formulas for endurance situations, whether that’s physical, mental, emotional, or all three. These…

It’s just about time for seasonal allergy … um, season … to begin here in Boston! Sniffy noses and red…

This is what we say at the beginning of every episode: We are not doctors. We are herbalists and holistic…

Just going to the internet and searching for “herbs for sleep” isn’t very effective – how do you know the…

I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but it’s stressful to be a teen! Sometimes, that stress shows up…

Yes, it’s true: even herbalists get the flu. Two in one house sometimes, even! Each of us gets it a…

It may not have occurred to you that “psychological first aid” is even a thing, let alone that there might…

Things are complex, and there are many factors. But guru syndrome is bad for the teacher and for the student,…

There are so many fantastic herbs for first aid purposes, it’s hard to name them all! But if we focus…

If you’re a practitioner of food-as-medicine and are interested in integrating herbs into your work – or just a health-seeker…

Hoo-ga? Hue-guh? However you pronounce it, hygge is big right now! And it makes sense: this time of year, we…

This week Ryn & Katja share some thoughts on how to address chronic headaches – not just “getting rid of…

New Year’s Eve is right around the corner, and we, like many folks, are ready with our list of resolutions.…

Solstice is the quiet time, a moment of pause between the dying of the old and the rebirth of the…

Holiday foods are delightful & delicious, but what if you’re allergic to some of the ingredients? Never fear! In this…

Handmade herbal remedies and self-care items are a great solution to the conundrum of gift-giving. In this episode we’ll share…

This week we continue our exploration of herbal holiday traditions with a quick chat about some of the ways herbs…

Today we’re kicking off a series of podcasts on herbs and the holidays! We begin with emotional support, because no…

Every time we talk about cold & flu herbs, we seem to start out with elderberry syrup and a good…

This week our episode is an interview with Shari & Russ Apotheker of Apotheker’s Kitchen, makers of fine honey-sweetened confections…

This is our one-year anniversary episode! This week we cover a lot of ground. Katja talks about ways adding a…

Every year, our Advanced Studies Program ends with a weekend-long exam. There’s a written portion with short answers, essays, and…

This week we’re out in Coal River Valley, West Virginia, helping out at a free herbal clinic for folks in…

This week we do a lightning round of “minigraphs” on some of our favorite herbs. We started by taking a…

It’s not just for lattes anymore: the ubiquitous pumpkin spice blend is in fact an herbal formula! The standard pumpkin…