Of course, I couldn't really limit this to 5 herbs! So here are the 5 herbal categories that I think everybody should know how to use, to survive modern times! We have our adaptogens, digestive herbs (three different sub-categories here), calming nervines, which are what everybody thinks of when you hear the word nervines, but there are actually also stimulating nervines, not only calming ones, and last but not least, herbs for pain. These should get you through 95% of everything that might come...
Mar 28, 2022•35 min•Ep. 28
This is our last part of the Ayurvedic Doshas Series! Today we'll talk about Kapha, and about anything that I forgot to mention in the last two parts! We will circle back to a few herbs for each of the doshas. To help you with your note-taking, here they are: Vata: Ashwagandha, Haritaki, Ginger, Fennel (and all other carminatives/digestive herbs), Cinnamon, warming, moistening herbs in general. Some hot herbs can be drying, for example Turmeric and Black Pepper, so caution here. Pitta: Amla (par...
Mar 10, 2022•42 min•Ep. 27
Digging deeper into VPK, or Vata Pitta and Kapha, the Ayurvedic doshas! Let's learn how we can keep our dosha in balance throughout our life, throughout the seasons and in our everyday life. There are so many choices we can take throughout our daily life that can aggravate our dosha, which means it will get worse or will tame and balance it, which is the wiser choice! What is the ideal dosha to look for in a partnership so you can balance each other out? Which of the doshas lives the longest? Wh...
Feb 21, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 26
Let's dig into the Ayurvedic concept of tridosha, or Vata, Pitta and Kapha, a system of categorization based on the five elements that can help us understand our health challenges better, and keep us balanced! I use this a lot in my clinical practice as an herbalist. Today we will talk about strategies, including herbs, to keep Vata dosha in check, but this episode will be useful to Kaphas and Pittas also. Vata can "corrupt" any dosha, and it increases as we age, so we will all get our share of ...
Feb 14, 2022•49 min•Ep. 25
Let's look into Post-Viral Fatigue Syndrome and how herbs can possibly help. This is for educational purposes only. Always seek medical help if needed. Long Covid can be serious and should not be left untreated. Let's look into some natural healing strategies that might be of benefit to strengthen your body! The herbs discussed apply to the recovery process after illness, especially ongoing fatigue, and are rooted in the wisdom of traditional systems like Ayurveda and TCM, or modern scientific r...
Feb 07, 2022•36 min•Ep. 24
The art and science of the perfect bowel movement! Do you think you don't have constipation? Think again! Let's discuss, transit time, consistency, frequency and herbs that can help us to get regular. All disease starts in the gut, so this is a serious topic. Luckily Herbalism has all the answers and many options to create the perfect gut protocol. We discuss fibers and demulcents, like psyllium, flaxseed and dried prunes, Magnesium with its osmotic action that draws more moisture to the bowels,...
Jan 30, 2022•41 min•Ep. 22
Improving our mental health, sleep and overall health are some examples of how Herbalism can help us get through this pandemic, which goes way beyond possible treatments for Covid. We all have had our share of despair, financial worries, loneliness or anxiety, and these are definitely areas where herbs can shine! Dig into the weeds with me and let us explore some concrete ways how herbs can help us with their uplifting, calming or sedating effect when you need a good night of sleep or get relief...
Jan 20, 2022•34 min•Ep. 21
Would you like to learn more about medicinal plants and natural healing and maybe even become an Herbalist? This episode is for you! My name is Tamara, I am a professional Herbalist and I share with you my top 10 tips on how to deepen your plant knowledge in 2022! Or any time of course! To help you stick to regular times for plant studies, I have created a membership program where you get access to exclusive weekly videos with herbal study inspiration and mini-classes! You will receive an email ...
Jan 03, 2022•40 min•Ep. 20
Time for a review of my professional life as an herbalist in 2021! In this episode, I will share with you some of the greatest healing successes my clients achieved this year! We will take a close look at some of the therapeutic strategies, like balancing the doshas from an ayurvedic standpoint of view. But as always, the herbs will be the Stars of the Show! If I would measure the amount of Ashwagandha my clients combined took this year, it would be for sure in the kilos, not grams! But not only...
Dec 29, 2021•56 min•Ep. 19
From the shamanic origins of Santa Claus to the Ethnobotany of Christmas, Herbalist & Midwife Tamara Hiller takes you on a sled-flight through the icy lands of Siberia, where Shamans stick the little red Amanita mushrooms on fir trees to dry them in sun, then put them all in the big sack, going home, entering the house through the chimney and hanging the mushrooms in socks around the fire to dry further. Just that this is not a tale, it's the true history of Northern reindeer-herding tribes ...
Dec 13, 2021•32 min•Ep. 18
In today's episode herbalist and midwife Tamara Hiller teaches us about herbs for Pain relief. From Poppy Seed to Willow bark, some of these have inspired the pharmaceutical drugs that we have available today. Drugs work great, but they have side effects. Taking herbs in their natural form, straight from nature is not only safer but also very effective if taken in the right way and dosage. Nobody should have to suffer, so this is a timeless skill to learn for every human on this planet! Imagine,...
Nov 25, 2021•41 min•Ep. 17
You can take your herbs in many different ways, as tea, decoction, in form of a tincture, or encapsulated to just name the most commonly used preparations. And there are huge differences in the therapeutic effect, depending on the herb, and the form of taking your herb is not always interchangeable. Traditional Chinese Medicine uses mainly decoction, a form of tea where you boil the herb for several hours, which is a practical way to use herbs for the usual higher doses in TCM. In tincture form,...
Oct 28, 2021•43 min•Ep. 16
Coffee, black and green Tea, Mate, Guarana, Kola Nut, and Cacao all have something in common: Methylxanthines aka Caffeine. Coffee and Tea are the most taken herbs in the world and most of us consume them daily. What are the benefits? And are there any downsides? What are the alternatives? Herbalist Tamara digs deep into the weeds once again, in this info-packed episode! Learn about the subtle differences of tea, coffee, and cacao and some amazing herbal alternatives which do not contain any sti...
Oct 21, 2021•45 min•Ep. 15
Many people suffer from gas, bloating, belching or acid reflux also called GERD, on a regular basis. Some even consider these "minor issues", or normal, but in reality, these are serious indicators that things are not going as they should in your digestive system. These symptoms can indicate that you have reduced absorption of nutrients in the gut, and they can get worse over time and even lead to more serious health issues down the line like food intolerances and auto-immune diseases. Luckily, ...
Oct 07, 2021•36 min•Ep. 14
20% of adults in modern western societies suffer from anxiety, but luckily we have many effective herbal remedies that can help. In this episode, we cover not only herbs that are sedating and calming like Skullcap, Passionflower, Hops, Valerian, and one of my favorites from Brazil, the bark of the Mulungu tree, but we also discuss herbs to restore nerve function, like Gotu Kola (Centella Asiatica) from Ayurveda, herbs that help with stress like Ashwagandha and Rhodiola, and even herbs that balan...
Sep 28, 2021•31 min•Ep. 13
Luckily we have many very effective herbs for sleep available that can help with the occasional or even chronic Insomnia. I love resolving people's sleep issues with herbs, because not only they are so happy to have found a cure, but they also turn into firm believers in the power of herbs! We discuss plants like Valerian, Hops, Passionflower, Chamomile, Poppy Seed, Lavender, Wild Lettuce, Skullcap, and supplements like Melatonin, Tryptophan and 5HTP. You will learn how to use them and for which...
Sep 21, 2021•32 min•Ep. 12
Some Herbs get suddenly and randomly trendy for no specific reason and taken out of their context, the original natural healing system that they were used in. In this episode Professional Herbalist Tamara explains why we misunderstand popular herbs like Maca root, Astragalus, and Tulsi, and use them in the wrong way, wrong dose, wrong duration, or with unrealistic expectations about their effects. One of the biggest problems in Natural Health today is the misinformation on the internet, and the ...
Sep 10, 2021•45 min•Ep. 11
Is it possible to make the transition from pharmaceuticals to natural remedies? Professional Herbalist Tamara Hiller discusses the nitty-gritty of this tricky situation. Many people with chronic health conditions who are taking drugs wish to have a natural alternative for pharmaceuticals. But herbs work very differently in the body than drugs, and of course, ideally, you should have an experienced natural health practitioner to guide you through this process. Tamara talks us through different sc...
Aug 31, 2021•48 min•Ep. 10
Liver cleanses and detoxes are widely popular and discussed on the Internet and it can be difficult to weed out the myths from the truth. Professional Herbalist Tamara shares insights about effective, liver-supporting herbs and strategies from Ayurveda, TCM, and Phytomedicine. Which health conditions benefit from liver rejuvenation and detox, and which type of person should be careful which harsh detoxes, based on their body type and pre-existing conditions like blood sugar issues. Tamara shares...
Aug 27, 2021•49 min•Ep. 9
Is a daily multivitamin enough or a waste of effort? Can we get all our nutrients from food or why do so many people, even in the modern world, have sub-clinical nutrient deficiencies? In this episode, health professional Tamara Hiller explains how she has changed her view on supplements over time because of the latest research and her direct experience and she talks about the results she sees in the health of her clients in her daily work. Which nutrients are we usually most deficient in, in ou...
Jul 31, 2021•53 min•Ep. 8
Why I don't like to be called a homeopath, by mistake, because being an Herbalist I work in a way practically opposite to what Homeopathy is based on and both systems have pretty much no overlap at all. What is the allopathic model versus the homeopathic model, and what are the striking differences of both systems. Why I stopped using homeopathy, not because I have anything against it, but because discovering real, actual herbs that have a smell, taste, color and form are so much more satisfying...
Jul 19, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 7
Yes, I've had it, the disease du jour, the Virus that has our planet in its grip. Gladly, everything went fine for me and my family. Was it thanks to the herbs that I took, before, during and after? I think so. Spoiler alert: I don't have any miracle cure. Just reliable, solid, effective herbs that have proven themselves over and over again in scientific studies and under real-life circumstances since millennia. I will reveal all the herbs and supplements that I took to take care of me and my fa...
Jul 13, 2021•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 6
Gotu Kola, Gingko, Bacopa, and many other medicinal herbs and supplements can support our brain health, sharpen our thinking and memory and even help with mental issues like ADHD, Anxiety, Depression, and Alzheimer's. So different these health issues are at first glance, many of those have the same underlying issues like lack of circulation to the brain, low-grade inflammation, and nutrient deficiencies. Luckily we have amazing natural remedies, including herbs and nutritional supplements, which...
Jun 27, 2021•52 min•Ep. 5
In this episode, I talk about adaptogens, what they are and how this category of herbs, which are mainly roots, work for our health. Ginseng is the classic adaptogen, or tonic herb, as it would be called in Traditional Chinese Medicine, but there are many other herbs that have similar benefits, like Ashwagandha, Rhodiola and Eleuthero which is also called Siberian Ginseng. We talk about similarities to the concept of Rasayanas in Ayurvedic Medicine and Kidney Yang Tonics in TCM, and I also menti...
Jun 06, 2021•48 min•Ep. 4
Which herbs are safe to take in pregnancy and is erring on the side of caution our best bet? Midwife and Herbalist Tamara explains different considerations in this important and tricky issue. So we do agree that we have to be cautious about emmenagogues in pregnancy. But herbs that bring on menstruation are not necessarily abortifacients and what is exactly is an emmenagogue anyway? Herbal literature doesn't always agree on that. Do animal model studies have any practical value at all or are the...
May 14, 2021•37 min•Ep. 3
This is the second part of herbs in Pregnancy. Join Tamara, licensed midwife and professional herbalist in this in-depth discussion of herbs that safely strengthen immunity in pregnancy and beyond, and how to manage constipation herbally during pregnancy. We discuss herbs like Echinacea, Elderberry, Astragalus, and mushrooms as gentle immune tonics, and several herbs to promote bowel movements like the ayurvedic formula Triphala. You will learn how and when to best take these herbs and the exact...
May 12, 2021•40 min•Ep. 2
Licensed Midwife and Professional Herbalist Tamara gives you the ins and outs of drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea in Pregnancy, which dose should women take in which trimester of pregnancy, and how to exactly prepare the tea for maximum benefits. We discuss how to make nourishing herbal infusions from mineral-rich herbs to create our own potent mineral supplement in pregnancy. We talk about Anemia and the pros and cons of treating it with herbs or with supplements in pregnancy and what helps with...
May 12, 2021•59 min•Ep. 1
