Dr. Jillian Stansbury has operated a general family practice in Battle Ground, WA for 35 years, and served as the Chair of the Botanical Medicine department at the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in Portland, OR for many decades and remains on the faculty. She is the author of 7 books including the award winning Herbal Formularies for Health Professionals , a 5-volume series which won an Excellence in Botanical Literature award from the American Botanical Council. Dr. Stansbury ha...
Apr 05, 2024•48 min
This week’s Plant Stories episode features the botanical obsessed best-selling author and founder of Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine, Juliet Blankespoor. Thomas sits down with Juliet and they share a fun-loving conversation about some of the most beloved botanicals, including Japanese honeysuckle, passionflower, calendula, and more! We’ll also explore how her accumulative knowledge of all things plants brought her to doorsteps of founding the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine and writing her...
Mar 29, 2024•36 min
Rowen White is a Seed Keeper, farmer, and author from the Mohawk community of Akwesasne and a passionate activist for indigenous seed and food sovereignty. She is the Educational Director and lead mentor of Sierra Seeds , an innovative Indigenous seed bank and land-based educational organization located in Nevada City, CA. Rowen is the Founder of the Indigenous Seedkeepers Network , which is committed to restoring the Indigenous Seed Commons, and currently serves as a Cooperative Seed Hub Coordi...
Mar 08, 2024•45 min
This week’s episode of Herbal Radio features the botanical spiritualist, conservation-focused farmer, and owner of Creasy Jane’s herbal remedy store, Ruby Daniels. As a young girl, Ruby spent many of her summers in West Virginia roaming around the outdoors and crafting herbal concoctions with plants she’d find along her adventures. Inspired by her grandmother, a wise herbal healer in her community, Ruby was intrigued to unlock the spiritual connection between humans and the botanicals surroundin...
Mar 01, 2024•48 min
Welcome back to Herbal Radio plant people! We’re thrilled to share this special episode with you this week to highlight the BIPOC herbalist community in acknowledgment of Black History Month. We’ve opened our platform up to amplify the voices of 5 BIPOC community herbalists and activists for an impactful and thought-provoking group discussion. Our featured guest host and long-time good friend, Lucretia Van Dyke, is joined with Christina Lynch, Khetnu Nefer, Tyrone Ledford, and Ruby Daniels to ex...
Feb 23, 2024•1 hr 28 min
This week’s Plant Stories episode features the marine herbalist, purveyor of seaweeds, and founder of Mermaid Botanicals, Kristy Bredin. With a passion for exploration, wildcrafting, and utilizing the medicinal plants of the Pacific Northwest, Kristy found herself drawn to the eldest marine ancestors of all botanicals we know today, seaweeds! We sit down with Kristy and learn about her journey that began through apprenticeships with wise herbalists who embarked her on her journey into the vast o...
Feb 16, 2024•40 min
*Disclaimer - This episode explores themes of sexual nature and may not be suitable for all audiences.* Herbal Aphrodisiacs | Tea Talks Roundtable In this “Tea Talks Roundtable,” Jiling discusses Herbal Aphrodisiacs with herbalists Kimberly Gallagher, Lucretia Vandyke, Marie White, and jim mcdonald. We explore: Defining “aphrodisiac” “Aphrodisiac” herbal actions and examples How we can make space for pleasure as a culture Delicious aphrodisiac recipes Botanical lubricants Topical kava preparatio...
Feb 09, 2024•1 hr 27 min
This week’s guest on Herbal Radio is the wise-spirited author and curandera (ku·ran·de·ra), Felicia Cocotzin Ruiz. We recorded our interview with Felicia prior to her keynote presentation for the 2023 Fall Virtual Free Herbalism Project , so be sure to check out her recorded presentation after listening to this episode! In Felicia’s words, Curanderismo (ku·ran·de·ris·mo) is a 500-year-old traditional healing practice that is still in existence today. It is influenced by Spanish, Indigenous Mexic...
Feb 02, 2024•36 min
Today’s Herbal Radio episode features the enthralling storyteller and creative alchemist, Sarah Greenman. Sarah is a profoundly talented artist, cultural worker, community organizer, storyteller, and a true archeologist of the soul. Thomas and Sarah sit down and chat about her upbringing in a household full of thespians who’d break out in theatrical tunes at the drop of a hat, her detailed recollections of climbing the steep staircase leading to her grandmother’s art studio as a young child, and...
Jan 26, 2024•40 min
This week’s episode of Herbal Radio episode features the all-encompassing wise woman and holistic healer, Corinna Wood. As the founder and former director of the Southeast Wise Women Herbal Conference for 15 years , Corinna has a true passion for providing safe community spaces that allow women to connect through shared herbal passions. Today, Corinna sits down with us and reflects on her childhood growing up in La Spezia, Italy, and fondly shares her earliest memories of weaving through towerin...
Jan 20, 2024•47 min
In this “Tea Talks Roundtable,” Jiling discusses the work of the Stonefruit Community Herbalists with the Stonefruit Herbal Collective: Michelle Soto, Jocelyn Kirkwood, and Vilde Chaya Fenster-Ehrlich. Roundtable Topics Their individual journeys into herbalism How the Stonefruit Collective came to be How herbs may be shared freely Building a free and sliding scale clinic The relationship between the Wild Cherries Herbal Studies Program and Cutting Root Farm A simple tip for how herbalists can be...
Jan 13, 2024•1 hr 7 min
Cathy Skipper is an international teacher, plant person and healer who brings 30 years of teaching, healing, and plant experience, her highly-attuned intuition, and her mastery at “seeing the person within” to all her work. Cathy says, "All my work is based on my own journey as a wounded healer. I coach and teach from a place of experience. I am totally familiar with navigating the unconscious realms, the ancestral realms, the plant and animal realms. I am a menopause midwife, helping women rebi...
Jan 07, 2024•46 min
Happy almost-New Year plant-enthusiast listeners! For the last episode of Herbal Radio in 2023, we’ll be shaking things up a bit from the usual plant adventure we find ourselves embarking on each week. After a busy year filled with interviews, Thomas and Jiling sit down and share laughs, insightful moments, and highlight some of the most impactful conversations they’ve had in 2023. Throughout the year 2023, we had the pleasure of featuring an array of enthralling guests, including soulful tunes ...
Dec 30, 2023•51 min
Happy holidays and belated Winter Solstice, Herbal Radio listeners! Thank you for tuning in with us for this week’s episode. Today, we chat with esteemed author and food-expert, Jon Steinman. Jon is the face and writer behind Grocery Story: The Promise of Food Co-ops in the Age of Grocery Giants , which offers inspiring stories and a thorough analysis of American and Canadian food co-ops using real life examples. Through his wiring, Jon dissects the food retail sector and the shadows cast by cor...
Dec 22, 2023•54 min
Welcome back to Herbal Radio plant-enthusiasts, thank you for joining us for this week’s episode. We had the pleasure of sitting down with our long-time friend and proprietor of Herbcraft , jim mcdonald. Last time jim was our featured guest on Herbal Radio, we shared his enthralling presentation from the Summer 2022 Free Herbalism Project on the virtues of plantain – an infinitely sustainable and resilient plant that often carries the unfortunate reputation of being a pesky weed. Today, jim dive...
Dec 15, 2023•1 hr 2 min
This week’s guest on Herbal Radio is the knowledgeable and passionate naturopath, Taryn Forrelli. As an expert in wellness and supplement formulation using science-backed plant medicine, Taryn holds the title of Chief Science Officer at Traditional Medicinals. Thomas and Taryn chat about her upbringing in Boston, MA, and how her passion for uncovering medicinal secrets hidden within the individual cells of plants blossomed throughout her young adulthood. We truly hope you leave today’s episode w...
Dec 08, 2023•49 min
The Botanical Bus, with Jocelyn Boreta | Tea Talks with Jiling Jocelyn Boreta is a community organizer, herbalist and the granddaughter of an Indigenous Farmworker. She is committed to cultivating health equity through culturally centered care. Before co-founding the Botanical Bus , Jocelyn organized weekly bilingual, bicultural wellness workshops with Cultivando para Salud at LandPaths Bayer Farm and worked as a clinical herbalist at Farmacopia for four years. Her activism has roots in 10-years...
Dec 01, 2023•55 min
Happy holiday season to all our plant-enthusiast listeners! For this episode of Herbal Radio, we’ll be shaking things up a bit from the usual herbal adventure we find ourselves embarking on each week. Today, in acknowledgment of the Buy Nothing Day movement, we sit down with our President & Owner, Shawn Donnille. Shawn and Thomas will dissect the traditions behind Black Friday, and shed light on the consequences surrounding the mass-consumerism culture that we all find ourselves living in to...
Nov 24, 2023•28 min
For this week’s plant adventure on Herbal Radio, we sit down with the President of Native Botanical Inc., Edward Fletcher. We had the opportunity to learn about Ed’s many intriguing life journeys that led him to his wide-spread successes throughout the herbal community today. We’ll dive into Ed’s upbringing, where his family founded the first nature preserve in North Carolina in the early 1900s, a memorable moment shared with his grandmother when he encountered his first taste of medicinal plant...
Nov 17, 2023•53 min
Mimi Prunella Hernandez is an herbalist, and author of the National Geographic Herbal . For over a decade, Mimi has served as the executive director of the American Herbalists Guild, where she has worked tirelessly to ensure that herbalists have a strong professional community to support their work. In 2023, Mimireceived a Botanical Excellence Award from the American Botanical Council. Jiling and Mimi discuss: What inspired “The National Geographic Herbal” Mimi’s favorite writing spot(s)… includ...
Nov 10, 2023•51 min
Today’s Herbal Radio episode features Mason Hutchison, a true rising star in the herbalism community and the founder of HerbRally . Mason grew up in Eugene, OR and held the title of Event Coordinator on the Mountain Rose Herbs Marketing Team for over a decade. His contributions and dedication to the herbalism community has left an everlasting impact on Mountain Rose Herbs, and Mason is considered one of the best success stories in our company history. Listen in for a wholesome conversation betwe...
Nov 03, 2023•48 min
On this week’s episode of Herbal Radio, we had the honor of interviewing one of the greatest living herbalists and world-blended practitioners, Margi Flint. With Margi’s 40+ years of experience in herbal medicine, she shares her wisdom on honoring the life force within plants, rather than taking advantage of what plants can offer us. Margi dives into her beginnings as a wild-spirited girl who frequented the forest in her hometown backyard of Weston, MA, and how lightning strikes seem to be a uni...
Oct 20, 2023•54 min
Robin Rose Bennett is a storyteller, writer, and herbalist, offering classes in Herbal Medicine and EarthSpirit Teachings since 1986 at herb conferences, festivals, medical schools, and most joyously, outside with the plants. She is the author of Healing Magic: A Green Witch Guidebook to Conscious Living , The Gift of Healing Herbs: Plant Medicines and Home Remedies for a Vibrantly Healthy Life , and A Green Witch's Pocket Book of Wisdom: Big Little Life Tips . Jiling and Robin Rose discuss: Wha...
Oct 13, 2023•1 hr 6 min
In this week's Herbal Radio episode, we recount our enthralling and informative conversation with the bilingual-bicultural holistic practitioner, Patricia Cortez. Patricia sits down with Thomas in his studio and looks back on her childhood in El Salvador, her maternal grandmother’s role as a “Spiritist” in her community, and the history of Día de Muertos. We hope you enjoy this touching podcast full of storytelling, wisdom, and a deep heart. Patricia Cortez is a bilingual-bicultural holistic pra...
Sep 29, 2023•1 hr
There may be no better person that embodies the vision of “Plant Stories” like herbal troubadour and Appalachian naturalist, Doug Elliot. A gifted storyteller, Doug recites both wisdom and whimsical through spoken word and song. We’ve compiled some of our favorite songs that Doug has recorded with us and are releasing them together, in this delightful and heart-warming episode. Our host, Thomas, gives a brief introduction in between Doug’s sets, offering context for each of the four botanical ta...
Sep 15, 2023•26 min
Accessible herbal education, community outreach, and learning how can we better share herbal medicine are core values of ours at Mountain Rose Herbs. Discussing these topics led us to our guest this week, Tree Knowlton. Tree is one of the coordinators of Herbalists Without Borders Eugene chapter, graduate of Columbines School of Botanical Studies, master medicine maker, urban homesteader, and adored community member. Listen as we delve into the magic of one of Tree’s beloved elixirs, the paths s...
Sep 01, 2023•47 min
We are deeply thankful for today’s interview with co-founder of Holistic Divine Innovations and founder of the Ridgecrest Community Garden and Herbal Zen Garden, Tyrone Ledford. This inspiring conversation centers around Tyrone’s life growing up in Compton, California, his experiences growing food, his development of the Ridgecrest Community Garden and Herbal Zen Garden, as well as his life’s other meaningful pursuits. Holistic Divine Innovations was one of five Grants4Plants winners in 2021 who...
Aug 25, 2023•54 min
This week’s episode was recorded at the in-person Summer 2022 Free Herbalism Project at Mt. Pisgah Arboretum in Eugene, Oregon. Emcee, Jiling Lin , introduces keynote speaker jim mcdonald – who presents on the many virtues of plantain. It's commonly said in herbalism that "It's far better to know a dozen uses for one herb than one use for a dozen herbs", yet, many people still think of herbs in a "take this for that" sense. To remedy this, jim mcdonald will offer in depth information on the far ...
Aug 18, 2023•59 min
On this episode of Plant Stories on Herbal Radio, we had the opportunity to speak with the acclaimed and enthralling herbalist, Richo Cech. We dive deep into Richo’s life and passions, discussing everything from his seed-seeking adventures in Africa, to captivating stories of how he grew Strictly Medicinal Seeds from the ground up (pun-intended). Richo Cech started his professional work as an archaeologist and ethnobotanist in East Africa. Upon his return to the United States in 1978, he began c...
Aug 11, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Join herbalists Jiling Lin, Erika Galentin, and Camille Freeman for a lively Tea Talks Roundtable discussion on Nurturing the Herbal Practitioner. We explore: • some of the challenges that come with running an herbal practice • how to create a work cadence that’s realistic in the long run • establishing clear boundaries between work and personal life • how to run an herbal practice that feels ethically aligned, aud sustains you • how we can feel supported and connected as herbal practitioners-- ...
Aug 04, 2023•1 hr 19 min
