What happens when someone who spent years fixing broken healthcare systems realizes plants might be part of the solution? You get Monica Pastrana of Bellebrook Botanicals.

Monica is a community herbalist, healthcare professional, and homesteader in rural Wisconsin who built her herbal product line from three simple, food-like remedies and a clear mission: get effective, approachable plant medicine into people's hands.

What's in this episode:

• How a healthcare career led Monica straight to herbalism
• The morning she cut the tip of her finger off processing yarrow, and how that plant helped
• Burdock root and the stubborn skin issues it cleared
• Talking herbs with medical professionals without losing the relationship
• The bonfire analogy for inflammation every herbalist should be using
• Monica's seasonal herbal making classes on her Wisconsin property

For full show notes, resources, and links visit: theherbalistspath.com/blog/yarrow-burdock-herbal-business-monica-pastrana

Learn more about the Community Herbalist Certification and Mentorship Program at theherbalistspath.com/community-herbalist-certification

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

When an FDA inspector showed up to inspect my student's herbal product business, he flagged her elderberry echinacea tincture as dangerous, and cited Google AI as his research source. That's where this episode starts, and it gets crazier from there.

This herbalist has done the work, and played by all the rules. She documented everything from seed to final sale. Her SOPs in place, labels compliant. She’s even been working in healthcare for years. She was doing everything right. And still, an FDA inspector who couldn't explain cyanogenic glycosides without consulting an AI chatbot tried to bring her down.

What's in this episode:

• What happened when an FDA inspector flagged elderberry using Google AI as his only source
• The truth about cyanogenic glycosides in elderberries and why the inspector was wrong
• What the American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook says about elderberry
• Why AI-driven research on plant medicine is dangerous and what to do instead
• The bigger picture: how plant medicine has been systematically erased from mainstream knowledge
• What you need to have in place if you run an herbal product line
• How to find support and resources if this happens to you

For full show notes, resources, and links visit: theherbalistspath.com/blog/fda-inspects-herbal-business-elderberry-safety

Want support and mentorship as you build your herbal business, or gain more skills to become an herbalist? That's what we do inside the Community Herbalist Certification and Mentorship. Learn more at theherbalistspath.com/community-herbalist-certification

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

Wildcrafting has gotten trendy, and that's not always a good thing. Misidentified plants, sketchy sourcing claims, and a whole lot of misinformation are floating around social media right now, and it's worth slowing down to talk about why that matters.

Howie Brounstein, founder of Columbine School of Botanical Studies and an herbalist who has been teaching for over 40 years, talks about why botany matters, what real wildcrafting ethics actually look like, and why he’s scared by a lot of what he sees online.

What's in this episode:

• The real risks of misidentification and why positive plant ID is non-negotiable
• Why botany matters, and when it doesn't need to be your focus as an herbalist
• How to evaluate herb books and spot information that isn't coming from real experience
• Why Howie teaches a long-term apprenticeship instead of one-day wildcrafting classes
• Why Howie believes you should taste every herb you give to someone else
• What it was like building an herbal career in the late 1970s when nobody believed it was possible
• How AI and social media are accelerating herbal misinformation

For full show notes, resources, and links visit: theherbalistspath.com/blog/herbal-wildcrafting-ethics-howie-Brounstein

Learn more about Howie's apprenticeship and classes at botanicalstudies.net

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

Knowing how to use one herb 40 ways will make you a better herbalist.

Have you ever found yourself buying herb after herb, learning a little about each one, and somehow still feeling like you don't really know what you're doing? If so, you're not alone.

This episode will encourage you to slow down, go deeper, and build the kind of intimate plant relationship that turns into real herbal wisdom. The kind that grows your intuition and skills, saves you money, and keeps your apothecary from turning into a very overwhelming collection of herbs you barely know.

What's in this episode:

• Why going deep with one herb beats collecting herbs you barely know
• Echinacea beyond immune support: wound healing, lymphatics, toothaches, and more
• Chamomile beyond sleepy time: digestion, anxiety, skin inflammation, and antispasmodic action
• The power of slowing down and actually tasting, smelling, and sitting with a plant
• Mel's top 5 essential herbs for her apothecary
• Herbal monographs, the new shop, and the herb of the month deep dive on Substack

For full show notes, resources, and links visit: theherbalistspath.com/blog/know-one-herb-40-ways

Learn more in our herb workshops, herbal monographs, and deep dive herbalism programs on our new shop page coming soon! Stay tuned for our 30% off grand opening!

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

Your gut has been trying to tell you something. The question is whether you know how to listen.

In this episode I sit down with Maria Noel Groves, clinical herbalist and author of Herbal Gut Health, and we go deep on bitters, mucilaginous herbs, lemon balm, and how to listen to what your digestive system is telling you.

What's in this episode:

• Why lemon balm is one of the most underrated digestive herbs we have
• How bitter herbs work and why they're not right for everyone
• The difference between stimulating digestion and healing the gut
• Marshmallow, linden, meadowsweet, and other soothing allies for gut repair
• How to read your body's signals and choose the right herbs for your situation
• When to reach for herbs and when to call the doctor
• Why tea is often the best delivery method for gut healing herbs

For full show notes, resources, and links visit: theherbalistspath.com/blog/herbal-gut-health-maria-noel-groves

Ready to go deeper into herbal education? Join us inside the Community Herbalist Certification and Mentorship Program here.

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

Wintergreen Botanicals : https://wintergreenbotanicals.com/ Maria’s site

Herbal Gut Health, her book on our bookshop: https://bookshop.org/a/16080/9781635869101

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

It only takes one accident to regret not being prepared.

So let's talk herbal first aid and the essential plants to keep in your kit. From cuts and scrapes to burns, bites, and unexpected whoopsy daisies, these herbs can help you be ready before you need them, using simple, natural remedies that have been doing this work for a long time.

These are the plants that can keep you calm, prepared, and out of the ER more often than you might think.

What's in this episode:

• The most important herbs to include in your herbal first aid kit
• How to use plantain for bites, stings, and drawing out toxins
• Yarrow for stopping bleeding quickly and effectively
• Comfrey for sprains, strains, and tissue repair
• Echinacea for infection support and wound care
• Chamomile, ginger, and peppermint for digestive upset and stress
• Why lavender essential oil belongs in every first aid kit
• Simple ways to stay calm and think clearly when things get a little wild out there

For full show notes, resources, and links visit: theherbalistspath.com/blog/herbal-first-aid-kit-essentials

Wanna go deeper? Use code FIRST-AID-PODCAST for 50% off the Herbal First Aid Skills workshop, plus loads of recipes I've used for years. Or click here for the discount.

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

What if the way we’re learning herbalism is actually harming the plants we depend on?

In this episode, I sit down with herbalist Elaine Shefff from Green Path Herb School to explore ethical wildcrafting, plant stewardship, and what it really means to be in relationship with the land. As herbalism becomes more popular, it is more important than ever to slow down, observe, and rethink how we harvest and work with plants.

If you want to harvest herbs in a way that protects ecosystems and supports future generations, this episode is for you.

In this episode:

• Why ethical wildcrafting matters now more than ever
• How overharvesting is impacting medicinal plants
• What sustainable foraging really looks like
• Why starting with weeds can change everything
• How to build a relationship with plants over time
• Bioregional herbalism and working with local medicine
• Herbalism as a path back to connection and belonging
• Simple ways to support your community with herbal medicine

For full show notes, resources, and links visit:
theherbalistspath.com/blog/ethical-resilient-herbalism-elaine-sheff

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.

Spring is here, and that means some of the most powerful medicinal plants on the planet are popping up in your yard, your garden edges, and along your favorite walking paths. And most people are either pulling them out or walking right past them.

In this episode, you'll meet four spring weeds that can have amazing benefits to your health: dandelion root and leaf, nettles, cleavers, and chickweed. You'll learn what they do, why they matter this time of year, and how to actually prepare them so you get the real medicine out.

Free, potent, accessible plant medicine. Growing right outside your door.

What's in this episode:

• Why spring weeds show up exactly when our bodies need them most
• Dandelion leaf and root: two different medicines from one plant
• Nettles for depletion, allergies, and deep nourishment
• Cleavers for lymphatic support and why fresh preparation matters
• Chickweed as a cooling, anti-inflammatory ally inside and out
• Ethical harvesting tips and how to prepare each plant effectively

For full show notes, resources, and links: theherbalistspath.com/blog/theherbalistspath-com/blog/free-medicinal-weeds-in-your-yard

Learn to make potent tasty medicine with us inside Medicine Makin' Mommas here.

Come to the Nourishing Nettles Conference with Susun Weed in May.

Like the show? Got a Q? Shoot us a Text!

If you've been dabbling in herbs for a while, but that inner voice keeps whispering you're
not 'herbalist enough' to actually do this work, then you're invited to a

Free LIVE class "Are You Herbalist Enough", Sign up here.

It's happening Wednesday, July 29th at 4:00pm PST
(Yup, there will be a limited-time replay)

Wondering how you can use your herbal skills to help people when times are tough?

Grab Medicine For The People - An Herbalist's Guide To Showing Up For Your Community In Times of Need

It's loaded with ideas and resources to help you help others!💚 Click here to ge

Support the show

Ready to deepen your herbal skills and knowledge?

Whether you're stocking your family's medicine cabinet, building your formulation skills, or stepping into the role of community herbalist, we have a program for you.

Learn more here

If you enjoyed this episode, it would mean so much if you left us a review and shared it with a friend. It helps more herbalists find their way here, and helps make herbalism #SpreadLikeWildFlowers 🌸

Join me on: TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | YouTube

Disclaimer:
*The information shared on this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment. Please consult your medical care provider before using herbs.