Sarah Smith is an old friend of mine. She qualified from Lincoln University just a couple years after me. Since then she's gone on to qualify in massage, and as a doula. I have to say, Sarah gives the best deep tissue massage I've ever had!
She loves women's health as much as me and we talked about Shepherd's purse as it is a traditional herb to stop excessive menstruation. But from there we go down all kinds of conversational rabbit holes involving clinical trials and ending with pornography. Tune in to hear the madness!
Vivienne Campbell is an herbalist based in Ireland. She is passionate about Rose. I'm sure drinking rose tincture whilst recording helped a little with that too. She uses roses as a wild food, natural cosmetic and in her herbal medicine clinic. She's created an amazing online course in which she teaches how to use local plants as herbal medicines and nutritious wild foods. In this episode we talk about the medicinal value of Roses which she says she couldn’t do without in her clinic. We talk mostly about the wonderful uplifting properties it has for emotions. It's famous for its association with love but that's often seen as a romantic thing when in fact there is a lot of depth to the healing properties of the love.
In this episode I talk about the common Peppermint with Erika Galentin. We discuss how Peppermint is not just cooling but also potentially irritating and heating to the body. How information about herbal medicine can be pretty unreliable online. Why it's important to use essential oils safely and how different herbalism is in the UK vs. the USA where she's based. Erika is a wonderfully inspiring herbalist who has successfully transitioned from one form of herbal medicine to another. She is the course development director for the wonderful Herbal Academy.
In this episode I talk about 2 herbs! Cowslip and Primrose, with Fiona Heckles. She is part of a herbal company called Sensory Solutions which is made up of Karen Lawton and Belle. Karen has already been on the podcast and Belle is going to be on later this year. So I'll have collected all 3! Like pokemon.. They run an incredible course and it was a pleasure to speak to Fiona about these two herbs. They are so closely related but one is endangered in some areas where the other is not.
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In this episode I talk to Alice Bettany about Catnip (Nepeta cataria) a herb which is often associated with children as it is so gentle. But gentle doesn't mean it isn't effective! We're so used to hitting things with a sledge hammer now a days we've lost respect for the gentle things in life. We also talked about she sheds and the comfort of a big bosom.. as you do.
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In this episode we talk about a lesser well-know herb, Sweet Violet, with Kate Scott. Kate has a rich history of female herbalists in her family dating as far back as the 16th century. It was especially nice to speak about herbs which grow readily in the UK but have become forgotten, native adaptogens and more. You'll find her website and other things we spoke about listed below:
Deanne Greenwood is a herbalist from Cornwall with a colourful background. She talks to us about reviving Rosemary in this episode. Rosemary is known by everyone because it is so commonly used for cooking. But did you know it's also anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and energising? It stimulates the circulation and helps keep you warm in the winter months. Deanne takes me through why it's one of her favourite herbs and how she likes to prepare her very own tincture of it.
Burdock is common around Europe and all the way into Asia. It's a bitter plant that is famous for its use as a detoxing herb because it helps the liver. However, there are many parts of the plant which have been nearly forgotten such as the seeds. Nathalie talks me through how the nourishing properties of the plants are probably more important than the bitter qualities. In fact, we think it's pretty sweet as bitter herbs go!
I've known Marcos Patchett for a long time. I knew him before I was even a herbalist. He has always inspired me with his blend of science and astrology in equal measure. There has recently been a voluntary ban taken by some, but not all, professional associations in the UK affecting a long list of herbs. Some of the herbs which many herbalists have chosen to stop using include Borage and Comfrey. It all comes down to the fact they contain pyrolizzidine alkaloids. In this podcast Marcos explains why voluntary bans based upon the toxicity of isolated chemical constituents could be a dangerous path to walk down. The thoughts of Marcos in this podcast are his own and do not represent any other organisation he works with. They also do not represent my own thoughts on the matter. I hope you will join us in a discussion using the comments below this podcast.