Herbalists' Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 1): Psyllium, Elderberry, Turmeric, Ashwagandha

This episode begins an intermittent series we’ll be doing this year, covering the top-selling herbs in the United States and giving you our thoughts about them. From the perspective of a practicing herbalist, these herbs are frequently pigeon-holed into very narrow ranges of application – the “what is it good for” answers are quite limited! The Herbal Market Report from the American Botanical Council comes out every year, with data about herbal supplement sales for the prior year. Check it out and take a look at the “mainstream” and “natural channel” best-seller lists – you might be surprised at what’s on there!If you’re an herbalist, you should be well-educated about the herbs people take most frequently. You should know what’s popular, and why. You should know how to talk to people about these herbs, how to correct misconceptions, how to offer more effective alternatives, and which ones are worth the money. We’re hoping this series will help you do that!If you’re new to herbalism – yay, we get first crack at forming your opinion of these herbs! 😄 More importantly, this will serve as an introduction to marketing literacy in the realm of herbal supplements, as well as some good materia medica study.In today’s episode we cover psyllium, elder berry, turmeric, and ashwagandha.1. Psyllium – Plantago ovataHHP 205: Herbs A-Z: Pinus & PlantagoPlantain: Herb of the Week2. Elder berry – Sambucus nigra, S. canadensisElder: Herb of the WeekHHP 216: Herbs A-Z: Sambucus & SassafrasElderberry and Cytokine Storms3. Turmeric – Curcuma longaHHP 184: Herbs A-Z: Crataegus & CurcumaHHP 149: Our Top Topical Herbs for Acne4. Ashwagandha – Withania somniferaHHP 226: Herbs A-Z: Withania & ZanthoxylumAshwagandha: Herb of the WeekHHP 155: Equinox Thoughts On Balance & Amphoteric HerbsWhether you’re a brand-new beginner or an herbalist with experience, it’s always helpful to study the herbs in depth! Our comprehensive presentation of herbal allies is in our Holistic Herbalism Materia Medica course. It includes detailed profiles of 100 medicinal herbs!Like all our offerings, this self-paced online video course comes with free access to twice-weekly live Q&A sessions with us, lifetime access to current & future course material, open discussion threads integrated in each lesson, an active student community, and more!Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.Support the showYou can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!