The Green Wisdom of Herbalism with Rekara Gage

*Audio Note: Volume and clarity varies during some parts of this interview. Rekara Gage (she/her) is an herbalist who focuses on the importance of ritual, safety and community when it comes to personal healing and growth. Her approach to wellness is based in food medicine and spirituality, emphasizing new ways to add plant medicine to the routines that you already have in place. She loves helping people reconnect with their intuition and do things with meaning, making everyday feel special. In her practice, it's important to provide access and information to the public so that they can make the best health choices for themselves. Rekara is a student of Traditional Western Herbalism with Julie James at Green Wisdom Apothecary and School of Herbal Studies in Long Beach. Episode Highlights Thank you to our grounding plant medicines and their energies: dandelion root (clarity), mullein (lung support + moisture), tulsi ( aids with stress + clear headed + relaxation) , and elecampane (breathwork). Rekara shares with us about her healing journey and how the medicines and magic of storytelling, food, movement, plants, family, community and curiosity play active roles in finding herself and herbalism. We learn about the medicines of ritual and practice that Rekara partakes in throughout her personal herbalism journey, and how they are connected to her culture. We learn what herbalism is: understanding plant medicine (the chemistry), how we can benefit from plants being here, how we can learn from them, and how they support us. Rekara reminds us that when working spiritually with herbs and plants, important aspects to explore and consider include: connection, intention and being open to answering the call to mindfully interact and work with them. Rekara drops an herbal tea recipe that will nourish our queer hearts, bodies, spirits , and souls.  Thank you to these plants  for sharing their medicine and energies: Rose (color + reminder of boundaries + protection + safety)  Tulsi (aids with stress + clears the mind)  Damiana (spicy + sassy + libido + reminds us who we are) Cinnamon (unsung hero that moistens us + grounding + supportive)   Web links Find Rekara online at Re-ngage.com You can also connect with her on Instagram @rekaraneal & @rootedherbalcollective Find Green Wisdom Herbal Studies & Apothercary & IG @greenwisdom   Join the private Queer Spirit Community to continue the conversation and connect with other listeners.  Join us for First Saturday's FREE meditation & breath work circles online.  Grab your FREE Mini-Course: The Self-Confident Queer - start here. And follow us on Instagram!  Join our mailing list  to get news and podcast updates sent directly to you.