Episodes
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Cozy Herbs & Rituals
Does “cozy” feel like a luxury? Does the notion of “cozy herbs” sound like an extravagance, and oh-so-much less important than “real herbal medicine”? Let us disabuse you of such ideas, dear listener. You deserve cozy. It will heal you. And of course, herbs will help! The truth is that relaxation...
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Mucus Is Good, Actually (or, The Healing Power of Snot)
First, here’s that 40% off Winter Health Bundle we mentioned! People have been emailing us lately to ask what herbs will get rid of all mucus in their bodies, and each time we get that kind of email, we feel surprised – because mucus is actually a really important feature in your body! It’s...
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Herbs and Processing Grief
First, here’s the link to the course Katja mentioned: Working Through Grief (It’s not very original, but it works.) This course is full of herbs and holistic strategies to help you navigate grief, as well as a private community where you can talk with people who are going through similar…
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Do You Need Immune Boosting Herbs?
Immune boosting herbs are popular, and it’s not hard to see why. Everyone wants to avoid getting sick! It makes intuitive sense to a lot of folks that if you amp up your immunity, you’ll be more resilient in the face of germs – or I guess, more resilient to germs in your face! But hang on. What...
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Elderberry Syrup Isn't Everything (Replay)
While our Fallow Month of August has ended, we've got one more replay for you! (If you don't know or don't remember what a Fallow Month is, listen to the full explanation in episode 212! Or if you'd prefer some reading, check out Katja's piece If You Really Want to Learn Herbalism, Stop…
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Acknowledging Complexity Is Not Gatekeeping (Replay)
August is a Fallow Month for us, so we are dialing back on some of our activities while we focus our attention on coursework production, curriculum development, and - most importantly - hands-on herbalism in the field, kitchen, and apothecary. If you don't know or don't remember what a Fallow…
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Can I Be A Plus-Sized Herbalist? (Replay)
August is a Fallow Month for us, so we are dialing back on some of our activities while we focus our attention on coursework production, curriculum development, and - most importantly - hands-on herbalism in the field, kitchen, and apothecary. If you don't know or don't remember what a Fallow…
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Can Herbs "Heal"? (Replay)
August is a Fallow Month for us, so we are dialing back on some of our activities while we focus our attention on coursework production, curriculum development, and - most importantly - hands-on herbalism in the field, kitchen, and apothecary. If you don't know or don't remember what a Fallow…
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Thorn Medicine (Replay)
Hi everyone! August is a Fallow Month for us, and so we are dialing back on some of our activities while we focus our attention on coursework production, curriculum development, and - most importantly - hands-on herbalism in the field, kitchen, and apothecary. If you don't know or don't remember...
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Is Perimenopause Making You Tired?
I don’t know about you, but my social media feed is filled with stuff that is supposed to “give me more energy” to get through perimenopause. What does that even mean? Perimenopause isn’t causing fatigue for no reason. Your body is doing things: some are new, and some are a sort of inverse…
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Take Care of Each Other
We like to sign off our show by saying, “Take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and drink some tea.” It’s our favorite little motto and it’s a great reminder that herbalism and self-care go right alongside mutual aid! In our episode 283: Vetting Your Herbalism Sources: Red Flags &…
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What's a Good Herb for...?
Do your friends ask you, “what’s a good herb for…” IBS, or PMS, or fibromyalgia, or whatever is bugging them? If you’ve ever struggled to answer such a request, you’re not alone. It’s not just about the difficulty of the pathology, though – it’s also about the complexity of the person, and the...
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Hibiscus Energetics by Species & Part
Today’s episode is about hibiscus energetics – a quick clarification on plant species & parts, and how herbal energetics & actions may differ among them. The hibiscus you find most often in stores or shops or herbal drinks is Hibiscus sabdariffa, and it’s the specific part of the flower called…
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Build Your Herbal Confidence - a Practice Game!
Herbal confidence takes some work to develop. The whole point of learning herbalism is to help people – but when you’re still a student, that’s a little bit tricky! You don’t always know the answer. It might be something you just didn’t learn about yet. Or maybe you know part of it, but you’re…
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Vetting Your Herbalism Sources: Red Flags & Green Flags
How do you know when you can trust an herbalism teacher, influencer, book, or blog? How can you determine whether a scientific study has relevant information for your practice? Vetting your herbalism sources of information is an essential skill for students and practitioners alike. Today’s…
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Uncertainty versus Imposter Syndrome for Herbalists
Today we’re sharing some thoughts about uncertainty versus imposter syndrome, and learning herbalism. Recently, we did a 20 Questions video for the folks at HerbRally – it ran nearly four hours long! Two of the questions we were asked wove a theme together, and we wanted to share them here. The...
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Affordable Analogues for Expensive Herbs
Accessibility in herbalism is not something extra or something nice-if-possible, it’s a critical part of our work. The prices of the remedies we recommend can sometimes be a determining factor in whether our clients take them, or take them long enough to get results. In many cases we can identify...
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Don't Choose Herbs "For" A Diagnosis - Do This Instead
When we’re choosing herbs to help someone, knowing their medical diagnosis isn’t enough: we don’t choose herbs for a diagnosis. As herbalists, we actually need more information! A medical diagnosis is a specialized vocabulary which creates a shorthand so that people who already know what it…
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Plant ID Apps vs Your Brain 📱🧠
Plant ID apps are helpful (when they’re accurate), but there is one drawback – they make it harder to learn plant ID for yourself. But there are ways to combat that so that you get good at plant ID – without having to memorize a ton of stuff. It’s summer! Now is the time to be out there…
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Tulsi for Everyone!
Life is pretty overwhelming right now, and it’s affecting the way our brains function. When we can’t focus or can’t remember things, we typically blame it on things like perimenopause or ADHD – but the literal firehose of data that comes at us every day is an even bigger cause: it’s a LOT for our...
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Herbalists' Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 14): Dandelion, Rhubarb, Ginseng
We’ve come to the end of the “mainstream” top-40 best-selling herbs list! Dandelion, rhubarb, and ginseng take the last three spots. Dandelion is an herbal workhorse. It’s inexpensive because it’s ubiquitous, and its resilience is legendary – dandelion coming up through the concrete is one of the...
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Herbalists’ Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 13): Bacopa, Senna, Rhodiola
At number 35, 36, and 37 on the list of top-selling herbal supplements we find bacopa, senna, and rhodiola. Bacopa is also known as brahmi, and this name is just as often given to gotu kola (Centella asiatica) as well. This is because both are known by that name in Ayurvedic herbalism, where they...
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Herbalists' Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 12): CBD, Fennel, Oats
Back to it! Today’s best-seller herbal supplements are CBD, fennel, and oats. To the extent there’s overlap between these, it’s some capacity to touch on the nervous system – or at least, in the case of fennel, digestive symptoms which can be due to stress and anxiety. CBD is a widely-known, and...
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Thorn Medicine
Have you ever wished you had thorns? Have you ever felt like you needed to protect your heart, your space, your peace of mind, or your time from a world that asks too much of you – or takes without asking? You’re not alone. This is what thorn medicine can bring you. Thorns aren’t weapons, they’re...
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Herbs for Happiness
What are the best herbs for happiness? How can herbs make you happy? What does “happiness” even mean? These questions are important to consider before we dive right in, searching for “herbs for happiness.” When we say it, we’re thinking: what are the things preventing you from being calm &…
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Herbalists' Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 11): Yohimbe & Horny Goat Weed
The best-seller herbal supplements we’re covering today are yohimbe & horny goat weed. They placed #30 and 31 on the list we’re using for this sequence of episodes. These two are marketed & sought-after as “male aphrodisiacs”, “testosterone boosters”, and even “herbal Viagra”. While it’s true…
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A Whole New Body
When people start learning herbalism, it’s not unusual for them to begin to feel like there’s a lot “wrong” with their bodies. Some of this comes from a new recognition that symptoms they’ve been tolerating are actually a sign of something deeper, or indicate a need for change. Since it’s the new...
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The Herbal Year in Review, 2025
What kind of year has it been for you, as far as herbs & health go? On today’s episode of the Holistic Herbalism Podcast, we’re taking a look at the herbal year in review for 2025! Everyone’s doing their year-end best-of lists, their ‘top 10 takeaways’, and the like – and we want to join in on…
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You're A Trainwreck. (edition 2025)
Katja wrote this essay years and years ago, and it’s still a favorite. Today she needed to hear it again – yeah, you can do that with your own writing, it’s allowed, don’t worry – and she decided to share it with you. It’s about how so many of us think we’re the only trainwreck in any given room,...
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Herbalists’ Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 10): Valerian, Pumpkin, Goji, Red Yeast Rice
Don’t forget, our December sale is on! Details below. It’s time we resumed our exploration of the top-selling herbs as supplements in the US! We're three-quarters of the way through the main list. (Remember we’re working with the 2023 data for the purposes of this series, but I gave some updates...
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December Delights! 🌲🌲🌲
It’s December, and here are some delightful things we’d like to share with you! December 2025 Sale Code: CALENDULA The code for this year’s sale is CALENDULA – use it during checkout to get 20% off everything we offer – all the courses, all the programs, anything on a payment plan, anything at…
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Gut-Heal Tea: Variations on a Theme
A quote attributed to Hippocrates says “all disease begins in the gut.” No surprise, then, that gut-heal tea is a major part of our practice! We work with this formula – or better said, this schema for creating individualized formulae – very, very often. It’s not only a ‘digestive’ blend, it’s…
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Elderberry Syrup Isn't Everything
Elderberry syrup isn’t everything an herbalist has to offer to someone suffering from a cold, the flu, COVID, RSV, or any of the other respiratory ailments to which we humans are susceptible. Despite being the first to come to many minds when asked if they’re prepared for winter illnesses, we...
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Our Model for Clinical Herbalism Mentorship
We’ve been running a clinical herbalism mentorship program of one kind or another for more than fifteen years. We have some thoughts! Today’s episode is all about our model for a clinical herbalist mentorship, what we think it needs to include, and how it’s structured to benefit our students and...
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Herbal Care Kits for Fall, for All!
If you haven’t made herbal cold/flu/COVID care kits for your household yet, now is the time! Herbal care kits are one of our very favorite things. Here’s the premise: when you’re sick, it’s hard to think, no matter how good an herbalist you are. So get the stuff you’re going to need ready ahead…
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Herbalists' Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 9): Aloe & Flax + New Market Data!
This week we continue our investigation into the best-selling herbal supplements in the US. First, an update: the 2024 Herbal Market Report data is here! The overall picture is very similar to the 2023 data, with most items on the lists simply changing position. The overall market had a 5.4%...
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Aging Is OK, Don't Freak Out
When Ryn first met Katja, she was in the habit of inflating her age a bit. Why? Because as an herbalist – at that time – it was preferable to present as older, even as an ‘elder’, if possible. Times have changed, and now “influencerbalists” dominate the social media world’s public face, for...
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Herbalists' Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 8): Milk Thistle & Black Cohosh
Herbs #22 and 23 on the top-selling herbs list for 2023 were milk thistle and black cohosh. Today we continue our series on commercially popular herbs, and share our views as herbalists on the actions, benefits, and applications of these. Milk thistle is widely known as an excellent herb for the...
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Support the Resistance - An Herbalism Clinical Skill
When you’re using your herbal skills to help others – whether you’re doing that as a Clinical Herbalist in private practice, volunteering in your community, or even just caring for your own family – it becomes obvious pretty fast that your herbal knowledge is only part of the skillset you need.…
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Herbalists' Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 7): Tribulus, Pycnogenol, Garlic
On the top-selling herbs list for 2023 (the most recent data), the herbs in places #19-21 were Tribulus terrestris, Pycnogenol (an extract of Pinus pinaster), and garlic. Today we continue our series on commercially popular herbs, and share our views as herbalists on the actions, benefits, and...
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Mutual Aid Startup Guide
Mutual aid projects are a natural place for herbalists to gravitate, and setting one up in your community is easier than you think! Our mutual aid startup guide is a free resource we offer you to help with this. You can download it right here: Mutual Aid Startup Guide In today’s episode we want…
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Thinking Through Herb-Drug Interactions
Our semi-annual 20% off Sale is active now! For the entire month of July, to take 20% off all our online courses! Sussing out herb-drug interactions is complicated! In this episode we take the example of Celexa + skullcap, and demonstrate the process of investigation we’d use to sort out whether…
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Herbalists' Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 6): Saw Palmetto, Cinnamon, Echinacea
Our semi-annual 20% off Sale is active now! For the entire month of July, to take 20% off all our online courses! On the top-selling herbs list for 2023 (the most recent data), the herbs in places #16-18 were saw palmetto, cinnamon, and echinacea. In today’s installment of our best-sellers…
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Bandaging Basics & Mummy Parties
Bandaids are undeniably handy, and there are plenty of situations where they do the job that needs doing. But there are also lots of times when a wound is too big, too irregular, or too sensitive for a bandaid to be the best choice. That’s where bespoke bandaging comes into play! You can learn...
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Bug-Out Bags & Stay-In Stashes, The Herbalist's Way
When putting together a bug-out bag in case of emergencies, don’t forget your herbs! Just like a first aid kit, a go bag is best when you construct it according to your specific needs, and the needs of people you’ll be with. This isn’t a “one size fits all” situation! The same goes for...
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Herbal First Aid Kit Maintenance
Just like checking your stock of remedies in the apothecary, herbal first aid kit maintenance is one of those things you need to carve out time for – at least once a year! It’s June, which is the kick-off to summer adventure and here on the east coast, also hurricane season. In other regions,...
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Disaster-Proofing Herbal Business Part 2: Offerings & Audience
This is the second half of the Disaster-Proofing your Herbal Business theme. Economic uncertainty is part of business – but there’s so much you can do to make sure your business stays strong throughout the ups and downs. In the previous episode, we covered the first three steps in the work of...
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Disaster-Proofing Your Herbal Business
Economic uncertainty is part of business – but there’s so much you can do to disaster-proof your herbal business and make sure it stays strong throughout the ups and downs. This episode is the first three steps in the work of diversifying your revenue streams and also your product/service…
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Herbalists' Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 5): Ginkgo, Guarana, Maca
In our fifth installment in this series, we address the facts & fictions about ginkgo, guarana, and maca supplements in commerce! These were #13, 14, and 15 on the top-selling herbs list for 2023 (the most recent data). This series is all about sharing an herbalist’s understanding of herbs very...
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Can Herbs "Heal"?
What does it mean to heal? When are we “healed”? Are there some wounds that can’t be healed? If we can’t heal – in the sense of achieving “perfect health” – are we failures, as people or as herbalists? In this episode, Katja shares her thoughts on the words and ideas “healing” carries in our...
About this show
Practical herbalism from practicing herbalists. Conversations, botanical deep-dives, Q&A with clinical herbalists Katja Swift & Ryn Midura of CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism.
Hosted by
CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism
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