The Herbalist's Journal

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine meets Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), an aromatic meadow plant that opens breath and gathers pollinators. From Indigenous respiratory medicine to ecological restoration, discover how this vibrant species shapes air, movement, and vitality wherever

Celine explores Wild Rose (Rosa spp.), a plant of fragrance, nourishment, and boundaries. This episode highlights the medicinal value of rose hips and petals, Indigenous cultural uses, and the deeper lessons roses offer about tenderness, protection, and balance in both ecosystems and human life.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), a low-growing evergreen of the forest floor. From Indigenous pain remedies to its connection with modern medicine, discover how this quiet plant embodies endurance, clarity, and healing through the long northern winter.

Celine takes a closer look at Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), a misunderstood pioneer of disturbed land. Learn how its tart berries became food and medicine, how it supports wildlife and soil recovery, and why this bold, resilient plant deserves renewed respect across North American landscapes.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), a plant rooted in nourishment, medicine, and respect. From immune-supportive berries and fragrant flowers to folklore and ecological abundance, discover why elder has long been considered a powerful ally at seasonal and cultural thresholds.

Celine steps into the wetlands to meet Sweet Flag (Acorus americanus), a deeply aromatic plant of water and memory. This episode explores its role as a travel medicine, digestive aid, and ceremonial ally in Indigenous cultures, alongside its ecological importance in filtering and stabilizing wetland landscapes.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), a plant that blooms at the edge of winter. From Indigenous medicine and early folk use to its enduring role in modern skin care, discover how this astringent understory tree teaches clarity, balance, and healing at life’s thresholds.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Bee Balm (Monarda spp.), a vibrant medicinal plant of meadows and pollinators. From Indigenous tea traditions and Revolutionary-era history to respiratory healing and ecological importance, discover how bee balm gathers community wherever it blooms.

Celine steps into open fields to meet Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), a plant shaped by disturbance and known for its role in wound care, fever relief, and protection. This episode explores yarrow’s Indigenous and global history, its symbolism as a warrior’s plant, and how it heals both people and damaged land.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), a bitter wetland plant long relied on for fevers and seasonal illness. Through Indigenous medicine, early American folk practice, and ecology, this episode examines why bitterness has been trusted as a pathway to resilience and recovery.

Celine spends time with Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum), a graceful woodland plant known for its deep restorative medicine. This episode explores its use for joints and connective tissue, its symbolic ties to wisdom and repair, and how its slow growth mirrors the quiet, patient work of true healing.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine walks among the umbrella-like leaves of Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum). Learn how this plant balances nourishment and toxicity, its role in Indigenous foodways and medicine, and how a humble forest herb contributed to modern pharmaceutical treatments.

Celine explores Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), a striking spring ephemeral known for its red sap and complex history. From ceremonial dye and protective medicine to ecological vulnerability and misuse, this episode examines the thin line between healing and harm—and what it means to truly respect plant power.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine kneels down to meet Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), a warming, grounding plant of the forest floor. Discover its role in Indigenous medicine, ant-dispersed ecology, and the quiet work it does stabilizing soil, soothing digestion, and teaching us the value of what grows slowly and low.

Celine turns her attention to Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides), an early-spring forest herb known for its potency and cautionary history. This episode explores Indigenous knowledge, childbirth traditions, ecological indicators of intact forests, and why some plants demand observation more than use.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa), a powerful understory plant rooted in women’s medicine and old-growth forests. Learn about its Indigenous origins, careful traditional use, ecological sensitivity, and the lessons it offers about restraint, respect, and the deep connection between healing and habitat.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)—a tree of sweetness, ceremony, and identity in northeastern forests. From Indigenous sugaring traditions and medicinal uses to its role in craft, climate, and ecology, discover how this iconic maple shaped culture, landscape, and the rhythm of early spring.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores the luminous Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)—a tree central to the lifeways, medicine, and craftsmanship of northern Indigenous cultures. From canoes and bark containers to healing teas, fire-starting, and symbolism of renewal, discover how this bright-barked pioneer has shaped survival, story, and the northern forest itself.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores the Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)—a towering species woven into medicine, history, and identity across the Northeast. From its role in Haudenosaunee healing and symbolism to its place in colonial shipbuilding and early American industry, discover how this soft-needled giant became a tree of peace, power, and enduring presence.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores the Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)—a tree of sweet nuts, tough wood, and deep cultural roots. Discover its role in Indigenous foodways, traditional medicine, early American craft, and wildlife ecology. A species that embodies resilience, generosity, and the slow wisdom of mature forests.

Join Celine in this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal as she explores the Cucumber Magnolia (Magnolia acuminata), a rare Appalachian native with ancient lineage and surprising cultural history. From its medicinal bark to its role in Cherokee tradition and early American craft, discover how this quiet magnolia shaped healing, landscape, and story in the eastern forests.

In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana)—a climbing vine of hedgerows, riverbanks, and woodland edges. Discover its role in Indigenous medicine, its symbolic ties to protection and boundary spaces, and its surprising chemistry. A plant of tangles, thresholds, and quiet power.This show exists ad free, if you would like to show support, I gratefully except tips here: https://buymeacoffee.com/celinecolbert

Beneath the shade of eastern woodlands grows Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), a spring wildflower of striking beauty and hidden danger. In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, host Celine, forester and Board Certified Master Arborist, explores the plant’s unique biology, its role in Indigenous medicine, and the folklore that surrounds its hooded blooms and bright red berries. Discover how this woodland plant became both healer and teacher in human culture.

Towering over late-summer meadows, Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium spp.) is both a pollinator favorite and a plant steeped in healing traditions. In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, host Celine, forester and Board Certified Master Arborist, explores its role in Indigenous medicine, its use by the legendary healer Joe Pye, and its place in American folk remedies. Discover how this striking wildflower bridges ecology, culture, and history.

Along shady streams and damp woodland edges grows jewelweed (Impatiens capensis and I. pallida), a plant long treasured as nature’s remedy for poison ivy and nettle stings. In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, host Celine, forester and Board Certified Master Arborist, explores jewelweed’s shimmering leaves, exploding seed pods, and its deep cultural roots. From Indigenous healing practices to folk remedies carried into homesteads, discover how this humble wildflower became both medicine and marvel in the landscape.

Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) lights up late-summer meadows with brilliant yellow blooms — often blamed for allergies but truly a healer, pollinator ally, and cultural treasure. In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, host Celine, forester and Board Certified Master Arborist, explores goldenrod’s role in Indigenous medicine, its patriotic use as “Liberty Tea,” its place in folklore, and its enduring importance to wildlife. Discover how this resilient plant bridges science, story, and survival.

High on rocky ridges and cool northern slopes, the American mountain ash (Sorbus americana) glows with clusters of red berries that feed wildlife and spark human imagination. In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, host Celine, a forester and Board Certified Master Arborist, explores the botany, ecology, and rich cultural history of this small but striking tree. From Indigenous medicinal uses to European folklore of rowan as a guardian tree, discover how American mountain ash became a symbol of resilience, protection, and nourishment in rugged landscapes.

Welcome back to The Herbalist’s Journal — where we explore the plants that shaped human history, one story at a time. I’m your host, Celine Colbert, and today we’re venturing into the shady edges of North American forests to meet a plant that’s beautiful, mysterious… and, in the wrong context, deadly.

The Herbalist’s Journal explores the stories behind the plants of the Northeast and beyond. Hosted by Celine Colbert, a forester and Board Certified Master Arborist, each episode dives deep into one species—its botany, ecology, medicinal uses, and cultural history. From towering trees to hidden woodland herbs, discover how plants heal, harm, and inspire. The forest is speaking—let’s listen.