Wild Lettuce | A plant walk with jim mcdonald
We recently spent a day with jim mcdonald (@herb.craft) going on plant walks and seeing what familiar botanicals we could find around Eugene, Oregon. When we found wild lettuce, jim identified it right away based on several clues: it’s gray-green color, it’s twisting leaves, and it’s soft prickles beneath the leaves.
Wild lettuce—a botanical cousin to our beloved salad lettuces—has a long history of use as a nervine, a bitter, and to support restful sleep. There are at least 10 wild species of Lactuca spp. in North America that provide beneficial constituents in their leaves, stems, seeds, and the milky white latex called lactucarium that comes from the plant when it is wounded. We invite you to learn more about this herbal ally.
Tips for Choosing Reputable Seed Companies & Nurseries
Spring is upon us, and many of us spent the cold and dark days of winter planning spring and summer gardens, selecting plant varieties, acquiring seeds, and getting a head start on sowing, germinating, and nurturing the young seedlings in our windowsills and greenhouses. Nowadays, we can buy everything from seeds and trees to full-grown flowers and shrubs at nurseries around the country. But not all nurseries are alike. A surprising number of the most popular suppliers of the seeds and plants we love give little regard to environmental issues. Don’t despair! There are guidelines and best practices we would like to share with the Mountain Rose Herbs community that will help you select seeds and plants that were grown using practices that support the health and vitality of our ecosystem.
Interviews on Herbal Radio with Thomas Dick | Featuring Leah Song and Chloe Smith of Rising Appalachia
Welcome to a very special episode featuring Leah Song and Chloe Smith of Rising Appalachia. We love the soulful tunes from this sister duo and get the feeling that their music resonates with a lot of other folks in the herbal community as well. It was certainly wonderful welcoming Leah and Chloe as our live musical guests for our first virtual Free Herbalism Project (FHP) back in May 2020. After the FHP collaboration, we knew that we wanted to get to know them a little better.
Herbal Radio producer, Elise, sits in with Thomas for a lovely conversation with Leah and Chloe. We talk about their upbringing, inspirations, relationship to the herbal community, herbs that support them while on tour and at home, as well as the slow music movement. We hope you enjoy!
Sustainably Foraging So-Cal | Tea Talks Roundtable
In this new “Tea Talks Roundtable” series, Jiling gathers four local Ventura and Santa Barbara county herbal teachers to discuss sustainable foraging in southern California (aka. So-Cal). Learn more about the Ventura area’s Mediterranean climate, ethical harvesting considerations, and some of the plants that make this area special. We discuss building relationships with plants, spring nibbles, gardening, white sage, horehound, tasty naturalized plants, warrior plants, and conclude with some of our favorite easy to grow medicinals. Enjoy the chat! Learn more about these Ventura area herbal teachers below:
Horsetail | A plant walk with jim mcdonald
We recently had the pleasure of going on a plant walk with our talented herbalist friend jim mcdonald and learned some fascinating information about horsetail (Equisetum sp.). Sometimes called scouring rush, bottle brush, or shavegrass, this botanical ally has been on the planet for more than 350 million years and is rich in minerals, especially silica, which is why you sometimes see it in formulations for healthy skin, hair, nails, and connective tissue. However, horsetail contains thiaminase, which breaks down the necessary thiamin (vitamin B1) levels in the human body and can lead to thiamin deficiency. But did you know that if you decoct horsetail in boiling water or extract it in alcohol that is above 30%, you can destroy the thiaminase without losing the silica and minerals? That is an herbalism hack worth knowing! Learn more about horsetail with jim mcdonald!
Learn more plant facts with jim: https://herbcraft.podia.com
Follow jim on Instagram and TikTok: @herb.craft
Follow jim on YouTube: @herbcraft
Herbs Are Not Pharmaceuticals | Featuring Dr. Christopher Hobbs
This podcast episode comes from Dr. Christopher Hobbs’ presentation for the Fall 2022 Free Herbalism Project. This was a virtual event that took place over Zoom on October 14, 2022. Dr. Hobbs discusses why herbs and herbal medicine is fundamentally different than drugs. Since the pandemic, the popularity of herbal medicine in households has continued to grow rapidly. Dr. Hobbs help us to look closely and practically at how herbal medicine can transform your health and wellness while helping to relieve symptoms and chronic ailments. His presentation also details why choosing herbal medicine as our first line of prevention and treatment in most ailments can not only benefit us—side benefits rather than side effects—while being completely sustainable and beneficial for our beautiful planet and all the inhabitants. Dr. Christopher Hobbs occasionally references slides throughout his presentation. You can find his slides by watching the presentation on our YouTube channel.
Shawn Donnille Wins The AHPA Environmental Impact Award!
We just returned from the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) Annual Member Meeting at New Hope Expo West in Anaheim, California. Each year since 2006, AHPA recognizes individuals and organizations that have made significant contributions to the continued success of the herbal and natural products industries. We’re excited to share that longtime Mountain Rose Herbs Owner and President, Shawn Donnille, has been awarded the prestigious 2023 AHPA Environmental Impact Award!
Plant Stories | Featuring Julia O. Bianco
For this week’s Plant Stories podcast, we interview multi-disciplinary artist Julia O. Bianco. Julia was a Deep Ecology Artist Fellow at the United Plant Savers (UpS) Sanctuary, one of our favorite non-profit organizations focused on protecting native medicinal plants, fungi, and their ecosystems. Hear how an online foraging class, the artist in residency program at the UpS Sanctuary, and the plants Julia encountered in the Appalachian foothills, all helped to shape the course of her life and her creative inspiration. Julia closes the show by reading three of her nature-inspired poems.
Zero Waste: The History & Future Of Mountain Rose Herbs’ Commitment
As the focus on living sustainably increases, so too does the search for meaningful practices to incorporate into our lives. We often find ourselves presented with more challenges than solutions. Over time it becomes clear that the simpler and more approachable the solution, the better and more likely we are to stick to the new practice. We all know the importance of recycling and conserving resources, but did you know that there is a framework for eliminating the waste we send to the landfill? That framework is known as zero waste. What does zero waste mean and how does a company as large as Mountain Rose Herbs incorporate these practices into our daily operations?
Body Into Balance, With Maria Noël Groves | Tea Talks With Jiling
Jiling and Maria discuss favorite easy-to-grow herbs for a medicinal herb garden, “remedy gardens,” favorite herbs for delicious teas, increasing access for herbal classes within a for-profit business model, and more. We hope this conversation inspires your spring planting, growing, learning, and harvesting projects!
