Interviews On Herbal Radio With Thomas Dick | Featuring Jiling Lin
Thomas sat down with our good friend and talented herbalist, Jiling Lin, over Zoom this past fall to get to know her a little better. We’ve had the great fortune of partnering with Jiling on numerous projects including filming instructional videos, writing poetic blogs and journal articles, emceeing Free Herbalism Projects, and of course hosting Tea Talks on Herbal Radio. We’re so grateful for the opportunity to get to know Jiling even more as Thomas and Jiling chat about her upbringing, the sharing of plants and stories, and the pivotal herbal plot points in her life. We hope you enjoy our conversation with Jiling as much as we did!
What Are Alkaloids in Plants & How to Extract Them
In our quest to unravel the tangled strings of phytochemistry, it’s important to understand that it takes time and practice to grasp the ins and outs. Taking it slowly, leaning into one constituent group at a time, can help the herbalist fully embrace their actions and needs. While studying the constituents in plants and the menstrua that extract and preserve them seems a bit too “science-y” for some, remember that is what the alchemists of yesterday were all about. Perhaps they didn’t have names such as polysaccharides, antioxidants, terpenes, and the like. However, they laid the groundwork for herbalists today with their attempts to classify and catalog the reactions of herbs in the bodies of their patients. It was in the 17th century that alchemy became chemistry as the emphasis leaned more toward experimentation and critical thinking and relied less on spirituality and mysticism. We, as experienced or budding herbalists, can explore both critical thinking and the mystical side of plants.
Cultivating Goldenseal: The Quest to Protect an At-Risk Herb
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) is one of the most at-risk plants in North America. It was used by First Nations peoples for hundreds of years before Europeans arrived and by the 1830s was also a favorite of herbalists and practitioners of Eclectic medicine. Today, due to relentless wildharvesting and habitat loss, this age-old herbal ally has been reduced to scattered remnant populations and is at risk in much of its native range.
Buchu Leaf: A Complex Aroma That Herbalists Are Divided On
We all know some herbs that are good for us but don’t necessarily smell or taste appealing. Sometimes we have to get past an unpleasant smell to get the desired benefits we desire. We asked a few adventurous Mountain Rose Herbs Mercantile staff to take a quick break to smell one of our botanicals with a hard-to-describe aroma! Buchu leaf may not be anyone’s favorite smell, but it has a lot of uses. Around the world, you’ll find it in the perfume industry, as a component in artificial fruit flavors, and in alcoholic beverages, frozen dairy desserts, candy, condiments, and relishes. Buchu leaf can also be combined with other herbs and ingested as a healthful tea or tincture.
Artichoke: An Underutilized Herbal Ally | Featuring Shana Lipner Grover
Shana Lipner Grover takes us along a garden stroll to learn about one of her favorite plants to grow for abundance—artichoke! When we think of artichokes, we think of the delicious flower buds. But did you know that the most abundant part of artichoke plants—the leaves—are an excellent, nourishing bitter that is supportive of the liver? This fantastic plant not only makes a stunning addition to your landscape with its large, impressive leaves and big flower buds, it can also help support healthy liver function and, as a bitter, is helpful for digestion.
Find organic artichoke leaves here: https://mrh.life/ArtichokeLeaf
Shana is a clinical herbalist, health and nutrition educator, and field botanist. She was a student of award-winning author Michael Moore and also one of Mountain Rose Herbs’ favorite herbalists, Howie Brounstein. Today, she is the director and primary educator of Sage Country Herbs School of Botanical Studies in San Diego, CA.
You can learn more about Shana and the Sage Country Herbs School by visiting htpps://www.SageCountryHerbs.com or by following her on Instagram @sagecountryherbs
Why You Should Grow Lemon Balm in Your Garden
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is one of the best herbal allies to grow and form a deep relationship with. Join us as clinical herbalist, field botanist, and nutrition educator, Shana Lipner Grover, shares the uses and benefits of lemon balm, and why sometimes the best medicine is just sitting with the plant. She will also teach us about other plants that pair well with lemon balm and how taking it over time helps us to reap the most benefit.
Shana was a student of award-winning author Michael Moore and also one of Mountain Rose Herbs’ favorite herbalists, Howie Brounstein. Today, she is the director and primary educator of Sage Country Herbs School of Botanical Studies in San Diego, CA.
You can learn more about Shana and the Sage Country Herbs School by visiting htpps://www.SageCountryHerbs.com or by following her on Instagram @sagecountryherbs
