The Benefits & Uses of Catnip | Featuring Shana Lipner Grover
When we think about catnip, we of course think about cats, right? They can be wildly entertaining when they get their paws on this bountiful herbal ally. Nepeta cataria may make our kitties highly stimulated, but it has the opposite effect on humans; it is a fantastic nervine, a calming, relaxing botanical that is ready to help when we’re stressed or have muscular-skeletal tension, and when we’re menstruating. It’s also an aromatic bitter, so acts as a soothing ally when our gut isn’t happy.
We recently went on a plant walk with our friend Shana Lipner Grover from @SageCountryHerbs to learn more about this gentle herbal ally. Hear what she’s got to say about how this beneficial member of the mint family can be a helpful addition to your apothecary.
Find organic catnip here: https://mountainroseherbs.com/catnip
Grow your own herb garden: https://mountainroseherbs.com/catalog…
Shana is a clinical herbalist, health and nutrition educator, and field botanist. She was a student of award-winning herbalist 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
Oregano & St. John’s Wort Plant Walk | Featuring Shana Lipner Grover
This podcast episode is a combination of two plant profiles from a pre-recorded garden plant walk with clinical herbalist, field botanist, and nutrition educator, Shana Lipner Grover. Shana introduces us to two common and abundant garden plants: oregano and St. John’s wort. Shana teaches us how we can make functional medicine from the culinary and medicinal herbs that grow so easily outside our front (or back) doors.
The Benefits & Uses of St. John’s Wort | Featuring Shana Lipner Grover
We recently had an opportunity to take a walk in nature with our friend Shana Lipner Grover of Sage Country Herbs, where we had a conversation about St. John’s wort. This amazing, weedy herbal ally loves disturbed soil—so we often see it here in Western Oregon in areas that have been logged, with washes of beautiful yellow flowers shining along hillsides. Although St. John’s wort has been lauded for its uplifting nature in aiding with depression, that is not its original claim to fame. It is a calming herb with a direct relationship to the nervous system and also helps our bodies to do the hard work of cellular regeneration, so is often used in blends to address pain from dental issues, mild cuts and scrapes, nerve problems, and liver toxicity. It’s also a good ally to have around when we struggle with seasonal affective disorder, because those sunny yellow flowers carry the energetics of uplifting summer days. Listen in to learn more about this vibrant, supportive botanical!
Shana is a clinical herbalist, health and nutrition educator, and field botanist. She was a student of award-winning herbalist 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.
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.
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
