HerbMentor Radio

7Song is an herbalist, naturalist, and director of the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine in Ithaca, NY. He is known throughout the herbal community as someone passionate about meeting new plants, someone who loves to help people whereever he travels, and as the “herbal first aid guy.” He has run the first aid tent at the Rainbow Gatherings for years. 7Song is an herbal practitioner and Director of Holistic Medicine at the Ithaca Free Clinic. He also teaches nationwide at herbal conferences and gatherings, as well as the California School of Herbal Studies. In this interview we discuss herbal first aid, go over a case study, and chat a bit about learning plants. You can visit his site at http://www.7song.com

I am truly honored to share with you a mentor that…well, let’s put it this way. There would be no HerbMentor.com without her. Also, I doubt I would be an acupuncturist as well if I had never met EagleSong. EagleSong is not only an extraordinary herbalist and gardener, but also one of the most grounded teachers and mentors you’ll ever meet. She has an eloquent way of sharing her views of health, herbs, sustainable living, gardening, and so much more. EagleSong was the first to teach me how to step back and look at the bigger picture when it comes to health. She has a way of “bringing it all together” and making sense of what can be an overwhelming course of study. Sure I had lots of influential mentors, but when it comes to herbs and health, EagleSong’s guidance became a foundation for me. It is the bedrock that LearningHerbs.com is built on. It is my hope and dream that YOU continue this lineage and one day teach others in your communities about herbs and health. In this Interview, some of what we cover includes… * What gardening and plants can teach us about health * The importance of community herbalism * A VERY unique look at Black Cottonwood EagleSong, CCH is a Community Centered Herbalist who started RavenCroft Garden in the Seattle area in 1991. Though she has been a practicing herbalist for over 30 years, she has also been the chief gardener at the world famous HerbFarm Restaurant as well as the environmental horticulturalist for Willows Lodge, ranked the #12 hotel in the U.S. Visit http://ravencroftgarden.com

James Jungwirth and his family run Naturespirit Herbs, located in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon. They are harvesters of edible and medicinal wild seaweed, herbs and mushrooms. They are also clinical herbalists and producers of high quality herbal medicines. I met James at the Northwest Herbfest in Oregon last summer. I was immedietly drawn to his table, which was filled with the most beutifully harvested sea vegetables I have ever seen. If you have ever ordered kelp or other seaweed from Mountain Rose Herbs, there is a good chance you have purchased their handy work. I FINALLY caught up with James to ask him some questions about sea vegetables. We cover medicinal and edible uses, as well tips on harvesting. There is PLENTY of useful information even if you do not live near an ocean with cleaner waters for harvesting. I made sure our conversation was mostly geared towards folks who would not be harvesting their own. Visit http://naturespiritherbs.com

Kiva Rose is an herbalist in the Anima Medicine Woman Tradition. She teaches and practices down to earth herbalism, nutrition and healing based on the same principles our ancestors followed within an adaptive and contemporary context. Kiva is the author of The Medicine Woman’s Herbal, an in depth guide to common nourishing herbs, traditional and wild foods, and healing the Medicine Woman way. She makes her home in the Mogollon Mountains of the Gila bioregion of New Mexico, where she and her partners, Wolf and Loba, live in a small off the grid cabin at the Anima Botanical and Women’s Sanctuary. Visit http://bearmedicineherbals.com

Maria Atwood, CNHP is a Certified Natural Health Professional, and has produced a DVD called Cook Your Way to Wellness. Her focus is on fermented foods and nourishment, in the tradition of our ancestors, the Weston Price Foundation and Sally Fallon. Sally Fallon is author of the celebrated book Nourishing Traditions, who said Maria’s dvd is "A great companion to Nourishing Traditions! Perfect for beginners new to Nourishing Traditions principles." In this interview, Maria and I talk about the origins of this traditional style of nutrition, why it’s so good for us, as well as some ideas on how to bring it into your life. We discuss kefir, beet kvass, bone broth, fermented vegetables such as sauerkraut, how to eat well on a budget, and where to begin. We also answer questions gathered from HerbMentor.com members, which includes weight loss in relation to this style of eating. You can check out Maria’s DVD and lots more at http://TraditionalCook.com

RIcho Cech is a village herbalist, conservationist, and expert on making herbal extracts. For many years he was a developer at HerbPharm. He and his wife Mayche are owners of Horizon Herbs, an organic medicinal herb seed company based in Williams, Oregon. Their mission is to sow seeds worldwide for the benefit of people plants and the planet. Richo is author of the books Making Plant Medicine and Growing At-Risk Medicinal Herbs. His Horizon Herbs catalog is well known not only for its variety of hard to find extracts and seeds, but also as a treasure trove of information. In this interview we discuss not only the basics of herb gardening, but also answer some excellent questions from HerbMentor.com members. Of course, Richo infuses his amazing insights on working with herbs. Also, Richo and I talk a bit about comfrey. And as you might expect, another knowledgeable and wise herbalist with yet another varying opinion. :)

Stephen Harrod Buhner is an Earth poet and the award-winning author often books on nature, indigenous cultures, the environment, and herbal medicine. He comes from a long line of healers including Leroy Burney, Surgeon General of the United States under Eisenhower and Kennedy, and Elizabeth Lusterheide, a midwife and herbalist who worked in rural Indiana in the early nineteenth century. The greatest influence on his work, however, has been his great-grandfather C.G. Harrod who primarily used botanical medicines, also in rural Indiana, when he began his work as a physician in 1911. Stephen’s work has appeared or been profiled in publications throughout North America and Europe including Common Boundary, Apotheosis, Shaman’s Drum, The New York Times, CNN, and Good Morning America. He has spoken at colleges and conference around thw world, including the United Nations. Stephen’s books include: * Herbal Antibiotics: Natural Alternatives for Treating Drug-Resistant Bacteria * Healing Lyme: Natural Healing & Prevention of Lyme Borreliosis and its Coinfections * The Lost Language of Plants: The Ecological Importance of Plant Medicines for Life on Earth * Sacred Plant Medicine: The Wisdom in Native America Herbalism * Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation * The Secret Teachings of Plants: The Intelligence of the Heart in the Direct Perception of Nature * The Natural Testosterone Plant: For Sexual Health and Energy * Herbs for Hepatitis C and the Liver …and more Stephen and I started our conversation around old time doctors and kitchen medicine, exploring herbs like ginger, cayenne, and even honey. Then, as I expected and hoped for, Stephen went in some interesting directions. So, though he talks about the effects of accidentally breathing dust from Western Skunk Cabbage, and ingesting some well known toxic plants such as Poison Hemlock…well, I would ask you stay away from using those plants internally. Stephen does offer some amazing gems of information, and you never know when he is going to drop one of them on you. However, there is gold in the overall message he is trying to say. Try to stay in the space of looking at the larger picture of the conversation. Visit http://www.gaianstudies.org

"Wildman" Steve Brill is known as America’s Best Known Forager. His 1986 arrest in Central Park made international headlines and set his career as an environmental educator in motion. Wildman has appeared on every news channel as well as David Letterman and many other talk shows. His books include Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (and Not-So-Wild) Places and The Wild Vegetarian Cookbook. Visit http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com

Tammi Hartung, M.H., is a medical herbalist, certified organic grower, and consultant to the Natural Products Industry. She has taught at the Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies, the School of Natural Medicine, and has lectured internationally. Tammi and her husband Chris own and operate Desert Canyon Farm in Colorado, where they grow over 175 medicinal, rare, and native plants. Tammi is author of Growing 101 Herbs That Heal: Gardening Techinques, Recipes, and Remedies.

Susun Weed returns to answer questions about the Seven Rivers of Healing course submitted by HerbMentor members. Using the seven rivers for chronic conditions, an in depth case study, the comfrey controversy, and some other topics that brought on some lively conversation. Whether you have listened to the Seven Rivers course or not, this is not an episode to be missed.