Herbs with Rosalee

Your tongue can tell you more about an herb than you might think.In this episode, I explore one of the most useful skills in herbalism: learning to listen to the language of taste. The five flavors—bitter, sweet, pungent, salty, and sour—each have so much information to offer about a plant’s qualities and actions in your body, giving you a practical way to understand herbs (instead of trying to memorize endless lists of which herbs are “good for” which conditions).I’ll guide you through these five flavors as we take a walk through...

I once heard from a woman who had been studying herbs for two years and had gathered an entire cabinet full of them. But when her mom caught a cold, she stood in her kitchen with the kettle on and couldn’t bring herself to make her a cup of tea.She was afraid she might get it wrong.If you’ve ever felt that way, I want you to know that your caution isn’t a problem. In fact, I think it’s the exact instinct a good herbalist is built on.In this...

Plantain was the first herb I ever learned, almost twenty years ago, and it still amazes me. It grows in sidewalk cracks, driveways, trails, and other disturbed places, which makes it incredibly easy to overlook.But once you understand plantain through the lens of herbal energetics, this humble plant starts to look very different.In this episode, I’m busting three common myths about plantain and showing you how its cooling and moistening qualities connect its many uses.► Why calling plantain “just a weed” misses the incredible herbal ally that may be growing right at...

Rosemary is probably best known as a culinary herb, but there’s so much more to this familiar plant. Once you understand its warming, stimulating energetics, many of rosemary’s seemingly unrelated uses start to make sense.In this short episode, I’m sharing three surprising ways to work with rosemary as medicine and showing you how herbal energetics can help you understand why a plant works the way it does.► How rosemary’s warming and stimulating qualities can support circulation and help cold hands feel warmer► Why rosemary is known for its impressive a...

Pokeweed is poisonous—but that’s not the whole story. What if knowing how to work with this potent plant could turn fear into respect, and even put a delicious wild green on your dinner table?As many of us learned growing up, poke (Phytolacca americana) is a plant that deserves a healthy amount of caution. It is poisonous, after all! But AC and Isaac Hill have spent years learning how to work with poke as food, medicine, and more, and they joined me in this episode to dispel some of the fear surrounding this generous and abun...

Butterfly pea is beautiful enough to steal the show—but what if its real magic has nothing to do with its color?In this episode, I’m joined by Clarenda Stanley (aka Farmer Cee), who completely changed the way I think about butterfly pea flower (Clitoria ternatea).I’ll admit that before this conversation, I mostly thought of butterfly pea as the plant that turns your tea an incredible cobalt blue. But Cee makes a compelling case for looking beyond the color. She shares why she loves butterfly pea for mood support, nourishment, and as a surp...

There’s something almost impossible to ignore about bee balm (Monarda spp.). Its flowers burst open like fireworks, its aroma is unmistakably spicy, and when you taste it, you can feel its warmth almost immediately. But this is where bee balm gets especially interesting: despite its intense hotness, it can be an excellent herb for actually dispersing heat.In this episode, Ashley Elenbaas and I explore this beautiful contradiction and the many ways it shows up in bee balm’s medicine. We talk about why she keeps dried bee balm right alongside her cooking spices, how a late...

Hibiscus is tart, cooling, beautiful—and so much more than just a refreshing summer drink.Hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa) may be best known as the star ingredient in the tart, ruby-red beverage called jamaica or sorrel, but there is so much more to this beautiful plant! In this episode, Rebecca Fils-Aimé takes us beyond the familiar drink to explore hibiscus as food, medicine, and cultural tradition. Drawing on her Haitian heritage as well as her own herbal studies, Rebecca shares why she loves hibiscus for its cooling, soothing, mucilaginous qualities, how she works with it for cardiovascular and res...

Some herbal blends become such a regular part of my life that I honestly don’t know what I’d do without them. Take Heart Tea is one of those blends.Here, I share a beautiful tea that nourishes both the heart and the nervous system, especially during rough or stressful times.► Why tulsi is the backbone of this blend and how I think about its ability to bring both clarity and steadiness► How hawthorn leaf and flower support not only the physical heart, but the emotional heart too► Why I reach for...

What if a plant we spend so much time pulling off our trees and walls is actually a forgotten medicinal ally?Common ivy (Hedera helix) has a complicated reputation. It’s abundant, beautiful, and deeply woven into the European landscape, yet many people think of it as an invasive to eradicate rather than something to learn from. In this episode, herbalist Luke Ó hErodáin reveals the forgotten medicinal traditions surrounding common ivy and why he believes this plant deserves a second look. He shares how ivy became one of his most trusted lung herbs, the traditional preparations that...

When wildfire smoke fills the air, supporting the lungs is only part of the picture.Here, I share the three-part strategy I use when formulating an herbal tea for smoky days.► Support the lungs. Learn why I turn to plantain, a soothing demulcent herb, to help calm irritated respiratory tissues and why recent clinical research supports its traditional use.► Support the heart. Wildfire smoke has been linked to increased risks of cardiovascular problems through inflammation and oxidative stress. I explain why herbs like hawthorn and linden are part of my approach.► Suppor...

Kava has been praised, feared, celebrated, and misunderstood. So what's the real story behind this remarkable plant?Kava (Piper methysticum) has a reputation that's hard to ignore. Some people swear by it for easing tension and helping them unwind, while others know it only through headlines about safety concerns and controversy. In this episode, herbalist and author Rachelle Robinett joins me to separate fact from fiction and explore why this traditional Pacific Island herb has remained such a beloved ally for thousands of years.Together, we dive into kava's remarkable ability to relax the body...

Could the secret to better digestion be hiding in your compost bin?In this episode, clinical herbalist Heather Luna makes the case for an herb that most of us literally throw away. She reveals why orange peel (Citrus x sinensis) has become one of her favorite everyday herbs—and why it deserves a place in your kitchen instead of your compost.During our conversation, Heather explores many of the overlooked medicinal gifts of orange peel, from supporting digestion and nutrient absorption to nourishing the lungs, cardiovascular system, and microbiome. Along the way, she shares why sh...

What if one medicinal herb could change the way you think about healing—not just in the body, but across entire ecosystems?Pleurisy root (Asclepias tuberosa), also called butterfly weed, is often thought of as a lung herb. But as this conversation with herbalist, farmer, and nurse Linda Shanahan reveals, this brilliant orange wildflower has a much bigger story to tell—one that stretches from monarch butterflies to microbiomes.In this episode, Linda shares the remarkable story of transforming a chemically treated sod farm into a thriving wildlife sanctuary where native plants, pollinators, birds, and bene...

Most of us think of cardamom as a baking spice—but what if it's actually one of the most delightful herbal medicines in your apothecary?Many of us know cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) as the spice that makes chai, pastries, and coffee taste extraordinary. But as Missy Rohs shares in this episode, cardamom is so much more than a delicious ingredient. Together, we explore its gifts as a digestive remedy, aromatic medicine, antimicrobial herb, and even what Unani Tibb medicine calls an exhilarant—an herb that gently lifts the spirit and helps us become more open to joy. As M...

Linden is one of my favorite tree medicines, but it's also surrounded by a few common misconceptions.Here, I unpack three myths that may be keeping you from getting the most out of this remarkable herb.► Why linden is much more than a calming bedtime tea ► Which parts of the tree are traditionally used beyond the flowers ► What research suggests about harvesting linden from urban areasIf you'd like to keep learning about linden, I'd love to share my free Linden Monograph, which also includes one of my favorite summer...

Can one tiny flower soften dry skin, soothe swollen tissues, calm the heart, and even inspire a little everyday magic?Violets may be small, but they have an astonishing amount to offer. In this episode, I sit down with herbalist Lindsey Feldpausch to celebrate one of our shared favorite plants: violet (Viola spp.). Together, we explore why this humble spring flower deserves far more attention—not only for its beauty, but for its remarkable ability to soothe dry tissues, support the lymphatic system, nourish the body, and gently soften both physical and emotional tension.Along th...

What if one of the most helpful herbs for the lungs is one you’ve never heard of?Rabbit tobacco (Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium) may not be the most well-known herb, but according to herbalist Karen Lynn Burr, it deserves a place in every herbal toolkit.In this episode, Karen shares how this native North American plant became one of her most trusted allies after a serious respiratory health crisis—so much that she credits it for saving her life! Along the way, we explore rabbit tobacco's long history of traditional use for supporting the lungs, soothing irri...

What happens when we stop looking at Japanese knotweed as a problem to solve and start looking at it as a teacher?Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) is often used as a go-to herb for Lyme disease, but in this fascinating conversation, herbalist Emily French invites us to see this remarkable plant through a much wider lens. From chronic inflammation and joint pain to menstrual stagnation, skin care, and beyond, Emily shares why knotweed has become one of her most trusted herbal allies—and why reducing it to a single use misses the bigger picture entirely.Al...

Could the tree outside your window become one of your greatest herbal teachers?Living at the edge of the boreal forest, Erica Macrum is surrounded by balsam fir (Abies balsamea), and over the years this fragrant conifer has become one of her closest plant allies. But rather than relying on books, Erica has learned much of what she knows about balsam fir through observation, experimentation, and simply spending time with the tree itself.In this episode, Erica shares her favorite ways to work with balsam fir's resin, needles, and bark, as well as the unexpected...