John Gallagher: You are listening to HerbMentor Radio by Learning Herbs, I'm John Gallagher.
Tara Ruth: And I'm Tara Ruth. So usually we interview a special guest on the pod, but today to bring in the new year we're actually just going to talk the two of us.
John Gallagher: Really, there's nobody here?
Tara Ruth: Nobody else here.
John Gallagher: Oh my gosh, nobody is here but you and I.
Tara Ruth: So fun.
John Gallagher: I mean, in how many years of many years of HerbMentor Radio, we've never not had a guest, so this is kind of new. So what are we talking about then today?
Tara Ruth: Great question. Basically we're thinking about with bringing in the new year, it's this time of year where there's so much pressure to have New Year's resolutions, and go, go, go.
John Gallagher: Oh gosh, so much pressure. Do I have to come up with one of those?
Tara Ruth: No, don't worry, that's part of the pod today, don't worry.
John Gallagher: Okay, thank goodness.
Tara Ruth: Yeah. But it's a lot of pressure, to just hit the ground running right after the holiday season. And we were like, "What would feel nice for our nervous systems in this moment?" And I just started thinking a lot about how much herbs have really supported me during this time of year, and to really help me drop into living in tune with the seasons, and how winter actually really asks of us to rest, and to be still, and to be in this moment of pause rather than going and going onto the next New Year's resolution. So I have a few little tips for us for grounding into the winter season, for supporting our nervous systems, and then how we can start to think about how we want to plan our year ahead from this really nourished state, abundant state.
John Gallagher: Well, that sounds awesome. And also I always find it interesting that when you talk to these herbalist and natural health people, are always like, "Rest in the winter." And what do we do in the darkest time of the year during December? We amp it up, and then we make these resolutions, like you said, and then we get disappointed in ourselves about two weeks later, and then it's February.
Tara Ruth: Yeah, onto Valentine's Day.
John Gallagher: Then it's onto spring. So yes, herbs. So what are your go-to herbs and practices during this time of year, Tara?
Tara Ruth: I'm so glad you asked, John. Well, one of the things I've been really working with lately is just doing a simple tea with oat straw, and hawthorn, and cardamom and cinnamon. And it's so funny, a little while ago I mentioned this recipe in passing on an HerbMentor newsletter, and then all these people emailed me about it. And I didn't think that much of it, because I was like, "Oh, this is what I do all the time when it's cold out, and when I want to nourish myself." So yeah, I thought it would be really sweet to share that with our listeners.
John Gallagher: And I remember when I first started learning about herbs over 20 something years ago, that the whole concept of thinking about the seasons, and the energy and that, was foreign, let alone that you could sort of plug in different herbs different times of year. So I think this is awesome that you put this together for us here today.
Tara Ruth: Absolutely. Yeah, I feel like there's just so much pressure to be in a constant state of outward expansion and productivity, and just going and going. And just like you're saying, I especially notice it this time of year when winter's like, "Hey, now it's time to chill." And then we have all this New Year's resolution energy. So with herbs I'm really thinking about it this time of year, so I'm looking at the seasons. I'm like, "Okay, it's cold out, and the weather is a little bit drying, and I'm feeling a little bit depleted, what would be really nice for me at this time of year?" And I think about...
John Gallagher: Oh, you're like, "The weather's just drying where you are, it's 97% humidity up in the North West." Still cold though. But it's drying inside the house, because wood stove, the heats on.
Tara Ruth: Yes, good point. So yeah, I really think about nourishing and warming the body. So this first tea blend that I have with oat straw, and hawthorn, and cardamom and cinnamon, is just this beautiful mixture of really nourishing herbs. Like oat straw, which are particularly nourishing for the nervous system, and our nervous tissue. And I think of oat straw for the person who's like, "I feel really burnt out, my nerves feel fried." All of these sayings that we have around fire and dryness, and the oats just come in and really help moisturize and nourish our tissues. And they taste really good too, oh my gosh.
John Gallagher: So how do we make this tea?
Tara Ruth: Great question, I'm so glad you asked.
John Gallagher: Well, I mean everyone's thinking it. You can't talk about it and not tell us how to make it, come on.
Tara Ruth: I know right, like I did on that newsletter. I was like, "Yeah, by the way, I like to make this... Onto the next thing." I know, everyone was like, "You left us hanging."
John Gallagher: It's all on purpose.
Tara Ruth: Yes, totally, the long game. But yeah, so I have the recipe that I was going to share in a little blog post later, but I basically add a handful of oat straw, a small handful of either dry or fresh hawthorn berries, and then a pinch of cardamom, and a pinch of cinnamon both in the powdered form. And I just put that in a pot of water and I simmer it for about 15 minutes, and then once it's done simmering I strain it and I drink it warm or cold, either works. But I especially like it warming during this time of year, and it's just so good to share with friends too. Because I don't know about you, but sometimes there are those medicinal teas that I drink, and I'm like, "This doesn't really taste that good, but I will drink it to really help my body." But this one is like, "Oh, I actually really want to drink this, it tastes delicious."
John Gallagher: And I like how you're measuring in handfuls and pinches. So this all depends on your hand size, but it all probably is correlated to your body size, so it's all good. And that's a good way to think too. I mean, you do this and you get a sense of... It's like cooking, dash of this, dash of that, and you experiment. So maybe you made it with a pinch and a small handful, and you're like, "That's way too much cardamom." Well, next time put a little less in and you'll get a sense of that herb, remember everyone's learning about all these herbs as we're using them.
Tara Ruth: For sure, yeah. And that's the nice thing about this recipe too, is that these herbs are very much almost fortified foods. Even the hawthorn berries, you can eat them as a jam. The oat straw, it comes from the oat plant, and we eat oats all the time, and we add cardamom and cinnamon into our foods. So these are plants where we have a lot of wiggle room to play with our dosage, and we don't have to be scared like, "Oh no, did I have too much oat in my diet today?"
John Gallagher: Right, keep it simple. I was going to ask about tinctures, because sometimes it's nice to reach out for a tincture just for convenience. Let's say I'm out all day, or going away for a couple days, I don't know, there's some herbs that work well in tinctures.
Tara Ruth: For sure, let's dive into tinctures, I would love to. Yeah, so when we talk about tinctures, of course there are so many different herbs out there that we could choose at any time of the year, but one of the ones that I really find myself reaching for during these times where I'm feeling a little bit more tension and stress in my nervous system is blue vervain, are you familiar with blue vervain, John?
John Gallagher: I am now. So Thomas Easley, the awesome herbalist at the Eclectic School of Herbal Medicine, he visited when he recorded the course on HerbMentor, Thomas Easley's Radicle Herbal, which if you haven't listened to all you HerbMentor folks I suggest you listen to, it's awesome. But he was like, "John..." He kind of has this kind of accent, so I'm going to do my best Thomas Easley. No I'm not, it's going to get around, I better not.
Tara Ruth: That's a good impression.
John Gallagher: But he suggested blue vervain, because he met me, hanging out in person. He's like, "That'd be a good herb for you, John." And so yes, I've been taking the tincture and I really like it.
Tara Ruth: Oh nice, I'm one of those people too, who an herbalist has gone up to and been like, "Hey buddy, have you heard of blue vervain?" I was like, "No, what's this plant?"
John Gallagher: So if you have a podcasting tendency, then blue vervain might be for you.
Tara Ruth: Absolutely. Yeah, one of the very first indications actually. And some of the other indications for this herb are what people might describe as the Type A personality, someone who's very driven, someone who holds a lot of their stress in their neck and their shoulders.
John Gallagher: Check, check.
Tara Ruth: Yes, right. And we think about it too with... There's so many different types of anxiety that someone can tend towards, but with blue vervain you particularly think about...
John Gallagher: And I have most of them.
Tara Ruth: Oh my gosh, me too. Wow, we're so blessed. So yeah, with blue vervain the particular thought pattern that's happening, that this plant is indicated for, is when you fixate on one thing and it almost feels like your brain's just in a little hamster wheel, just going and going on that one thought, blue vervain really helps us let go of that one thought, and breathe our shoulders down a little bit further, and just be more present and grounded. And it is so nice for my nervous system.
John Gallagher: So how would I use... So I have my tincture, I have blue vervain tincture, whether I make it, and you can learn to make it, or I pick it up somewhere, am I taking a dropper full a day, or a few a day, or when I feel like I need it? How do you use it?
Tara Ruth: Totally, that's a great question, I take about upwards of two droppers full three times a day. And also since it's so bitter it's a great herb to take 20 minutes before you eat, because as a bitter herb it helps stimulate all of our digestive secretions, and help with any stagnancy that we might be feeling in our digestion, which can also come up during this time of year with all those heavy meals that we're kind of still integrating from the holiday season. So it's a great one, and to also take near bedtime, especially if you're someone who can have those racing thoughts.
John Gallagher: I am the kind of person who never remembers to take anything before a certain time. So I know we always say 20 minutes before this, a half hour... But I just suck at that. I'll remember twice, and then I'll be like, "Oh right." So that must be a good indicator for blue vervain as well.
Tara Ruth: Yes, that's the second indication actually. Yeah, it's one of those things where you don't want taking the tincture to be a cause of anxiety in itself, so if you forget at your meal you can always take it afterwards too, it's no biggie.
John Gallagher: And forgive yourself, that's what we need to do this time of year.
Tara Ruth: Yes, absolutely.
John Gallagher: It's okay, everything's going to be okay.
Tara Ruth: Right. Yes, calling in blue vervain.
John Gallagher: That's what Tara and I are here to tell all of you listening.
Tara Ruth: Right, oh my gosh.
John Gallagher: Yeah, speaking of which there are practices, rituals, mantras, things we could get into, especially rituals and practices. I was just going to say if you have a little time on your hands, but really if you don't have the time in your hands, it's probably a good indicator that it is a good idea to build in a little time, especially in the winter. Because we are so programmed to go, go, go, go, got to get this present, got to go to auntie... I don't know, I'm just going to make up a name, Susie's house for the holidays, and get all the presents ready, and make the pie, and it gets to be a lot.
Tara Ruth: Absolutely, yeah.
John Gallagher: So we're talking winter, this time of year, ritual practices, what do you recommend?
Tara Ruth: For sure. And I just want to say too, even taking a tincture can be a ritual practice for you. If it feels too intimidating to brew up this big cup of tea, or to incorporate herbs in other ways, even taking that tincture, even if you only get to it once a day, that is still in itself a beautiful ritual to engage with. And just one other thing about blue vervain I should say, is that a few contraindications with this plant. So one, we don't want to be taking blue vervain during pregnancy, and then also consumed in excess blue vervain can make you feel a little nauseous, and can induce vomiting. It doesn't do that at the dosages we recommended.
John Gallagher: Okay, now you're starting to sound like that voice at the end of the pharmaceutical commercials.
Tara Ruth: I know, I just have to say though, because as someone who got so excited about blue vervain, I was like, "I'm going to take so much of this." I just went way over the dosage, and I was like, "I feel a little nauseous now." So I don't want anyone else to fall into that excitement with the plant.
John Gallagher: Oh, while we're still on blue vervain, did you write a plant profile on HerbMentor?
Tara Ruth: Yeah, I did. I got to write about blue vervain a few months ago, it was such a treat to really dive in deep with this plant. And I have more information there about dosages, and other uses of this plant, and different ways of preparing it, and so much great stuff about blue vervain.
John Gallagher: And for HerbMentor members, if you're new when you log in on the top right you'll see a tab that says, "Herbs." I think, something like that.
Tara Ruth: Yes, it does.
John Gallagher: And you click on that.
Tara Ruth: We keep it simple, "Herbs."
John Gallagher: We keep it simple. And then you click on the herb. There's the pretty pictures, and then you go in there and everything you need to know is right there. And it's well researched, and a place you can trust, all these herbal monographs, because on the internet you can't always trust everything you read.
Tara Ruth: It's so hard, especially with herbs.
John Gallagher: Except if it's from us, then you can trust it.
Tara Ruth: So true, learningherbs.com.
John Gallagher: There's no subliminal advertising in this podcast.
Tara Ruth: Yes, none at all.
John Gallagher: Everything's going to be okay.
Tara Ruth: Amazing, and that is the winter mantra.
John Gallagher: Oh yeah, we were talking about rituals and things, let's get back to that, or to it.
Tara Ruth: Yes, so if you do happen to have a little more time on your hands, a great winter ritual to engage in, it's something called oilination or body oiling. And it's really popular in Ayurveda, and in other traditions as well. But basically it just entails taking some oil, the oil that you cook with, so I often use sesame oil because that's a little bit warming, it's quality as an oil, which is really nice for me because I run so cold. But a lot of people really love sunflower oil too, because that one is not as thick and a little more easily absorbable. And you just take a little bit of that oil and you just rub it all over your body basically, and you're just really nourishing your tissues, and you're creating a physical barrier between your body and the cold, harsh weather of winter.
John Gallagher: Oh my gosh, I've never done this to myself before.
Tara Ruth: Oh, it feels so amazing.
John Gallagher: I mean, you get a massage, and then there might be oils used on... But that's awesome.
Tara Ruth: Totally, and you can really just give yourself a massage while you're doing it too.
John Gallagher: Great use for all those oils that you made all summer, you made them St. John's wort oil, St. John's wort oil is so amazing, so many uses to it. You can make quarts of it, and then you end up the next year with... So use them in the winter.
Tara Ruth: Yeah, I was going to say St. Johns wort is one of my favorite oils to use during this time of year. I actually will often make my St. Johns wort oil in the summer thinking of winter. Like, "Oh yes, this is going to be the perfect plant to work with during this time of year."
John Gallagher: Well, in these northern latitudes, I don't know about California, but it's blooming around the summer solstice, so we're bringing that sun energy into the winter.
Tara Ruth: Exactly. Yeah, it's really beautiful to work with that one. I've never heard of St. John's wort blooming in the winter, so for most of us we might not have access to this plant right now, and a great one to work with is rosemary or lavender. So you can infuse dried rosemary or lavender into some oil.
John Gallagher: Oh look, listen, it's time for the radiator, the radiator's coming on now. So I'm talking to you from a 135 or 40 year old building with radiators from the early 20th century, and then every once in a while it just starts clanking, it's like someone beating the radiator with a wrench. So if you hear something going on in the background, it's my radiator.
Tara Ruth: It's our guest.
John Gallagher: It's the guest radiator.
Tara Ruth: Yeah, absolutely. We lied at the beginning, we actually do have a special guest.
John Gallagher: It's the radiator. Hey, radiator, how you doing? Well, The thing about the radiator in winter, Tara, is it's very warming.
Tara Ruth: Oh my gosh.
John Gallagher: I recommend everyone have a radiator.
Tara Ruth: Wow. Would you say it's kind of a warming adaptogen, because it's just a great one to just work with over time?
John Gallagher: Yeah, absolutely, and I can dry my socks.
Tara Ruth: Oh great.
John Gallagher: I love that. So we're talking about herbal oiling, which is really cool. But there could be a lot of other rituals such as you could journal, it's a good time for reflection, thinking of meditation, things like that.
Tara Ruth: Yeah, I think about honestly rest, how do you ritualize rest in your life right now? Whether it's having a sweet bedtime routine, or taking a nap, or cozying up on the couch with your favorite book. Just how do we really set our nervous systems into this space of deep restoration during this time?
John Gallagher: And I'm getting better at this, but Kimberly, my amazing wife, for those of you who happened to have met Kimberly on LearningHerbs. All through raising children, they're all grown now, but raising them she was always so good at taking a moment of rest to journal in the morning, or to sit by the fire and read, just take a little time out of the day. And so I always really respect her for that ability.
Tara Ruth: Yeah, totally. I really think about Kimberly as someone who lives in harmony with the seasons in such a beautiful way, really embodies that herbal mindset.
John Gallagher: Yes. Well, she would appreciate that, because she definitely has integrated. I've known her 25 years, and in the beginning she was starting to do that, and now it's so integrated I don't even think she knows she's doing it.
Tara Ruth: Yeah, it's so beautiful.
John Gallagher: I came home yesterday and she was there knitting by the fire.
Tara Ruth: Yes, oh my gosh, so cozy.
John Gallagher: Yeah, exactly. So I love that you're really encouraging us to think seasonally, and how we can use different herbs and remedies at different times of the year to support our health. And I'm wondering if you have any advice on how listeners can incorporate the seasonal mindset into their herbal practice year round.
Tara Ruth: Absolutely. Yeah, I actually just wrote a little guide for all of HerbMentor members.
John Gallagher: Woohoo.
Tara Ruth: Yeah, woohoo. For planning your herbal year ahead, and it gives just a really helpful structure for thinking about each season from an herbalist perspective. And I think one of the best ways to think like an herbalist with the seasons, is to really just think about how a plant's lifecycle works, and just get back to basics. Thinking about a seed hibernating in the winter, gaining enough nourishment during this time so that it can sprout in the spring, and how it really needs that nourishment in order to be able to sprout. And then that sprout in spring grows up tall and flourishes in the summer, and then it fruits in the fall and we harvest it and it goes back into that life cycle of hibernation and re-seeding. And really paying attention to the plants is super instructive for how we want to treat our bodies, and thinking about how each season feeds the next. So by nourishing ourselves right now we can think about how we want to sprout into the spring, and all the beautiful gifts we want to harvest for our years in the fall and in the summer. And so with all of this in mind as an herbalist, I thought it would be helpful for us to think about a few key things for each season, like what we want to be harvesting in each season, what plant allies we want to work with, a few different remedies we want to make, and then some body systems to support. And these are just a few different ways that we can guide ourselves through each season.
John Gallagher: So in nature, you can't imagine plants being healthy and sprouting in the spring if they didn't have the time to rest in the winter, and before that not having the compost of the leaves coming down onto them, and those leaves wouldn't happen if they never leafed. And you can even go backwards, all the way... And so these cycles of nature, I mean, that's the most powerful teaching I think in herbs and herbalism, is really connecting us to nature. And I think that's what one of the greatest gifts was, and that's so important for our health. I studied five element acupuncture, which takes the same kind of seasonal cyclical phases. And it makes me think on... We have an audio course. Hey that's a great thing to do if you're hanging out and it's late summer, we have a great one called The Five Phases. Wait, that's the name, right? I'm losing it.
Tara Ruth: Yes.
John Gallagher: Oh my God, why am I blanking out? Oh my god. Larken is so amazing, and she taught this course. So five phases, the nature of your health. And that's a great one to listen to, to kind of go a little deeper into what we're both talking about here, absolutely. And when I think about the herbal practice year round, I don't know about you, sometimes I think ahead about, what's one plant a season I'd like to learn? Chickweed in the spring, or maybe it's gathering calendula flowers and learning about calendula flowers in the summer, all the way through. And that can just keep it really simple, and go deep into one plant each season.
Tara Ruth: Absolutely. And I think working with these seasons too helps remind us that we don't have to live in scarcity, that we don't have to get everything done this winter, or this one spring. We cycle through the next year, and do it all over again. So we really get this cue from nature to take our time.
John Gallagher: Well, it's a spiral really. And I'm thinking about a circle, I think of the seasons as a circle, but if you look at... In the universe galaxies are in a spiral, DNA is in a spiral. And each year we don't go back to the beginning point, we grow a little, and we go up a level on that spiral, right? And we continue going up.
Tara Ruth: Absolutley.
John Gallagher: So I like that imagery.
Tara Ruth: Yeah, that's so good.
John Gallagher: We should call it The Herbal Spiral.
Tara Ruth: Yes, new course.
John Gallagher: New course, The Herbal Spiral. Yeah, the Herbal Spiral bound notebook, I don't know, something like that. So if we're planning our year ahead on HerbMentor, what's the name of the guide you made, a little article?
Tara Ruth: Yes, it's Planning Your Herbal Year.
John Gallagher: Nice, okay, that's a good title.
Tara Ruth: Keeping it Simple. We have our herbs header for our plant profiles, and our Planning Your Herbal Year.
John Gallagher: Yeah. And it helps folks to also get an idea on how to build or blend Herb... That's a good way of putting it. Blending HerbMentor into your life, because it's not a point A to point B thing. It's, "Hey, we just told you about a monograph you can look up, a plant profile, we talked about a course you can listen to." We talked about St. John's wort oil, maybe that's a plant that you want to put on that seasonal calendar to learn about and collect. I remember that first time I identified St. John's wort, the first time out on a trail, and how rewarding that was like, "Oh, I found it." Starting that relationship, and building relationships, and that's what it's about.
Tara Ruth: Totally.
John Gallagher: So great. And so this is a direction we're going to go here in HerbMentor and HerbMentor Radio, and helping people connect with seasons, and what plants are happening, and to work on. So we'll be doing this for four more seasons in the future, correct?
Tara Ruth: We sure will.
John Gallagher: We sure will. And we'll be doing interviews of course, continuing our interviews.
Tara Ruth: With the radiator.
John Gallagher: With the radiator. Not the radiator, we're going to have guests. And we have something else coming called Herb Notes, which I'm not going to talk what it is exactly yet, but it's a little something we're working on to put on the podcast feed as well for everybody. So we have some exciting plans that we've been sketching up for the next year during this quiet period in the winter.
Tara Ruth: I'm so excited.
John Gallagher: Yeah, absolutely. And so of course we're talking about HerbMentor, anytime if you don't know what that is you can always go to herbmentor.com and read about it. But if you go to herbmentorradio.com, that's what you're listening to right now. I often will have a little deal for our podcast listeners if you're really interested and want to check it out, because it's a dollar to try it for a week, and you can cancel if you don't like it, why not try it out?
Tara Ruth: Absolutely.
John Gallagher: That's what I say. So Tara, you have anything you want to wrap it up with here today in this wintery, seasonal, slow, and down, and relaxing podcast?
Tara Ruth: Yes, I just want to leave us with a reminder that all of these practices that we've talked about here today, they don't just have to happen during the winter, they'll be available to us all year round. So you don't have to stress about accomplishing making this herbal tea by this time, or doing this tincture, or oiling your body by this day, it's all about resting at this time and also having fun. This is just a great opportunity to really bring a little more joy and fun into this season, and I'm excited for all of you to bring more herbs into your life.
John Gallagher: Thank you, Tara, for sharing your wisdom with us today. And thanks everyone for listening, and we'll see you on the next HerbMentor Radio.
Tara Ruth: Yes, thanks everyone.
John Gallagher: Happy Winter. HerbMentor Radio is written and produced by John Gallagher and Tara Ruth, sound engineering by Zack Frank. Visit herbmentorradio.com to subscribe on your favorite podcast app, and for information on how to be part of HerbMentor, your home for herbal education. HerbMentor Radio is a production of learningherbs.com LLC, all rights reserved. Thank you so much for listening.
