John Gallagher: We decided actually Juliet, this is no longer HerbMentor Radio. This is the first episode of Herb Mentor Rodeo and-
Juliet Blankespoor: Oh.
John Gallagher: ... Yeah, it's a whole new thing. We're going to a Western theme.
Juliet Blankespoor: Awesome. All right, I'm saddling up.
John Gallagher: You are listening to HerbMentor Radio by LearningHerbs. I'm John Gallagher.
Tara Ruth: And I'm Tara Ruth. Today we're chatting with Juliet Blankespoor. Juliet is a card carrying plant geek who channels her plant obsessions through writing, photography and herb gardening. She's been sharing her passion for plants for over 25 years and founded the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine in 2007. Juliet has steered the school's focus towards bioregional herbalism from its onset and is now shepherding it towards holistic herbalism and social justice. Her new book, The Healing Garden: Cultivating and Handcrafting Herbal Remedies is a detailed herbal reference, decadent cookbook and garden manual all in one. You can visit [email protected].
John Gallagher: Juliet, welcome and thanks for joining us today.
Juliet Blankespoor: Oh, it's so good to be here. I'm just thrilled to be talking with the two of you today.
John Gallagher: Oh, thank you.
Juliet Blankespoor: And this is my first podcast ever, so-
John Gallagher: What?
Tara Ruth: What?
John Gallagher: What an honor.
Juliet Blankespoor: ... it's really awesome to be sharing that with y'all.
John Gallagher: Aw, thank you.
Tara Ruth: Oh my gosh.
John Gallagher: This is an honor. This is amazing. Thank you for choosing us.
Tara Ruth: Yes. I'm so excited to get to talk to you.
Juliet Blankespoor: For a reason, yes.
John Gallagher: So this is your first rodeo, the Herb Mentor Rodeo?
Juliet Blankespoor: Yes, it is.
John Gallagher: So Julia, when I think about your herbal path, you have your degree in botany, the schools you've attended, several schools, the many businesses you've run, I can't help wonder what initially drew you to healing herbs?
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah. So that really goes back to when I was 12 and I contracted mono, like a lot of young people do when they first start kissing. And so I got a really bad case and I was really sick, really tired, missed a ton of school. My dad took me to the doctor and the doctor was like, "Oh, there's nothing we can do." And I thought, I was just at the time I was reading Clan of the Cave Bear, that had just come out and that was the first time I had been exposed to the idea of plant medicine and herbs. And I thought, "I think there's always something you can do to give ease." I was introduced to the idea in that book and also a couple other books I had read about old time Appalachia and how people used plants for medicine.
Juliet Blankespoor: But just in my gut, I just knew, okay, there's some kind of food or herb that could give ease. But that was in the 80s. And back then it was go to the library and find information was the only way. So I didn't really know how to take action on that. But that sort of played at the seed actually. And it was kind of the whole edifice of the grown up world of adults really knowing what was happening and being in charge, sort of all crumbled for me at once at that time. Even just my feelings about government and education. Sort of, I was like, "Oh, these big people don't really necessarily have it figured out."
Juliet Blankespoor: And then when I was in college and Florida, I was studying languages and that, I think that was sort of like my path by default because it's languages and words come really easy to me and I was fluent in French from being an exchange student in high school. So I sort of fell into that, but was having an awakening at that time around environmentalism and just what I wanted for my life in the future and how I felt about the earth. And I was actually having a psychedelic journey and I had a dragonfly come up to me and tell me in no uncertain terms that I was to study plants. I've never had such a strong message since, and I just-
John Gallagher: Wow.
Juliet Blankespoor: ... Yeah, just decided to follow it. I went to college the next day and I was like, "Okay." I was like, "What do I have to do to study botany?" And they're like, "You have to take calculus and physics." And I was disheartened, sort of had my head between my knees. But I was under this beautiful grove of creep Myrtle trees, and they have, if anyone has seen them, they have the most beautiful bark. It's just so beautifully textured and sensual. And I just, I just looked at those crapemyrtles and they just really, I had another really strong message. They said, "Okay, you have to do it. Whether or not you want to do physics or calculus, this is your path. And yeah. So that's what got me started a dragonfly and the crapemyrtles and mono.
Tara Ruth: Wow. And so once you started studying botany, were you approaching it from this herbalist lens or were you just kind of diving into it, just trying to be a sponge and soak up as much plant information as possible?
Juliet Blankespoor: Well, the message that I got was to study plants and not necessarily herbalism or herbal medicine. And so I was very interested in herbalism, but my path really started with a love of plants, like so many herbalist. I think a lot of us come into the craft either through a health scare concern or just being interested in natural medicine. But a lot of us come in through the plants and I was definitely one of those. And so my teachers, my professors, this is in the 80s, they didn't really know anything about herbal medicine. So it was really kind of until I found the first herbalist, it was really up to me to put the pieces together.
Juliet Blankespoor: So I would learn, okay, this is bayberry, this is Myrica cerifera, that was it's scientific name then. And then I would go home and I would re... I mean, I really had two or three herb books. It was not easy to get books back then. And I would learn what is bayberry good for and then just figure out how to harvest it and start using it. And that was all until I found a teacher. Now I do want to say for the newcomers out there that you don't want to just experiment with unknown plants, that this was really like, these were plants that I knew for sure of their identity. But yeah, that was kind of how I got it started until I found my first teachers.
Tara Ruth: Wow.
John Gallagher: And until you found the first teachers, it was more just like, "I'm really interested in plants, I'm going outside." Were you journaling making or an or barium? What were you doing in the field to learn? Just going out with field guides and just spending time? What did that look like?
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah, so I, in the early days kept these really detailed plant journals and I would draw the new plants I met and then also kind of how to keep track of them. Especially, because I didn't grow up knowing plants, I think this is a really good thing to remember for anyone that's coming into herbalism or is new to plants, it can be a little overwhelming and the plants can feel really hard to keep track of. And I just remember that kind of frustration. And so the journaling really helped me to keep track of plants and also seasonality. And then I would write down information about plants.
Juliet Blankespoor: And I would also do that on like, if I was making medicine. I learned how to make medicine mostly from books and just from doing it. And I did have a mentor who I worked for, Gloria Starita, and I helped her grow herbs and shiitake logs. And she had a herbal business and she really encouraged me to get going on starting my first herbal business. But so I would write on the jars of dried herbs, what the herbs were good for. I would write on the tincture labels. And also I love flashcards. And you know, that's pre-cellphone, so in all those little random moments that we all have, and we had back then plenty, I would just pull out my flashcards. And so-
Tara Ruth: Oh my gosh, you guys.
John Gallagher: What did you put on the flashcards? What'd you put on the flash-
Juliet Blankespoor: .... I would put herbal actions. I would put plants. I would put the name of plants and then what they're used for. That's how I learned scientific names, plant families. So things like that.
Tara Ruth: So, cool. Gosh, you did say you were a card carrying plant geek, so.
Juliet Blankespoor: Yes, I was. This is a good trick if you're into flashcards. You go up to an unsuspecting friend or family member and you're like, "Do you want to play cards?" They're like, "Yeah." Then you pull out your flashcards.
Tara Ruth: Got them.
John Gallagher: ... I'm just amazed that you were making the remedies from the books. I remember in the early 90s getting, I think maybe New Holistic Herbal.
Juliet Blankespoor: Yes.
John Gallagher: But there was another one too, I had. And one of them had really pretty pictures and I'm going through it and I loved the pictures, but I could never get myself to make the remedy. I didn't know anybody who did this and I just didn't know if I could trust it or exactly how to do it. I just had too many... So crossing that bridge, it took me meeting a teacher at a conference to show me. That's how I learn. But that's very brave of you to dive in and just being like, "I'm going to make the"... Did they work, the remedies you gained from the books?
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah. I mean, and I think John, that's probably a more sensible approach. I think I was just very, I just was really determined and just really wanted to learn. And I really couldn't find a teacher in my area where I was in Gainesville, Florida. Back then to even find a herb school, Paul Bergner, you could send him a self-addressed stamped envelope, which I bet a lot of your young listeners won't even know what that was, but-
John Gallagher: Tara definitely doesn't.
Juliet Blankespoor: ... So you would address an envelope to yourself, put a stamp on it. You would send a dollar, a physical dollar in the mail to Paul Bergner and he would send you a list of herb schools and their phone numbers and addresses?
Tara Ruth: Oh my gosh, that's incredible.
John Gallagher: I still do that with Paul. I'm always sending him dollars in the mail. I mean, I saw him at a conference last year and he was like, "John, why do you keep sending me a dollar in an envelope?" I'm like, "Juliet said it was a good idea."
Juliet Blankespoor: Well, I just really appreciated that service that he was offering.
John Gallagher: [crosstalk 00:12:11].
Juliet Blankespoor: But yeah, I mean, it just, I think that those first medicines I made, they were potent. I mean, they were especially, because the herbs that I dried, they were homegrown or gathered, and so they were really potent. I mean, I didn't even really figure out that you could just order herbs until much later in my journey. And I was just like, "What? And they just come to your door?" So they-
John Gallagher: Wow. Were you harvesting them in Florida, when you were there at Gainesville?
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah. Uh-hu (affirmative).
John Gallagher: Wow. What were a couple that you liked harvesting? What was kind of your first?
Juliet Blankespoor: Like bayberry, the root bark of bayberry. And that was really cool to discover that roots head bark. Monarda, there's a Monarda punctata spotted horse mint that grows wild throughout Florida. It's related to bee balm or wild bergamot that's really like a very spicy bee balm. And then chickweed and cleavers grow down there, saw palmetto. And then just pine tops and passion flower, honey suckle. There's a ton of Lonicera japonica so I learned about using that and used that a lot in medicine. And I started out making folkloric tinctures. And now, when I finally went to herb school, 7Song, I learned how to make a weight to volume tincture.
John Gallagher: Oh, that must have been something. So you went first to like was 7Song, one of your first mentors that you met?
Juliet Blankespoor: He's my first teacher. Yeah.
John Gallagher: Oh my gosh. What a great first teacher.
Juliet Blankespoor: Oh. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So I met him at Rainbow Gatherings. And he-
Tara Ruth: Oh, awesome.
John Gallagher: Wow.
Juliet Blankespoor: ... Yeah. I first met him, I had this really fun boyfriend and he had gotten cut. Oh, we got lost in the woods. And he had gotten some cuts and 7Song treated him. And I just remember how funny he was. And also then, I already had my tincture business when I met him and had my botany degree. But 7Song who doesn't even have, he doesn't have a high school degree. He has a GED. But for those of you don't have formal education, you don't need a formal education to really go deep with the plants and herbal medicine. So 7Song knew way more about plants and botany than I did. And he was so funny. And so, I just picked him as my first teacher and I'm so glad I.
John Gallagher: He made me go to a Rainbow Gathering once and we were recording of course and it was amazing. And you're right, pretty much 90% of the people had foot injuries that were coming in, because they're running around barefoot in Northwest forest.
Tara Ruth: That'll do it.
John Gallagher: And that was such a fascinating experience. Yeah, that was amazing to learn in that environment. So that's very cool.
Tara Ruth: Juliet, I'm curious, you're talking about some of these plants that you were harvesting and you also mentioned that you were gardening and growing some of these plants. And I'm wondering, how did you get into gardening? Was that something that started in your family from a young age or did that really flourish as you went your botany path?
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah. I wish I could say that it started with my parents, but it didn't. My grandpa was like a backyard, he was like a homesteader. He was a banker in New York City, but he had a little farm in Long Island and raised chickens and ducks and all kinds of food. And he really tried to get me into plants. But it didn't work. I wanted nothing to do with gardening. I mean, when they paid me, I would go out there, but they had to bribe me or pay me.
Tara Ruth: Incredible.
Juliet Blankespoor: And yeah, now my daughter's the same with me. And my dad is really into gardening too. He's got a beautiful landscape and then his family, they're farmers. They're Dutch farmers. And we're they were farmers in Iowa. So I did not come to it honestly. And so it is really around the same time, the awakening that I decided, I really wanted to learn how to garden. And I met a bunch of young people in college who were into organic gardening and plants. And I just was like, "How do I start a garden?" And my friend had a shovel and she showed me the compost pile and the compost that was finished. And she was like, "And you need to put some manure in there too and some lime." And I was like, "Okay." And I just literally did it. I made this circle garden in our backyard, in the funniest spot. And that garden was such a flop.
Juliet Blankespoor: I mean, it was like, I don't think I harvested anything from it. But weirdly enough in my mind, I was like, "I'm a gardener now." And I think the fear of failure can be so much worse than actually failing at something. And it's like, once I failed, I gave myself permission to keep trying and learning. And then I did, I took, there was, I can't believe it in 1990, there was an organic gardening class at the University of Florida, so I took that. And wow, I learned so much in that class. And then I met my then partner and he had grown up farming and gardening in Virginia and he taught me a lot. And then I just learned through doing, through trial and error and the other people who taught me.
John Gallagher: Did you, like when you were starting that garden, were you trying to start small or did you have this giant vision? Like I'm going to make this big herb garden.
Juliet Blankespoor: No, I don't think I had a super big vision. That garden wasn't very big, but the next garden that I had that was somewhere where I lived for many years and that was actually, it was in an established area. And it was in a community house, so we all shared the responsibilities. But that is one thing. I think that is a recipe for success is starting small, so that you don't get overwhelmed and that you can just have some initial successes. It's easier with a smaller garden.
John Gallagher: So then since we're talking about gardening, your new book, The Healing Garden: Cultivating and Handcrafting Herbal Remedies. Did the inspiration to write a book based on gardening come from maybe finding that this is a great way for people to start learning about plants or what inspired you to write the book?
Juliet Blankespoor: I think I really wanted to write the book that I didn't find when I was first starting out. And I have so many great herb books that have helped me along the way, and herb gardening books too. But I kind of just wanted them all in one. And I really do think a great place to start on your herbalism journey is with direct relationships with the plants themselves. And gardening is just one of the best ways to do that, to know that your medicine is really, comes from high quality herbs. And if you're making the medicine and paying attention, you can make really high quality medicine. And it's also, I think it's just a way to connect with the earth and the seasons and the plants and deepen your relationship and sense of place. And definitely now more than ever, we really need that medicine of connection to the earth and to the plants and the elements and the seasons.
John Gallagher: So we're listening to Juliet here. We're talking about gardening and it makes me think of this little course that we have on Herb Mentor called Cultivating Wellness.
Tara Ruth: Mm. Such a good one.
John Gallagher: Yeah. And so if you're an HerbMentor member and you're inspired by this episode, definitely pick up a copy of Juliet's book, Healing Garden, for sure. And this little course that we have there leads you through, has a garden plan, and you can through a permaculture perspective, grow your first 13 healing herbs. And there's a whole list right there, so I think it'd be a good companion to Juliet's amazing work here.
Tara Ruth: Absolutely. Yeah. It's so clear and it just takes you through step by step, so it's really great for beginners, but also if you're more intermediate or advanced and you just want to brush up on your skills.
John Gallagher: And of course, since you're on Herb Mentor, if you're growing Calendula and learn a little bit more about that, you can go to the plant profiles. If you're having a question along the way like, "Oh my gosh, there're aphids." Or, "Oh the leaves are yellowing on my plant." Go over to the forum, ask, ask people, ask questions and see if anyone else out there shares your challenges.
Tara Ruth: I'm totally going to do that for my Calendula plant. The leaves, they keep getting that white powdery mildew. I need to see if anyone has any advice, so that's a great point.
John Gallagher: Well, it's all in the soil and the health of the soil. That's what it comes down to.
Tara Ruth: Ah, this is true.
John Gallagher: Yeah. Yeah. And so cultivating wellness helps you with that. And so all you have to do, if you're interested in that, and while you're there at this little website, I'm going to give you can also subscribe to HerbMentor Radio. Just go to herbmentorradio.com, put it in your browser, get subscribe to this on your podcasty feed thing. And then you could your favorite one-
Tara Ruth: Technical term.
John Gallagher: ... Yep. And then you might find yourself with a little special offer to join us on Herb Mentor. And it's like a dollar to try and you can cancel any time, no risk. So it's your home, it's your home for herbal education. So, all right.
Tara Ruth: You talking about all of this makes me think about, you're just saying, when you were starting your garden, you started small. And even though it was a flop, you just kept going, which is awesome. And I'm curious for folks who are just starting out, do you have any other tips besides starting small and how they can really get their hands in the soil and start their own garden?
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah. I think the first thing is to know what grows well in your area. So if you live in an arid climate, the herbs that are going to grow well for you are going to be different than if you live in a really cold temperate climate or a moist subtropical climate. So finding out what grows well in your area. And one of the best ways to do that is just to go to your local farmer's market and if there's anyone that sells herbs, like herb starts or even cut culinary herbs and just asking them, what herbs do best in our area. And also other growers. If you're on Facebook, there's a lot of plant groups on Facebook. So you can join that and meet other local growers and ask them.
Juliet Blankespoor: So that's the first thing finding out which plants do well in your area. And then I would say just to pick five of those and start with five and to go to your plants every day, especially if you don't have a green thumb or you're just getting started. When I first started growing herbs, I only grew catnip and borage and echinacea. And I just would go to those plants every day and look at them, and observe them. And I, think that's really how you get a green thumb. Is just by paying attention to your plants. And if something doesn't look quite right, figuring it out, why they don't look healthy or vital or what you need to do.
Juliet Blankespoor: So that would be my suggestion. And if you buy my book, The Healing Garden, it comes with these online bonuses in the healing garden gateways where you can sign up. And we have these regional herb gardening profiles, and they're written by the country's some of the leading herb gardening experts and they list the best herbs to grow in each bio region. So subtropical, arid, climates, Pacific Northwest. So that's a great bonus if you buy the book, but you can also, I've got a ton of herb gardening resources on my blog Castanea. That's another place to look. And then also seen if your extension office, your agricultural extension office, or your master gardeners in your region, ha they might have some information for you to find out which are the best plants for your area.
John Gallagher: So Juliet, when there's some, some folks like I remember one time when I, when I was living in an apartment, when my kids were little, we had some containers outside and the only place I could grow anything, luckily it was kind of south and west facing. So we could take some of our herbs with us between properties that we were on. And so, you don't need a P lot of land. You can do container gardening or maybe you have a little bit of land. So what are, let's say five, easy to grow herbs? Because you mentioned five before. Four container gardening. Let's say that would work in that scenario and maybe a little bit about why or about that herb?
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah, that's a great question. So Calendula is a great one to grow in containers. And the British call it pot marigold, and that's in reference to it easily growing in pots. So that's one that I like to mix. I'll mix with chives or Swiss chard. Mix it with a bunch of different plants. So Calendula is super easy to grow and you can harvest the fresh flowers all throughout the summer. If you keep harvesting them, it will keep producing. That's the secret to getting a good harvest from Calendula. If you miss harvesting the flowers for a week or a couple days, go ahead and deadhead the seed pods that are developing so that it does produce fresh flowers. And then you can use what most people call the pets. They're really ray florets, but the yellow petal looking structures. You can sprinkle those on salads and cakes and there's just no end to what you can do with that beautiful sun shinny confetti.
Juliet Blankespoor: And then you could pick the whole flower head and dry those and use those in your salves and creams, herbal salves and creams. And I infuse it into jojoba oil to make facial serums. So just a lovely anti-inflammatory and wound healer and antimicrobial herb. So that would be the first one. And then Spilanthes or Paracress is another herb that grows well in containers. And that one sort of likes to cascade off the side of a container, so you can plant it in a hanging basket. Or for instance, right now I have a really large one of those big box planters that stand up and I plant it on the outside of the box so it can cascade over the edge. And Spilanthe is just a great herb to grow. Really fun one to make medicine out of. And I use it as an immune stimulant and anti-inflammatory, and I'm sure y'all have tasted it-
John Gallagher: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Tara Ruth: Yes.
Juliet Blankespoor: ... and know how tingly it is. Yeah. And that's one that you can harvest repeatedly throughout the growing season. So you can really get a lot of medicine from just a few plants. I would say maybe three plants could give you a quart of tincture or more. And you get to harvest the medicine the first year you grow it, because we grow it as an annual. It's a perennial plant, but most people in North America grow it as an annual. And then I would say, Holy Basil is another one that a lot of people like to grow in containers and does really well in containers. Depending on the variety that you plant, some of them get really big, like Vana, Tulsi, Holy Basil. But Holy Basil, really easy to grow. Just pinch it back in the beginning when it's growing so it doesn't put its into flowering and instead focuses on leaf production.
Juliet Blankespoor: And that one, you can dry the leaves. You can make tincture out of it. You can make pesto out of it. I have a recipe in my book for a basilicious pesto that has different kinds of basil and Holy basal in it. Yeah, I think a lot of your listeners are probably familiar with the medicinal uses of Tulsi. But it's just a really, a lot of people just love to drink it daily to help them with anxiety and help stay calm, and just a lovely nervine and adaptogen. And yeah, helps with anxiety. Actually you could have a whole podcast on the use of Tulsi.
John Gallagher: Tulsi.
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah. So let's see those, that was three. I don't know, do you want to hear more?
John Gallagher: Yeah.
Juliet Blankespoor: Should we go?
Tara Ruth: Oh my gosh, yes, please.
John Gallagher: We're up to three. You have to think of two more.
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah. So yarrow is another one that grows well in pots. A lot of people think of it just growing in the ground, but because it does spread by runners. So yarrow will just sort of like spread and definitely into a huge patch if you plant it in the garden. So planting it in a pot is the one way to sort of keep it contained. You can do the same thing with bee balm or skullcap that are also runners. And yeah, just really beautiful feathery leaves. They're so pretty.
Juliet Blankespoor: And they come up real early in the spring and then we use the leaves for medicine. We use the flowers for medicine. You can even use the roots. So it's just got a lot of medicinal versatility and it'll really draw pollinators into the garden. But yeah, the leaves really great for applying as a poultice directly onto wounds as an antimicrobial and to stop bleeding, and as an anti-inflammatory. And the flowers, I use a lot in cold and flu blends and tea blends. The plant does have a really strong taste, quite a bitter flavor, so it's not one that I really enjoy in tea on a daily basis.
John Gallagher: Right, right.
Tara Ruth: Totally.
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah, just more as needed for medicinal uses. And then the last one I would say is Anise Hyssop, so that's-
John Gallagher: Wow.
Juliet Blankespoor: ... Yeah, one that I grow in containers every year. And it's a short lived perennial. I have it actually planted in they're like window boxes that I have attached to the edge of my deck, and those just come back every year. The plant will live sometimes maybe two or three years, maybe four, but it's a short lived perennial. And if you pinch it back when it's first growing, just like you pinch back basil, the plant will bush out and produce more flowers. So if you're really wanting to enjoy the beauty of the flowers and to attract pollinators, you want to pinch the plants back, I would say three or four times when it's first growing.
Juliet Blankespoor: And Anise Hyssop's got a lovely licoricy minty flavor, and that's another name for the plant is Licorice Mint. And yeah, just this is one of those herbs that's really gentle and safe for kids, sort of a league with Chamomile Mint and just a real gentle sedative. Good for colds and flu and tummy aches, so definitely an herb to grow if you have children around. But you can also use the leaves in culinary creations. So I have a recipe in the Healing Garden Gateway for Anise Hyssop granitas, which is kind of like a homemade, easier to make form of sorbet.
Tara Ruth: Oh my gosh.
Juliet Blankespoor: So yeah, it just lends itself nicely to ice cream or sorbet or cakes.
John Gallagher: And that's, looking through the Healing Garden, just incredible because you might think, "Oh, I'm just going to learn what plants to grow and going to make a garden." But the bulk of this book is just so beautiful and it's also mainly not just growing, but all such creative ways of using the herbs and so many you haven't seen before. Like I just landed on Calendula Chi concentrate. I mean, that sounds amazing. And that's using two of the plants that we just talked about.
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah. I just, the food as medicine, I think I've gotten more versatile too having a really picky daughter who pretty early on said, "I don't want to take herbs." But she doesn't mind, like right now actually she's healing from an injury and she's 17, and she loves hibiscus lemonade. So I just sneak in these wound healing herbs into her hibiscus lemonade. Or just sneaking in medicinal bone broths or sneaking in broths into her food when she didn't want to take... Like when she was little, she definitely was not going to take mushroom concoction or Astragalus Calendula tea. But if I put Astragalus and Calendula into broth and then put it into the chili or the marinara that we were eating, then she would eat it.
Tara Ruth: Mm. I love your creativity. And I, these last few weeks I've been perusing your book and when I've been going to hang with friends and we have potlucks, I'm like, "Okay, what am I going to bring?" I'll look through your book and figure out which drink recipe I want to make and they've all been a hit, so, thank you.
Juliet Blankespoor: Oh, that's so fun. I love to hear that.
Tara Ruth: Yeah, it's been so fun. Yes.
John Gallagher: When people always ask like, "Okay, what's the one herb book I should get?" This is definitely in the top. In the top three, one herb books you should get.
Juliet Blankespoor: Awe. Awe, that's wonderful.
John Gallagher: This is amazing.
Tara Ruth: Absolutely. It's so nice to just have so much really helpful technical information and you make it really simple. But it's so beautiful too just to have all that together. It feels like medicine in itself just to flip through the book, so thank you for creating this.
Juliet Blankespoor: My pleasure. It was really a group effort, just from the recipe testers to the models and my colleagues who work for the school. Just all the recipe development and, yeah, so, but thank you.
John Gallagher: I have been involved with the production of a few books and I know that it is a journey to go through it. Not just like the work it takes or whatnot, but there's a lot of emotion. There's a lot of healing work that happens in that. And when I think of you Juliet, I often think about healing journeys because you, not that long ago, you faced a cancer diagnosis, underwent surgery. I imagine that was really stressful. So I'm wondering the book, this process, in addition to herbs, was this also part of the Healing Garden book, a big part of this healing journey that you've been on? Because it's a lot.
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah. In 2016, I got the diagnosis. I had a thyroid nodule that had a questionable biopsy and that was, anyone who's facing a serious health crisis, knows that it can be so overwhelming to make decisions and sift through the information and do research. But not over research and research from the right places. And then what do you believe and who do you believe, and can I treat this naturally or should I have surgery? And really, I would say one of the best things herbs can offer us during this time is, well, one, a respite from all the thinking and decision making in our garden, if we're blessed enough to have a garden, but even just time in nature to just take a break and be in a rejuvenating replenishing environment.
Juliet Blankespoor: But I really relied on herbal nervines during that time as I was navigating the all the medical decision. So for me, I took a lot of Milky Oats tincture, and when I got nervous and I had to go, let's say, if I had to go to the cancer center, I would pack in my bag tincture of motherwort and European Vervain or Verbena officinalis. And those herbs really helped me keep calmer. I can't say that I still wasn't nervous, but just feel more grounded and supported. And I used a lot of other modalities too, during that time as really getting regular acupuncture and meditating and doing a lot of different food therapies. Yeah. So I feel like the herbs really supported me during that time.
Juliet Blankespoor: So I did choose surgery and I'm glad that I did because the cancer was starting to spread, but we caught it before it had left my thyroid. And so I'm glad I made that decision. Surgery and cancer decisions, they're very individual. And every situation and every person is unique. And I think too, I've been blessed by other health challenges earlier in my life to know that in the past I've been very, like I would say, and because I'm speaking about myself, stubborn about not wanting to go with conventional medical approaches, like surgery or medication. And yeah, I've gotten into some dangerous situations because of that dogmatic approach to healing. But this is more in being in my 40s where I did take more of a broader scope of my approach. And so anyway, yeah, So I did eventually choose surgery and I'm glad that I did because the cancer was removed and I didn't have to go through further treatment.
John Gallagher: Okay, great.
Juliet Blankespoor: And then I used a lot of herbs to help me heal from that surgery. So I made big batches of bone broth ahead of time that had all different healing herbs in them and had different dried herbs, like Gota Kola and Calendula, Astragalus, to help with healing. And then also nervines as I was tapering off the pain medication, then taking more of the nervine meds to help with the pain. And then I, in my daily herbal practice and supplements, I definitely focus on herbs that are known antioxidant and known traditionally or through research to help with preventing cancer from recurring. So to that end, I eat a lot of raw garlic. And hibiscus every day, in the summertime drink hibiscus every day. And I put a lot of berries in my hibiscus tea to just up the bioflavonoids for their antioxidant qualities. And then also, green tea is another one every day and fish oil and turmeric, which I think are all some of the best herbs for helping to prevent cancer and help reduce the rate of recurrence.
John Gallagher: Wow. Thank you so much for sharing that part of your story because I feel like when we get into gardening in our lives, the thing about the powerful part of the herb garden isn't necessarily the plants that you're growing, it's the process, connection to nature. And also you start to develop all these tendrils, all this mycelium that go out. And I feel like that's the kind of thing that perhaps allowed you to have that agency for your health when you were in some sticky situations and you were able to, you said, "There's acupuncture and then there was herbs and there are all these things." And that's really what it takes, doesn't it? Just a person's own healing journey. And I was wondering how you see that connected to garden?
Juliet Blankespoor: Hmm. Yeah. I mean, I think for a lot of us, our gardens are sort of like a safe space, a refuge or respite from the stress of life. And often we turn to our garden in the evenings when we're done with work or maybe on the weekend, so we just can sort of associated with that downtime unless it's a part of a business or a bigger enterprise. So for me, I think having those quiet moments in the garden or just connecting to nature is really where I gain clarity. And I actually, I went to the hot springs when I was trying to figure out what path I wanted to take or what I wanted to focus on. And I went to the hot springs in New Mexico to Ojo Caliente, which I think that healing pilgrimages, is definitely a privilege to be able to travel like that.
Juliet Blankespoor: But I feel like peoples all around the world have made different health pilgrimages to either healing waters or sacred sites. And for me, that's been a big part of this healing journey is going to hot springs and really intentionally connecting to the earth, but also my ancestors. And just cultivating an open heart and humility and gratitude and just asking for guidance. So that's something that can happen in someone's garden, or if you're able to go, even just going to a special spot in nature that really calls to your spirit, if you're facing not just a health challenge, but any big challenge in life and just going with an open heart and intention.
Tara Ruth: Well, Juliet, thank you so much for sharing. And I just, when you talk about connecting with the plants, connecting with the waters, connecting with your ancestors with this open heart, I'm just, I'm feeling you like sharing your connection with us too in this conversation and the open heart that you bring. And I'm just really grateful to-
John Gallagher: So grateful.
Tara Ruth: ... Yeah. To get to share space with you in this way and to experience more of your medicine that already comes forth in your book and all of the writing that you do and all the classes that you make. So-
John Gallagher: Yeah, [crosstalk 00:46:34].
Tara Ruth: ... thank you so much for sharing with us. And I know you have so much medicine to offer in this world, so I'm curious, where can people connect more with you and your work?
Juliet Blankespoor: So, as I mentioned, I have the blog, the blog Castanea, and our website too, just chestnutherbs.com. We have a ton information for budding herbalist or experienced herbalist too. And then you can buy my book, wherever books are sold. You can buy it from your independent bookstore and if they don't carry it you can ask them to order it for you or it's available online from all the big online sellers. And then sign up for the bonuses at the Healing Garden Gateway, which there're tons of videos and charts and free resources. And then we're on the Facebook and the Gram and all those places. Pinterest.
Tara Ruth: Totally.
Juliet Blankespoor: And it's not just me, there's a whole team of us. There's 13 of us right now, so-
John Gallagher: Wow, that's great.
Juliet Blankespoor: Yeah. That's where folks can connect with me and my team.
John Gallagher: And I'm going to just point out too, accentuate, actually healinggardengateway.com, you can link to get the book and that's very clear places to where to get the bonuses. So that's the place to go, I think.
Tara Ruth: Yeah. And I definitely want to get that chart you were talking about before where the expert herb growers were saying, which herbs to grow based on your region. I'm very excited about that. So thank you for putting all of that together with your team. Oh my gosh.
John Gallagher: Yes.
Juliet Blankespoor: Oh, well, thank you so much to both of you for having me and for spending this time with me. I'm just super appreciative of everything that y'all do for the herb world and for-
John Gallagher: Likewise.
Juliet Blankespoor: ... Yeah.
John Gallagher: Yeah. I just love all the work you do. And you do such wonderful courses, everything. Everyone grab a copy of the book, check out Juliet's course. She has got great stuff. And Juliet, I really appreciate you being here and thank you so much for joining us on HerbMentor Radio.
Juliet Blankespoor: Oh, thanks so much for having me.
Tara Ruth: A pleasure.
John Gallagher: HerbMentor Radio is written and produced by John Gallagher and Tara Ruth, sound engineering by Zach Frank. Visit herbmentorradio.com to subscribe on your favorite podcast app and for information on how to be part of Herb Mentor your home for herbal education. HerbMentor Radio is a production of learningherbs.com, LLC, all right reserved. Thank you so much for listening.
