Tara Ruth:
Kimberly, I'm so excited to dive into this interview with Jules today. It was an absolute pleasure.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yes, so good. I just really love how we wove in herbalism and marketing together. Those are two things that generally just don't really go together in our minds. A lot of herbalists are kind of wary about marketing. And this interview was all about how you can weave things together, not only marketing, but we kind of went in some other directions too, huh?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, we started talking about herbalism and astrology. We got to hear about Jules' path and how she weaves all these different threads together. And I feel like this is really going to offer our listeners this opportunity to get to flex their herbal skills in some arenas that they might not think, "That's an area for me," but actually marketing might be for you.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yeah, and how it can really be tied to who you are as an herbalist. And really it's more about the connections that you're making with your audience and bringing yourself, your authentic self to your marketing through storytelling.
Tara Ruth:
So good. Should we get into this conversation?
Kimberly Gallagher:
I think we should dive right in.
Tara Ruth:
Great. Let's do it.
Kimberly Gallagher:
All right. You're listening to Herb Mentor Radio by LearningHerbs.com. I'm Kimberly Gallagher.
Tara Ruth:
And I'm Tara Ruth. Today we're chatting with Jules Benefico. Jules is a clinical Western Herbalist, a teacher and ritualist who weaves together medical herbalism, shadow work, alchemy and sacred practices to support personal and collective healing. She believes herbal medicine is a form of earth-based activism that reconnects us to nature and empowers deep transformation. Jules is also the founder of Boss Witch Botanicals, where she offers clinical mentorship and courses for herbalists and healers. And she also works in marketing communications at Traditional Medicinals (heard of it?) blending her marketing expertise with her passion for plant medicine. And you can follow her on Instagram at julesbenefico. Or she also has a podcast that you can listen to at the Herbal Astrology Podcast, where she shares insights on astrology and herbalism and ritual. Welcome to HerbMentor, Jules.
Jules Benefico:
Thank you so much, Tara and Kimberly. It's so wonderful to be here.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, it's so great to have you.
Kimberly Gallagher:
It's so great to have you.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, we're so excited.
Kimberly Gallagher:
It was so fun to look at your website and see all the things that you're up to, so yeah.
Jules Benefico:
Thank you. Yeah, it's fun. I love the clinical side of herbalism, but I also like the woo-woo and the witchy and I try to merge those together. And it's a fun practice.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Definitely.
Tara Ruth:
Well, it looks like you're not just trying, you're definitely doing it beautifully.
Kimberly Gallagher:
For sure. Yes.
Jules Benefico:
You're both so sweet. And I love LearningHerbs. I had just mentioned the game Wildcraft, I bought that for a few friends and relatives, so I'm really grateful to be here with you both.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, thanks for being here, Jules. I met you a little while ago and after we talked I was thinking about how so many of our listeners are small business owners, whether they're slinging herbal remedies at the farmer's market or they have their own clinical practice, and I was thinking about your marketing background. I just really want to dive into some helpful marketing tips for herbalists who want their work to reach a lot more people, because I feel like this can often be a gap in knowledge that herbalists have. So I'd love to just hear more about your marketing background.
Jules Benefico:
Definitely. Yeah, marketing and herbalism don't seem to naturally go hand in hand, but it's been an interesting journey for me. So my journey began with marketing around 2015. That's when I launched my first business, Opal Elements Cosmic Apothecary. I was making potions and anointing oils correlated to the elements and the planets, infused with flower essences and all different fun stuff. And I was just finishing up my apprenticeship at herb school and we had a student medicine show and were encouraged to create a product line, which was great because in herbalism there's not as many career opportunities. You kind of have to pave your own path most of the time. I'm sure you all know.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yes.
Jules Benefico:
So for the next few years I poured my energy into building this product line, growing my clinical practice and teaching workshops. I kind of thought of it as this three-part ecosystem that all fed into each other. And as many entrepreneurs know, starting your own business means that you also have to become your own marketer. So even though at the time I considered myself a Luddite, I wasn't huge with technology, things have really transformed now. Now I really love technology and leveraging it in all these different ways. But I had to quickly learn how to share my work with the world through social media events, email marketing, advertising. So it was a lot of trial and error, but it taught me that marketing is really just another form of storytelling. And I fell in love with the storytelling piece and the educational piece of marketing.
So along the way, I worked with other herbal businesses that helped shape my path. Pharmacopia in Santa Rosa, California, where I was a staff herbalist, and helped launch a low-cost community clinic there. I did a little bit of marketing for them. Later I moved back to Oakland and I became a retail and social media manager at Five Flavors Herbs, and I really learned a lot there curating their social media and email marketing, while I was continuing to do it for my own business. Yeah, I just felt like I had a gift for helping other herbalist wellness practitioners. People would come into the shop and be like, "How do I start an herbal business?" And I was just giving out all this free advice and I was like, "Hmm, maybe that could be my business."
I loved Opal Elements and I loved making products, but I felt like my true passion has always been with helping people individually or in a group, and so I kind of pivoted to supporting people, supporting herbalists specifically and other wellness practitioners with building their clinical skills, building their business, their branding, their marketing skills. And then the deeper aspect was the shadow work, the inner work and what was necessary to get past some of those blockages that people often feel. I think a lot of herbalists don't typically see themselves as TikTok stars or influencers, and so it can be a little bit out of the comfort zone. And no one has to be like that. But sometimes just working through some of the confidence issue, some of the blockages around am I worthy of showing myself or do I believe that I deserve to be putting myself out there with what I'm really passionate about?
So kind of going a little bit deeper with it. So that's a little bit. Then I also, where I went to school at Berkeley Herbal Center, I later became clinical supervisor there and eventually their marketing director as well, and really helped them establish their marketing, which is really looking great today. And then eventually it led me to where I am today as Marketing Communication Supervisor at Traditional Medicinals. And yeah, I really fell in love with marketing. Never would've thought that when I first studied herbalism. But I love blending all of this together to share a story and helping herbalists specifically share their story.
Kimberly Gallagher:
I love that, about the storytelling aspect of marketing. I think we've found that with LearningHerbs too over the years, just connecting with people through our stories and helping them know who we are and then finding our products through those connections. I love hearing how you came to this path and all of the pieces of what's made it happen for you. I'm curious, as you've been working with different herbalists over time, do you notice some common mistakes that herbalists make in their marketing?
Jules Benefico:
Yeah, for sure. There's a few common challenges herbalists face in marketing. The first thing that comes to mind is I think herbalists are naturally creative and full of a lot of ideas. And we love plants, we love making things, we like teaching and sharing. And that creativity is such a gift, but it can also spread us thin. And this has been one of my biggest problems personally, is that I have my heart in so many different things. I'd be having all these different courses and all of these different offerings, seeing clients, different products, oh, I want to launch another product, or I want to do a botanical skincare line, or I want to do herbal makeup or ... It's too many things. And so some people I've noticed really will have too many different types of offerings, and I think that then when you're trying to market it, it's not clear. It's a little bit scattered. People aren't landing with what specifically you're offering because every post or every email you're sending out is a little bit too varied.
It's different for businesses that have been around for a while. Then you can start to branch out a little bit more. But especially when you're first starting out, it's important to keep things a little bit simpler. I would say the temptation to look outside of ourselves for how to market, it's easy to feel like you need to follow certain trends or copy what other practitioners or businesses are doing. But the truth is the most magnetic thing we can do is share from our authentic selves. When we speak from the heart in our own voice, that's what really resonates. People don't just hear the information, they feel resonance. Don't try to copy what other herbal businesses are doing, make it your own.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Definitely. Yeah, I think that comes back around to the storytelling again, bringing your voice to what you're sharing with the world is the best way to connect with other people because they get a sense of who you are and then they get intrigued. So that makes so much sense to me.
Jules Benefico:
For sure. Yeah, and I would say something really tangible is that I notice a lot of herbalists specifically will post just one post with a flyer of an event, and then they're expecting to get the 20 signups that they're looking for for that event. And it's just kind of like a post and pray, like hope people do it, but actually that's not a marketing strategy. So really it's nurturing that audience before just posting a flyer of an event or of an offering. It's the storytelling that we're talking about, building the conversation, reaching people's pain points and what are you offering that's really filling their need. And slowly but surely making it clear on what your genius is, what your specialty is, so that they want to work with you so that they want what you're offering, if that makes sense.
Tara Ruth:
Right. Yeah. You said the term pain points. Do you mind describing what that is more for folks who might not be as familiar?
Jules Benefico:
Yeah, it's sometimes used in marketing. I think it can be sometimes misused, like people preying on people's pain or difficulty rather than being used in a more ethical way. But I would say it can be very ethical to resonate with people's pain points. And what that looks like is challenges that someone's having. So for example, it could look like somebody is wanting to launch their herbal business, but they don't know the first thing where to start, what kind of licenses and whatnot that they need. If I have those skills, I can share, "Hey, this is how I started my herbal business. And this is how I went from this to this. And this is how I grew my email marketing," and whatever relates to that. I'm not lost. I have hope that I can start my herbal business and get what I'm looking for, if that makes sense.
Tara Ruth:
That makes a lot of sense to me, especially with the storytelling too. And we share our own stories about a problem or a challenge we were dealing with and then the solution that we found. It can really resonate with people and be such a great way to connect with your audience, who might also be having those same challenges, and offer them real tangible solutions to a problem they're having.
Jules Benefico:
Exactly. Yeah, and not everyone has an herbal business that's trying to help other people with their herbal business, but a lot of people are selling products. That's oftentimes what herbalists do. So if you have this amazing fire cider that you're really passionate about or a line of fire ciders, then you can be telling that story of seasonal wellness and supporting your immunity and sharing different recipes and just getting people excited about it instead of like, "Buy my fire cider." What's the story? How is it made? Where are you sourcing from? Just getting deeper into what's underneath it.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yeah, noticing that everybody has to go through the seasonal changes and this is a time when our bodies need a little bit of extra support that fire cider can provide. And I think of it a lot of just getting to know your audience, like who is this product for and how can I really connect with them in my marketing?
Jules Benefico:
Yeah, it's important to get to know your audience. And it's also important to figure out in the early stages, who do you want your audience to be? What are the demographics, the age range, what kind of platforms are they on? And getting really clear on who you're targeting. The clearer you are ... I've worked with a lot of herbalists that are just like, "I just want to appeal to everybody," and it's is harder to market when we're not as specific.
Tara Ruth:
It makes me think about earlier you were talking about simplicity in your offerings too. So it can be really tempting as an herbalist, especially because it can be hard make a living, so it's like I got to be good at 20 different things. I have to be an herbalist who's a clinical herbalist and a teacher, and I also have this product line that has 20 different SKUs or whatever it may be. It can be really tempting to have as broad of an appeal as possible to get any business. But I love what you're saying here too about keeping it simple when it comes also to your audience. If you have your niche, you're actually much more likely to connect with this group of people rather than connect with no one because your offering or how you're marketing it is too general.
Jules Benefico:
Exactly.
Tara Ruth:
Kimberly, I am so enjoying this conversation with Jules right now.
Kimberly Gallagher:
So great. I love just the weave of things that she brings together.
Tara Ruth:
And I love how she keeps things simple too. She's talking about some pretty complex things, but she breaks them down very well into these smaller parts so we can follow her along on her path and get to the same end point.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yeah. Yeah. I think marketing and herbalism can be intimidating for people. And I was just thinking how on HerbMentor we have this course called Materia Medica that really brings people along in such a simple way, just like what Jules is talking about. It's kind of just one herb at a time and taking a deep dive into that herb and bringing that into your life in different ways.
Tara Ruth:
Materia Medica just has these short videos, one recipe with each herb, one herb a month, and it just gives you the opportunity to take a little taste of that herb, often literally, and start to learn its properties. And each herb gets to be this gateway, this portal, to deciding how much we want to engage. We can just do that one recipe. Or following this echinacea recipe might open us up to just wanting to do a huge deep dive into echinacea too.
Kimberly Gallagher:
You can kind of go at your own pace with HerbMentor and just study that one herb, or you can dive in and do several in the month. But as a community, we study one herb per month. And it's sort of supported with these challenges that really get you making things with that plant. So HerbMentor is this wonderful kind of sandbox where you can take classes and you can connect with other people who are learning about herbs. So it really makes it simple to get excited and dive into the learning.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. And I love that you said the word community, that's so key with HerbMentor. If you have a question about echinacea, for example, you can ask in our forum that's full of other herbalists like you and also some folks on our staff like me and Kimberly and Li who are happy to answer your questions. We also have a little AI friend named Sage who's only been educated from the resources that we have on HerbMentor. So you're going to get answers that you can actually trust rather than typing something into ChatGPT or into Google and getting some questionable information there. Here you get a whole vibrant community of people and resources that are really here to help you on your herbal journey.
Kimberly Gallagher:
And Tara and I meet up with our members twice each month to talk about a particular herbal topic. So we'd love to see you on HerbMentor, hope that you join us there. And stick around for the rest of this conversation. Let's get back to it. What do you think, Tara?
Tara Ruth:
I'd say so. And just a reminder, folks, if you want a little discount on HerbMentor, you can go to HerbMentorRadio.com. There you'll find a very helpful discount. I mean, HerbMentor is already so affordable. But why not? Let's make it even more accessible and affordable.
Kimberly Gallagher:
That is one of our goals at Learning Herbs, is making herbal learning accessible to everyone. So happy to give you a little discount today.
Tara Ruth:
Yes. So go to HerbMentorRadio.com. And yes, let's dive back into this conversation with Jules. I can't wait.
Kimberly Gallagher:
I know, I'm so excited.
Tara Ruth:
I'm curious, you talked a little bit already about marketing tips, but are there any other things that come to mind for you of just like, it would be really helpful as an herbalist who's just launching their business or who wants to revamp their business to keep these other things in mind as well?
Jules Benefico:
Yeah, for sure. I love symbolism, so I like to break everything down into different systems and symbols. And so the elements, earth, fire, water, air are some of my favorite ways to break things down. Whenever I work with a client, I usually break down our workbooks into elements. And a lot of my courses, they're kind of elementally based because they're part of everything. They're like the building blocks to all things. So it's a really nice way to break things down. I would say starting with earth, earth is the foundation. It's really grounding yourself, planning ahead, getting clear on your brand story. Who are you, who do you serve, what do you want people to know about you? It's a good idea to make a business plan, which also includes your marketing plan oftentimes. And when you have that strong foundation, your marketing becomes more sustainable and supports your audience.
Then I would go to air. Air is all about clarity. In astroherbalism or medical astrology, we think of air as intellect and focus. So it's getting your message across focused and concise. It's also about communication. Like I mentioned before, herbalists are often overflowing with these wonderful ideas, but we can scatter ourselves across too many different offerings. Definitely been guilty of that, still sometimes am, because I just have so many ideas and so many things that I'm excited about. But the more we can hone in and get our clear message across and communicate, that's really important.
The next is water. And water is about that emotional connection. Like I mentioned with talking to people's pain points. It's about the storytelling. Water is what helps us flow into people's lives on a heart-to-heart level. So instead of saying, "I'm teaching class or buy this product," water invites us to share the deeper why, why this matters, what people are gaining, like tangible tools that can be helpful to them. And really, I think a lot of the most successful herbalists on social media and other places are often sharing a little bit vulnerably, that might not be comfortable for everybody. But the more you can be a little bit vulnerable, that can really deeply connect with an audience and help people engage with you.
And then fire. So fire is that spark of confidence, believing in yourself, having the courage to put yourself out there, letting your passion be visible. It's the energy that keeps you going, even if it feels vulnerable. And so when you tend to that fire, people can feel it. It's like your magnetism. So the fire can be hard for a lot of herbalists. I would say many of us are on the more introverted side. But when we can be confident, share, speak our truth ... I hate to say this, but oftentimes in a lot of marketing, social media, email marketing, other types of marketing, people like to see something that is potentially risky or edgy to say. Just those hooks that really hook people in of like, "Nobody else thinks this, but here's my thoughts on adaptogens. Or just when you're a little bit edgy with it, that's what can draw people in. And I don't think people should be fake or act in a way that they're not, but doing it in a way that feels authentic to you can be that fire.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Wow, I love this. I love just thinking about marketing connected to the elements. That's such a beautiful thing to me. Because I have a practice of really connecting with the directions and the elements every morning and just-
Jules Benefico:
Beautiful.
Kimberly Gallagher:
... weaving those into my life more and more. And they do provide such a deep foundation because they are really at the foundation of everything, right? And so why not apply them to marketing? But I never thought of it before, so thank you for bringing that in. That's a nice model for me anyway, because I feel super connected with the elements. And yeah, I love the idea of just bringing them into everything. Of course, marketing is not an exception. So beautiful. Thank you for that.
Jules Benefico:
Thank you.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yeah. I'm curious if there are certain platforms out there that you recommend that herbalists focus their marketing energy on?
Jules Benefico:
Yeah. I don't think there's a one size fits all. It really depends on who your audience is. Like I mentioned before, getting clear on what your audience is. If you're catering to an older audience, you might want to focus more on platforms, social media platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn. If you're wanting to cater to more of a Gen Z audience, platforms like TikTok are ideal.
But I would say for everybody, pretty much all email marketing is a really important place to start, if you're not doing that already. Platforms like MailChimp, Flodesk or Klaviyo, those are easy to set up. Newsletters and automated flows and emails, a really powerful way to build relationships with your audience, especially as sometimes social media people are just so distracted easily and they're just scrolling. They might not be engaged with your posts in a deep way.
Email marketing is a really nice way to keep them engaged and also often leads to more sales. Showing up consistently, sharing stories and really tending to your audience is good to do through email marketing. For me, I was able to build my email list through vending at a lot of events, craft fairs, farmers markets, and teaching workshops at herb shops, community centers, etc. And so I was reaching those audiences and then had my email list and would always have people sign up and then add it to my list. And that was great.
And then another way to kind of build your email list is through a lead magnet. And a lead magnet is a free offering to get people to subscribe to your email list. For example, I created one for Berkeley Herbal Center called How to Jumpstart Your Herbal Career, and it has over 20 pages of useful info. I created like four or five years ago, and they're still using it. And it's a really great way to bring new people into a community. So your lead magnet can be a mini ebook, a pre-recorded webinar, a recipe guide, anything that feels aligned with your work. But having that free offering is going to get people hooked to join that email list, and then you can nurture them through there. So that's one way.
And then social media, also think about who you are. If you really don't like being on camera, TikTok might not be the best fit for you. But if you want to do a lot of infographics about, here's five herbs for immunity this fall or something like that, you can do Pinterest, you can do Instagram, maybe Facebook. So just think about what it is that you like to offer. If you do want to lean into Instagram Reels and TikTok or YouTube Shorts, consistency is key. You don't need to post every day seven days a week, but two to three posts a week. And having that story really connecting with people, what's your authentic message, staying on track and really speaking directly with people.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah. Jules, thank you for sharing all those. It's so helpful. And again, I just love this elemental approach you're bringing to marketing because I feel like it makes it so much more approachable as an herbalist. Thinking elementally is something that a lot of us are already doing in the herbal world. We're thinking about the energetics of different plants and how they interact with the energetics of our bodies. And I also love what you said about relationship building and storytelling. These are things that we also do as herbalists. And we're teaching, we're telling stories, and we're building relationships with the plants and our community. So I love how you just woven all these skills that so many herbalists are already rocking. Yeah, for sure.
I'm curious, with all that in mind, if there was just one first step you'd recommend someone take, what would be just one takeaway or one first thing that they could do if they're still feeling intimidated by marketing?
Jules Benefico:
That's a good one. Yeah. I would say for herbalists who feel a bit wary of marketing, I think the first step is to just shift how you think about it. It doesn't have to be this ... I know it can feel very overwhelming, like, "Oh my gosh, I have to create this email marketing list. I need to be on all these social media platforms." And it can feel a bit overwhelming. But it's really just a mindset shift. It's just sharing your story and letting people know how they can connect with the medicine that you offer. Every single individual has different medicine that they can offer. So even if you have similar offerings to another brand or another herbalist, and maybe that feeling of competition comes up, it's really important to stand in your power and know that nobody has the exact medicine that you have to offer. And if you can just share it and share your story, then people will connect with it.
Kimberly Gallagher:
That's so beautiful. It comes back around to just that authenticity and bringing yourself to your work and to the marketing world and just sharing what you have, and doing it in a way that connects with your audience. So beautiful.
Tara Ruth:
Well, I feel like too often there's this great opportunity when we find that we do have crossover with another herbal company or another herbalist. We might actually be great collaborators if we do have these similarities. So I've so appreciated that about Learning Herbs, where there's really the spirit of cooperation rather than competition. So when we find someone who's doing something similar or excited about the same things, the first question is like, "Oh, how do we work together?" Rather than, "How do I win?" Which is such a sweet way of approaching life in general. And then also as an herbalist too, it's like I'm not thinking about competition with ... I don't know, in the herbal world, I'm thinking about how we can work together well in this ecosystem that we're all a part of.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yeah, it's like the plants, they all kind of grow together and work together synergistically in different ways, and how can we mirror nature in our ways of creating our businesses? I think we are in this society that's all about competition, but like Tara is saying, Learning Herbs has always been about collaboration and cooperation. And when we first started, there weren't a lot of herbalists online. And so it was really fun to be able to like, "Hey, we can make a course with you and then we can pay you a chunk of money as we market this course." And so it was like a win-win for everybody. So I love looking at those places to collaborate, for sure.
Jules Benefico:
Yeah, it's such an empowering way to look at it. Yeah, we're an ecosystem, we can collaborate, we can support and uplift each other, we can share each other with different audiences and work together as this mycelial network.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yes.
Tara Ruth:
Mycelial.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yeah. So I'd love to hear a little bit about your herbal background and we could learn about how we could collaborate.
Jules Benefico:
Yes, absolutely.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yeah. What brought you onto this plant path?
Jules Benefico:
Yeah, so I am originally from Connecticut. I live in California now. And growing up, I had no connection with nature at all. I totally thought of myself as a city girl. I grew up 45 minutes from Midtown Manhattan in New York City, and so I just spent a lot of time in New York. I grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, which is a mid-sized city. And I was really into fashion. I studied fashion design. I didn't know what herbalism was. It couldn't have been further from where I was at the time. But I also, growing up and being very disconnected to nature, I had really bad depression and insomnia pretty much my entire adolescence. At one point I moved back home with my parents after studying fashion design, and I was feeling kind of lost, and I was seeing a therapist, and at the time she suggested that I do a work scholar month at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California. Which is, it's kind of the birthplace of the human potential movement in the sixties and seventies. And it's a retreat center in Big Sur on the coast with hot springs, natural hot springs.
And so I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I said yes, and I signed up and it totally changed my life. And I was fully immersed in nature, completely surrounded by nature and community, friendship, love, community, and doing self-work. And it was everything that I had been missing. I had the support of my family and different things before, but I didn't have the sense of community and being held and I was not leaning into nature. I had also not really meditated or just done reflective practices before, other than journaling. And so I really leaned into it. And within days of being in Big Sur, my insomnia and depression left and never came back. It was wild. Not that I haven't had other issues, but those were the big ones and they really lifted. So that was amazing.
So at Esalen, there was this beautiful garden and I did some workshops and I was like, "Calendula, this is medicinal. Oh my gosh, I can use for skincare and it's a [inaudible 00:33:43]." It blew my mind. I had never heard of herbalism before. So I was just like, "This is it. This is what I'm meant to do. This is who I am." After being there for a while, I left, I moved to the Bay Area to study clinical herbal medicine in Berkeley. That was my path.
And then, well, my mom got diagnosed with cancer not long after I moved to California, and I'd kind of fly back to support her. Yeah, I just really saw the ways that the Western medical system was not holistic, was not really supporting her. I went to a doctor's appointment with her once and they said that she could be eating sugar if she wanted to. I was like, "Doesn't sugar feed cancer?" And they're like, "Yeah, it doesn't matter. Whatever she can eat, she should eat." And so I was just like, "This is so wrong." So that kind of led me deeper into the path as well and shifted me from not just wanting to be a medicine maker, but really shifted me into wanting to be a clinician.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Wow. I think so many herbalists have a story where there's some condition that they were dealing with or something that helped them find their way to the plants for some healing. So yeah, thanks for sharing your story.
Jules Benefico:
Thank you.
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, and I love that you brought in too this aspect of you weren't working with plants since day one. It was something that was pretty foreign to you and you felt really disconnected from nature. I think a lot of folks who are just starting on their herbal journey can feel kind of intimidated because they're like, "All these other people have been doing this for years." Or maybe they grew up knowing about calendula or whatever it may be. And I'm just starting out in my twenties, my thirties, my forties, fifties, et cetera, and it's never too late to start. And if you are feeling that call to be working with the plants, it's because the plants have already been speaking to you. So it's a relief. They're like, "Oh, you're finally here. Yay."
Jules Benefico:
Right. That's what it felt like. It felt like coming home to myself, it was like, "Oh, I was always meant to be this plant person." I can speak to the plants. My intuition kicked in really strongly. And when I would do plant meditations and I would have all these downloads, and I was like, "Whoa. Never had this experience before," and it was super healing. But kind of like what you're saying, Tara, whenever I hear so many herbal stories, like, "I grew up on this farm in nature, and I've always been connecting with plants at a young age," and I was always envious of that. I was like, "Wow, that sounds nice. I would've loved to have been with plants when I was a child." But yeah, people can find it at any age. It's never too late. I was lucky enough to find it when I was around the age of 20. And so my entire adulthood has been connecting plants and people and bridging that gap.
Tara Ruth:
And it's such a powerful story that you have to be able to hold as a teacher for folks who are intimidated and don't feel like they have that connection. No, you can totally develop this.
Jules Benefico:
Yes. Yeah, exactly.
Tara Ruth:
You mentioned calendula, and I'm curious right now, you've been studying plants for years now, but are there any plants in particular that are really calling to you these days or that you're either been working with or excited to just be connecting with more?
Jules Benefico:
Yeah. I recently moved to this really beautiful land in Sebastopol, California, which is in Sonoma County, and it's very magical. It's kind of like a dream. There's sheep on the property right now and pigs and they're grazing. And we have a bunch of apple trees, and we were taking the apples down and feeding all the animals, and it was very cute. Around May, there were some milky oats growing on the property, and it was just great to ... Not a lot, but it was just beautiful to connect with them. So milky oats, Avena sativa, it's just one of my favorite herbs. It's trophorestorative, literally helps restore and nourish the tissues of the nervous system. And it contains that milky latex that coats and soothe the nerves. It's protecting and repairing the myelin sheath. And I always like to think of milky oats as a gentle hug for the nervous system.
I give it to most of my clients. I would say it's just something that I feel like most people need, especially in this day and age with all the stressors of the world and capitalism. And having this herb, especially in tincture form where it's so potent, is really powerful. And what I love about it is that it's very moistening. And so most nervines are on the drier side, and I think can kind of aggravate people who already run dry or have the Vata-like constitution. So milky oats has this Venus and moon correspondence in astrology, like the planets they correspond to. So the moon is for that intuition and emotional side, and Venus is for that love and beauty. And so yeah, it's very nurturing. It's a very nurturing plant. So that's one.
Tara Ruth:
So good.
Jules Benefico:
Yeah. Angelica I would say is another one, angelica archangelica. I love that plant. It's connected to the sun and Jupiter in astrology also, and has a really vital warming energy, very angelic energy. Helps with circulation, blood flow, and a lot of digestive maladies and discomforts, sluggishness and liver support. And it's one of the few warming bitters. A lot of bitters are on the cooler side. So if you're really wanting more of a warming bitters blend, I like it because of building that digestive fire a little bit. It's super, super helpful. So those are a couple. I mean, it changes all the time.
Kimberly Gallagher:
I understand.
Jules Benefico:
But what about you both? Now I'm curious, what are your favorites right now?
Tara Ruth:
Yeah, Kimberly, how about you?
Kimberly Gallagher:
What are our favorites? Oh my goodness. Well, I'm right with you there on the milky oats, that's one that I take every day. I do an oat straw and oat top infusion. Because I think it just, like you're saying, it helps take the edge off of life in such a gentle way. And it's just packed with vitamins and minerals as well, so it helps us kind of on that multivitamin level. So those just basic nourishers I think are so good to have integrated into our lives. So yeah, I was excited that you picked that one. It's also one that I wrote about a lot in my aphrodisiac books. So yeah, I find it to be one that's just really soothing and healing for our reproductive system. And actually was an herb that helped a lot of the folks in my circle with sexuality issues actually. And it's funny that we don't actually think of oats in that way usually. So that was a fun sort of discovery. And there's this saying that we have about sowing your wild oats, and it's like, "Oh, I see." It's actually always been sort of associated with that.
Jules Benefico:
That's beautiful. I love that connection. Yeah.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yeah. And we think about aphrodisiacs as being these kind of exotic herbs with really complicated names and making these magic potions, but actually some of the common herbs can be the most supportive for our reproductive systems and sexuality. So that's a really just baseline herb in my life as well. And I think another herb that has always been really dear to my heart is chickweed actually. Just this sweet little weed that you can go out and pick and put into your salads. She's cooling and just also kind of a soothing herb for me, and nutritious. I love those just basic nourishers. So yeah, those are a couple from me. How about you, Tara?
Tara Ruth:
Oh, so good. Well, oats is one of mine too. I love them so much. Growing up, I grew up in Sonoma County too, where Jules lives now and oats grow all over. It's wild oats, so it's really sweet to get to connect with oats now and knowing that it was around me all the time as a kid when I had no idea that oats have all these medicinal properties. So I love making a nourishing infusion with oat straw. And I was really sick last week, so now I'm need to bring in some more alternatives for my lymphatic system to get things flowing again. I want to bring in some burdock and nettle and also some marshmallow just because I feel pretty dried out and a little depleted. So all those, I'm excited to be welcoming into my daily routine these next few weeks.
Jules Benefico:
Burdock and marshmallow are usually on my top also.
Kimberly Gallagher:
So good.
Jules Benefico:
Marshmallow, like Althea, that was one of the first herbs that I learned about and it resonated with me so deeply. Just super moistening, so nourishing, gut healing. I was just like, yes, marshmallow on a hot day, having the cooling cold infusion. So good.
Kimberly Gallagher:
So nice. I'm about to embark on a vision quest next week, actually, and marshmallow came forward as my herbal ally for the quest. So nice to bring her into this conversation.
Tara Ruth:
Oh, sweet. That's exciting.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Yep, yep, yep. Yeah, I liked when you were talking about the herbs that you mentioned, you brought in this astrology kind of element, and I know that's another part of your work, Jules. So I wonder if you could talk a little bit about the connection between astrology and herbalism.
Jules Benefico:
Yeah, I'd love to. It's something I've been passionate about for a long time. Before I got into herbalism, even before I moved to California, I was really interested in alchemy. At its most basic form is about the art of inner transformation. And when I was going through really tough times, it gave me hope because it was all about transmuting our darkness, the shadow, the challenges in life and transforming that energy into gold. And gold is our highest self, our most healed self shining bright. And so I began to study that a little bit. And then when I started learning about herbalism and that there's herbal alchemy, I was like, "Whoa," full circle moment. And alchemy and astrology are very interconnected and related. Herbal astrology is basically this ancient relationship between plants, planets, and people. And for thousands of years, healers have looked to the stars on the natural world as an interconnected system.
And so the idea is that a planet and zodiac sign, they have certain qualities. The zodiac signs are typically associated to different body parts, and the planets are more so associated with different plants. And it's destiny, I guess you could say, that plant and planet are very similar words. And they can be corresponded to each other. An easy one to think about is rose. When you think of rose, you know that it represents love and beauty and all of these things that are oftentimes associated with the planet Venus. So that's been an easier one to correspond. But it gets a lot deeper than that because each of the planets has different things that it represents. Saturn, for example, is the musculoskeletal system and has a lot to do with our bones and our knees. And so we can think of herbs corresponded to Saturn like boneset and comfrey, Solomon's seal and these herbs that are associated with the musculoskeletal system.
So it's very fascinating to learn about and to talk about and something I'm really passionate about. I think oftentimes in Western herbalism, people think that we don't have an energetic system. People think, "Oh, I have to learn Ayurveda or traditional Chinese medicine if I want to understand the energetics of plants." But we do. We can look to herbal astrology for a lot of this information. And people started studying plants and planets and their connection starting as early as ancient Egypt or around 400 BC. And so this is a part of our human lineage. And then in the 15th and 16th centuries, it was brought more and more alive. At that time, all physicians in Europe were required to have astrological training as part of their medical education. So astrology wasn't separate from medicine. And it's a deep lineage, and there's a lot of herbalists today that are bringing that back. And I'm hoping to support that a little bit as well, bringing back that connection between the plants and planets, the above, so below, and how it's all interconnected.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Wow, that's amazing. I love hearing about this and just learning what you're up to.
Tara Ruth:
I want to learn more. And I'm wondering if we could dive deep into just one plant to give more of an example of how all these connections work. I'm thinking maybe mugwort, how does that sound to you, Jules?
Jules Benefico:
Yeah, yeah. Mugwort is always a fun one to talk about. One of my favorites for sure. It's one I built deep connection with over the years. And so mugwort Artemisia vulgaris, in California there's one called Artemisia douglasiana. And so it's an Artemis, and Artemis is the goddess of the moon.
Tara Ruth:
How convenient.
Jules Benefico:
So Artemis mugwort, so mugwort corresponds to the moon. And then for those who don't know, a wort, any plant like mugwort, St. John's wort, wort just mean herb in old English. Mugwort is this quintessential moon plant. So we can think of it as far as energetically, it's mysterious, liminal, highly intuitive. A lot of people work with mugwort in order to enhance their dreams. So you can drink the tea before bed, put some mugwort under your pillow, make a little sachet. Or my favorite way to do it is to make an herbal infused oil with mugwort and rub that on my body before bed because it just smells amazing.
Kimberly Gallagher:
It does.
Jules Benefico:
Mugwort scent is my favorite scent in the world, probably. That's a great way to connect with your dreams. And so in medical astrology, the moon governs the rhythms, fluids, the subconscious, but it's really deeply connected to the menstrual cycle as well. And mugwort is what's called an emmenagogue, so it helps regulate the menstrual cycle, bring on delayed menses, can support with easing cramps and overall womb health. So mugwort is often associated with Cancer, the sign Cancer, or sometimes Scorpio as well. So Cancer is associated with mothering, and so it makes sense that it's often connected to this mother archetype in a way of supporting menstruation and feminine wellness and issues.
Mugwort is anti-fungal. It's used a lot in yeast infections. And it's just this really, really powerful plant that I love so much. And mugwort is also super bitter, and so it's used a lot in digestion. And Cancer rules digestion as well as some of these other things, reproductive wellness. So it's kind of cool to see how it connects in that way. And Scorpio is corresponded to the reproductive systems as well. And also kind of this underworld energy, some of the shadow exploration. And so that kind of makes sense when we're talking about mugwort as well, is this plant of inner transformation and beautiful health. And it's great for protection and boundary work as well. In traditional Chinese medicine, it's burned as moxa to warm and move chi, especially in conditions of cold and stagnation. And I know that this episode is going to come out right at the beginning of Scorpio season, and I'm a Scorpio, so for all Scorpios out there, mugwort is a good one.
Another one I really like that is very Scorpio is wormwood, which is also an Artemisia. And that one is for ... It's super, super bitter, really stimulates those digestive secretions, supports the liver, clear sluggishness, is really anti-parasitic. Scorpio can sometimes be associated with parasites and poisons and certain diseases of that kind. So wormwood is a great ally. And is super mystical, is associated with absinthe. That mysterious drink is originally derived from wormwood as well. So yeah, I love me some Artemisias. And yeah, that's a little bit about the herbal astrology of mugwort and also touched on wormwood.
Tara Ruth:
So good. I love that they have these kind of silvery leaves too, which makes me think about moonlight. And they look so beautiful in the moonlight.
Jules Benefico:
Yes, looking at the doctrine of signatures as well, how it corresponds is beautiful. And the sentiment and ... Yeah, it's a powerful one for sure.
Kimberly Gallagher:
I love that you talk about this as kind of being an ancient connection between the herbalism and the astrology, and I'm wondering where you learned about that connection. Where was your inroad? Do you have suggestions if people want to learn more about that connection?
Jules Benefico:
For sure. Yeah, I just started reading some books about it at first. And then I did a mentorship with Dr. William Morris, who's a Western herbalist and an acupuncturist who focuses a lot on medical astrology and has some courses. And he's really wonderful. And I've also studied a little bit with Judith Hill and some of her online courses and just reading all of her books. She has incredible resources. I definitely would look into Judith Hill. And then a lot of it has just been a self-study, done a few courses over the years. Yeah, I'm also going to be offering a course on herbal astrology. So by the time this episode launches, that course will also launch. And I can share maybe about it in the show notes.
But yeah, essentially getting deeper into those correspondences and how practitioners specifically, but really anyone interested in herbalism can utilize herbalism and humoral medicine and learn about this wonderful connection between the plants, the planets, zodiac signs, and supporting that practice. And how you can bring that into your herbal practice to gain some clarity, to gain some understanding. I like to give this example because I think it's a cool example. I was giving someone a medical astrology reading once, and they were kind of saying that they had some blood sugar regulation issues and they had some signs of PCOS. And they had Virgo in the sixth house. And the sixth house is our house of health, but also, it typically is regarded as one that's associated with negative health tendencies and can be long-term. So it was Virgo in Saturn in the sixth house.
And essentially I was looking at her chart and it was so clear that ... Virgo essentially is corresponded to the pancreas in medical astrology. So it was like all of these things that she had been feeling over time, it was confirmed in her chart by looking at it. Virgo in Saturn, Saturn is corresponded to kind of chronic long-term health and dryness and disease essentially. And Virgo is corresponded to different parts of the digestive system as well as the pancreas. And then being in the sixth house of health challenges, it was kind of this cocktail for insulin resistance. And so it was interesting to be able to look at that and confirm, yes, some blood sugar regulating herbs like cinnamon might be helpful for you. So yeah, it's just really powerful and fascinating to look at the magic of herbal astrology and implement that.
Tara Ruth:
Wow. Yes. Thank you for sharing, Jules. And then you of course also have your podcast too, where people can learn more. Yeah.
Jules Benefico:
Yes. Yeah, we have a podcast, me and my friend Toni Latimer. So she's a traditional astrologer. She has a plethora of knowledge about astrology. And then I bring in the herbalism. We did three episodes earlier this year, but we are on a little bit of a hiatus for the summer, but we should be starting up again soon. But there's a lot of good info about what's happening usually currently in the astrology and plants that you can work with to support yourself with the current landscape of the stars.
Tara Ruth:
Yes. And that's called the Herbal Astrology Podcast or ...
Jules Benefico:
Yes, the Herbal Astrology Podcast. And it's on all major platforms.
Tara Ruth:
Great. Check it out folks.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Nice. Yeah, just you're sharing that story of how it worked with that one person was so inspiring. So I think, yeah, it makes sense. People will be excited to check out more on the podcast.
Tara Ruth:
I know I want to learn more. Jules, for folks who want to learn more about your work, can you say more about where they can find you? And you mentioned you have a class. Just any other offerings you want to talk about before we head out?
Jules Benefico:
Yeah, yeah. I'm really grateful for this opportunity to speak here with Learning Herbs. Yeah, my website is Boss-Witch.com, and I'll add any courses or events I have coming up there. I do see minimal clients right now because I have a full-time job, but I'll see two to three a month. So I will open my books up this fall and would love to potentially see people in this audience. And that can be for clinical herbal consultations or for other support with their businesses, et cetera. And you can find me on Instagram at Jules Benefico. Yeah, so I usually keep that somewhat updated with what's going on with me. And I'd love to connect, so feel free to reach out to me there. DM me. Always happy to talk to other herb nerds.
Kimberly Gallagher:
Oh, it's so wonderful, so wonderful to get to have this time with you, Jules. And just really grateful. Thank you so much for joining us on Herb Mentor Radio.
Tara Ruth:
Yes, thank you, Jules. Really appreciate it.
Jules Benefico:
Thank you both so much. Really grateful to be here.
Tara Ruth:
Yes. And for folks listening, make sure you stick around for an herb note.
Welcome to Herb Notes. I'm Tara Ruth. Burdock grows abundantly as a weed along pathways and roadsides, but don't let the everyday nature of this plant fool you. Burdock, like so many prolific medicinal plants, offers many healing gifts. Let's dive into three benefits of burdock.
One, burdock is a nutrient-dense food. Burdock root is traditionally enjoyed in many cuisines throughout the world. In Japanese cooking, it's referred to as gobo, and it makes a wonderful addition to soups and salads. Burdock root offers a subtly sweet, nutty taste, and it boasts nutrients like magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Two, burdock is a prebiotic. Just as burdock root nourishes us with its nutrients, it can also nourish our gut flora with its high levels of inulin. Inulin is a starchy carbohydrate that can help support a more diverse, healthy gut microbiome. Enjoying burdock root as a food is a great way to get more inulin in your diet. Three, burdock for skin health. Burdock is an alterative herb, meaning it can help support elimination pathways, particularly through the skin. When bodily stagnation shows up as rashes, eczema, acne and more, working with burdock root can help bring the skin back into balance. When I'm working with burdock root for skin Health, I like to enjoy it as a tea.
And just a few notes of caution when it comes to burdock. Burdock is a root vegetable that's considered safe for most people, but there are a few things to keep in mind. If you are sensitive to inulin, eating large amounts of burdock root may make your stomach bloated and gassy. People who are allergic to plants in the Asteraceae family should avoid burdock. And folks with skin conditions who start taking burdock may notice an increase in symptoms initially. Starting with a lower dose can help ease this increase. Also, the safety of burdock seed hasn't been conclusively established in pregnancy or lactation.
Want to learn more about the benefits of other common herbs? Visit Herbnotes.cards to grab a deck of our top 12 herb notes, to learn all about herbs like elderberry, chamomile, and more. This has been Herb Notes with me, Tara Ruth. Catch you next time.
Herb Mentor Radio is a 100% sustainably wild crafted podcast written, performed, and produced by me, Tara Ruth, with sound engineering by Rowan Gallagher. Visit Herbmentorradio.com to subscribe on your favorite podcast app and find out how you can be a part of HerbMentor, which is a website and community that you got to see to believe. Herb Mentor Radio is a production of Learningherbs.com LLC. Thank you so much for listening.
