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The Holistic Herbalism Podcast

The Holistic Herbalism Podcast

By: CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism
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Practical herbalism from practicing herbalists. Conversations, botanical deep-dives, Q&A with clinical herbalists Katja Swift & Ryn Midura of CommonWealth Holistic Herbalism.© 2025 The Holistic Herbalism Podcast Alternative & Complementary Medicine Biological Sciences Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Development Personal Success Science
Episodes
  • Herbalists' Views on the Top-Selling Herbs (Part 6): Saw Palmetto, Cinnamon, Echinacea
    Jul 4 2025

    Our semi-annual 20% off Sale is active now!
    For the entire month of July,
    use code hawthorn at checkout
    to take 20% off all our online courses!


    On the top-selling herbs list for 2023 (the most recent data), the herbs in places #16-18 were saw palmetto, cinnamon, and echinacea. In today’s installment of our best-sellers series, we share our views as herbalists on the actions, benefits, and applications of these herbs. All three are long-term residents on the market report’s top 40 chart, and there’s no reason to expect that to change in the coming years.

    In this series of episodes, we’re working to present you with the perspective of a practicing clinical herbalist on these very popular plants. In the form of supplements, they’re among the most-taken and most-asked-about herbal remedies for the modern population. Their presentation in the marketplace, though, is generally quite restricted and limited in comparision to both historical and contemporary herbal practices!

    These herbs are “good for” more than just what’s on their packaging. Let’s break them out of their pigeon-holes and appreciate their depth & complexity together!

    If you’re new to studying herbs, these episodes will armor you with protection against “herban legends” and misinformation about these plants, which is sadly very common throughout the internet of today.

    If you’re already a practitioner, well, you know how valuable materia medica study has been, is, and will ever be! Because these supplements are so popular, you can expect many of your clients to be taking them already, and to ask you about them when they come to see you. Best to be prepared.

    16. Saw Palmetto – Serenoa repens

    • HHP 158: Saw Palmetto Doesn’t Discriminate On Gender
    • The Historical Interplay of Plant Biology, Trade, and Human Interactions with Saw Palmetto, Steven Foster

    17. Cinnamon – Cinnamomum spp.

    • HHP 182: Herbs A-Z: Citrus & Cinnamomum
    • HHP 048: Pumpkin Spice – That’s Herbalism Too!
    • HHP 035: Cinnamon, Vanilla, & Cacao

    18. Echinacea – Echinacea spp.

    • The 3 types of echinacea: A comparison of medicinal actions, Ruth Weaver (Herbal Reality)
    • Gangrene averted by Echinacea, C.S. Whitford (1908)
    • The sustainability of echinacea within herbal medicine, Jonas Brab (Herbal Reality)


    Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

    Support the show

    You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

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    47 mins
  • Bandaging Basics & Mummy Parties
    Jun 27 2025

    Bandaids are undeniably handy, and there are plenty of situations where they do the job that needs doing. But there are also lots of times when a wound is too big, too irregular, or too sensitive for a bandaid to be the best choice. That’s where bespoke bandaging comes into play! You can learn bandaging basics really quickly – yes, even through podcast audio – and that’s what today’s episode is all about.

    Bandages are extremely versatile and customizable – even without getting a dozen different types of gauze and pads. Truly, a box of 2″ and 4″ roller gauze, plus some gauze pads and micropore tape, is plenty for most situations you’ll run into. For the purposes of practice, they’re all you need to get started.

    When you’re practicing your bandaging technique, your big goal is to make the bandages neat, secure, and yet still allowing for a normal range of motion. The best way to get good at this is to practice. The best way to practice is to get some friends together for a “mummy party”, where everyone gets bandaged by everyone else!


    We’re highlighting first aid herbalism on the podcast all month. You can use the discount code FIRSTAID during checkout for $25 off of our Herbal First Aid course for the month of June (2025)!

    Our Herbal First Aid course has plenty of video showing you bandaging techniques, tips, and tricks! It also teaches you all the fundamentals of working with herbs for acute care. Wounds, burns, sprains, bites & stings, and emotional first aid needs can all be addressed with herbs!

    Like all our offerings, this self-paced online video course comes with free access to twice-weekly live Q&A sessions with us, lifetime access to current & future course material, open discussion threads integrated in each lesson, an active student community, study guides, quizzes & capstone assignments, and more!


    If you have a moment, it would help us a lot if you could subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen. This helps others find us more easily. Thank you!!

    Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

    Support the show

    You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

    Show more Show less
    51 mins
  • Bug-Out Bags & Stay-In Stashes, The Herbalist's Way
    Jun 20 2025

    When putting together a bug-out bag in case of emergencies, don’t forget your herbs! Just like a first aid kit, a go bag is best when you construct it according to your specific needs, and the needs of people you’ll be with. This isn’t a “one size fits all” situation!

    The same goes for circumstances when you need to shelter in place. A ‘stay-in stash’ is just a go-bag without the go. It’s an orderly, intentional accumulation of all the things you’ll need if the power goes out for a week, or you can’t leave your home for an extended period of time.

    Herbs, food, and ‘everything else’ all need to go in there – and don’t forget water! In this episode we discuss what to include, what to avoid, and ways to keep your stock rotating and fresh for a moment of need.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    • HHP 233: Emergency Readiness Needs A Meal Plan
    • FEMA App

    We’re highlighting first aid herbalism on the podcast all month. You can use the discount code FIRSTAID during checkout for $25 off of our Herbal First Aid course for the month of June (2025)!

    Our Herbal First Aid course teaches you all the fundamentals of working with herbs for acute care. Wounds, burns, sprains, bites & stings, and emotional first aid needs can all be addressed with herbs!


    Like all our offerings, this self-paced online video course comes with free access to twice-weekly live Q&A sessions with us, lifetime access to current & future course material, open discussion threads integrated in each lesson, an active student community, study guides, quizzes & capstone assignments, and more!

    If you have a moment, it would help us a lot if you could subscribe, rate, & review our podcast wherever you listen. This helps others find us more easily. Thank you!!

    Our theme music is “Wings” by Nicolai Heidlas.

    Support the show

    You can find all of our online herbalism courses at online.commonwealthherbs.com!

    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 18 mins
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I really enjoy listening to this podcast, they break things down in a very easy to understand way, but still go into quite a bit of depth.

Great listening

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I’m loving this!! I’ve been making big lifestyle changes for myself and my family recently, and wanted to start 2023 off right. I’ve signed up for your free courses and basically stumbled across the podcast and I’m so grateful that I did. I went back and started at the very first episode, and I’m learning so much!! When I started looking into herbalism and what changes I could bring into my life holistically, I was a little overwhelmed… there’s so much stuff out there! But you guys are so relatable and explain things in a way that makes sense. I’ve gained confidence that I can, at the very least, take care of myself and my family. So thank you for that! Don’t ever stop doing what your doing! Lots of love!

New to herbalism and you guys rock!!

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Wow I have been listening for a very long time. Both hosts are so knowledgeable! I am so impressed with the knowledge they posses about herbs.

You can tell they love what they do and they live the life they preach.

The examples they provide are very relatable. Their programs are also very well put together I highly recommend this podcast and their herbal education courses.

Very knowledgeable

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I am so excited I found this podcast it is amazing. The content is exactly what I was looking for and I have been searching the internet for just this. if you are getting into herbalism or just want more information regarding all natural health this is a great listen! Thank you for being here I can't wait to listen to every episode ❤

Fantastic Podcast for learning herbalists

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This is the best out there! I started listening to their podcast, now I’m taking their classes and I love every second of it. They are funny, smart, honest, and I love their dynamic. I also have their book. Just my favorite herbalist family.

The best herbalism podcast period!

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