Is there anything black seed can’t do?

In this episode, herbalist and nutritionist Abrar Al-Shaer takes a deep dive into the many gifts of black seed (Nigella sativa), a revered herb that has been used medicinally for thousands of years. Abrar has been studying this plant since she was a child, and has so much to share about it—from the home remedies her mother gave her as a child, to ancient teachings from Islamic medicine, and even modern-day medical research on this celebrated plant.

Abrar also shares her recipe for Black Seed Herbal Energy Bites—combined with warming spices and fragrant rose water, this is a deliciously nourishing way to get black seed into your diet! You can download your beautifully illustrated recipe card here.

As Abrar notes, it is traditionally thought that black seed can help with almost any ailment—and if it can’t, it’s just because we haven’t figured out how to properly prepare it yet! Here are just a few ways that black seed can be worked with to benefit your health:

► Supports lung health, providing relief for coughs, bronchitis, and asthma

► Promotes cardiovascular health, including healthy cholesterol and blood pressure levels

► Topically, black seed oil helps to nourish and protect the skin

To learn even more of black seed’s benefits, be sure to check out the entire episode!

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► Why black seed has been revered for centuries in traditional Islamic medicine

► The many ways black seed can be prepared: mixed into honey, added to water or food, pressed into oil—or even applied by the drop into the nostrils!

► What modern research says about black seed’s role in cardiovascular and metabolic health

► How black seed can support both acute concerns, such as chest congestion or tooth pain, as well as long-term chronic health concerns like inflammation and immune resilience

► Simple, food-based ways to incorporate black seed into everyday meals

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know her, Dr. Abrar Al-Shaer, PhD, RD is a registered dietitian and herbalist and the owner of Precision Women’s Care, a women’s health, integrative nutrition & herbal medicine practice. She is also a clinical teaching professor at Stony Brook University’s School of Medicine, where she teaches advanced case management in integrative nutrition therapy.

Dr. Abrar completed her PhD in nutritional biochemistry & immunology with a dietetic specialization in high-risk OBGYN. With over a decade of experience as an herbalist, she frequently weaves together her herbal medicine and medical nutrition backgrounds to provide patients the highest quality of care.

I can’t wait to share our conversation with you today!

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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.

You can find Dr. Abrar at PrecisionWomensCare.com.

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you...

What if one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory herbs isn’t in your supplement cabinet—but already in your kitchen?

In today’s episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with one of my students, Mylinda Ogundipe, to talk about a plant that has quietly become a lifelong ally for her family: turmeric.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is one of the most widely used herbs in the world—and that familiarity can make it easy to overlook just how powerful this plant really is. In this heartfelt and practical conversation, Mylinda shares how turmeric moved from being a favorite culinary spice to a foundational part of her family’s daily care, particularly in supporting her daughter, who lives with sickle cell disease.

She also shares reflections on her time in our Rooted Medicine Circle course, exploring how learning in rhythm with the seasons and in community deepened her relationship with plants—and ultimately shaped the way turmeric became a daily ally in her home.

Mylinda shares her fantastic recipe for Creamy Golden Sauce—a delicious way to incorporate turmeric into your diet—along with her recipe for Black-Eyed Pea Fritters (perfect for dipping in the sauce!). You can download a beautifully-illustrated recipe card here.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► Why capsules are a great way to take large daily amounts of turmeric (and how to do this without breaking the bank!)

► Five simple ways that Mylinda works turmeric into her family’s daily meals

► How turmeric has helped Mylinda support her daughter and ease common symptoms associated with sickle cell disease

► A surprising way that turmeric can benefit the menstrual cycle

► How studying herbs in a seasonal, relationship-based way can deepen your confidence in making herbal medicine

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know her, Mylinda Ogundipe is a community herbalist, sickle cell disease advocate, wife, and homeschooling mother whose journey with plants began as a way to nurture and support her daughter living with sickle cell disease.

Rooted in ancestral wisdom, storytelling, and an everyday herbal practice, she invites families to rediscover their relationship with the earth, one dandelion, one cup of tea, and one story at a time. Blending her love of community-centered learning with accessible kitchen remedies, Mylinda weaves together bioregional herbalism, Ayurveda, and the wisdom of ancestral traditions to make plant medicine empowering for everyday families.

I’m delighted to share our conversation with you today!

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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.

You can find Mylinda on Instagram.

Access sample pages from Mylinda’s dandelion activity book here.

Learn more from Mylinda about herbs for sickle cell disease here.

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you

Register for our free webinar, “Avoid Common Herbal Pitfalls So You Can Make Remedies That Heal,” by visiting http://www.herbalminicourse.com/.

In this webinar, my co-teacher Emily Han and I will be diving into the most common mistakes people make when working with herbs (as well as how to avoid them). You’ll also get access to our free Rooted Medicine Circle mini course when you register. But don’t delay, the webinar and mini course are only open for a short time!

For all the details about the free webinar and mini course, be sure to tune in to the whole episode!

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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.

Is there a “right” way to use herbs topically?

Most people are familiar with salves, lotions, and creams—including non-herbalists!—but there are so many other ways that herbs can be used topically beyond these popular applications. From herbal baths and compresses to poultices and liniments (and yes, even suppositories!), topical remedies offer powerful, often immediate ways to support the body—that is, of course, if they’re used appropriately.

In this episode, I’ll explore several different ways to work with herbs topically, and when you might choose one herbal preparation over another. You’ll learn why some topical remedies work beautifully while others fall short—and how choosing the right form can make all the difference.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► Ten different topical herbal preparations—and situations when each of them shines

► One common mistake that will make your herbal oils much less effective

► When to reach for a topical remedy made with water or alcohol instead of oil

► Which topical remedies are best for localized situations, and which can provide whole-body support

► When topical herbal preparations are great on their own—and when they’re best paired with internal remedies and lifestyle support

► and so much more…

I’ll also share details about how to join the free mini course that my friend and co-teacher, Emily Han, and I will be offering next week. This is a free series designed to give you a taste of how we teach and how we think about herbal medicine inside our course Rooted Medicine Circle. If you’re curious to learn more about how to choose the right form of medicine for the situation you’re dealing with, this mini course is for you!

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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read...

In a world obsessed with stimulation and strength, what can this gentle, velvety herb teach us about healing?

In this episode, herbalist and prolific author Maria Noël Groves joins me to discuss one of the most soothing herbs around—the lovely marshmallow (Althaea officinalis). Together we explore what makes this mucilaginous (read: velvety, not slimy!) herb such a powerful ally for irritated and inflamed tissues—especially in the gut, where marshmallow helps to protect, moisten, and nourish while also supporting the microbiome.

Maria shares why she’s fallen so deeply in love with this soft, soothing herb, and how it works without being forceful or stimulating. She also includes a recipe for a cozy, delicious beverage to soothe not just the gut, but also the spirit—her Creamy Marshmallow-Nutmeg Overnight Infusion. You can download your beautifully-illustrated recipe card here.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► The importance of tasting and experiencing an herb in different ways

► How best to prepare marshmallow root (and why this is a point of contention among herbalists!)

► When marshmallow leaf and flower might be a better medicinal choice than the roots

► Why Maria includes marshmallow leaf in most of her tea blends

► How marshmallow can help heal your digestion—from cooling inflamed tissues to feeding your gut microbiome (and more!)

► When to use caution with taking marshmallow

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know her, Maria Noël Groves is a clinical herbalist nestled in the pine forests of New Hampshire. She runs Wintergreen Botanicals, and is devoted to education and empowerment via classes, health consultations, and writing with the foundational belief that good health grows in nature. Maria is the author of the award-winning, best-selling book Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Holistic Self Care, as well as Grow Your Own Herbal Remedies, Herbal Remedies for Sleep, and the new Herbal Gut Health.

Marshmallow offers an important reminder that some of the most profound healing comes not from pushing harder, but from learning how to soften. I hope this conversation with Maria inspires you to give your body the care, protection, and nourishment it needs in the new year and beyond.

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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.

You can find Maria at WintergreenBotanicals.com.

If you're interested in Maria's fantastic new book, Herbal Gut Health, you can preorder it here or wherever books are sold.

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you

Pedicularis doesn’t shout for attention—but once you meet it, you may wonder how you ever lived without its profound ability to help the body let go.

It was such a delight to sit down with Chicago herbalist Alex Williams to discuss the gorgeous pedicularis (Pedicularis spp.). Those who are familiar with this lovely plant treasure it for its ability to help release deep skeletal muscle tension—and yet it remains relatively unknown in the herbal world.

In this rich and reflective conversation, Alex weaves together the clinical uses of pedicularis for pain, injury, and nervous tension with its surprising ecological role as a parasitic plant. He practically gushes about this beloved herbal ally, sharing its physical benefits along with the more metaphorical ways pedicularis has taught him to be a better human.

Alex shares how his experience as a bartender helped shape his path to herbalism, and the recipe he included is a fun reflection of this! His Potion of Delight can be prepared as either a tea or a low alcohol fermented beverage; you can download your beautifully illustrated recipe card here.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► Why pedicularis shines in cases of chronic pain, headaches, and injury recovery

► What ethical wildcrafting really looks like with sensitive native plants

► How parasitic plants like pedicularis can actually increase biodiversity and ecological resilience

► Why “less is more” isn’t just a dosage guideline—but part of pedicularis’ deeper teaching

► How this plant can help loosen rigidity in the body and in the way we move through the world

► and so much more….

For those of you who don’t know him, Alex Williams is a clinical herbalist and founder of Greenspell School of Ecological Herbcraft in Chicago, where he offers herbal consultations, herbalism classes, and plant walks throughout the Chicago region, supporting those he works with in cultivating rest, genuine self-care practices, ecological awareness, and a deep sense of embodied aliveness.

Alex also runs First Curve Apothecary which offers sliding-scale herbal supplements, along with herbal compounding services to holistic practitioners. Outside of the apothecary, Alex teaches medical sociology, psychology, and environmental justice at a local university. Every once in a while, he writes an occasional haiku.

I can’t wait to share this episode with you today!

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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.

You can find Alex at Greenspell.org and FirstCurveApothecary.com.

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine,...

This often-discarded kitchen staple makes powerful medicine—don’t throw it away!

In today’s episode, Chilean herbalist Constanza Leal discusses an herb that is ubiquitous in my kitchen during the dark months of winter—orange peel (Citrus x sinensis). Together, we explore how this humble peel brings warmth, radiance, and the unmistakable sunny joy of citrus into our homes and our bodies. From supporting digestion and clearing the lungs to brightening our mood in the heart of winter, orange peel offers far more than most people realize.

Constanza shares so many ways to help you savor the full magic of this accessible yet often overlooked medicine, including her Cozy Immune Boost tea—a delicious way to help strengthen your immune system during the winter! You can download a beautifully illustrated recipe card here.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► The power of connecting on an intimate level with one herb at a time

► Why orange peel—the whole thing, white pith included!—is even more beneficial to your health than the fruit itself

► A surprising way to work with orange peel to improve your mood (warning: you’re going to get wet!)

► Eight ways to enjoy the benefits of orange peel, from food to medicine to cleaning supplies

► Why herbal powders are such a great way to work with herbs

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know her, Constanza Leal is a South American herbalist from Chile who started her journey with herbalism in June 2011 after a hit & run bike accident that changed her life.

In 2016 Constanza launched her herbalism project, Jardín Secreto, after moving to the mountains of Antioquia, Colombia with her husband. Growing food as medicine, wildcrafting, teaching decolonial herbalism and making small batches of medicine for her community became a dream come true.

Since 2017 Constanza has been offering multiple herbalism apprenticeships a year and continues to deepen her relationship with the Tahamie Lands via regenerative agriculture, seed saving, soil microbiology, and biodynamic ways of medicine-making.

Constanza teaches herbalism workshops in South America, in New England, and online through the Gaia School of Healing & Earth Education.

Constanza’s stories and teachings offer such a radiant reminder that even the most familiar plants hold deep wisdom waiting to be rediscovered. Whether you’re brand new to citrus medicine or already love working with it, I hope this episode gives you fresh inspiration to explore, experiment, and enjoy the radiant gifts of orange peel.

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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.

You can find Constanza at SomosJardinSecreto.com.

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear...

How can one tree be said to bless, protect, seduce… and curse?

In this episode, I’m joined by herbalist and writer Ruthie Kølle for a deep dive into one of my all-time favorite plants: hawthorn (Crataegus spp.). Together, we explore hawthorn’s rich folklore, its potent heart-centered gifts, and the magic woven into its thorns, blossoms, and berries. Drawing from her Celtic heritage, Ruthie shares how hawthorn is not just a medicine, but a living bridge to old-world traditions and ancestral ways of healing.

Ruthie brought us her recipe for Anam Cara Heart Opening Cordial, a delightful blend of hawthorn and other rose-family plants. I love how this recipe can be so easily adapted to reflect the region you live in! You can download a beautifully illustrated recipe card here.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► Three different body systems that benefit from hawthorn’s gifts

► What makes hawthorn so nourishing and protective, both for the ecosystem and for the human body

► Why most people could benefit from working with hawthorn on a daily basis

► Five different ways to include hawthorn in food

► Why hawthorn is called the "trysting tree" in Irish lore—and what that has to do with the putrid smell of its flowers

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know her, Ruthie Kølle lives in a cabin situated on the northern hem of her family’s 9th generation farm, which occupies unceded Lenape land. She is deeply rooted to her place there and has apprenticed herself to reconnecting to her own Celtic ancestral ways, weaving them into the stories of the land where she is currently planted. It’s her passion to reconnect with and integrate these traditional and ritual methods of healing into our modern lives.

Ruthie has been studying folk and clinical herbalism since 2012, has been practicing intuitive bodywork since 2005, and creating ceramic art for 30 years.

This conversation is so full of wonder, story, and heartfelt herbal wisdom. If you’ve ever felt drawn to hawthorn—or are curious why so many people fall in love with this tree—you won’t want to miss this episode!

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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.

You can find Ruthie at MotherHylde.com.

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!

On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of...