To become a great herbalist, there are foundational principles and practices we have to understand and ultimately master. These posts focus on core holistic principles of herbalism, vitalism, and herbal traditions of the world.
Herbal medicine is and has always been, the people’s medicine. Just as there’s significant variation in the people and cultures that fill our world, there’s
Spagyrics is the branch of the alchemical tradition that specifically concerns itself with the preparation and processing of medicinal plants. One of the unique attributes
These days, supplement shelves are filled with all kinds of different products based on plants. Tinctures, teas, whole plant preparations, standardized extractions, phytopharmaceuticals . .
In this video I elaborate on the essential oil distillation process in the spagyric method. This example here is a little different from standard, as we were doing both a hydrodistillation and steam distillation at the same time (we had a lot of plant material!).
In the world of alchemy, there tends to be a lot of focus on the specific processes of preparation: distillation, fermentation, calcination, dissolution, etc. and making sure they are done correctly, as well as timing the preparations in accordance with the astrological and planetary influences. But what can be easily overlooked is the importance of the prayer behind the work itself.
Early this May I did a few classes at the Renaissance Medicine Conference in Portland Oregon that I thought I’d share with you. This is
In the Alchemical tradition, there is a teaching that speaks towards the Three Kingdoms of Life: the mineral, vegetable, and animal. Yet for some reason
On this week’s episode of The Plant Path, Whitney is joined by herbalist Rosalee de la Forêt. They have a discussion around wildcrafting practices; how to build relationships with the plants that grow around you by learning how to honorably harvest, tend, and care for land in your bioregion; how to work with the wild plants around you for food, medicine, and healing; and much more.
From anti-spasmodics and nervines, demulcents and emmenagogues, there are a wide category of herbal medicines which are considered to be ruled by the Moon. As
Learn how to use the Elements as a lens for classifying and using herbal remedies. The Alchemical herbal perspective involves looking at the planetary rulerships of different herbs, their organ and tissue affinities, as well as providing a sophisticated and refined way of preparing herbal medicines according to astrological influences. In this video, I reveal how the common herb Cleavers (Gallium aparine) relates to the water element, as well as Venus and the lymphatic system.
When we’re thinking about herbal medicine making, some of the topics that generally come up amongst herbalists are linear in their approach to how we prepare herbal medicine. What part of the plant do we use? Should it be fresh or should it be dried? What percentage alcohol should we use? Is it better as an infusion or a decoction? What are the chemicals in the plant, and how do we best extract them?
One of the biggest turning points in my plant path was the moment I came across the tradition of herbal alchemy, what is referred to