The Prairie Herbalist
Episode Introduction
In today's episode, The Prairie Herbalist , we chat with Rachel Liester about food as medicine, the best herbal salve ever, and how you can grow a pharmacy in your garden.
Host Stephanie Barelman
Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.
Guest Rachel Liester
Rachel Liester is an ethnobotanist, bioregional herbalist, educator, naturalist, writer and photographer. She specializes in prairie plants and has a five-acre herb farm and learning center in northeast Nebraska where she's been teaching about traditional uses of herbs as food and medicine for 30 years. Red Road Herbs Retreat & Learning Center LLC is part of United Plants Saver's Botanical Sanctuary Network, a Certified Wildlife Habitat, a Monarch Waystation and a haven of peace and tranquility where Rachel hosts events, retreats, classes and wild herb walks and encourages visitors to experience Nature's healing touch.
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Episode Content
Red Road Retreat and Learning Center
Prairie Herbalist Conference- classes and intensives designed to give you the expertise to be an herbalist- in Nebraska, by golly! Let's make it a glamping extravaganza this year. Dates in July. Check the site above!
Home Herbalist Program- Growing, Harvesting, and Creating 101
Rugel's plantain AKA Plantago rugelii : good for bug bites, eczema., inflammation, trapped thorns
Stinging nettle AKA Urtica dioica-full of vitamins, minerals, and antihistamines. Consider it a worthy weed and know it's stings are very effective for arthritis pain. Also know it's stinging sensation dissipates once cooked. Sick of hearing about Kay Young's Wild Seasons? If so, you're listening to the wrong podcast.
Wild bergamot AKA Monarda fistulosa AKA aswego tea
- member of mint family
- mosquito repellant, digestive aid, diaphoretic, and yes ,you heard us right, love potion perfume...
Elderberry AKA Sambucus canadensis
- contains thymol, a natural antiseptic, and carbicol, which has anti-cancer properties
- if you're worried about birds getting all your berries, just harvest the flowers instead
- used to be the sign of the medicine woman if planted outside in olden times
- instead of buying expensive medicines, make your own! just make sure to only consume berries that have been harvested when ripe and cooked!
Chokecherry AKA Prunus virginiana
- Early bloomer, used historically for "granola bars" AKA pemmican
- good bitter for our diet, aids digestion, full of antioxidants
Cattail AKA Typha latifolia- Yule Gibbons "cattails are the supermarket of the swamps," shoots, fluff, even pollen is edible. Not just a pretty damsel on the waterside.
Sweet grass AKA Anthoxanthum nitens- fragrant, even more fragrant when dry; comb, and break off, do not pull grass out to harvest as it is a perennial; powerful for aromatherapy
Prairie sage AKA Artemisia ludoviciana- another aromatherapy medicine, tied to healing not only due to its astringent and antiseptic properties but simply due to its aroma
Western yarrow AKA Achillea millefolium:
- 2024 Herb of the Year, https://www.iherb.org/herb-of-the-year/, blood medicine, an interesting example of the concept of "the doctrine of signatures," a polychrestic meaning a medicine that can treat a variety of ailments, also the star of a old-school Gaelic charm/ folk song "I will pluck the yarrow fair..."
- A great flower for cutting and drying
Food is medicine
Empower yourself and help to supplement your health by planting these native herbs and berries!
Additional content related to this episode:
What makes a plant native?
http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska
https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society
native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (native plant cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)
On the Web
BONAP aforementioned
BNPS aforementioned
http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on Facebook
Books & Authors
Rick Darke- The Living Landscape
Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".
Enrique Salmon- Iwigara
Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany
Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com
Native Plants of the Midwest
Planting in a Post-Wild World
Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska
Additional Resources
Other Local Organizations
- Green Bellevue
- PATH
- Milkweed Matters
- Nebraska Native Plant Society
Listen, rate, and subscribe!
Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/
Find us on Facebook
Visit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fm
Give us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraska
Support My Work via Patreon
The Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.
