How do you choose which plant to work with? This episode helps navigate this decision, from medicinal action to choosing plants from your lineages or bioregion, understanding different herbal energetics and so much more.

Links & resources from this episode

• Stolen Skies Calendar - https://stolenskiescalendar2026.bigcartel.com/
• Month of Solidarity for Taylor - https://bristolabc.org/month-of-solidarity-for-taylor/
• The Prisoner's Herbal in Romanian - https://solidarityapothecary.org/the-prisoners-herbal-is-now-available-in-romanian/
• Herbalism, PTSD & Traumatic Stress Course - https://solidarityapothecary.org/herbalismandptsdcourse/
• Practical Medicine Making Intensives - https://solidarityapothecary.org/practical-medicine-making-intensive/
• Episode 26 - Connecting with Plant Allies - https://solidarityapothecary.org/the-frontline-herbalism-podcast/26-connecting-with-plant-allies/

Find them all at solidarityapothecary.org/podcast/

Support the show

Music from Sole & DJ Pain – Battle of Humans | Plant illustrations by @amani_writes | In solidarity, please subscribe, rate & review this podcast wherever you listen.

Welcome to the Frontline Herbalism Podcast with your host Nicole Rose from the

Solidarity Apothecary.

This is your place for all things plants and

liberation.

Let's get started.

Hello. Welcome back to the Frontline Herbalism Podcast.

I hope you are well.

My baby seems to be enjoying waking up at 4:30 in the morning at the moment, so I'm a little

bit tired.

Good job.

I have an early morning constitution.

Otherwise I think parenthood would,

yeah, be a real challenge.

Um,

so yeah, I've just got a few announcements and then I'm going to dive into like how do you

choose a plant to work with? Like where do you start?

But yeah, just a couple of things before then.

One of them is there are these *******

beautiful calendars for sale with just the most amazing artwork and lino prints which

kind of each tell a story of like prism resistance and solidarity.

And some people have put them together to fundraise for Bristol Anarchist Black Cross,

which are kind of like a prisoner support anarchist group in Bristol.

And yeah, like all the money goes towards kind of like super practical prisoner solidarity

things.

Visits, legal costs, post release support and

stuff.

They're sliding scale 11 to 15 pounds.

And I'll put the link in the show notes.

It's stolen skies calendar2026.bigcartel.com I

went to Bristol Anarchist Book Fair this weekend which was awesome with my baby and

mostly hung out in the kids space but the kids space was like incredible and there was like a

literal soft play in there.

So Lee just had an absolute ball and got to see one of my besties, Imani.

I don't know if she listens to this show but yeah,

so it was really nice and got to see some other comrades and.

But I forgot to pick up a copy of the calendar because I wanted to make some like reels and

all that jazz.

But yeah, please get one.

I think there's maybe like,

I'm not sure how many are left.

But yeah, please order one, get one for your

friends.

A little kind of anarchist Christmas present.

But yeah, all the money raised like, like I said goes to Bristol ABC and is yeah, really

important as a project.

So check that out.

I'm also really excited to share that I finally put the Prisoner's Herbal on my

website.

The translation into Romanian and I shared a text from the small collective who translated

the book about, yeah, why they decided to translate it about kind of PR in Romania and

repression.

And yeah, it's an ebook so it's £3, the same as all my other books apart from Herbalism,

state violence, which is six pounds.

But all the proceeds go towards distributing prisoners herbal to people in prison all over

the world.

And there's like 3, 000 of them at the moment

in the so called US getting distributed and another thousand in the UK.

So actually no, I think there's 2, 000 in the US and 1000 more in the UK.

But anyway, they all ******* get into prisons and I need to get better at documenting this

because I think it's ******* awesome how much in demand the book is.

And I need to kind of get a new wave of prisoner testimonials and stuff.

Anyway, please check out the post by the crew they also organized.

Well,

the translation grew out of a gathering that was in Romania about plants, mushrooms and

resistance.

I mean how, how sexy are those three things?

Which I would have loved to have go gone to.

Like,

baby, I need to get my confidence.

If anyone wants to go to gatherings next year

and help with childcare so that I can join in things,

I would just be so up for that.

Like, yeah, I'm gonna get out of my comfort

zone next year.

I mean Lee was teeny tiny this year and last

year, so.

Yeah. But I would love to get to kind of more gatherings like that.

So anyway, check it out on the store and thanks again to the amazing team who did that

translation.

Oh, the final announcement is.

Yeah, basically in on the 24th of November is the inquest of my best friend Taylor, who

died, who I have talked about several times in different episodes.

Like I think I recorded a statement after he died, which is also on the Bristol ABC

website.

And I shared in like an episode about herbal support for grief.

And I wrote about him in my burnout book.

And yeah, he was like my best friend who did

14 years in prison.

He only got sentenced to four years and did a decade over his tariff in this IPP sentence,

which is like called Imprisonment for Public Protection.

It was a thing in the mid 2000s where like thousands of people got sentenced to basically

a life sentence for like a minor crime.

Like literally like 12 months for stealing a phone and then doing like 11 years in prison,

for example,

and you had to like apply for parole to get out.

But loads of IPP prisoners kept getting rejected at parole and you know,

like all the things like really leading to like at one point the UK had like the highest

rate of prisoner suicides in the world of countries that were documenting prisoner

suicides.

And this was like pretty much attributed to the sentence.

So yeah, Taylor died in 2022.

Yeah,

cut his throat and bled to death in prison and yeah, was harrowing.

And we've got this inquest for three weeks,

which I'm dreading.

It's been huge amounts of work like writing my

statement and reading all the disclosure and I'm still not even like 5% into the paperwork.

And it's, you know, it's why I haven't been supporting that many people one to one,

because I've been preparing for this inquest and yeah, I just, I don't even know how it's

going to work with the baby.

Like I've got the grandmas and my partner on standby in terms of looking after him.

But yeah, I'm not looking forward to it.

But some comrades from Bristol ABC have put

together a call for action which I really appreciate for like a month of solidarity for

Taylor.

So rather than people going to the inquest, I mean you're obviously welcome to the group are

kind of encouraging people to take action where they are.

So maybe I'll just read a little bit of the statement.

Yeah, okay,

I'll just read the statement quickly and I'll put a link in the show notes.

So Taylor was a working class trans man who spent 14 years in prison on an IPP sentence, a

sentence with no fixed end date.

He was originally given four years, but the system kept him trapped indefinitely.

Like so Many other serving IPPs, the uncertainty and violence of imprisonment

destroyed his mental health.

In July 2022, Taylor took his own life in his cell after years of state neglect and despair.

The system that kept in cage and hopeless is the system that killed him.

Taylor was a loved comrade of Bristol anarchist Black Cross, a member of the

Incarcerated workers organizing committee iWalk and part of a global network of people

resisting the brutality of the prison system.

Why now? On Monday 24th November, an inquest will begin

into Taylor's death.

We know that the state.

We know what the state's process will deliver.

Reports, recommendations and no real change.

We don't believe the system that killed Taylor can deliver quote, unquote justice.

Instead, we ask people everywhere to use this time to organize,

connect and show that solidarity is stronger than the walls that divide us.

Call to action.

From 24th of November to 12th December, we invite comrades, friends and allies to take

action in Taylor's name.

Wherever you are,

honor his life by standing with everyone still living under the same violent.

Here's how you can act.

Support people inside, write letters, donate to phone and visit funds, send books and stand

with prisoners facing daily harm, especially trans and queer Prisoners like Taylor

Challenge the IPP sentence.

Amplify prisoner and family campaigns.

Demand that all IPPs be reviewed and ended.

Organize locally.

Host a letter writing night, hold a banner

drop or gather your community for a discussion or vigil.

Show up for families.

Offer practical and emotional support to those

whose loved ones are in prison.

They carry the weight of this system too.

Build lasting solidarity.

Connect with abolitionists and working class

groups.

Make relationships that can outlast moments of

tragedy.

Every act matters, big or small.

Taylor taught us what solidarity really means,

showing up again and again, even when it's hard.

His life reminds us that abolition isn't theory, it is life and death.

This month, we take action for Taylor, for all our kin inside, and for a future without

cages.

Reports, reflections and actions can be shared@bristolabciseopc.riseup.net and yeah,

please just share that call of action with people.

You know, like, I put it on Instagram, but like,

no one sees Instagram anymore, at least not mine.

So,

yeah, if you can share it around, that would be amazing.

And yeah, the court is like 10 to 4, pretty much every day for three weeks.

So I'm not sort of expecting to be able to do like, podcasts particularly.

So there might be a little bit of a podcast break, but I'll see how I get on.

I might be able to batch record some things beforehand.

All right,

so, yeah, please check that out.

I'll put the link in the show notes, please

order a calendar and yeah, I hope you, yeah, get something out of this episode around

choosing a plant to work with.

Okay, thanks for listening.

Take care.

All right, so yeah, I'm gonna focus on how do we kind of choose a plant to work with or, you

know, allow a plant to choose us and anyone that comes on my practical medicine making

intensives, which, FYI, are ready to book at the moment,

it just becomes a running joke that, like every question is responded to.

Well, it depends.

You know, it depends on the person, the

constitution, the plan,

their lineages,

like, all the things.

And yeah, sometimes I wish herbalism was like,

a little bit more straightforward, but I also love the kind of complexity of it.

Um,

so, yeah, in this episode I'm going to kind of focus on nervines, which are herbs with an

affinity for the nervous system, just to give you a kind of like, tangible example to work

through.

But obviously you might want to choose a plant to work with another sort of system,

like most especially, for example, focusing on your digestive system or your immune system

or, you know, your pelvic area or Reproductive system.

Like, yeah.

Not that any of these systems are separate

from the other.

And that's, you know, the other element of

complexity with medicine.

But,

yeah, I'm just gonna try and keep it as simple as possible.

And it's gonna.

But it is gonna be a bit wibbity wobbity.

So we're gonna kind of like bounce around a little bit and come back to different themes

and things.

But, yeah, I'm gonna.

I'm gonna do my best.

But yeah, you're often wondering, like, where do I begin?

And there's lots of starting points, and I think my sort of favorite is by what is our

kind of desired herbal action.

So a herbal action is often just kind of like describing its action on the body or its kind

of like medicinal property.

So are you looking for something stimulating? Are you looking for something calming?

Are you looking for something like toning of a particular tissue?

Are you looking for something that is kind of relaxing and is going to relieve cramps?

So, you know, it can be hard to get your head around, like, herbal.

Herbal kind of jargon around different medicinal actions, but just to keep it simple

for yourself, it's kind of like, what kind of action am I seeking?

And if you don't know that herbal jargon, like, how do you want to feel differently?

You know, and if you're thinking about a kind of nervous system perspective, then, like,

what sort of state of my nervous system do I want to shift?

And maybe, you know, maybe you listened to the previous episodes where I dived into different

nervous system states, and I would really recommend listening to them if you're in this

process of kind of choosing a plant.

But it might be you've listened to that and you've been like, you know what?

I'm really in the freeze response a lot.

Like, I'm really on the edge of a panic attack

a lot,

or just kind of like immobilized with sort of dissociation.

Or you might be more in like, fight or flight and have really like, intense racing anxiety

and anger and irritability,

in which case you might want to,

you know, feel differently.

You might want to feel like some of the ways,

kind of like clients or people I've worked with, one to one might describe it.

It's like, oh, I just want to feel calmer.

I just want to feel in control.

I just want to feel less reactive.

You know, I just want to feel safer.

Like,

you know, think about what do you really want to kind of like achieve?

Not in a. Like, oh, I got a.

A grade assignment but achieve in the sense of like, how do you want to feel differently?

So, yeah, and if you know that kind of herbal action, you can obviously get a bit more

specific.

So yeah, if you're feeling sort of anxious and

in this sort of flight mode, you might choose like a relaxant nerve iron, like lavender or

lemon balm or chamomile.

For example,

if you're, you really struggling to sleep, you might be looking for a kind of like mild

sedative or a stronger sedative.

So you might be thinking like California poppy or passion flower or wild lettuce.

If you're feeling sort of shut down or hopeless, you might think, actually I need

something a little bit more stimulating for my nervous system, like rosemary or thyme, for

example.

So yeah, like it is, yeah, just kind of thinking,

yeah, what kind of.

Yeah, how do you want to feel differently?

Like, for example, if you're really struggling with kind of burnout after long term stress,

you might think like, actually I just want my nervous system to kind of like function a bit

better and to feel more sort of like resourced and less fatigue.

So you might choose a kind of nerve tonic like milky oats or betony or licorice.

And I did actually a series, if you're on Instagram, all about nerve tonics in my last

sort of PTSD course launch.

So yeah, I will try and record a podcast about nervotonics too.

But anyway, so that doesn't sound too complicated, right?

Like I am just going for the kind of herbal action that I'm looking for.

Like I want an antiviral action or I want something calming on my stomach cramps.

But yeah, there are obviously lots of other things you need to think about.

First off really is about safety.

So in a way, like I like to start with safety because it just rules out often like a bunch

of plants.

So you, you know, this word is used in the herbal world of like contraindications.

Like is something not indicated for what your,

what you are using or not using.

So for example, medications, like if someone is on certain medications and you know, not

looking to kind of transition off them, which is often a goal for people connecting with a

herbalist is they want sort like a practitioner to support them with a transition

like that.

But say, you know, right, I'm, you know, I've chosen the contraceptive pill.

I'm, I'm happy with that choice.

Like, I'm not gonna come off it.

Like, and I'm obviously not against pharmaceuticals.

Like, you know, they can be life saving.

So I'M very happy if someone is just like

content with the medication they're taking.

But knowing that medication means.

Right, okay, well, you're not going to have

any St. John's Wort or licorice might be a bad idea.

Or,

you know,

lemon balm might.

I mean, lemon balm's like pretty amazing and

safe with all sorts of things.

But yeah, medications can help really rule out

if a plant is safe for you.

So always kind of check that before you work with a plant.

Just, you know, have a quick Google, ask a herbalist friend, look in a good high quality

herbal book and see if there's any medications that are not sort of suitable for that plant.

You might be pregnant.

And you know, like, herbal safety in pregnancy is like a whole other episode.

But especially in early pregnancy, we have to be very, very cautious.

If you are a herbalist yourself, like, I was like, a little bit more confident because I

have such a deep kind of intimate knowledge of certain plants.

But if I'm working with a client, like, I always, you know, you just have to go like to

a real kind of like harm prevention,

like covering your own back kind of thing.

So, yeah, just, you know, checking if that

herb is safe.

And then there's contraindications in terms of things like specific symptoms you might be

experiencing.

So I've written about this before, but,

you know, there's like a whole bunch of herbs that I think I don't feel are like,

like, are kind of contraindicated with like certain kind of subtypes of ptsd, if that

makes sense.

So if someone is like extremely activated in

fight or flight and having a lot of like, nightmares and like, like attacks of rage and

stuff like that, like, I'm just not gonna give them like rhodiola or ashwagandha or,

you know, maybe even like licorice or something because it might just completely tip

them over the edge.

Likewise, if someone is very kind of depressed and sort of stagnant and sedated in

themselves, like very fatigued, I'm not gonna give them sedative herbs.

But then there's always like nuances with that as well.

You know,

might be very fatigued, but actually have a lot of like, underlying anxiety and

activation.

So anyway.

Or be struggling with sleep, like nighttime sleep, for example.

So.

Yeah, but I, I like to really think about kind of.

Yeah. Any kind of other contraindications like that.

And this is when like sort of herbal energetics come in.

I told you this episode would be a bit complicated.

But yeah, I've Got a lesson in the herbalism, PTSD and traumatic stress course.

That's like a deep dive into herbal energetics.

And you know, like traditional medicine mod,

like from all over the world all follow like an energetic pattern.

And it is very important in terms of kind of more like traditional medicine to think about

energetics.

So to make it really simple,

just think about temperature.

For example, like, do you tend to run hot as a

person or do you tend to run cold? So for example,

I'm quite warm.

I don't like wearing socks.

I don't like sleeping in many clothes.

I generally like, you know, like when we work with the clinic in Calais, like most of my

teammates really struggle with the cold.

They struggle to open dressings and bandages

and stuff.

And I will just be happy as Larry in a hoodie, like working in the cold.

But put me in the ****** heat in the summer with the clinic,

I ain't doing that.

Like, I just get sunstroke and sit in the

back.

Like all the teammates will sit and do like

bottling and labeling, like in the sun.

And I'm just in the shade.

So yeah, so like, you know, do tend to run hot or cold because herbs will have a kind of like

temperature to them.

And some are like quite neutral.

But yeah, some may kind of like be more heating for the body and some may be more

cooling, for example.

And I think herbal energetics is often like the missing link for people who have kind of

like done the diy, like self experimenting with herbs because they're often like.

But hey, like every,

you know, like every herbal textbook is saying,

you know, this plant is like, really good for this, this and this.

And then they don't realize that like, actually they're all really like cold, you

know, like vervain and betony, like they're quite cold cooling nervines.

And again, someone just might need like a bit more warming up, like some turmeric or ginger

or, you know, rosemary or something.

So yeah, like, trying to think about your

constitution is really good.

And we also often need to think about like our kind of like moisture.

So I feel like I'm quite kind of balanced these days.

But I used to be like extremely tense and dry.

So like anything that was like too drying was just like a nightmare for me.

And other people are just way too sort of like moist.

You know, they might have a lot of kind of like GI issues or,

you know, cysts or hemorrhoids or like things like this or like a lot of kind of like

nasally dampness and Then herbs that are kind of moistening, like marshmallow, for example,

just might be too,

yeah, too moistening for them.

So they might actually need that kind of like

drying, toning action.

I hope this is making sense and not making things too complicated.

But yeah, have a think about energetics when you're,

you know, really considering what herb you might work with.

And this is a bit like,

not controversial but like,

you know, maybe if you are a really hot person,

take a ******* hot herb to see how it feels in your body and to be like,

whoa, that was heating.

Because we can't sort of, you know, like, we have to develop an intimate relationship with

all sorts of plants and the best way of doing that is knowing their kind of effects on our

bodies.

And sometimes you actually learn, like, I feel like I learned way more about energetics from

the herbs that were like contraindicated for me.

So I'm not saying go and choose every herb that's not recommended for you, especially if

you're in a real state of imbalance or, excuse me, or chronic illness or like disease.

But like, if you're just kind of like learning about herbalism and wanting to understand

herbal energetics, then there's nothing better than just doing a tea tasting or a tincture

tasting and just, you know, trying it.

Which again is something I love doing on my practical medicine making intensives because

people get to just try like shitloads of samples and you know, they'll take a shot of

elecampane glycerite and some people will be like, holy moly,

no way.

Like, I need to drink like three glasses of

water otherwise.

And other people are like, oh, that's just

what I needed after sleeping in a damp tent last night.

So, yeah, like, I think it's really nice to like be playful and experimental with

herbalism.

Okay, so the next like, well, again, this isn't linear, right?

Like, I would always consider this like first off,

but I would be really thinking about sort of like relationship and reciprocity.

So is this plant growing in your bioregion, for example?

You know, like, I'm not against,

like, I think people have traded herbs and spices from all over the world like, you know,

forever.

Like there's like a kind of anti capitalist

business coach, Bear Herbert, who, sorry if I've mispronounced their name wrong, but they

talk about the differences between like commerce and capitalism in terms of like trade

and sort of buying and selling and exchanging versus,

you know,

intense economic systems built on domination and oppression.

But yeah, so I think, think, you know, we have been working with different herbs from

different bioregions for a really long time,

especially places like England, you know, where, you know, you're invaded by the ******

Romans, so you've got all these, like, amazing herbs from the Mediterranean and North Africa

and South Asia,

and then, you know, it's kind of like what counts as a native herb.

Do you know what I mean? Like, it's.

It's all complicated stuff.

And I talk about it in my herbalism, PTSD and

traumatic stress course because, you know, I.

I obviously also talk about cultural appropriation and when is it inappropriate to

work with a herb.

And certain herbs are extremely sacred to

different groups of indigenous people and are not appropriate for other people to use.

And I think it's.

It's different working with a plant, I think,

for yourself, than it is.

I'm gonna ******* commodify and market this herb and make, like, millions of pounds from

selling it all over the world and over, harvesting it and pushing it to absolute ecolo

devastation.

Like there's a ******* difference, you know?

But I do feel like plant medicines are sort of deeper and richer and stronger and act on more

than just a biochemical level when we have a kind of lineage with that herb or like a

tradition with that herb.

So my ancestors are from, like, England, Wales and Ireland, and I studied in Ireland, and I

felt like having that kind of, like, Irish plant knowledge and folklore and stuff was,

like, really ******* beautiful and healing for me because of, you know, relatives, like,

migrating to England because of,

like, ******* poverty and English oppression.

Likewise, I've loved learning about, like, the physicians of Modafi, for example.

Like, my.

One of my nuns is from Anglesey in North

Wales.

And, like, I've really loved learning about

kind of, like, more like Welsh traditions with herbs.

And obviously, like, a lot of these herbal traditions have been, like, completely

obliterated right through colonialism and the birth of capitalism and,

you know, like, its impacts on medicine and on folklore and on relationships to land bases,

like, all the things.

But, yeah, like, I think if you are able to connect with a herb from your own lineages,

like, that's really powerful.

And I think that's, like, especially powerful

for people living.

For example, I've, you know, supported a lot of clients who have lineages away from

England, Wales and Ireland and living, you know, in the diaspora here, and it's powerful

for them to connect with a herb from,

you know, Bangladesh or Sri Lanka or, you know, wherever.

So it's like, yeah, I think if you can connect with a herb with that Ancestral connection.

Like you're just going to be bringing in like so much more sort of like magic and energy.

Do you know what I mean? I mean,

I ain't afraid to say that on my podcast.

Sorry, you know what people like with the M word.

Right? Anyway, okay, so yeah,

and then is it just ethical and ecological to harvest that herb?

Like is that herb really,

you know, endangered? In which case, please don't work with it.

Like there's all sorts of herbs that share similar properties and actions.

Like we don't have to push herbs to extinction, you know, and there's an

organization in the so called US called United Plant Savers, that kind of document at risk

medicinal plants mostly for so called kind of North America.

But they also share links to other organizations.

There's one in the UK called Plant Life International that talk about sort of like

plant biodiversity and which plants are threatened on these islands where we are.

So yeah, I think it's important to kind of,

you know, check that sustainability of that herb and if in doubt, just work with a herb

that's really abundant, like for where you are.

Like there's nettles everywhere and dandelions everywhere and you know, like where I live,

every hedgerow has like ****** 50 Hawthorne trees.

So for me it's like those plants are like in abundance where I am and so it makes sense to

work with them.

Which is, you know, probably why I've like got, you know, certain herbs in my apothecary

that are kind of, you know, like very rooted in my land base here and what I can harvest

and things.

But yeah, like if you are buying a herb or a tincture, which, you know, you have to do,

like I didn't grow up with access to land, you know what I mean?

Like I know how it is growing up in a city.

So, you know, you do have to buy herbs and

hopefully you've got some sort of local herbalists that you can get them from.

But if not, I know, you know, buying them from suppliers like Baldwins and things.

But yeah, trying to choose them from a supplier where there's like some kind of

integrity is nice.

Like I understand, like I've been there

shoplifting from Holland and Barrett, it, you know, just to have access to certain plants

and things.

But I do think you'll realize like when you receive medicines that are kind of handmade

and ecologically harvested with like a kind of spiritual intent, like you will feel the

difference in that medicine.

And I've had that feedback so much.

Okay, so we're still not there we're choosing a plant.

But the other things you might want to explore are like, what's the best sort of preparation?

Like some herbs.

Herbs are most effective, for example, in

alcohol tincture.

And that might not be, like, appropriate for

you.

So you might think, okay, I'm rubbish at taking tinctures,

but I love a cup of tea in the morning.

So you might think, right, what plants good to

work with in terms of like a herbal tea blend or, you know, a glycerite?

Like, I've got a whole online workshop all about glycerite.

So if you're like, what the is a glycerite?

But yeah, some plants definitely lend themselves more to kind of glycerin in my

experience.

You know, you might need to think about, like, what sort of dose or duration are safe.

Like, if you're working with a certain herb that might be on the more like, pokey end of

things, it might be that you can only work with that plant super short term, you know,

or like licorice, for example.

For example, you don't want to take licorice

long term.

You might just want to work with it for like

six weeks.

And you might just want a tiny little bit as

part of a blend rather than on its own own.

So, yeah, I know there's like, a lot to think about,

but yeah, you might want to also think, like, are you taking this herb as part of a formula

or just on its own? Like, I love promoting to people to just begin

with one plant, and I love layering different herbs into tinctures and formulas,

like, once I've got a relationship with a herb.

But, you know, like, maybe, maybe that's not true for clients because I will often go for

sort of formulas, but that's because their goal is like, to really, like,

you know, support a shift in their body or their nervous system or their digestion or

whatever.

Whereas I feel like if your focus is on like

learning herbalism and connecting with a plant,

then going plant by plant is really amazing.

And I've got an episode of like,

like plant Ally practices from when I recorded the Prisoner's Herbal book.

I'll put it in the show notes.

It was ******* ages ago.

But yeah, like,

working with that one plant in different preparations.

Like, for example, having hawthorne berries and making Hawthorne berry glyceri and making

a tincture and trying Hawthorne flower tea, like, you're just, yeah, you're gonna be

experiencing that herb on so many levels and being able to, like, reflect and,

yeah, kind of have that embodied experience with that Herb is, like, amazing.

So, yeah, so there are lots of things to consider.

But the final thing that I think makes it all easier is, like,

is there a herb that is just choosing you? Like, is there a plant that just keeps

appearing in your awareness? You know, like, everywhere you go, you're

seeing dandelion leaves everywhere, and you have that craving to eat them, or you're

having dreams about dandelion, or someone gives you a book with a dandelion on.

On it. Like the Prisoner's Herbal, for example.

It's got dandelions on it.

Or. Yeah, you're having a dream with dandelions in.

Like, is there a herb that your sort of reticular activating system of your brain is

just focused on? You know, you just cannot ignore those signs

anymore.

Then just ******* go for that.

You know, like, when.

When I had costochondritis, which is like, chronic inflammation in the rib cage,

I.

I had a dream where I was taken down a lift and gone into a supermarket,

and there were shells and shells of herbs.

So it wasn't like, oh, find this herb in the

forest.

It was like some sort of, like, weird,

massive herb store.

And I went and I chose comfrey, which, you

know, isn't recommended to take inside because of its, like, potential risk to the liver.

That's like, a whole other episode.

But I do did start working with, like, comfrey poultices on my rib cage, and that was

definitely, like, beneficial for me in that moment of my kind of recovery process.

So, yeah, like, paying attention.

Oh, my God. Sorry.

This dog is so noisy.

Paying attention to those signs and which herb is kind of choosing you.

So, yeah, I know all of that is probably really overwhelming, which is why I really

encourage people to join, like, a structured learning program, like my herbalism PTSD

traumatic stress course, for example, that can take you through the.

Those things step by step or present to you a plant profile where I've already dived into a

herbs energetics or the Contraindications, for example.

But I guess, like, the other response to this question is just like,

start anywhere.

Like, just start.

Do you know what I mean? Like, it's all very, well, kind of like

reading herbal books or listening to podcasts.

But, like, the real,

like, transformational effect from a herb is literally just working with a herb.

Like, I can guarantee it.

Like, just going and picking some dandelion

leaves and eating them with your lunch will just get you so far in terms of, you know,

connecting with that plan.

And then you can, you know, dive into all the things and read online about them and listen

to podcasts and watch YouTube videos and all the stuff.

But,

yeah, just kind of.

Yeah, I know I'm recording this in the winter

where it's, like, hard to harvest herbs, but,

yeah, like, you know, just order a tincture online and start with a few drops a day and

see how you get on.

So, yeah, so that's my advice on how to choose a plant to work with.

Maybe I'll just do a little.

A little recap, because that was a lot.

So think about your desired kind of herbal

action.

Like, how do you want to feel differently?

Think about contraindications.

Have a think about energetics.

Like, is it too warming or cooling?

Is the herb growing in your bioregion? Is it sort of safe and ethical to harvest it?

You know, does the plant have a relationship to your traditions?

Think about safety in terms of dose and duration, whether you take it as a formula or

on its own.

And what's the best preparation of that herb?

All right, so, yeah, let me.

Let me know how you get on.

And thanks for listening soon.

Thanks so much for listening to the Frontline Herbalism Podcast.

You can find the transcript, the links, all the resources from the show at

solidarityapothecary.

Org Podcast.