Herbs with Rosalee

What if working with hawthorn isn’t just about supporting your cardiovascular system, but also about influencing how your body expresses health at the deepest level?
In this heartfelt conversation, I’m joined by herbalist Betzy Bancroft to explore the many layers of hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)—a plant that nourishes and protects the heart in more ways than one. Though hawthorn is widely known for supporting cardiovascular health, Betzy shares how its effects go far deeper, helping regulate gene expression, improving flexibility of the blood vessels, and overall supporting the body’s natural resilience.
At the same time, this beloved plant offers profound emotional medicine. Betzy shares how hawthorn can help soften grief, ease emotional tension, and encourage us to stay open-hearted while also maintaining healthy boundaries. Whether you’re seeing physical nourishment or emotional resilience, hawthorn is a true ally for the heart on every level.
Betzy also shares so many ways to work with hawthorn! She includes her recipe for a delicious, warming Hawthorn Cordial; you can download a beautifully-illustrated recipe card here.
By the end of this episode, you’ll know:
► What makes hawthorn such a wonderful tonic for the cardiovascular system
► The fascinating way that hawthorn influences your body’s own ability to react to oxidative stress
► Practical tips for extracting hawthorn effectively (and why preparation matters!)
► Why consistency is key when working with hawthorn
► Eleven different (delicious!) ways to bring hawthorn into your daily life
► and so much more…
For those of you who don’t know her, Betzy Bancroft has been teaching herbal medicine making for more than three decades at herbalism schools and events. Betzy is one of the founders of the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, where she teaches classes including medicine making and formulation, and is a mentor for clinical interns. She also teaches and often leads herb walks at Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary. She is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild and serves on the advisory board of United Plant Savers. Her book, Herbal Pharmacy, will be out in April of 2026.
Whether you’re drawn to hawthorn for its cardiovascular or emotional support, this is a plant that invites a lifelong relationship—one cup, one sip, one season at a time. However you choose to work with hawthorn, may it support you in cultivating a heart that is steady, resilient, and deeply alive.
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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 Betzy at HerbalPharmacyBook.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 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.

Stinging nettle has a reputation as a mineral-rich powerhouse—but what happens when you drink it every day for decades?
For many herbalists, stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is one of the first plants they fall in love with—and for herbalist Mary Blue, that relationship has only deepened over time. In this episode, I sit down with Mary to explore the many ways stinging nettle can nourish and support the body, as well as what it means to build such a deep, lasting relationship with a single plant.
Mary shares stories from her decades of working closely with stinging nettle, from harvesting hundreds of pounds each spring to drinking daily infusions and incorporating it into nearly every tea blend she creates. Her lifelong connection with nettle shows how even a common plant (one some consider a weed!) can support both physical and emotional health and become a profound source of nourishment, resilience, and daily support.
As delicious as it is medicinal, stinging nettle makes a wonderful addition to everyday meals. Mary shares one of her favorite ways to enjoy nettle as food: Stinging Nettle Pesto. You can download a beautifully illustrated recipe card for Mary’s pesto recipe here.
By the end of this episode, you’ll know:
► How stinging nettle can help support seasonal allergies
► When nettle works best as an infusion—and when a tincture might be useful
► The role nettle can play in supporting kidney health and detoxification
► How nettle can be worked with topically (yes, using the sting itself!) to ease joint pain and arthritis
► Why understanding herbal solvency is critical when deciding how to prepare herbs
► and so much more…
For those of you who don’t know her, Mary Blue is a community herbalist, educator, and activist with over 25 years of experience. She founded Farmacy Herbs in Providence in 2006, growing it into a nationally respected hub for herbal education, farming, and health justice that has trained over 1,000 students and launched herb businesses across the country. Her work focuses on using herbs, nutrition, and lifestyle to support health.
Mary has taught and delivered keynote addresses and taught nationally including at universities, conferences, and community institutions. She has served as a Teaching Associate and Associate Professor at Brown University Medical School and spoke about herbalism at the United Nations Council on Women in 2012. A widely cited and award-winning herbalist, Mary is a leading voice in community-centered herbal medicine.
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 Mary at FarmacyHerbs.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 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.

What if our ancestors already found solutions for our modern health problems—and the answers are hiding in plain sight in your spice cabinet?
Allspice (Pimenta dioica) may be small, but as Asia Dorsey shares in this episode, its medicine is mighty. Used throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and beyond, this aromatic berry carries anti-fungal, circulatory, and even menopausal support (all while making your food taste incredible!).
But this conversation goes far beyond herbal actions. Asia weaves together ecology, fermentation science, ancestral cooking techniques, and herbal healing into a powerful reminder: everything we need is already here.
Along with spices, fermented foods (from wine to jun, sauerkraut to kimchi, and more) are Asia’s jam! If you’ve ever been curious about making your own living foods, you’ll definitely want to try her simple, delicious recipe for Living Habanero Hot Sauce. You can download a beautifully illustrated recipe card here.
By the end of this episode, you’ll know:
► Why allspice deserves far more respect than its “holiday spice” reputation
► The surprising way this tiny berry supports women’s health
► How allspice (and many other spices!) protects the body from modern inflammatory stressors
► Why fermentation makes certain foods easier to digest
► How bioregional and ancestral herbalism can deepen your relationship with plants
► and so much more…
For those of you who don’t know her, Asia Dorsey is a bioregional rootworker and nutritional therapist centering gut-mind healing through ancestral food as medicine. She has apprenticed with wise women across the globe to discern the pattern language of healing though land and lineage. Her Colorado practice stewards 1:1 clients and mentored students towards embodied liberation.
This episode is a celebration of bioregional herbalism, cultural reverence, and the intelligence of food as medicine. I hope it inspires you to see your kitchen not just as a place to cook, but as a living apothecary rooted in lineage and place.
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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 Asia at BonesBugsAndBotany.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 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.

In a world of constant sensory overload, how do we care for the mind without burning it out?
In today’s episode, I sit down with Jennifer Kurdyla to discuss gotu kola (Centella asiatica), an herb that has long been known for supporting calm focus, emotional spaciousness, and long-term nervous system resilience.
Through the lens of Ayurveda, Jennifer explains how gotu kola cools inflammation, supports the gut–brain connection, and nourishes the senses. She reflects on her personal journey with gotu kola, highlighting how this quietly powerful herb helped to bring her back into balance after a mysterious, unexplained illness, and how it continues to be a part of her daily herbal practice.
Jennifer shares the many ways she likes to work with gotu kola, including her recipe for Spacious Mind Herbal Cacao—perfect as a coffee alternative or as an evening ritual! You can download a beautifully illustrated recipe card for this delicious herbal beverage here.
Gotu kola isn’t just an herb for the brain! Here are just a few other ways that gotu kola can benefit your health:
► Encourages strong, well-knit tissue repair during wound healing
► Soothes inflamed or ulcerated tissues in the digestive tract
► May slow stress-related hair loss and premature graying
To learn even more benefits of gotu kola, be sure to check out the entire episode!
By the end of this episode, you’ll know:
► How gotu kola can help cultivate calm, spacious focus without overstimulation
► The role of gotu kola in calming inflammation—and why that makes it so beneficial for both the body and the mind
► Why gotu kola is so often paired with ghee in Ayurvedic medicine
► A surprising way to work with gotu kola to encourage healthy hair growth
► How nasya (Ayurvedic herbal nose oiling) with gotu kola supports the brian and nervous system
► and so much more…
For those of you who don’t know her, Jennifer Kurdyla is an Ayurvedic practitioner, herbalist, yoga teacher, and writer based in Brooklyn, New York. Committed to sharing the ancient tools of Ayurveda and yoga with modern communities, she helps her clients and students discover personalized rituals that support their well-being in body, mind, and spirit.
Jennifer thrives in the creative space of her kitchen, where she crafts seasonal plant-forward recipes with a focus on supporting digestion and reviving our sensory experience with food prepared fresh and with love. She has studied Ayurveda at the Kripalu School of Ayurveda and clinical herbalism with David Winston.
A former book editor and graduate of Harvard University, Jennifer is also the co-author of Root & Nourish: An Herbal Cookbook for Women's Wellness (Tiller Press), and the author of Sense-Care is Self-Care: Ayurveda and Yoga for Mental Resilience.
I’m thrilled 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 Jennifer at JenniferKurdyla.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 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 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 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.