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Well late summer is here, and between medicine making, food preservation and family visits, life is full.

So today I'm bringing you a medley full of juicy past episode snippets all about understanding your cycle and your choices.

First you'll hear about your choices of non-hormonal birth control -- specifically focusing on the copper IUD and condoms, but you can absolutely go listen to the entire episode to learn about all your other options too (see link below!).

Then you'll hear about when you even NEED to use birth control (hint: only during your fertile window and your follicular phase sometimes if you're practicing FAM) and a little about what your fertile window is telling you.

And finally, I dive into the incredible benefits of ovulation that we often don't hear about.

Ovulatory cycles are a sign of health *and* there's actually a lot to know about the gifts of progesterone in the luteal phase for your body and mind.

Leaning the basics of your cycle and what your choices are is power.

I hope you feel that, too.

Listen to learn:

• some ideas for non-hormonal birth control
• specifics on the benefits, risks and efficacy of copper IUD's
• why I think condoms are essential for everyone to consider
• how barrier methods like condoms are a part of Fertility Awareness
• basics on your fertile window and what it's telling you
• the benefits of ovulation
• some of the gifts of progesterone

Resources

• Free Natural Cycle Tracking (FAM) guide
• Get on the Natural Contraception waitlist
• Episode 5: Are you ovulating? How to tell (and why it matters)
• Episode 90: 5 effective non-hormonal birth control options
• Episode 105: What is your fertile window (and how to understand what it's telling you)

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you. ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

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How do you find resources you can trust around perinatal herbal care?

Whether you're a birthworker, an herbalist, or on your own fertility/pregnancy/postpartum journey, it can feel confusing to sort through all the information on herbal safety and efficacy in pregnancy, birth and postpartum (especially if you're nursing).

Not to mention how to comfortably incorporate herbs into the world of assisted reproductive technology (IUI, IVF, etc).

It's actually not something taught extensively at herb schools or foundational programs. And in my experience of being in both the midwifery world and the herbal world, I actually found that there are a LOT of gaps in people's understanding of safety and efficacy with herbs in these times.

Even experienced herbalists will shy away from working with clients in pregnancy. And I found some midwives and birthworkers working with herbs that have been clearly shown to be questionable in pregnancy.

Herbs can be incredible allies when TTC, pregnant, during the birthtime, and postpartum.

But figuring out which ones are appropriate is a little less straightforward, and it's essential to get some guidance (or have some resources on hand).

In her new book, The Herbal Doula, herbalist-author Marie White weaves together her embodied herbal practice with current scientific evidence to offer a balanced view on how to work with herbs in these more sensitive times.

Her approach is very gentle, nourishing, simple, accessible and inclusive.

I really love that she creates space for the gender spectrum *and* the diversity of family structures that aren't just heteronormative, while also including those who fall into more typical structures too.

It's a beautiful world-bridging resource, and also a wealth of solid information about herbal allies in the childbearing years and beyond - and we talk all about this and more in today's conversation.

Listen to learn:

• why Marie White all but left the "herbal community"
• how ableism impacts all of us, including how we work with herbs
• about the lack of resources for those on the gender + relationship spectrum
• some very simple herbs to support nourishing + replenishing postpartum
• the impacts of climate change + extreme weather events on hormones
• how herbs can help mitigate the effects of ecological extremes
• Marie's favorite herb (I bet you already have this growing, or know someone who does!)

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Pre-order The Herbal Doula + get Marie's links
• FREE GUIDE Track your cycle naturally (using FAM)
• Episode 25: Immediate postpartum care the herbal way w Liz Philbrick
• Episode 49: How to create a sacred window
• Episode 68: Milky Oats herbal spotlight

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you. ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an he

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As humans, grief is an unavoidable part of life. Loss, illness, unexpected upheavals internally and externally, in relationship to others, self, the earth, our wombs, the cycles and seasons of life, and on and on.

There's no poverty of opportunities to face grief, but there is a poverty of grief literacy -- at least here in the United States.

Most of us are socialized to contain our emotions and only allow them to flow in privacy. We apologize for crying, we're expected to get back to work and responsibilities weeks or months after an immense and debilitating loss.

Our identities change and we barely acknowledge it.

It's fascinating how absent grief practice has become. Especially when you consider that every single one of our ancestral lineages had ways of navigating the "wild terrain of grief."

Whether through ritual, community space, embodied expression, or just allowing ourselves to fully, deeply feel in whatever unruly ways that might show up. There are many paths to metabolize grief.

Today's guest grief doula + doula activist, Siobhan Azgarzadeh, has devoted her life to navigating and tending grief -- both in herself as a lifelong practice and also facilitating online and in-person spaces to encourage this practice for others.

To, as she puts it, "re-enliven a wailing culture" because in this process, we not only metabolize grief in our personal lives but it also helps us to become more alive and belong together to a world in which we "honor our emotions as holy messengers."

I'm excited to share this conversation with you.

Listen to learn:

• some ideas on what grief IS in a world that wants us to contain it
• the 5 aspects of ourselves that relate to grief totally differently
• how grief encourages us to feel more alive
• the difference between elder and older
• why not all walk with loss are initiations + how grief can be initiation
• the diverse ways our wombs carry grief throughout our lives
• what a "re-enlivened wailing culture" could look like

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Get links to Siobhan's offerings
• FREE Womb connection and clearing meditation
• Episode 20: Earth, womb + seed connection
• Episode 65: The intersection of grief and pleasure
• Episode 112: How to tend grief w support from the earth
• Episode 121: Navigating heartbreak with Internal Family Systems

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you. ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

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Last week I had some discomfort "down there." I felt a slight tinge of pain when I walked, and a little itchiness, and it felt like something was growing on my vulva.

I took a mirror and a headlamp and checked it out. (Yes, you can do that too. If you've never looked at your vulva, please do. It's a treasure.)

What I found was a little red stretched pea size lump inside my inner labia. It was by all signs a Bartholin's cyst.

It's something I've heard about enough to basically identify it immediately. It's not rare, so maybe you've had one too.

But I think perhaps I'd been ignoring it (had a lot going on) and it was getting inflamed and maybe even heading towards infection (the redness and itching and pain got me curious).

So I immediately took action and made myself a strong tea of gotu kola, yarrow, calendula, lavender and rose, which I then applied warm as a compress.

I did this for a couple days, and then it drained. It reminded me of how easy herbal medicine can be.

And also inspired me to share an entire episode all about this topic since I think it's the kind of thing we should all know how to do, and how to choose which herbs make sense for our specific condition.

Herbal baths, sitz bath and herbal compresses are one of the most accessible ways to extract the active constituents from herbs - all you need are herbs, water and something to heat the water with.

But they're also very effective. Sometimes what we really need is to bathe a part of our body in warm herbal tea. And especially when it comes our vulva and pelvis, it's also an incredibly beautiful way to honor this precious place.


Listen to learn:

• what herbal baths, sitz baths and herbal compresses are
• how to make these preparations
• why I chose the herbs I did for my Bartholin's cyst
• what conditions may be best supported by herbal baths + compresses
• which actions you may want to consider when choosing herbs
• how to determine which herbs to choose for you unique symptoms

Resources:

• Free Natural Cycle Tracking (FAM) guide
• Today's shownotes: Herbal baths, sitz baths, compresses
• Episode 12: Simple + sacred practice of making tea
• Episode 25: Immediate postpartum care w herbs w Liz Philbrick
• Episode 82: Herbal vinegars, oxygens + shrubs

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you. ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

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Herbs for surgery?

Something commonly overlooked is how many surgeries women and folks with wombs encounter in their lifetime.

From high cesarean rates and hysterectomies to endometriosis excision surgeries to hip or knee replacements post-menopause, we experience a LOT of surgical intervention and we're often far underprepared for how we can restore the tissue integrity, reduce scarring, and encourage optimal healing afterwards.

The truth is, most healthcare practitioners have no idea how to determine which herbs or supplements are effective or safe or not, so a very common recommendation is to stop taking all of them before/right after surgery.

Today's guest - clinical herbalist + co-founder of Green Path Herb School - Elaine Sheff offers some very grounded and practical tips on what *categories* of herbs to avoid and what herbs and nutrition and other prep work can be incredibly helpful leading up to the surgery.

And then she goes through the 3 phases of recovery post surgery (inflammatory phase, proliferative phase, remodeling phase) and how to pair herbs, flower essences, homeopathic remedies, aromatherapy, nutrition and supplements with each time period individually.

It's an info-packed episode and a great resource for anyone curious about what's possible at any stage of the surgery process (before, immediately after or long term, even years later) or wanting to help a loved one or a client.

Listen to learn:

• some essential herbal remedies to help prepare for surgery
• what's NOT safe (eg which herbs to avoid directly around surgery)
• a creative and beautiful way to honor any body part that is removed
• how to differentiate the three phases of recovery post-surgery
• herbs and nutrition for each phase of recovery

Resources:

• Free Guide: Track Your Cycle Naturally using FAM
• Today's shownotes: Get links to all of Elaine's offerings
• Elaine's article on Herbs for Surgery
• Episode 12: Making herbal teas
• Episode 57: Self-care + healing trauma after cesarean
• Episode 130: How body neutrality led to a breast reduction

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you. ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Support the Show.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

Fertility is a reflection of your overall health, wellbeing, vitality, capacity.

I think it's common to pigeonhole "trying to conceive" as all about hormones, but actually our body's reproductive resilience is a mirror of what else may be going on in our bodies.

There are so many factors at play, from nutrition to movement to environmental exposures to stress levels to blood sugar to egg and sperm health and beyond.

Yes, sperm too! They are 50% of the equation after all.

And contrary to common perception, male partners actually have a HUGE role to play in the fertility journey (it's NOT just about menstrual cycles and womb care).

Infertility is more of a thing than it's ever been these days, but there's an incredible amount you can do to prepare for an optimal preconception environment which is what clinical nutritionist Alexandria DeVito shares all about in this week's episode.

Combining her clinical practice and extensive research into current scientific literature, she wrote a book called '9 Months is Not Enough." And our conversation explores some of the most poignant topics covered in it.

Something I appreciate is how she embraces both the importance of preconception lab testing AND the immense information our menstrual cycles tell us, too. Learning to listen to your body wisdom can be equally as powerful as test results.

And she also speaks to the distinction between chronological age and biological age, which is an essential factor in the fertility puzzle whether you're 29 or 43 years old.

Listen to learn:

• how the fertility rates have changed over time
• why sperm health should ALWAYS be considered part of the fertility picture
• the difference between chronological and biological age
• Alexandria's thoughts on essential nutrition for fertility
• why preparing a year or more before TTC is extremely helpful
• how fertility is not ONLY an age or hormonal issue

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Get links to Alexandria's book + lab testing company
• Free Guide: Track Your Cycle Naturally using FAM
• Episode 5: Are you ovulating? And why it matters
• Episode 38: Your cycle is a vital sign - learn to listen to what it's telling you
• Episode 66: What are your irregular cycles telling you?

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you. ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Support the Show.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

What comes up for you when you think of offering yourself gentleness?

I think for many of us, we don't feel time for things like slowness, soothing, gentleness, tenderness, caretaking our own selves.

We're often preoccupied with any number of other roles and responsibilities in life, and as women and folks with wombs, we've often been socialized to place ourselves at the bottom rung of importance.

Even when we DO have time to tend to ourselves, we often choose distraction or stimulating activity over quiet self time that truly offers our own bodies, hearts, minds and spirits a form of gentleness.

Many of us don't even believe we deserve that. It's just something we give, not something we receive.

I want to shift the frame around all of this and turn the mirror onto you and invite you to explore what gentleness can look like and feel like in your own life.

What herbs may be supportive for you to release tension in your tissues, or soften what feels hard, or soothe and calm your mood and mind?

And what other practices are available to you that you could easily incorporate into your daily or weekly or monthly routine to help you soothe and tend yourself?

In today's episode, I invite you to consider what a "gentleness practice" could look like and feel like for you -- and encourage you to make your own "gentleness in a bottle" tincture with some of the herbs that help to calm, soothe and nurture your unique needs.

Listen to learn:

• what a gentleness practice could mean for you
• herbs to soothe tension in your tight tissues and achy muscles
• herbs to soften and moisten your GI, vaginal and urinary tract
• herbs to calm your mood and mind
• my favorite herbal oil to use for belly massage (+ why belly massage matters)
• several simple practices you can adapt into your OWN gentleness practice
• a song to include in or inspire your gentleness practice :)

Resources:

• Today's episode: Get link to Rosalie's poem and more
• Free guided meditation: Womb connection + clearing meditation
• Episode 18: Uterine tonics (to nourish + support your womb)
• Episode 19: Pelvic softening wisdom w Chaya Leia Aronson
• Episode 32: Motherwort love - an herb for every season of your womb
• Episode 49: How to create a sacred window in transitional times

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What's the difference between body positivity and body neutrality?

I think this is a really important distinction that today's guest - strength coach Kali Perry - gives insight into surrounding her own journey in her body as she eventually found her way to finally having a breast reduction she'd been considering for many years.

The concept of body positivity kind of requires us to be psyched on our body no matter what form or concerns we have. While body neutrality is more about acceptance and embracing from a neutral lens.

It's interesting to me because this concept reminds me of how I've come to acceptance and eventually falling more in love with everything from my own partner in our 18 year relationship, to our home, to the community we live in and certainly also my body.

For me, it's all "good enough" -- as in I feel generally okay with it all, and sometimes really love it. It's how I've found my way to falling into deeper love. Not needing anything to be perfect.

I think so many of us fall into the trap of seeking perfection -- inside or out.

This said, I love Kali's story of how she came to a place of choosing her breast reduction to feel more at home -- and have more physical capacity -- in the body she's in. Not about perfection, but about feeling better in her body.

And her holistic and integrative approach to preparing for and recovering from her surgery is really inspiring, and I think a great resource to learn from for any planned surgery -- especially breast/chest surgery.

To me, this conversation was a fascinating glimpse into a world I have no awareness of and Kali shares in an embodied and practical way.

Listen to learn:

• how the practice of body neutrality helped Kali choose breast reduction
• the basics of preparing for an recovering from breast/chest reduction surgery
• the lack of solid information on this topic and where Kali found her best info
• how to find a good surgeon and why you should "shop around"
• ways to prepare for the surgery + recovery
• what Kali didn't expect (even though she researched a TON beforehand)

Resources:

• Today's shownotes: Get Kali's links here
• Episode 26: How to ease cyclic breast/chest tenderness
• Episode 77: Myofascial release for breast, chest, pelvic care
• Free guide: Womb connection and clearing meditation

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom.

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you. ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Support the Show.