I had such a great time catching up with Phyllis Light in this conversation! Hearing Phyllis’ unique herbal story and her philosophy about herbs and herbalism was a real treat. Plus, she shared such an abundance of information about sumac and its medicinal gifts that I am inspired to start working more with this amazing plant!

Phyllis shared so many ways to work with sumac, including her recipe for Sumac Elderberry Syrup (along with several suggestions of how to use that syrup). You can download a beautifully illustrated recipe card for Phyllis’ syrup here.

You will be amazed at the many medicinal gifts that sumac has to offer! Here are just a few ways that you can work with sumac to benefit your health:

► As a topical remedy for skin issues like fungal rashes and poison ivy

► To help reduce high blood sugar

► As a cooling summer beverage that is high in Vitamin C

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg! I was delighted to learn just how many health challenges can benefit from this incredibly versatile plant. Be sure to tune in to the entire episode for all the details!

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► How herbalism and human health have changed in the United States since Phyllis began her herbal journey

► How to distinguish poison sumac from other species of sumac

► How to tell if your dried sumac berries are still medicinally active

► Eighteen - yes, eighteen! - health conditions sumac’s gifts can help with, and six different herbal preparations for sumac

► Why it’s so important to move beyond internet searches when learning about a new plant or herbal treatment

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know her, Phyllis D. Light, a fourth generation herbalist and healer, has studied and worked with herbs, foods, and other healing techniques for over 30 years. Her studies in Traditional Southern Folk Medicine began in the deep woods of North Alabama with lessons from her grandmother, whose herbal and healing knowledge had its roots in her Creek/Cherokee heritage. Phyllis’ studies continued as an apprentice with the late Tommie Bass, a nationally renowned folk herbalist from Sand Rock, Alabama. She is the director of the Appalachian Center for Natural Health in Arab, Alabama, which offers both online classes and in-person classes. She is also on the faculty of the Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism. Phyllis is the author of Southern Folk Medicine, Healing Traditions from Appalachian Fields and Forests published by North Atlantic.

If you’d like to hear more from Phyllis, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for her website and social media channels. You can also find the transcript for this episode in the show notes and you can access your recipe card at: https://bit.ly/4bHb64Y.

I can’t wait to share our conversation with you today!

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Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

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It was so much fun to meet the famous Brigitte Mars, who has been an herbalist for over fifty years. I’ve admired her work for such a long time, and found in this interview that she is also quite the character!

Brigitte has such a strong thread of creativity that just bursts out of her, and our conversation went in many unexpected directions – way beyond simply talking about our mutual love for dandelions!

It’s truly bizarre to me that some people reach for poisons to eradicate certain plants in their lawn - especially when so many of those plants can be so beneficial to our health! Dandelion is such a cheerful, wonderful plant with so many gifts, and I think that the more people who learn to work with it in their food and medicine, the fewer people will be using toxic chemicals on their lawn.

Speaking of making food from this sunny little plant, Brigitte has shared her delicious recipe for dandelion “mushrooms” with us, which you can find here.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► Four ways to work with dandelions in food and drink (including an interesting way to use the flower stems!)

► The three herbs Brigitte would bring with her if she was traveling to another planet

► Why Brigitte is so passionate about wild foods

► Why dandelion is such a great herbal ally for mental and emotional health

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know her, Brigitte Mars is an herbalist and nutritional consultant of natural health with over fifty years of experience. She teaches herbal medicine at Naropa University. Brigitte has also taught at the Omega Institute, Esalen, many festivals including Burning Man, and even the Mayo Clinic. She is a founding and professional member of the American Herbalist Guild.

Brigitte is the author of many books and DVDs, including The Natural First Aid Handbook, Natural Remedies for Mental and Emotional Health, The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, and a newly republished book on dandelion. Her latest project is a phone app called IPlant, and she has several online courses which you can find in the show notes.

If you’d like to hear more from Brigitte, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for her website and social media channels. You can also find the transcript for this episode in the show notes and you can access your recipe card at: https://bit.ly/3zvcpGO.

I’m excited to share our conversation with you today!

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Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started 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

I have fallen in love with Mary Morgaine Squire’s plant love letter newsletters lately, and when I sat down to interview her, it was made even more clear to me just how deep her connection with the herbs is! I’m excited that she chose ginkgo (GIngko biloba) for her herb – it’s a new plant for the show and one I haven’t worked with much myself. I really enjoyed learning more about it. I’m even trying to find a place to grow a ginkgo tree in my own yard now!

Mary shared so many wonderful things during our conversation – from a plant meditation to an excerpt from her love letter to ginkgo, plus her recipe for Sweet Memory Tea. You can download your very own copy of Mary’s lovely recipe here.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► The connections between the history of ginkgo, its physical structure, and its medicinal benefits

► The best time of year to harvest ginkgo leaves

► How working with ginkgo can benefit your mind and heart

► Two ways to combine ginkgo with other herbs to enhance their own gifts

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know her, Mary Morgaine Squire, aka Mary Plantwalker, is a land steward, writer, educator, ceremonialist and avid gardener living in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. She began her walk with the plants at Fairhaven College in the early 90’s while earning a BA in sustainable living, and later traveled the world to learn from the plants and healers of indigenous cultures. Matthew Wood, Frank Cook and Juliet Blankespoor have been some of her many herbal teachers along the way.

Mary Morgaine creates sacred sanctuary wherever she goes, pouring her life energy into the space around her. Herb Mountain Farm, a healing botanical sanctuary that hosts events, a forest school and residential community, has been her home for many years and she is devoted to stewarding it with loving care. Her joy arises while tending the land and documenting the life unfolding on this magical planet through writing, photography and collage. Her prayer is that this work will inspire others to care deeply for our Mother Earth.

As a plantfolk woman, Mary Morgaine walks her talk by steeping herself daily in the spirit of the plants whether it’s eating something wild, drinking herbal tea, sitting under a tree or giving voice to the plant nation. She is an eternal student of the natural world and generously shares with others how to strengthen their personal relationship with the plants around them and find their passion for embracing conscious earth stewardship. She offers regular Appalachian Tea Ceremonies, Plant Walks, and other earth-based workshops and is the author of a weekly subscription newsletter called Earth Devotions.

If you’d like to hear more from Mary, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for her website and social media channels. You can also find the transcript for this episode in the show notes and you can access your recipe card at: https://bit.ly/4eLQATd.

I’m thrilled to share our conversation with you today!

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Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

The secret to using herbs successfully begins with knowing who YOU are. Get started by taking my free Herbal Jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.

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