78. Plants are Infinitely Healing & Folk Herbalism is for Everyone - Farai Harreld
Release Date: 05/21/2021
Medicine Stories
It is estimated that half of all Americans have chronic health issues, and yet these conditions are new to the human species. What has happened? And how does an afflicted individual navigate a medical system that dismisses them and offers little help, embedded within a culture obsessed with self improvement and the hero’s journey of triumph? Sarah and I talk about the multifactorial nature of chronic illness and what has changed between generations, walking the fine line between self-responsibility and acknowledging that we’re all embedded in toxic systems that are out of our control,...
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Healing is communal. Settle in softly for this wide-ranging conversation with my most requested guest. Sophie and I talk chronic illness and trauma, diagnosis as blessing and as hex, the theater of medicine, the aquatic nature of memory, and the entanglements of time. RESOURCES: Sophie on Sophie’s newsletter by Sarah Ramey ACE- by Bessel van den Kolk (giant trigger warning; read the book below instead) by Rupam Maria and Raj Patel by Erik Wargo by Julia Cameron by Barbara Ehrenreich (a podcast beloved by both me & Sophie) Read by Ursula K Le Guin by Karen Barad by Joanna...
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The sun rules the rhythms and the well-being of all life on Earth, and humans are no exception to this rule. With the very recent (evolutionarily speaking) advent of indoor living and the even more recent advent of indoor lighting, we have inadvertently shut down the vital communication between sunlight and our cells. This is as upstream as it gets when it comes to health, and when we come back into relationship with the sun all manner of issues (insomnia, obesity, infertility, and so much more) can resolve. Let’s talk about the science behind circadian rhythm and practical ways to heal with...
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Suuzi has been one of my best friends for 15 years, and our lives have taken parallel tracks recently- deeply interested in health & natural living for decades, we have nevertheless both found ourselves in total burnout at the edge of collapse in our early 40s. We share what got us here (and the irony that so much of it is doing things we truly believed were making us healthy), the current state of our metabolic/thyroid/mineral health, and our paths going forward. We hope this inspires others feeling stuck and confused- despite tremendous effort to be healthy- to quiet the outside noise, self...
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We can’t talk about fascia, the connective tissue that touches every single cell in the body, without talking about water, memory, and the quantum information that travels along this network at speeds 1000x faster than biochemical/neuronal signaling. When we bring tactile witnessing to our fascia through presence and touch, mountains move. Get ready to have your mind blown and, if you’re anything like me, to spend the rest of your life diving deeper into these subjects. RESOURCES: Lindsay on Amber on Lindsay’s Lindsay’s (use coupon code MEDICINESTORIES for 66% off) Get the 100+...
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Our modern disconnection from land and lineage mirrors the culturally normal- but biologically abnormal- separation between mother and baby, parents and children. The consequences of these intertwined attachment wounds are vast. But many of us are dreaming into a different way forward. Let us speak truthfully about what isn’t working, divest from the systems that break our sacred bonds to the Earth and to one another, and heal into the wholeness that is our ancestral inheritance. Join me on my in September. RESOURCES: Aimee’s website Aimee on (podcast bonuses!) Take our fun quiz...
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Want to go on retreat with me? to help us decide what that would look like! How we eat (not just *what* we eat) is how we receive life, and our state of nourishment determines everything from our fertility to how we perceive the passage of time. Disembodiment and dietary confusion run amok, but beneath the noise is the quiet wisdom of our biology. When we create safety in our systems we allow ourselves to sink into the spaciousness that we crave. Let us slow down, expand our sensory gating channels, and bathe our every cell in nourishment from the deepest source. GET RESOURCED: Niecia’s...
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Many of us yearn for the lifeways of our ancient ancestors, and evolutionary mismatch can account for the majority of today’s health issues, yet we cannot go back in time nor fully recreate their lifestyles in our modern world. Let us find well-being, nourishment, and the richness of community in the here & now, and stop buying into the false dichotomy between Earth connection and technology. Get the - over 100 ebook, online course, and membership site resources for just $50 from January 1st-10th ONLY Carly Rose Two podcast bonuses for patrons at (thank you!) Extended convo w/ Carly-...
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Kids today face more challenges- and are showing more signs of distress- than ever before. Parents must learn to effectively co-regulate, repair when things go awry, and create the right environments for our children (be they dandelions, orchids, or somewhere in between). When trending cultural ideologies come to replace ancient biological reality, we must refuse to check our brains at the door and do all that we can to protect childhood. It is the only compassionate, fair, and kind thing to do. Wrongthink: Beliefs or opinions that run contrary to the prevailing orthodoxy; related to...
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Medicine Stories turns five years old! And you’re just gonna have to listen to hear what else I talk about (you’ll understand why…) LINKS: Three Black Friday to Cyber Monday Sales 2022- 35% off 50% off 50% off 6 most downloaded episodes ever, in order- The kids aren’t all right- by Common Sense Media and on the Honestly podcast with Bari Weiss by Tablet Magazine by Tara of Slow Down Farmstead
info_outlineIn these times, we all need all the healing help we can get. How lucky then that an infinite source of renewal and vitality lies just beneath our feet. Connection with the earth and plants never fails to shift our animal bodies into a place of calm receptivity and deep entrainment with the rhythms of nature. This is our ancestral birthright as human beings. Let us remember it.
TOPICS:
- Name meaning and magic
- Weaving together ancestral lines
- How a chance encounter with an intuitive foretold Farai’s future path as a healer
- Being the cycle breaker in your family
- Working with plants is infinitely healing
- Living with a partner in the military
- Connection is the main thing that heals trauma
- Including kids into our every day folk herbalism
- Mullein medicine for littles
- Treating ear issues herbally
- Herbal care for animals
- Healing with topical honey
- Drawing salves for the win
- What we do when we find an embedded tick
- Folk herbalism is for you
LINKS:
- Farai’s Patreon Folk Herbalism for Everyone
- Farai’s website
- Farai on Instagram
- Medicine Stories Patreon (tick resource and Farai’s ebooklet are here)
- It Didn’t Start With You by Mark Wolynn
- What Happened to You? by Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry
- Naturally Healthy Babies & Children by Aviva Jill Romm
- Natural MD Radio Podcast
- Medicine Stories Episode 77: Herbalism is Homecoming & Our Senses Are Portals of Connection with Marysia Miernowska
- Juliette de Bairacli Levy’s books (including animal care)
- Farai’s video on how to harvest nettles without getting stung
- Camille Rose hair products
- My website MythicMedicine.love
- Take our fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? Quiz
- Medicine Stories Facebook group
- Mythic Medicine on Instagram
- Music by Mariee Sioux (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)