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79. Sunshine Medicine: The Healing Magic of St. John’s Wort

Medicine Stories

Release Date: 07/12/2021

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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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Medicine Stories

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Medicine Stories

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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Medicine Stories

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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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Medicine Stories

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Medicine Stories

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Medicine Stories

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

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St. John’s Wort has evolved over millennia to capture the ultimate expression of sunlight on our planet and turn it into the molecule hypericin, which has numerous profound effects on our human bodies.

Find our St. John’s Wort Oil & check out my teacher Kami McBride’s course Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils.

From deep nerve healing, relaxation, and pain relief when applied externally to its antidepressant, antiviral, and liver supportive properties when taken internally, SJW has always occupied an exalted place in the medicine cabinet of the ancestral humans who were lucky enough to live where it grew, and is one of the most used and loved herbal medicines in the world today.

IN THIS EPISODE:

  • St. John’s Wort acts as an extension of sunlight

  • The endless external uses include the healing of wounds, bruises, burns, blisters, cuts, eczema, growing pains, inflamed skin, muscle pain, nerve pain, neck tension, spasms, back pain, neuralgia, sciatica, insomnia, anxiety, and stress

  • The oil is indispensable for menstrual pain, pregnancy, postpartum, babies, children, elders, empaths, and highly sensitive people

  • Photosensitivity, precancerous skin cells, and using SJW as sunscreen

  • Internal uses: notes on the antidepressant, antiviral, and liver supportive effects (including my shingles story)

  • Hypericum feeds our inner radiance and summons forth our purpose and power

  • This ancient herb has always been associated with fairies and other magical beings

  • How empire co-opted pagan rituals and herbal practices

  • The widespread ritual use of St. John’s Wort as a protective herb

  • A word on wildcrafting and non-natives v invasives

  • Making your own high potency, shelf stable herbal oils

  • Herbal medicine is so simple, yet also endlessly complex

  • Kami McBride speaks about St. John’s Wort

RESOURCES (if listening on an app that doesn’t support embedded links, find these at https://mythicmedicine.love/podcast):

Learn to Make Your Own Herbal Oils:

Podcast Episodes & Books Mentioned:

More Good Stuff: