#222 Re-Embodying Herbalism in the Age of AI with Stephanie Hazel
Release Date: 08/05/2025
#237 Why Classical Acupuncture Is the Missing Piece with Dr. MG McCullough
SuperFeast Podcast
This one's a ripper, legends. I sat down with Dr. MG McCullough, a classical acupuncturist who trained under Anne Cecil Sturman in the Jeffrey Yuen lineage, and we went deep - like, Jenga-block-pulled-from-the-middle deep - on what modern acupuncture school actually leaves out. MG's whole thing is that we didn't just simplify Chinese medicine when it got exported West, we pulled the center block out of the tower. The primaries got taught, the channels, sinews, luo vessels, divergences and eight extraordinaries got filed under "extra," and now most acupuncturists are running triage clinics...
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#236 Tonic Herbalism, Liver Flow & Using Your Emotions (Properly) with Helen Padarin
SuperFeast Podcast
This one starts light and ends deep. We get into Gynostemma - one of those rare herbs you can take daily without throwing yourself off. Proper longevity tonic, not hype. Then Asparagus Root (“Heavenly Gate”) - big for adrenals, reproductive health, and actually getting some perspective when life’s a bit chaotic. But the real thread here is the liver. There’s a clear pattern right now-people sitting on a lot of anger, resentment, frustration… and trying to “let it go” without ever working with it. Problem is, that’s not junk-it’s energy. Life force. So instead of...
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#235 Laying the Ground for Jing & Cultivation with Benny Fergusson
SuperFeast Podcast
Right, we’re kicking off this new series on the Three Treasures - Jing, Qi, and Shen - and I’ve brought in an absolute legend to help us navigate this. Benny is a fixture around here, living just a stone’s throw from the studio, and he’s the perfect guide for this series. He comes from a hardcore performance background - sports, movement, the works - but he’s spent years deep in the trenches of neurosomatic movement and nervous system work, which makes him the perfect bridge between high-level performance and ancient Taoist principles. We’re starting with Jing, but forget the...
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#234 Forgiveness is Self-Care and Choosing to Respond, Not React with Damien Cole
SuperFeast Podcast
[TRIGGER WARNING]: This episode includes discussion of a traumatic car crash and associated trauma (TBI). Listener discretion is advised, especially for those with past experiences related to car crashes. Alright everybody, that was a ripping chat with Damien Cole, who is an absolute legend and hammering towards his destiny. The core thread we pulled on was the difference between external labels—like his name, Damien or Damo—and what's actually going on inside, which led us into this heavy territory about whether love or blood ties should carry more gravitas when talking about family...
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#233 Pharmaceuticals and Natural Therapies: An Award-Winning Pharmacist's Guide to Safe Integration with Sara Murdock
SuperFeast Podcast
The chat features Sara Murdock, an award-winning pharmacist and key integrator on the front line of modern health, addressing the reality that people actively use both pharmaceuticals and natural therapies. The central challenge is ensuring this dual approach is done safely, a dilemma highlighted by Sara's inability to recommend beloved products like turmeric due to potential harmful interactions with certain medications. This underscores her definition of Integrative Healthcare: leveraging the best of both worlds with structure, accountability, and paramount safety. ...
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#232 The Magical Gap: Why Our Ego, Politics, and Dogma Block True Healing with Peter Galle
SuperFeast Podcast
The chat really dives into a deep philosophical and super-practical look at healing, all sparked by Peter Galle's firsthand experience with a pretty serious health hurdle—a herpetic cold sore infection in his eye. He ran the full gamut, hitting it with conventional treatments like Valtrex alongside a ton of classic antivirals like Coptis (Huanglian) and Skullcap. But nothing was truly curative or stopping the progression of the ulcer. He was ready to give up and hit the emergency room for steroids when, as a last-ditch "recesses of my mind" shot, he took a large dose of St. John's wort...
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#231 What's the Wall? Removing the Roadblocks to True, Deep-Seated Healing with Eddie Enever
SuperFeast Podcast
Boom. So, we dove in deep with Eddie Enever on the brutal reality of chronic disease, specifically cancer. The big kicker is that it's not just a physical problem, is it? He frames it—and this is a real stake in the ground—as a "disease of disconnection," forcing you right up against your own mortality. Having walked that gnarly path himself, from Stage 1 all the way to Stage 4, Eddie's insight as a practitioner is monumental. The absolute linchpin, the central theme we hit on, is agency—getting your sovereignty back. It’s about taking total, personal control over your...
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#230 Results, Not Excuses: Navigating Regulation and the Limits of Science in Natural Medicine with Matte Legge
SuperFeast Podcast
The conversation with formulator Matt Legge pulls back the curtain on the supplement industry, framing it as a metaphysical struggle between genuine intent and the corporate Machine. Matt’s journey is a hero’s exile from structures like Metagenics, which prioritize efficiency over the soul of the product. This machine churns out soulless, AI-generated formulas that chase "white space," utterly neglecting the deep clinical insight of Root Cause Analysis—a meditation of the pulse. The founder’s sacrifice creates the Pearl of Reciprocity, the organizational soul. The primary struggle is...
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#229: Herbal Wisdom, Taoist Principles & Essential Travel Health: The Classical Medicine Guide with Ann Cecil-Sterman
SuperFeast Podcast
What a profound conversation this was—a real unpacking of principles, where the philosophical meets the deeply practical. The core of this whole thing, as we dug into with Ann Cecil-Sterman, revolves around the true action of herbs, which—from the Taoist lineage we follow—comes down to pure taste, not just some chemical breakdown. It’s that deeper "flavor sensing in the stomach." My journey with Superfeast has been about living the great Yin-Yang puzzle: holding the intense contrast between deep Taoist tradition and the necessary reductionist language for Western...
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#228: Unveiling the Power of Dream Practice with Clarissa Gunawan
SuperFeast Podcast
If you’ve been here for a while, you know my whole focus is on returning to the roots of a path—an integrated, no-nonsense approach that actually holds up in the modern world. This conversation with Clarissa Gunawan goes straight to the core of a practice we’re all doing anyway, every single night: dreaming. We move well beyond the new-age, “superhero powers” version of lucid dreaming I experimented with in my twenties, and land firmly in the grounded, embodied terrain of Daoist dream work. Clarissa lays out why this isn’t abstract or esoteric fluff; it’s a non-negotiable tool...
info_outlineMason and Stephanie Hazel dive deep into the real talk about herbalism and healing in today's AI-driven world. They kick off by revisiting Stephen Harrod Buhner's "heart perception" and stress how crucial it is to actually feel that connection, especially as AI becomes more prevalent. Stephanie calls out the worrying trend of new herbalists losing touch with plants, often due to a lack of hands-on experience and over-reliance on ready-made formulations. They both hammer home the importance of sensory engagement—tasting, smelling, touching, and truly observing herbs—arguing that this embodied learning sticks with you way better than just theory.
The conversation shifts to the idea of oscillating between rational thought and embodied sensing, emphasizing that true wisdom in healing comes from blending both. Stephanie warns against getting too caught up in hyper-scientific jargon, suggesting that language grounded in sensory experience, like Chinese medicine energetics, is more accessible and effective. They link society's increasing disembodiment to mental health struggles and the addictive pull of digital spaces, offering practical tips for grounding yourself in daily life. Ultimately, they argue that AI's efficiency highlights the irreplaceable human capacity for embodied sensing and intuitive insight in healing, something no machine can replicate.
Timestamps:
00:00:34 - Heart Perception & Embodiment: Mason and Stephanie reflect on their previous conversation about Stephen Harrod Buhner's concept of heart perception and the importance of embodying this skillset, particularly in the context of rising AI.
00:01:05 - The Elder Tree Podcast & Stephen Harrod Buhner: Stephanie shares how their previous discussion inspired a tribute episode to Stephen Harrod Buhner on her podcast, The Elder Tree.
00:03:33 - The Decline of Herbalism & Lack of Embodiment: Stephanie and Mason discuss concerns about the dwindling connection to herbs among new practitioners, often due to a lack of hands-on experience and reliance on pre-compounded formulations.
00:07:20 - The Importance of Sensory Engagement with Herbs: Stephanie highlights the crucial role of taste, smell, touch, and observation in truly understanding herbs, arguing that this embodied learning is more memorable and profound than theoretical knowledge.
00:10:51 - Oscillating Between Rational and Embodied Sensing: They explore the dynamic interplay between rational analysis and embodied sensing in understanding herbs, emphasizing how a blend of both leads to deeper insights.
00:21:26 - Beyond Hyper-Scientific Language in Healing: Stephanie cautions against solely relying on scientific terminology in natural medicine, advocating for language that is grounded in sensory experience and accessible to the body, like traditional Chinese medicine energetics.
00:36:21 - The Societal Impact of Disembodiment: The conversation broadens to the wider implications of a lack of embodiment in society, linking it to mental health struggles and the addictive nature of virtual digital spaces.
00:40:51 - Cultivating Embodiment in Daily Life: Practical tips are offered for incorporating embodied practices into daily routines, such as mindful engagement with herbal supplements and spending time in nature.
00:49:10 - AI and the Future of Healing: They discuss how AI's efficiency in data analysis highlights the unique human capacity for embodied sensing and intuitive insight in healing practices, which AI cannot replicate.
01:07:44 - Yarrow and the Wounded Healer Archetype: Stephanie shares a powerful client story illustrating the "leap of insight" in diagnosis, drawing on the mythopoetic story of Yarrow to highlight the importance of non-rational understanding in healing.
Resources Mentioned:
Stephen Harrod Buhner's Work: Referenced for his concept of "heart perception" and sensing the metaphysical background of the world.
The Elder Tree Podcast: Stephanie Hazel's podcast, which featured a tribute episode to Stephen Harrod Buhner.
David Abram, Becoming Animal: Recommended for its exploration of grounding analytical thought and language into the senses.
Stephanie Hazel's "The Wild Edge of Herbalism" Course: Mentioned as a way for practitioners and individuals to deepen their relationship with plants and their own intuition, with a "Plant Allies" taster option. The online course starts on August 14th.
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