Podcast · Health

Herbs with Rosalee

by Rosalee de la Forêt · English · Health

Curious about the healing nature of plants? You're in the right place. I’m Rosalee de la Forêt and I'm passionate about helping people discover the world of herbalism and natural health. On this podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 42 min
Latest: 7 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

7 Oct 2026 · 54 min

Marshmallow for Heartburn, Sore Throats, and Gut Healing with Amy Boldt

Marshmallow ( Althaea officinalis ) is one of those plants that can be easy to overlook. It’s gentle, pleasant, and uncomplicated—but that simplicity is exactly what makes it so useful. In this episode, Amy Boldt and I explore what makes marshmallow such a versatile plant ally, along with some of the ways she has come to work with it over the years, from cold infusions to adding the powdered root to food, and even old-fashioned marshmallow candy! We discuss marshmallow’s moistening, demulcent qualities, and why it has such a strong affinity for soothing hot, irritated tissues throughout the…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

E242 · 30 Sep 2026 · 37 min
Same Herb, Different People, Opposite Results: Here's Why
Have you ever tried an herb that everyone swears by, and it did nothing for you—or even made things worse? Good news: it all comes down to energetics, and once you learn to see people and plants through this lens, you’ll be able to choose the right herbs with confidence. Over the last few weeks, I’ve asked you to send in your questions about herbal energetics—and send them in you did! In this episode, I’m answering some of the questions I heard most often: Why would an herb work for one person, but not for someone else? What if your signs are mixed and you don’t fit into neat categories of…
E241 · 29 Sep 2026 · 3 min
Oatstraw and Organoleptics: Learning to Read Herbs With Your Senses
How do we actually know what’s in our herbs? Herbs rarely come with nutritional labels, and how a plant is grown, harvested, and stored can dramatically change what ultimately ends up in your cup. There are two ways we can learn more about what our herbs contain. We can turn to tested data, including resources like Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical Database, but we also have another incredibly useful tool available to us wherever we go: our own senses . In this episode, I’m using oatstraw as an example to explore organoleptics, the practice of learning about plants through taste, smell, sight, and…
E241 · 23 Sep 2026 · 19 min
How to Read Any Herb Without Looking It Up
Your tongue can tell you more about an herb than you might think. In this episode, I explore one of the most useful skills in herbalism: learning to listen to the language of taste. The five flavors—bitter, sweet, pungent, salty, and sour—each have so much information to offer about a plant’s qualities and actions in your body, giving you a practical way to understand herbs (instead of trying to memorize endless lists of which herbs are “good for” which conditions). I’ll guide you through these five flavors as we take a walk through my garden, highlighting each of the flavors with a…
E240 · 22 Sep 2026 · 3 min
Herbal Safety Without Fear: A Simple Framework for Using Herbs With Confidence
I once heard from a woman who had been studying herbs for two years and had gathered an entire cabinet full of them. But when her mom caught a cold, she stood in her kitchen with the kettle on and couldn’t bring herself to make her a cup of tea. She was afraid she might get it wrong. If you’ve ever felt that way, I want you to know that your caution isn’t a problem. In fact, I think it’s the exact instinct a good herbalist is built on. In this episode, I’m sharing a simple way to approach herbal safety so that fear doesn’t have to keep you from actually working with the plants you’ve been…
E240 · 18 Sep 2026 · 3 min
3 Myths About Plantain: Seeing This Common “Weed” Differently
Plantain was the first herb I ever learned, almost twenty years ago, and it still amazes me. It grows in sidewalk cracks, driveways, trails, and other disturbed places, which makes it incredibly easy to overlook. But once you understand plantain through the lens of herbal energetics, this humble plant starts to look very different. In this episode, I’m busting three common myths about plantain and showing you how its cooling and moistening qualities connect its many uses. ► Why calling plantain “just a weed” misses the incredible herbal ally that may be growing right at your feet ► What…
E240 · 16 Sep 2026 · 3 min
3 Surprising Ways to Work With Rosemary as Medicine
Rosemary is probably best known as a culinary herb, but there’s so much more to this familiar plant. Once you understand its warming, stimulating energetics, many of rosemary’s seemingly unrelated uses start to make sense. In this short episode, I’m sharing three surprising ways to work with rosemary as medicine and showing you how herbal energetics can help you understand why a plant works the way it does. ► How rosemary’s warming and stimulating qualities can support circulation and help cold hands feel warmer ► Why rosemary is known for its impressive antioxidant qualities, and how…
E240 · 16 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 10 min
Poke for Lymph, Skin, and Immunity, Plus How to Eat It—with AC and Isaac Hill
Pokeweed is poisonous—but that’s not the whole story. What if knowing how to work with this potent plant could turn fear into respect, and even put a delicious wild green on your dinner table? As many of us learned growing up, poke ( Phytolacca americana ) is a plant that deserves a healthy amount of caution. It is poisonous, after all! But AC and Isaac Hill have spent years learning how to work with poke as food, medicine, and more, and they joined me in this episode to dispel some of the fear surrounding this generous and abundant plant. During our conversation, AC and Isaac explore the…
E239 · 9 Sep 2026 · 1 hr 1 min
Butterfly Pea for Mood, Hot Flashes, and Skin with Farmer Cee
Butterfly pea is beautiful enough to steal the show—but what if its real magic has nothing to do with its color? In this episode, I’m joined by Clarenda Stanley (aka Farmer Cee), who completely changed the way I think about butterfly pea flower ( Clitoria ternatea ). I’ll admit that before this conversation, I mostly thought of butterfly pea as the plant that turns your tea an incredible cobalt blue. But Cee makes a compelling case for looking beyond the color. She shares why she loves butterfly pea for mood support, nourishment, and as a surprisingly versatile ally during the transitions of…
E238 · 2 Sep 2026 · 52 min
Bee Balm for Fevers, Burns, and Nerve Pain with Ashley Elenbaas
There’s something almost impossible to ignore about bee balm ( Monarda spp. ). Its flowers burst open like fireworks, its aroma is unmistakably spicy, and when you taste it, you can feel its warmth almost immediately. But this is where bee balm gets especially interesting: despite its intense hotness, it can be an excellent herb for actually dispersing heat. In this episode, Ashley Elenbaas and I explore this beautiful contradiction and the many ways it shows up in bee balm’s medicine. We talk about why she keeps dried bee balm right alongside her cooking spices, how a late-night burn led…
E237 · 26 Aug 2026 · 53 min
Hibiscus: A Surprising Respiratory Herb with Rebecca Fils-Aimé
Hibiscus is tart, cooling, beautiful—and so much more than just a refreshing summer drink. Hibiscus ( Hibiscus sabdariffa ) may be best known as the star ingredient in the tart, ruby-red beverage called jamaica or sorrel, but there is so much more to this beautiful plant! In this episode, Rebecca Fils-Aimé takes us beyond the familiar drink to explore hibiscus as food, medicine, and cultural tradition. Drawing on her Haitian heritage as well as her own herbal studies, Rebecca shares why she loves hibiscus for its cooling, soothing, mucilaginous qualities, how she works with it for…
E236 · 21 Aug 2026 · 2 min
Take Heart Tea: Herbal Support for the Heart and Nervous System
Some herbal blends become such a regular part of my life that I honestly don’t know what I’d do without them. Take Heart Tea is one of those blends. Here, I share a beautiful tea that nourishes both the heart and the nervous system, especially during rough or stressful times. ► Why tulsi is the backbone of this blend and how I think about its ability to bring both clarity and steadiness ► How hawthorn leaf and flower support not only the physical heart, but the emotional heart too ► Why I reach for linden when stress shows up as tightness, restlessness, or shallow breathing ► How lemon…
E236 · 19 Aug 2026 · 1 hr 9 min
Ivy for Lungs, Coughs, Burns, and Scars with Luke Ó hErodáin
What if a plant we spend so much time pulling off our trees and walls is actually a forgotten medicinal ally? Common ivy ( Hedera helix ) has a complicated reputation. It’s abundant, beautiful, and deeply woven into the European landscape, yet many people think of it as an invasive to eradicate rather than something to learn from. In this episode, herbalist Luke Ó hErodáin reveals the forgotten medicinal traditions surrounding common ivy and why he believes this plant deserves a second look. He shares how ivy became one of his most trusted lung herbs, the traditional preparations that caught…
E235 · 30 Jul 2026 · 3 min
Herbs for Wildfire Smoke: Supporting the Lungs, Heart, and Nervous System
When wildfire smoke fills the air, supporting the lungs is only part of the picture. Here, I share the three-part strategy I use when formulating an herbal tea for smoky days. ► Support the lungs. Learn why I turn to plantain, a soothing demulcent herb, to help calm irritated respiratory tissues and why recent clinical research supports its traditional use. ► Support the heart. Wildfire smoke has been linked to increased risks of cardiovascular problems through inflammation and oxidative stress. I explain why herbs like hawthorn and linden are part of my approach. ► Support the nervous…
E235 · 29 Jul 2026 · 53 min
Kava for Anxiety, Tension, and Winding Down Without the Fog - with Rachelle Robinett
Kava has been praised, feared, celebrated, and misunderstood. So what's the real story behind this remarkable plant? Kava ( Piper methysticum ) has a reputation that's hard to ignore. Some people swear by it for easing tension and helping them unwind, while others know it only through headlines about safety concerns and controversy. In this episode, herbalist and author Rachelle Robinett joins me to separate fact from fiction and explore why this traditional Pacific Island herb has remained such a beloved ally for thousands of years. Together, we dive into kava's remarkable ability to relax…
E234 · 22 Jul 2026 · 39 min
Orange Peel for Digestion, Lung Health, and a Rosehip Citrus Jam with Heather Luna
Could the secret to better digestion be hiding in your compost bin? In this episode, clinical herbalist Heather Luna makes the case for an herb that most of us literally throw away. She reveals why orange peel ( Citrus x sinensis ) has become one of her favorite everyday herbs—and why it deserves a place in your kitchen instead of your compost. During our conversation, Heather explores many of the overlooked medicinal gifts of orange peel, from supporting digestion and nutrient absorption to nourishing the lungs, cardiovascular system, and microbiome. Along the way, she shares why she…
E233 · 15 Jul 2026 · 47 min
Pleurisy Root: Healing Land, Monarchs & Lungs with Linda Shanahan
What if one medicinal herb could change the way you think about healing—not just in the body, but across entire ecosystems? Pleurisy root ( Asclepias tuberosa ), also called butterfly weed, is often thought of as a lung herb. But as this conversation with herbalist, farmer, and nurse Linda Shanahan reveals, this brilliant orange wildflower has a much bigger story to tell—one that stretches from monarch butterflies to microbiomes. In this episode, Linda shares the remarkable story of transforming a chemically treated sod farm into a thriving wildlife sanctuary where native plants,…
E232 · 8 Jul 2026 · 51 min
The Medicinal Spice You Probably Underuse: Cardamom for Digestion, Mood, and More with Missy Rohs
Most of us think of cardamom as a baking spice—but what if it's actually one of the most delightful herbal medicines in your apothecary? Many of us know cardamom ( Elettaria cardamomum ) as the spice that makes chai, pastries, and coffee taste extraordinary. But as Missy Rohs shares in this episode, cardamom is so much more than a delicious ingredient. Together, we explore its gifts as a digestive remedy, aromatic medicine, antimicrobial herb, and even what Unani Tibb medicine calls an exhilarant —an herb that gently lifts the spirit and helps us become more open to joy. As Missy beautifully…
E232 · 7 Jul 2026 · 4 min
Linden Myths You Should Stop Believing
Linden is one of my favorite tree medicines, but it's also surrounded by a few common misconceptions. Here, I unpack three myths that may be keeping you from getting the most out of this remarkable herb. ► Why linden is much more than a calming bedtime tea ► Which parts of the tree are traditionally used beyond the flowers ► What research suggests about harvesting linden from urban areas If you'd like to keep learning about linden, I'd love to share my free Linden Monograph, which also includes one of my favorite summer iced tea recipes featuring linden, lemon balm, and oat straw. And if you…
E231 · 1 Jul 2026 · 1 hr 12 min
Violet: A Backyard Herb for Swollen Lymph Nodes and a Frazzled Nervous System with Lindsey Feldpausch
Can one tiny flower soften dry skin, soothe swollen tissues, calm the heart, and even inspire a little everyday magic? Violets may be small, but they have an astonishing amount to offer. In this episode, I sit down with herbalist Lindsey Feldpausch to celebrate one of our shared favorite plants: violet ( Viola spp.). Together, we explore why this humble spring flower deserves far more attention—not only for its beauty, but for its remarkable ability to soothe dry tissues, support the lymphatic system, nourish the body, and gently soften both physical and emotional tension. Along the way,…
E230 · 24 Jun 2026 · 56 min
Rabbit Tobacco for Lung Health, Respiratory Healing, and Everyday Medicine with Karen Lynn Burr
What if one of the most helpful herbs for the lungs is one you’ve never heard of? Rabbit tobacco ( Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium ) may not be the most well-known herb, but according to herbalist Karen Lynn Burr, it deserves a place in every herbal toolkit. In this episode, Karen shares how this native North American plant became one of her most trusted allies after a serious respiratory health crisis—so much that she credits it for saving her life! Along the way, we explore rabbit tobacco's long history of traditional use for supporting the lungs, soothing irritated tissues, and helping the…
E229 · 17 Jun 2026 · 1 hr
Japanese Knotweed for Lyme, Inflammation, and Infections with Emily French
What happens when we stop looking at Japanese knotweed as a problem to solve and start looking at it as a teacher? Japanese knotweed ( Reynoutria japonica ) is often used as a go-to herb for Lyme disease, but in this fascinating conversation, herbalist Emily French invites us to see this remarkable plant through a much wider lens. From chronic inflammation and joint pain to menstrual stagnation, skin care, and beyond, Emily shares why knotweed has become one of her most trusted herbal allies—and why reducing it to a single use misses the bigger picture entirely. Along the way, we explore…
E228 · 10 Jun 2026 · 42 min
Balsam Fir: Lung Support, Wound Healing, and the Medicine Right Outside Your Door with Erica Macrum
Could the tree outside your window become one of your greatest herbal teachers? Living at the edge of the boreal forest, Erica Macrum is surrounded by balsam fir ( Abies balsamea ), and over the years this fragrant conifer has become one of her closest plant allies. But rather than relying on books, Erica has learned much of what she knows about balsam fir through observation, experimentation, and simply spending time with the tree itself. In this episode, Erica shares her favorite ways to work with balsam fir's resin, needles, and bark, as well as the unexpected lessons she's gathered from…
E226 · 4 Jun 2026 · 6 min
3 Surprising Herbs for Stress
When people think about herbs for stress, they often reach for the usual recommendations. But some of the most supportive herbs aren't always the most obvious. Here, I share three surprising herbs that I frequently think about for different types of stress and nervous system support. ► Milky oats for deep depletion and nervous system nourishment ► Lavender for anxiety and acute stress support ► Reishi for chronic, long-term stress and resilience I also share an important lesson I've learned after many years of working with herbs: while herbs can be incredible allies, lasting resilience comes…
E227 · 3 Jun 2026 · 59 min
Nettle as a Restorative Herb for Minerals, Vitality, and Long-Term Healing with Juliet Howard
What can an old fairy tale teach us about one of herbalism’s most trusted plants? In this episode, herbalist and storyteller Juliet Howard shares one of my favorite stories, "The Wild Swans," an old tale in which stinging nettle ( Urtica dioica ) plays a central role in healing, devotion, and liberation. From there, our conversation unfolds into a rich exploration of nettle’s gifts—from its nourishing minerals and restorative qualities to its role as a fiber plant, natural dye, and lifelong herbal companion. Through story, personal experience, and practical herbal wisdom, Juliet reveals why…
E226 · 27 May 2026 · 4 min
Passionflower for Sleep and Overthinking: What the Research Shows
Have you ever found yourself lying in bed unable to sleep, thoughts spinning in your head like a hamster wheel? Passionflower ( Passiflora incarnata ) may just be the herb for you! In this short episode, I discuss what I love about passionflower, when it truly shines for dealing with insomnia, and my favorite ways to work with it. As you’ll hear, passionflower can be a wonderful herbal ally for certain types of insomnia—but unfortunately, sometimes all the herbs in the world can’t help if chronic stress is what’s keeping you from being able to sleep. When this happens, it’s time to work on…
E224 · 22 May 2026 · 4 min
3 Underrated Herbs for Oral Health
When most people think about oral care, they think about toothpaste or mouthwash. But herbs have a long history of supporting the mouth, gums, and oral tissues in ways that are both practical and deeply nourishing. In this short podcast, I share three of my favorite underrated herbs for oral health and why each one works so differently. ► Plantain for supporting tissue healing ► Marshmallow root for soothing dry, irritated tissues ► Echinacea for oral discomfort and deeper tissue support I also talk about one of the most important shifts in herbalism: learning how to match herbs to the…
E225 · 20 May 2026 · 1 hr 7 min
Mimosa as Emotional Medicine with CoreyPine Shane
What if one of the most beloved herbs for emotional healing isn’t just uplifting—but helps us gently reconnect with parts of ourselves we’ve had to tuck away to survive? In this episode, I sit down with CoreyPine Shane to discuss mimosa ( Albizia julibrissin ), often affectionately referred to as the “tree of happiness.” And what a fitting name! Mimosa is celebrated as a joyful, uplifting herb, and is commonly reached for to help relieve anxiety and depression—though as CoreyPine shares in this conversation, its benefits are much more nuanced than that. CoreyPine also shares thoughtful…
E224 · 20 May 2026 · 4 min
Herbal Oral Care Recipes for Teeth & Gums
Herbs can be incredible allies for oral health, but knowing how and when to use them makes all the difference. Here, I share three of my favorite herbal recipes for supporting the mouth, gums, and oral tissues, along with practical tips for actually making them effective. ► A powerful herbal mouthwash with echinacea, sage, and plantain ► A sage and rose tooth powder for everyday oral care ► A turmeric mouth pack for deeper long-term gum support I also talk about one of the biggest mistakes people make with herbal oral care: not giving herbs enough time and consistency to truly work with the…
E224 · 16 May 2026 · 4 min
Herbal Oral Care: 3 Things I Wish I’d Learned Sooner
Most people think oral health starts and ends with the teeth. But the mouth may be telling a much bigger story. Here, I share three important shifts in thinking that completely changed the way I understand herbal oral care. ► Why oral health is deeply connected to the rest of the body ► How herbal energetics can help us better understand gum and tissue patterns ► Why consistency matters when using herbs for oral care I also share why I’m so excited about the free Herbal Dental Care mini course created by my friends Kyle Denton and Mason Hutchison. Kyle combines 15 years of experience in the…

About Herbs with Rosalee

Herbs with Rosalee is a English health podcast from Rosalee de la Forêt. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Rosalee de la Forêt
Language: English
Category: Health
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 42 min
Latest episode: 7 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1570551691

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