Commonwealth Podcast For Holistic Herbalism

Climate change affects everyone, and that includes the plants. Medicinal herbs and food plants growing across the world are changing, moving – and sometimes, struggling or dying – as a result of the changing climate. As herbalists, and as stewards of medicinal plants, we need to recognize these shifts and respond in ways that will help protect & sustain our herbal allies as much as possible.Three steps any herbalist can take in this effort include:Observe & recognize the changes in the local wild plant populations, and stop wild harvesting early when you see signs of stress.Cultivate & steward the plants you depend on, so that you can harvest without impacting the wild populations.Work with the new plants – often designated as “invasive” – who are coming in with the changing climate. Many of these are potent medicinals, and they’re so abundant that it’s safe to harvest them freely without worrying about damaging the population.Changing our habits – of harvesting behavior, and even of perception –