Episode 17

The Prairie Herbalist with Rachel Liester

Published on: 13th March, 2024

The Prairie Herbalist

Episode Introduction

In today's episode, The Prairie Herbalist , we chat with Rachel Liester about food as medicine, the best herbal salve ever, and how you can grow a pharmacy in your garden.

Host Stephanie Barelman

Stephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialogue, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.

Guest Rachel Liester

Rachel Liester is an ethnobotanist, bioregional herbalist, educator, naturalist, writer and photographer. She specializes in prairie plants and has a five-acre herb farm and learning center in northeast Nebraska where she's been teaching about traditional uses of herbs as food and medicine for 30 years. Red Road Herbs Retreat & Learning Center LLC is part of United Plants Saver's Botanical Sanctuary Network, a Certified Wildlife Habitat, a Monarch Waystation and a haven of peace and tranquility where Rachel hosts events, retreats, classes and wild herb walks and encourages visitors to experience Nature's healing touch.

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Episode Content

Red Road Retreat and Learning Center

on the web: http://www.redroadherbs.com/
on Facebook: Red Road Herbs Retreat & Learning Center LLCFacebook

Prairie Herbalist Conference- classes and intensives designed to give you the expertise to be an herbalist- in Nebraska, by golly! Let's make it a glamping extravaganza this year. Dates in July. Check the site above!

Home Herbalist Program- Growing, Harvesting, and Creating 101

Rugel's plantain AKA Plantago rugelii : good for bug bites, eczema., inflammation, trapped thorns

Stinging nettle AKA Urtica dioica-full of vitamins, minerals, and antihistamines. Consider it a worthy weed and know it's stings are very effective for arthritis pain. Also know it's stinging sensation dissipates once cooked. Sick of hearing about Kay Young's Wild Seasons? If so, you're listening to the wrong podcast.

Wild bergamot AKA Monarda fistulosa AKA aswego tea

member of mint family
mosquito repellant, digestive aid, diaphoretic, and yes ,you heard us right, love potion perfume...

Elderberry AKA Sambucus canadensis

contains thymol, a natural antiseptic, and carbicol, which has anti-cancer properties
if you're worried about birds getting all your berries, just harvest the flowers instead
used to be the sign of the medicine woman if planted outside in olden times
instead of buying expensive medicines, make your own! just make sure to only consume berries that have been harvested when ripe and cooked!

Chokecherry AKA Prunus virginiana

Early bloomer, used historically for "granola bars" AKA pemmican
good bitter for our diet, aids digestion, full of antioxidants

Cattail AKA Typha latifolia- Yule Gibbons "cattails are the supermarket of the swamps," shoots, fluff, even pollen is edible. Not just a pretty damsel on the waterside.

Sweet grass AKA Anthoxanthum nitens- fragrant, even more fragrant when dry; comb, and break off, do not pull grass out to harvest as it is a perennial; powerful for aromatherapy

Prairie sage AKA Artemisia ludoviciana- another aromatherapy medicine, tied to healing not only due to its astringent and antiseptic properties but simply due to its aroma

Western yarrow AKA Achillea millefolium:

2024 Herb of the Year, https://www.iherb.org/herb-of-the-year/, blood medicine, an interesting example of the concept of "the doctrine of signatures," a polychrestic meaning a medicine that can treat a variety of ailments, also the star of a old-school Gaelic charm/ folk song "I will pluck the yarrow fair..."
A great flower for cutting and drying

Food is medicine

Empower yourself and help to supplement your health by planting these native herbs and berries!

Additional content related to this episode:

What makes a plant native?

http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraska

https://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Society

native (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (native plant cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)

On the Web

BONAP aforementioned

BNPS aforementioned

http://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on Facebook

Books & Authors

Rick Darke- The Living Landscape

Douglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park".

Enrique Salmon- Iwigara

Daniel Moerman -Native American Ethnobotany

Heather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com

Native Plants of the Midwest

Planting in a Post-Wild World

Jon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska