Where does your ashwagandha really come from? Tyler Wauters, VP of Herbal Affairs at Banyan Botanicals and Director of Banyan Farm, shares the truth about ethical herb sourcing, sustainable farming, and what happens when wellness trends commodify plants. Learn what organic, fair trade, and regenerative certifications actually mean, discover bioregional Ayurveda and analog herbs, and get practical steps for becoming a conscious consumer who knows the story of what's in their medicine cabinet.

Key Timestamps

[00:00] - Introduction: The problem with trending herbs

[04:00] - Tyler's journey from fish farmer to wildcrafter to Banyan

[09:00] - What is bioregional Ayurveda?

[12:00] - Analog herbs and criteria for substitution

[18:00] - Chemical ecology: How plants change based on environment

[23:00] - Banyan Farm as research facility

[27:00] - 30 years of relationships with Indian suppliers

[32:00] - Organic vs. Regenerative Organic vs. Fair Trade

[38:00] - What happens when ashwagandha trends

[43:00] - How to be a conscious consumer

[49:00] - Action steps: research, relationships, local + global

[54:00] - The Living Ayurveda internship

[56:00] - Rapid fire questions

Tyler is the VP of Herbal Affairs at Banyan Botanicals, Director at Banyan Farm, a place-based herbalist, Ayurvedic practitioner, and founder of Hawthorn Institute.

He grew up amongst the weeping willows and cattails. A lifelong naturalist and plant enthusiast, Tyler has dedicated his life to the practices of bioregional Ayurveda and place-based herbalism. Tyler began teaching in 2008 and brings his passion and knowledge into everything he shares. His intention is to ignite deeper connections to place, people, and plants through the lens of stewardship and reciprocity.Tyler has studied with Vasant Lad, MASc, Dr. Claudia Welch, Sonia Masocco, Isla Burgess, 7song, and Frank Cook. He thanks all of his mentors for sharing life's wisdom.

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