Podcast
Medicine Stories
Hosted by Amber Magnolia Hill · EN
Together, we are remembering what it is to be human upon the Earth- through connection to the natural world, ancestral wisdom, nourishment, story, and community. Blending thoughtful research with deeply personal conversations, the show explores herbalism, women's metabolic health, burnout recovery, motherhood, lineage, and the practices that help us feel more resilient and alive in modern life. Hosted by Amber- a mother and herbalist who has healed from devastating midlife fatigue- Medicine Stories invites listeners into a slower, more relational way of caring for themselves, their families, and the living world around us.
23episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Liver Flush Trade-Off (Is It Right For You?) - Sena Maria & Dr. Suuzi Hazen
Feb 1801:19:57Tap to summarizeThousands of people report major improvements in their health after doing the liver/gall bladder flush, but can it be harmful? The answer is- it depends, on a ton of variables, and no two people are going to experience the same physiological impact. Even when flushing is successful, there will be a cost to the body's nutrient stores. So what can we do to ensure that liver flushing will tip more toward beneficial and less toward depleting? What symptoms might indicate that a flush could benefit you? Are there gentler ways to do a flush? I'm your host Amber and today I am joined by mineral balancing practitioner Sena Maria and Doctor of Chinese Medicine Suuzi Hazen to discuss our experiences with liver flushing alongside considerations that we feel are missing from the online conversations we see about this process. The truth is that liver flushing is a trade off, with extraordinarily beneficial results possible but real depletion and imbalance also very possible, so let's talk about how to mitigate harmful results and tweak the protocol to fit your life and body. LINKS: Medicine Stories Patreon- Gentle Liver Flush Protocol & an extended conversational deep dive into this topic Healing Waters Nature Immersion Retreat in Costa Rica Nov 3-8 Violet Leaf Castor Oil The Mythic Medicine herb shop Suuzi's Mother's Best Liver Pills Sena Maria's website Sena on Instagram Suuzi on Instagram Amber on Instagram Quiz: Find Your Wise Woman Archetype Medicine Stories Facebook group Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)
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The Peak Is Not the Path: The Physiology of Lasting Healing - Sena Maria
Feb 401:15:21Tap to summarizeHealing is often framed through the lens of heroic breakthroughs, peak experiences, and emotional catharsis, but this episode centers a steadier path. Many modern healing trends—amplified by social media and the promise of instant transformation—can quietly deplete the body, especially for women, leading to every day burnout, long-term exhaustion, and chronic illness. Rather than bypassing the physical, we return to the essentials, recognizing that illness for modern women is often rooted in chronic stress and physiological depletion- not the lack of spiritual epiphanies or endless emotional processing. I'm joined today by women's health expert and mineral balancing practitioner Sena Maria, who brings grounded clarity to what true, lasting healing requires, helping us understand the body's intelligent responses to modern life and offering a vision of healing that is slow, nourishing, and sustainable. LINKS: Healing Waters Nature Immersion Retreat with Amber Nov 3-8 Medicine Stories Patreon (extended convo about the interplay of serotonin, histamine, and estrogen, plus a discount link for Sena's membership program Radiantly Nourished) The Mythic Medicine herb shop Sena's free 11 minute video showing her HTMA progression From Burnout To Thriving Before Burnout (discount code BB10) Ashley Wulkan's post on undernourishment Quiz: Find Your Wise Woman Archetype Amber on Instagram Sena on Instagram Medicine Stories Facebook group Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)
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Modern Midlife Hits Different (Especially for Mothers) - Jessie Harrold
Jan 2001:21:47Tap to summarizeMidlife is a powerful threshold, one that is often misunderstood or endured in shame and solitude. In this episode, we explore the in-between terrain where old identities dissolve and new ways of being have not yet fully emerged. Jessie and I reflect on how today's societal pressures collide with the emotional and biological realities of midlife and motherhood, creating an unprecedented landscape that calls for more compassion, more community, and more honest conversations. By naming and honoring these transitions, especially those unique to women, we open the door to self-discovery, validation, and personal and collective growth. Links: Medicine Stories Patreon (extended convo w/ Jessie on The Freebirth Fallout) The Costa Rica Healing Waters Nature Immersion Retreat w/ Amber, November 2026 Jessie's website Jessie on Instagram Find Your Wise Woman Archetype The Mythic Medicine herb shop Mythic Medicine on Instagram Medicine Stories Facebook group Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)
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Quick updates! New website, medicine & retreat discounts, new article, more...
Nov 2600:08:22Tap to summarizeFelt cute, will definitely delete later. New Mythic Medicine website!- use coupon code MMBF20 for 20% off everything until 12/3 Healing Waters: Nature Immersion Costa Rica Retreat Nov 3-8th 2026 (seven of twenty spots remaining), use coupon code TTSAVE50 for $50 off on 12/2 and 12/3 only The Guardian article THANK YOU for 13 years of supporting our medicine making and 8 years of supporting this podcast! We've only just begun!
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First Blood & Lost Rites of Passage - Kami McBride
Nov 401:24:53Tap to summarizeMenarche- a girl's first period- shapes how we experience womanhood for the rest of our lives, and the lack of initiation most of us experience is itself an initiation. In this culture that has fractured from the rites and wisdom of our grandmothers, where so many of us met our first period with confusion or shame, how do we begin to heal this tender threshold- for our daughters, and for the younger version of ourselves? In a conversation brimming with practical suggestions, my herb teacher Kami McBride- who has led countless women's circles, developed and taught a class for cycling women, and even written a book on menstruation- shares her decades of experience and insight. Together, we explore how to remember what was once celebrated, and how to bring reverence and empowerment back to this profound beginning. Medicine Stories Patreon (thank you!)- enter the giveaway & get a list of my favorite books on menstruation Kami's free classes: DIY Body Butter for Gifting & Top 3 Stress-Melting Herbal Oils Kami's course: Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils Join me at the Medicine Stories Healing Waters Nature Immersion Retreat in Costa Rica November 2026! Mythic Medicine herbal remedies- take our quiz to be notified when our Moment Markers Bundles become available Kami on Instagram Amber on Instagram Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)
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TCM's 7yr Timeline of Women's Life Transitions - Dr. Suuzi Hazen
Oct 2201:23:22Tap to summarizeDid you notice metabolic changes around age 35 and/or 42? Does perimenopause even exist? Is there an ideal childbearing window? Why are humans one of the only species to experience menopause? Suuzi Hazen, doctor of Chinese Medicine and my closest companion in healing from midlife burnout, gives us the Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective on the 7 year framework for girls' and womens' life transitions. Suuzi's post that inspired this conversation Join me & Suuzi at the Medicine Stories Healing Waters Nature Immersion Retreat in Costa Rica November 2026! Medicine Stories Podcast Related previous episodes with Suuzi- Nourishment Lost, Women's Bodies are Metabolically Expensive, Midlife Burnout for Women Mother's Best Liver Pills by Suuzi Women's Bodies podcast by Suuzi Mythic Medicine herbal remedies- take our quiz to be notified when our Moment Markers Bundles become available Suuzi on Instagram Me on Instagram Leonard Shlain Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)
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Reshaped by Parenthood: Families, Fathers, and the First Year - Rachelle Seliga
Sep 1501:11:50Tap to summarizeBirth opens the door, but what comes after walks you through it. Many new parents find themselves moving through the first year feeling lonely, confused, and wondering why it's so hard. In this episode, I'm joined again by Rachelle Seliga of Innate Traditions, who has spent over 20 years teaching and gathering communities to explore postpartum, motherhood, and revillaging. Together, we open the conversation wider — into the realm of fatherhood — with Rachelle's signature depth, wisdom, and grounded practicality. Whether you're preparing for birth or reflecting on your own postpartum journey, this conversation offers insight, validation, and a new lens on what it means to be reshaped by parenthood. Planning for the Fourth Trimester for Mothers & Fathers workshop with Rachelle and Dan Two Medicine Stories Patreon bonuses: 1) extended interview w/ Rachelle giving me her hot takes on controversial wellness/spirituality topics and 2) audio recording of me giving a podcast/medicine/life/health status update Rachelle's previous Medicine Stories appearance Revillaging: Maternal, Cultural, and Planetary Wellness Are One Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Innate Traditions Website Innate Traditions Instagram Mythic Medicine Website Mythic Medicine Instagram Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)
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Cannabis-Induced Psychosis: A Mother's Story of Love and Loss - Tara Couture of Slowdown Farmstead
Apr 9, 202501:33:12Tap to summarizeIn 2021 Tara and her family got the knock on their door that every parent fears most. In the days that followed they discovered eighteen-year-old Mila's journal and were able to piece together the shocking and devastating chain of events that led to her death. Tara's Instagram and Substack, Slowdown Farmstead, is followed and admired by tens of thousands of people. Tara and her husband raised their three daughters on their beautiful Canadian farm, lovingly tending to and butchering their own livestock in order to nourish their family and community. Deeply acquainted with the cycles of nature, Tara has a perspective on the interconnectedness of life and death that was the daily reality for our ancestors but eludes most modern people. But that did not prepare her for what could happen when a drug that is now bred to be as strong as any pharmaceutical- and which is often misunderstood as being a benign herbal medicine- snuck its way into her daughter's life at a vulnerable time and completely rewired her brain in a matter of months. It is our hope that sharing Mila's story will make more people aware of the increasingly common psychosis that is a side effect of the new high-THC strains of cannabis on the market, and especially of its dangers for the developing teenage brain. Please read the articles linked below for more. Tara's essay What Happened To Our Daughter- don't miss the dozens of resources about the risks of cannabis at the end How Weed Became the New OxyContin: Big Pharma and Big Tobacco Are Helping Market High-Potency, Psychosis-Inducing THC Products as Your Mother's 'Medical Marijuana' Patreon bonus conversation- What We Want Our Daughter To Know: women, restriction, chronic illness & more on Tara's metabolic journey Learn more about Tara's book Radiance of the Ordinary Slowdown Farmstead on Substack and Instagram Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? My website MythicMedicine.love Mythic Medicine on Instagram Medicine Stories Facebook group Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)
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Women Making Medicine for Healing & Connection - Kami McBride
Mar 1, 202501:32:13Tap to summarizeMy most beloved herbal elder and I talk about our favorite subject- women throughout time using plants for self care, family healing, and community connection. After nearly 4 decades as a practicing herbalist and teacher, and in an age of informational overabundance, Kami has seen what actually works when it comes to truly embodying herbal knowing. Find Kami's freebies & learn more about Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils (including the peek at what you see when you log in to the course). Two Patreon bonuses for this episode- 1) an extended conversation with Kami where we share our stories of Mothering Without Elders 2) two free videos with Kami entitled Garden Herb Walk- meet 9 favorite garden herbs that can calm the nerves, help with digestion, heal the skin, kick a cold, and more! Let's meet beautiful edible and medicinal flowers, weeds, leaves and seeds and find out which ones are used for what. Kami's book The Herbal Kitchen Amber's website MythicMedicine.love Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Amber/Mythic Medicine on Instagram Medicine Stories Facebook group Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)
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Nourishment Lost: in Culty Spaces, Self Induced, & Culturewide - Dr. Suuzi Hazen
Feb 17, 202501:53:08Tap to summarizeSuuzi and I continue the discussion sparked by my last episode about culty trends in the wellness space by talking about her past with Kundalini yoga- what drew her in and, eventually, how noticing the state of nourishment of those deepest into the cult precipitated her exit. We then catch listeners up on our midlife metabolic meltdown hEaLinG jOuRnEyS and what path we're taking forward as we continue to recover our vitality and deepen our understanding of why women's bodies are so metabolically expensive. Patreon bonuses for this episode include an extended conversation w/ Suuz about the reaction to the German New Medicine episode (114) & how it surprisingly kindled a discussion amongst patrons about a remarkably similar ideology, a 10% off coupon code for Suuzi's grass fed, grass finished liver pills, and a chance to ask us questions. Also photos of Suuzi in turbans! Dr. Suuzi on Instagram Mother's Best Liver Pills Amber's website MythicMedicine.love Take our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy? Amber/Mythic Medicine on Instagram Medicine Stories Facebook group Music by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes) Mentioned in this episode: Kimberly Ann Johnson on Whose Body Is It Breath of Fire Kundalini cult/Guru Jagat documentary Kathleen Stewart's story The Rooted in Resilience podcast and specific Minnesota Starvation Experiment episodes with Kathleen Stewart The Energy Balance Podcast The group coaching program Suuzi is in is Transfrom Cronometer nutrition tracking app How to Not Get Fat on the "Pro-Metabolic Diet": a guide for switching to nourishing foods while avoiding fat gain by Kaya of Fundamental Nourishment Eating a "Pro-Metabolic Diet" Will Not Heal You: an appeal for having context to understand the big picture by Kaya of Fundamental Nourishment
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