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The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast
1KHO 530: Using Herbs to Weave Calm Through Tense Days | Rachelle Robinett
01:01:04
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- [00:02]
Jenny Urch
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Rochelle Robinette
Princess Polly, and Madewell.
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Jenny Urch
It's easy, too, with free shipping and free returns in store. Order, pickup and more. Shop today in stores online@nordstrom.com or download the Nordstrom app. Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Jenny Urch. I'm the founder of 1000 Hours Outside, and I have just read a book that I absolutely loved. It has actually, I think it's going to change my life, Rachelle. It is called Naturally the Herbalist's Guide to Health and Transformation. And I have learned that I am an herbalist, and I'm so excited. And the author relates. Welcome.
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Rochelle Robinette
Thank you so much. What an intro. I'm thrilled to be here, and I'm so happy that you know that you're an herbalist now, because you are.
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Jenny Urch
I'm thrilled about the book, and I have to show you. So people ask me this a lot. We've had over 500 episodes on this show, and people are like, well, you read all these books. Do you actually do the things that the people say? And I would like to show you that I have tea.
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Rochelle Robinette
Fantastic. Tell us what, what kind of tea?
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Jenny Urch
Okay. I don't know, but I read your book, and I immediately, I went to Home Goods, and I was like, I'm convinced. But here's the story. I've got two pieces of a story. I switched from having births in the hospital to having home births about 15 years ago. So I had two kids in the hospital, and then the next three kids we had at home. And my midwife was like, you need to start drinking tea. And she gave me this whole bag of, I mean, I never, never done it, Rochelle. So she gives me this whole bag. It looks like a bag of, you know, weeds from your yard or, I mean, you know, know in this big bag. And she teaches me how to do it. You know, you put it in the pot and you let it go overnight, and then you strain it anyway. It tasted like, I don't know, a barn. I, I, it was so gross. And then I didn't know, how do I heat it back up? I was microwaving it. She was like, no, absolutely, don't do that. Then we got rid of our microwave. Anyway, it was just kind of one of those things that I didn't really understand. And I Couldn't get on board. It tasted gross. It. So I let it go. I. You know, she would try here and there to get me to drink it. And I was like, I don't like it. But my grandfather, my mom's dad, did that. He did a big old pot, you know, like a gallon or more. I don't know, a big pot of tea every day. And he drank it. And he lived until his, like, mid to late 80s. Never once had a doctor's appointment. I mean, and he passed away in his sleep. He was, like, healthy. Even though he also drank and smoked. It was really pretty overweight. So I've always sort of been intrigued by this. I'm, like, talking so much. So I've always been intrigued by the tea. So I couldn't get on board. And then I read your book, naturally, in every single page, I was like, wait, I need this. This is actually what I need in my life. So I went to HomeGoods, and I got it. And I also got this really cute little teapot, and then I put it in my fridge overnight like you talk about, and I already feel a little better.
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Rochelle Robinette
Fantastic. I love that story. I love it. And you know what? Even when I'm writing the book, I'm like, oh, right. I need this again. And I need this again. Herbalism is amazing because it never ends. Once you start, there's an herb for everything. It's really incredible.
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Jenny Urch
Okay, let's talk about what herbalism is. Herbalism. So I, you know, to me, I would have thought that herbalism is outside of my frame of reference. But what you basically say is herbalism is a lifestyle. Can you explain that?
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Rochelle Robinette
Absolutely. So, you know, you now know that you actually were an herbalist all along. Like, herbs are in. Herbs are. You know, they're in our lineages. First of all, your grandfather, so many grandmothers, all of us in the past used to be living with herbs on a daily basis. It was our medicine. It was our food, it was our lifestyle. And now, you know, we feel. And we've become quite removed from the natural world, but still, herbalism is in our lives. It's at the coffee shops. It's in our pantry. It's in our spice cabinet. It's at, you know, the grocery store that we make go to every day or every week. It's all around. So to say that herbalism is a lifestyle is really, to me, about, first and foremost, just kind of waking up and realizing that we're surrounded by it and that it's a natural way of just Living and being. And it's really remembering that we are part of the natural world, you know, and that is how we are healthiest and happiest. Herbalism can be something that can change our lives, or it can be just these small integrations, these small additions that we do, or these small replacements Are even better than additions to improve our day and our health.
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Jenny Urch
And I love it. You talk in the book about these small changes. You say, just do one small single health goal, like, drink one cup of herbal tea every day. And I was like, oh, I can do that. Actually, my thing holds two cups. So there we go. And I got this little cute teapot thing. It's amazing. It's like this little glass teapot I'm in.
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Rochelle Robinette
Herbalism is also beautiful, you know, like, it's so, you know, the vessels, and we're working with flowers and leaves and plants, and, like, it's a very beautiful practice to have in our lives. I mean, I'm sure, because you read it, you know, one of my clients was, like, brewing tea every day because she felt like it was this aquatic bouquet of flowers to have on her desk. Like, visually, it's visually just such a. Such a magical practice.
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Jenny Urch
Oh, even my daughter brought that up. She's nine. So you put the hot water in, and she's like, look at how, like, the little red just kind of comes out, like, in these little streams. And she was asking me why it changes colors. What an interesting thing. Herbal tea is also beautiful because one of the things that you said was it's even the process of making the tea can be healing.
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Rochelle Robinette
Yes.
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Jenny Urch
Or it can be. As you said, the act of making tea can be as beneficial as the tea itself because of the beauty and the smells.
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Rochelle Robinette
It depends on how you relate with it. So the beauty, the smells, the time we're taking to step away from a screen or from sitting or whatever it is to do something for ourselves, to do something for our health. So it's really that ritual, that practice, that then becomes just as beneficial. And we're thinking. We know that we're thinking that, right? Oh, I am doing something for myself right now that feels good. That has health benefits.
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Jenny Urch
Yes. So just these small steps, you prioritize the single small health goal. You talk about how we're all herbalists, and you also talk about the history of it. Herbalism is an ancient global and primary or supplemental form of health care for approximately 80% of the world's population. I think one of the things that's interesting about it and what the book really helped me with Rochelle is that to me, it did seem like something that was out of my purview, like, this isn't something that I do. But when you talk about that this is not only historically normal, but globally normal, and that there are reasons why it's seen as alternative, and it is. It's kind of seen as alternative. And I thought, well, gosh, I read your book, and I was like, no, this is what everybody is doing. I should join in with the masses. Can you talk about a little bit of the history there about why this is seen as alternative these days?
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Rochelle Robinette
Yeah, absolutely. So in the past, you know, before modern medicine, which is very important, and we also need it, so I definitely am a proponent of using both. But in the past and from much of that past, you know, modern medicine was developed. Herbalism was, as we've said, you know, our way of life. We hunted and gathered, we foraged, we lived in closer proximity to nature, and we used herbs as medicine. We used food as medicine. Food is medicine still, you know, whether or not we recognize that or not. So it's in our past. And then, yes, as you've quoted, it's the primary or supplementary form of health care for the majority of the world. So in the western United States, we are less, I think, less aware. We have less interaction with that fact. But the rest of the world is still practicing herbalism on a daily basis.
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Jenny Urch
So.
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Rochelle Robinette
So it can have this sort of sensation of like, oh, everyone's doing it. Why aren't we? You know, and it's so. It's so beneficial for our health to be doing so. There was a period in time, primarily when the western medical establishment came into its sort of into the form that it more or less exists in today, where we started to separate ourselves from nature. We became uncomfortable with germs and bacteria and the idea that sickness comes from coming in contact with these things and that sort of separation from nature. Prioritized medication, surgery, the scientific method over, you know, herbalism and plants and nature exposure, and herbalism became considered sort of alternative. You know, now it's considered, maybe it's woo. And to some people, it seems new, right? Even though it's older than then everything else that we're using right now. Vitamins, supplements, medications. It can be prescription or over the counter. All of that is far newer than herbalism was. So herbalism got sort of relegated to the alternative category. But as we see, it persists, and it persists with good reason. And I think the world. I think our world now really, really Wants it. And I think we want it. We need it. But we may not necessarily know that what we're looking for is herbalism.
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Jenny Urch
Yes, it's what we're looking for.
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Rochelle Robinette
It is.
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Jenny Urch
That's what I kept writing. That's what I kept writing. I was like, I need this. This is what I've been looking for. And even with my own history of having someone kind of hold my hand and try and walk me through it, Even knowing about my grandpa, I didn't own it until I read the book, and now I own it. Everyone's like, so you're doing tea now? And I was like, yes, I'm doing tea now. I just think it's really remarkable. Can we talk about the fact that you grew up, you know, you're running wild. You talk about in the pacific northwest, but. But then you end up in New York.
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Rochelle Robinette
Yeah.
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Jenny Urch
So if you were to think about New York city area, you know, so if you were to think about a place that is sort of cut off from nature, you think about these big cities, and yet you are still practicing herbalism there. You talk about how, I mean, everyone's an herbalist, and it's coming up in the cracks of the sidewalk. Can you help with the myth that you would have to be living out on a farm with wild herbs growing everywhere in order to practice it? You don't. You can do it anywhere.
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Rochelle Robinette
Yes. Yes. I can't count the number of times that people ask me, wait, herbalist. And you live in New York city? Why? Why? But I loved it here. You know, this was. This was a very important place for me and for my life. And, yes, I did grow up on a farm in the pacific northwest, and I essentially ran away from it. You know, I wanted nothing to do with the dirt or the weeds or whatever it was, but what I didn't run away from was my health practices and the things that I had sort of internalized. And so many of us that come from those kinds of backgrounds Just have an experience with dirt and work and being physically tired and being outside and understanding what that feels like and understanding the benefit or having internalized the benefit of those things. So even when I was working in fashion before herbalism, and, you know, I was. I didn't drink alcohol. I was raw vegan. I was actually extremely healthy in that period of time As a way of supporting my career and the crazy work life balance and the crazy stress. So rather than letting my health fall to the wayside when I was busier than I'd ever been in New York City in fashion. I actually prioritized it even more, and that was something that allowed me to do that grind and to not burn out. Over time, of course, my work, life, balance became more important. I started practicing herbalism full time. And so my lifestyle is different than it used to be. But there are so many ways. You know, just like you having a cup of tea on your desk. You know, my desk, I've got tinctures, I've got tea. You know, I go outside in between my meetings, and I just walk. You know, I find a park or I look up. I may not be able to see much of the sky, but I can see some of the sky. I can get some daylight. You know, those kinds of things. Those are also herbalism. And I'm sure we'll talk about how holistic herbalism is later. But even if it's an herb in a capsule that I take in the morning with my probiotic, that is practicing a little bit of herbalism in an environment that can be urban, it can be in an. In an airport, it can be anywhere. And we can have these herbs with us as a way to, yes, improve our health, but as a way to stay connected to nature no matter where we are. And I think that's really, you know, really foundational to this whole. Whole conversation.
- [13:35]
Jenny Urch
So we got a bunch of listeners that are aiming to get outside. That's the goal. So we're all. It's a whole audience of herbalists, because we are all herbalists. You talk about how herbalism can heal and prevent conditions that are acute and chronic. And you also talk about things like enthusiasm and optimism, things that you wouldn't necessarily associate with. I would associate those with temperament or willpower or, you know, changing your mind about something, reframing. But to talk about how these different herbs can just help to support those things is a really big deal. I just went through, and I was like, gosh, this would be so helpful. And I would say that I feel a little calmer now that I'm adding in these couple cups of tea. So I'm sold. I'm. I'm in. And, you know, I don't know. I guess I. It expanded my view of what this is, of what it can do for me, and it gave me permission. It actually told me, like, I already am it, so I'm already that. So just, you know, go a couple steps further. I just was. I got so much use out of the book. I love it. It's called Naturally the Herbalist Guide to Health and Transformation. You are an herbalist. So here's one of the things I think was interesting, especially because the western medicine seems to be like in the forefront, right? That's what people talk about more. There's all sorts of commercials for different pharmaceuticals. And like you said, there's a place for everything. You talked about two eyed seeing. But one of the things that I think is confusing and that would be confusing to me is that because it's like, well, if you have a headache, you take this. If you have a stomachache, you take this. You say there for herbalism, you say, there is no herbal for fill in the blank. It doesn't work like that. So can you explain that part?
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Rochelle Robinette
Yeah, absolutely. So the idea that, you know, in the book I say there's no herb for X, but there are herbs for people who have X. And that distinction speaks to the personalizable nature of herbalism. So, for example, if your headache, okay, we have a headache, we take ibuprofen, right? Or we take aspirin, something like that. But take five people with a headache. One could be coming from a hormone imbalance, one could be coming from stress, one could be coming from sleep deprivation, One could be coming from tight muscles in the neck or the jaw, and one is coming from a pinched nerve in the back. There is an herb for each one of those types of headaches. And rather than just treating the symptom of the pain, the herb is going to help treat the symptom of the pain and the cause of it. Normalize the hormones, reduce the stress levels, take down the inflammation in the pinched nerve, relax the muscles in the jaw. And I forget what the, the other one was, but you get it. Yeah, that's the beauty of this practice. It's very much like matchmaking. Often you're like, oh, I'm this type of person and I like this flavor and I have this kind of, you know, condition, then yes, there is an earth for that.
- [16:48]
Jenny Urch
And you've worked with all of these different people and you go through that in the book. Like you talk about, you know, your first, you start with these clients. Indeed, it's not even totally that sort of a thing. It's like people are coming to you with their own issues. And then you start to realize people can use some help walking through all of these different decisions about what they can choose. And the book goes in depth. There's incredible table in the back in the appendix of the herb use table. So it's like having someone walk you through all of the things that you don't know, like, I didn't really know any of it. I mean, I wasn't even sold on it, even though my midwife was like, you should be doing this for your pregnancy. And I was like, it tastes like a barn, so I'm not gonna do that. And then I got, like, the one I got was. Is called rose hibiscus. It tastes like flowers. So I just, I don't know, it was like the wrong combination of things and I didn't realize. I guess basically this podcast is like, hey, you were kind of an idiot and didn't know very much. You know, I was like, gosh, I just didn't really know any of this stuff. And so it. I. You sold me on it and you sold me in a way that gave me ownership.
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Rochelle Robinette
That's beautiful. I think the way that it is possible to go from I didn't know any of this to I'm sold just like that. I have seen that happen thousands of times. It almost always happens because I believe this is, like we've said, it's what we're looking for. And it's. It's so natural for us. We're like, oh, right, of course, yes. Plants from nature. Like, it's like we know it in our bodies, we know it in our past. We know it intuitively and we hear it and we're like, oh, right, of course. Okay, yes, sold. I think that is why that happens.
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Jenny Urch
Yeah. And you feel better. There is something about the act of making it. There's something about the like, oh, I'm taking a couple minutes to care for myself. I'm going to put this tea in the fridge for tomorrow. Like, I follow basically, like what you did in the book. And now I have it and the colors and the smells. Hey, friends. Ginny here from 1000 hours outside. And with summer in full swing, I always get the itch to refresh my closet it. But I don't want to waste money on trendy pieces I'll only wear once. That's why I love quince. Their clothes are timeless, feel amazing, and somehow cost half of what you'd expect for that kind of quality. We're talking 100 European linen tops starting at just $30. Washable silk dresses and skirts and ultra soft cotton sweaters perfect for warm weather layering. I found myself reaching for my quince pieces again and again. Quince works directly with top artisans and skips the middlemen. So you get luxury without the markup. 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So, you know, I don't know, my experience with it was like, oh, you just got this little tea bag. But really this is, you could get all sorts of different herbs, different flowers. You can do combinations. There's synergy between the different ones and, and you talk about the logistics of having it be in the water may be longer. The nettle doesn't release its properties for five to six hours. So can you just talk about the nitty gritty of the how to?
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Rochelle Robinette
Sure, certainly. So there's tea which we'll, we'll talk about now. And then if somebody is like, I don't like tea, I don't have time, I'm not interested. That is not for me. Or I know this herb doesn't taste good. We can use tinctures which are, you know, concentrated liquid extracts or capsules. So there is a format to take herbs in for anyone. If you're not a tea person and you don't want to be a tea person, that is completely fine. But when it comes to brewing tea, I mean, definitely something I say is that any tea is better than no tea at all. So start where you can start by, yes, ordering it at the restaurant, buying it at the grocery store, just picking some up, steeping it, you know, doing your best. And if you get really into it and you want to expand your sort of tea Practice then. Yes. Steeping tea for longer can make that tea stronger, make it more medicinal, make it more therapeutic. We can also brew tea like you've done, in large batches so it's ready, you know, as, as we need throughout the week. You can reheat it on the stove top, that kind of thing, or have it cold. Of course. Tea is also really fun to mix into recipes instead of water. So that's something you can experiment with if you're baking or something like that. And there are tea bags which are the easiest, of course. And then if you, again, if you're comfortable, you can start buying, you know, loose leaf tea. And that can be a single herb or a blend. A lot of times you find these, sometimes you find them at the grocery store, a lot of times you find them at farmers markets and that kinds of, that kind of thing online of course. And then I would say the easiest way to work with those is in a French press and that becomes a really beautiful experience. Yeah, exactly. So you have a French press, you, you drop your loose herbs into the French press, fill it up with hot water. So just under boiling water, let it steep, press it, and then you can of course store that French press in the fridge if you want, once it's cooled down. So that's a very simple way to work with loose leaf tea. And generally if you're buying tea, you know, at the farmer's market, at the grocery store, that kind of thing, then whoever's created it knows that it tastes good. So you don't really run into the like barn flavored teas when you're buying the pre made. But if you go to, you know, an acupuncturist or an herbalist or something like that, they might give you some barn flavored tea stuff. So generally what's available on the market, you know, tastes good already because we know that no one wants to drink like, you know, that or the, the most bitter tea.
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Jenny Urch
So interesting. The French press is interesting too. I guess I would have thought that's for coffee. But part of the thing about the, that makes it really convenient. Or this little. I got this. It's really small, but it's this little teapot. It looks like a teapot, but it's glass and it's got the spot where you could drop all the herbs in and then it holds it in that spot. So it's convenient but it's small. When I would do the big pot, it's just kind of messy. I. Not that I'm like, it's Going to make me sound super lazy. But then you got to strain it and, you know, so it is interesting to do. The French press would be really easy.
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Rochelle Robinette
Super easy. Yeah. And it just strains from the top. So I love that method. I do that. And then I also have really large glass pitchers that have a lid that strain.
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Jenny Urch
Wow.
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Rochelle Robinette
Also, so as you're pouring, the herbs are being strained out, and I'll just keep that on my desk and drink the whole thing during the day. I mean, you can replace your water intake with herbal tea if you want. And since you mentioned nettle, you know, nettle is an example of we're essentially drinking a multivitamin plus greens and we can drink that all day long instead of our water. And we're multitasking and it's beautiful. So.
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Jenny Urch
Wow. Wow. Okay. It's very practical. So I want to talk then about some of these categories. So you go through the herbal categories and you talk about all sorts of different, different, I guess, common ailments, like things that people are really struggling with. And you go through these different categories and we're not going to have time to talk about all of them. But they were very fascinating. I for sure want to talk about nervines. Okay. You have this phrase, nerving less. I was like, I need to nerve less. Right. Everyone is dealing with how much. This is a quote from Adam Phillips. Everybody is dealing with how much of their own aliveness they can bear and how much they need to. It's a hard word to say, anesthetize themselves. So you talking about herbs for just being human. Like, being human is hard. You talked about your own situation. You said you had moved to Brooklyn after a soul severing breakup and all of your shelves and rooms were bare. Like, that's helping you there. I mean, it's helping in these very, very practical situations that we're in if you want to nerve less. So one of the categories is called a nervine. I never even heard that word. And they help to strengthen the nervous system. They just help you feel better. It's the first category of herbs you study deeply and talking about your own anxiety, which started when you were really little, age three, when your parents divorced. So can you talk about, okay, this is what people need. They're coming in always and saying, stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety. And you can nerve less.
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Rochelle Robinette
Yes, yes, you can. Nerve vines are the category of herbs for the nervous system. So these are plants that specifically benefit the nervous system. And I'll back up for just one minute to Explain what we mean by categories. So, as you saw, you know, all the chapters in the book, or most of the chapters in the book are dedicated to a specific category of herbs. And this is because this is the way to access herbalism without being overwhelmed by how many options there are. So, yes, there are thousands and thousands of plants, but we categorize them based on which body system they benefit, essentially. And when we do that, it breaks it down into really small groups of herbs that work on that one system. So, for example, nervines, you know, we have some of the greatest known plants, really. Chamomile, lavender, rose, lemon balm, passion flower, hops, valerian. So these are all herbs. St. John's Wort is another great one. So all of these herbs help benefit the nervous system, and these work right away. They also work over time. So the more often we take them, the more we're supporting our nervous system over time, which can make us more resilient, which can make us less prone to anxiety, which can help us just be calmer and more steady. But if we are about to. I don't know if we're about to travel or we're going into a stressful meeting, or we wake up feeling uneasy. Anytime we have that sort of nervousness or anxiety, we can use these nervine herbs to help calm down in the moment. And that can be tea, it can be tincture, it can be a lozenge. It can be, like, in a spray format, which I really love. It can be in a capsule. And these are, you know, this is just an example of how these plants can live with us in this crazy modern time, helping our systems, you know, handle it better. Because as you said, being human is hard.
- [31:04]
Jenny Urch
Yeah. Well, you talk about. So you have a tincture, you said it's called. Is it called kava? Is that how you pronounce it?
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Rochelle Robinette
Kava is. Yeah. One of my favorite kava.
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Jenny Urch
You say you keep that with you all the time. And so the tincture is a little bottle. They mix the herb with alcohol. You could probably do it on your own, and then you can just squirt it right in your mouth or in a glass of water or a spray.
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Rochelle Robinette
Wow.
- [31:25]
Jenny Urch
Yeah. So so many options. And you go through all of those options in the book. The pill forms as well. So with these nervines. Okay, I just want to. This is great. So there's one called. And this is what you do. You go through these different ones, and you talk about how this is specifically what this would help, because you said earlier, stress could be your headache could be coming from all of these different factors. So if we're talking about, you know, our nervous system, there was one called blue vervain. And you can just interrupt me if I'm pronouncing it incorrectly. But you say, this is for unwinding up tightness. It's for the tight necked, overachieving list maker who can't ask for help. You know, like, you read it and you're like, oh, I relate. Or one of them said, for people who make lists of other people's faults.
- [32:11]
Rochelle Robinette
This is great.
- [32:12]
Jenny Urch
You know, so you feel uptight. You're like that type of person. Or you talk about St. John's Wort and you talk about the ones you could combine with it. And you use this phrase, a shot of sunlight. Here we are in Michigan. I mean, we need a shot of sunlight for basically seven months, eight months out of the year. What a cool phrase for that one. Can you talk about your experience with depression? So you have a doctor who recommends a medicine for depression, anxiety, but then you also talk about how St. John's Wort has also been proven to help.
- [32:41]
Rochelle Robinette
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, I mean, as you mentioned earlier, I developed anxiety, separation anxiety. Very. It was very severe when I was about 3, 3 to 4. And then it just continued my entire childhood. I would throw up when I was left at school. I would get sick to my stomach when I was left at a friend's house or when I went to a friend's house. Like, it was just a. It was a daily struggle for me for a long time, and really was the catalyst for me, the inspiration for me to start studying herbalism. You know, thankfully, my mom had, like, herbal teas and some essential oils in the house. And so I started experimenting with those and learning more about lavender, which is an incredible plant, learning about kava, which, as we said, is one of my favorites. But during that time, and especially in my teenage years, I also was very depressed. And that is a. That is a sort of constitutional state of mind that I am prone to. You know, we all have different neurochemical balances, and I know it from my family history and these things. So as I would go in and out of different phases of this, you know, sometimes it would be really severe. And at one point, a doctor was. Was, yeah, recommending a prescription medication for me. And it was just like, I'm just not gonna go that route. And in terms of the nervines, you know, these herbs, they. Some of them. And there's a Whole chapter on sort of antidepressants and aphrodisiacs in the book. So some of these nerve vines are really calming. But if we're already depressed, we might not want something that's, you know, more calming, more kind of depressant. We might actually want something that's lifting our mood, that's boosting levels of serotonin and dopamine and giving us. Yes. I mean, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest as well, and I think a large part of my depression for most of that time was that I had seasonal affective disorder and had never heard of it and had no idea that, like, I was light deprived for 18 years, you know?
- [34:48]
Jenny Urch
Yeah.
- [34:49]
Rochelle Robinette
So, you know, St. John's Wort is like a shot of sun. Sunlight. And it's a fantastic herb for lifting our mo. Mood. It's great if we have, like, jet lag or we, you know, are on the wrong time zone. And there's also an herb called lemon balm, which my community, this is their favorite herb. It is such a. It's just a beloved herb. And I think it's because it tastes so good. It tastes like this subtle lemon flavor. Really easy to work within a tea. Great for kids, and it works as a nervine to help calm us down. But it's also. I call it partial sun Sun. So that one is just like gentle sunlight, like a gentle lift. And one of the most simple formulas in all of herbalism is the combination of St. John's wort and lemon balm. And this we use for anxiety, depression, seasonal affective disorder, anytime we need just a mood support. Mood support, which is a big thing. So.
- [35:46]
Jenny Urch
Yeah. Yeah. So I want to give it sort of a. An overview of, like, what you'll find in this book, because it's one you would have on your shelf and you could just go grab it. So when you talk about the nerve ions, you say there's three categories. Relaxants, stimulants, and tonics. So that's what you're talking about. Like, if you need to energize yourself, you pick a stimulant. And a tonic can be used over extended period of time to help with homeostasis. And then relaxants are used to slow down your central nervous system and induce restfulness. You go through all of these different ones. So Mother Wart is for anxiety. Passion Flower is for pausing, rumination. So it's all of these different specific things that people deal with at different times. Maybe they don't ever deal with this thing, but they deal with that thing, panic attacks is in here. Debilitating anxiety. Also mushrooms. So talk about that. Yeah, like reishi. Is that how you say it? The queen of mushrooms. This is in the nervine section.
- [36:40]
Rochelle Robinette
Yeah. So mushrooms, functional mushrooms are considered herbs as well. So when we say in herbalism, when we say herbs, it, it can mean functional mushrooms, plants, it can also mean like bones and shells and also food. So food is definitely a medicine. So we talk about blueberries as, you know, an herb sometimes or spices like turmeric or cumin or basil or thyme or any of those are all herbs. Sorry, I just lost the plot.
- [37:12]
Jenny Urch
So we're talking about mushrooms, so mushrooms is included. And so, you know, I saw. I don't know much about mushrooms either, but I saw lion's mane and I was like, oh, I know that's a mushroom.
- [37:22]
Rochelle Robinette
Yeah, yeah. So functional mushrooms are categorized, you know, depending on their actions. Again, so we have like reishi is a really beautiful, calming mushroom. We call that a calming adaptogen. So it kind of lives in two categories. It's helping our body become more resilient to stress, helping us prevent or recover from burnout, and giving long term support for anxiety. One thing I would say functional mushrooms are just, they're fantastic in general. And they do sort of three main things. They're beneficial for the gut, so for gut health, digestion, those kinds of things, like long term gut healing, they help to normalize the immune system. So if anyone has allergies or an autoimmune condition, or is getting sick on a regular basis, or wants to prevent getting sick during cold and flu season or something like that, functional mushrooms are fantastic for that. They help keep our immune system working optimally but not overreacting. And then they're great for brain health as well. So memory, focus, concentration, like clarity, calmness. So when it comes to functional mushrooms, I think the easiest way to work with them and what I always recommend is find a product that has a blend of like 5 to 10 in tincture or capsule form and just use that because they're. They're a little hard to work with in teas and they don't taste great, of course you can cook with them, but if you want them to be medicinal, then just buy a great capsule or tincture and.
- [39:03]
Jenny Urch
So interesting. I had no idea, I had no idea that that was considered part of herbalism. I've never actually heard the phrase functional mushroom. So I just learned so much. It's just so interesting. The Jack Welch Management Institute at Strayer University helps you Go from I know the way to I've arrived with our top 10 ranked online MBA. Gain skills you can learn today and apply tomorrow. Get ready to go from make it happen to made it happen and keep striving. Visit strayer.edu Jack WelchMBA to learn more. Strayer University is certified to operate in Virginia by Chev and has many campuses including at 2121 15th Street north in Arlington, Virginia.
- [39:44]
Rochelle Robinette
On WhatsApp, no one can see or hear your personal messages. Whether it's a voice call message or sending a password to WhatsApp, it's all just this. So whether you're sharing the streaming password in the family chat or trading those late night voice messages that could basically become a podcast, your personal messages stay between you, your friends and your family. No one else, not even us. WhatsApp message privately with everyone.
- [40:13]
Jenny Urch
With the Venmo Debit card, you can Venmo everything.
- [40:15]
Rochelle Robinette
Your favorite band's merch.
- [40:16]
Jenny Urch
You can Venmo this or their next show, you can Venmo that. Visit Venmo Me Debit to learn more.
- [40:21]
Rochelle Robinette
The Venmo MasterCard is issued by the Bancorp bank and a pursuant to license.
- [40:24]
Jenny Urch
By Mastercard International Incorporated Card may be used everywhere.
- [40:26]
Rochelle Robinette
MasterCard is accepted. Venmo purchase restrictions apply.
- [40:29]
Jenny Urch
Okay, I want to just briefly touch on the word adaptogen, because this is another category and you talk about how nearly all herbs help the body deal with stress, but that these adaptogens, they adapt, right? That's like part of the word. So what an interesting thing that it's not going to give you too much. You say they're generalists rather than specialists. They work across many of your systems and they nudge you toward balance. So if you're like you're too high, it might bring you low. If you're too low, it might bring you high. This is incredible. It's a stabilizer.
- [40:59]
Rochelle Robinette
Yes, it is incredible. That is, that is, you know, another one of the beauties of this work. So adaptogens are the most popular category of herbs right now. Lots of brands and companies are saying we have adaptogens in our products. There's adaptogens in our water and our skin care and all these different things. So that's getting them a lot of attention. But there's not always a good amount of sort of education or information about what exactly they are and how they're working. So adaptogens are some of the best studied herbs in herbalism. Like ginseng is an example of an adaptogen. Ashwagandha is a really Popular adaptogen. And these plants help our body to become more resilient to stress. So we're able to react, not overreact, and then we're able to recover more quickly, which is a big part of the stress. Right. So a lot of times we'll react, but then how long does it take us to calm down? Yeah, sometimes a long time. And these help our system become much more resilient, and they do that in a variety of different ways. But primarily they're working through the HPA axis in the brain. They're helping to normalize stress hormones. For example, ashwagandha will help level cortisol, which is our main stress hormone. So as you said, if it's too high, it's going to help bring it down. But herbs in general are, you know, and herbalism definitely is in pursuit of us being in balance. It doesn't want to push us beyond that. Right. It wants us to be in balance, because when we're in balance, we feel best. So these herbs kind of work to the point of us being, you know, at our best, normal. And then they. It's not that they stop working. They just. They're like, okay, you. You take it from here, body. Like, we've. We've done our job, you know?
- [42:53]
Jenny Urch
Wow. Yeah. I mean, it's. You're gonna read it and be like, oh, yeah, that would be really helpful for me. I. I would love a great stabilizer in my life. And one of them, when I was talking about earlier, one of them says, instigating enthusiasm. And I think that in this day and age, you need a lot of enthusiasm. The world is changing a lot. It can be really tricky. You know, you have to have some enthusiasm. So if you can find an herb that helps you with that, what a big deal. So you talk about adaptogens, you're talking about detoxification, you talk about pleasure. So aphrodisiacs. St. John's wort comes up in that one, too. Full sun for dark days. Full sun for dark days. Oh, and then there's sedatives and pain relief, and, I mean, so many. But another thing that you talk about that was really interesting to me is the bitters.
- [43:37]
Rochelle Robinette
Yes.
- [43:38]
Jenny Urch
And you say this bitterness is a flavor that's been bred almost entirely out of the western food system in recent decades. Wow. It's been bred out. Why does that matter?
- [43:52]
Rochelle Robinette
Yes, that matters because, well, it mirrors almost what's happened with herbalism. But, you know, we've bred our food to be sweet and full of water. You Know, and that makes it less medicinal. And so we start to lose food as medicine. And bitter, in particular, bitter as a flavor, bitter in food, bitter in herbs is essential, is really, really helpful for our digestion, for our detoxification, for the function of our liver and our kidneys and our stomach, you know, having the right amount of stomach acids, you know, so if we have acid reflux or gas and bloating or constipation or any kind of digestive issues which are so prevalent today. Digestive herbal bitters, these plants and foods help, again, they help nudge our body into doing what it knows how to do best. It says, okay, you know, you've just tasted some bitter. This human is about to eat some food. Stomach, get ready, produce the digestive enzymes, produce the, you know, gastric acids that we need to digest. And then when the food has been digested, move it along, you know, make sure it goes down and out, not back up in, you know, the form of burps or acid reflux or something like that. So bitters are tremendously beneficial for gut health.
- [45:19]
Jenny Urch
So interesting, but bred out of our western food system. So then you talk about how this is part of your gut healing protocol, which you've had for a very long time and haven't hardly changed, because it works.
- [45:32]
Rochelle Robinette
Yeah, definitely. And, you know, gut healing is something that we can do, you know, after we've taken antibiotics, for example, but it's also something that we can do if we're having skin issues or we're having immune system issues, or we have brain fog, you know, a lot. All of our systems are connected, of course, but all of our systems are especially connected to the gut. You know, we have the nervous system wrapped right around the gut. The immune system is on the other side of a wall that is one cell thick. It's our gut health and then it's our immune system. So very often our. Our gut health is, you know, degraded, and that causes this constant irritation to the immune system. And then we see it in our skin or we feel it in our inability to think clearly. So when we go all the way back to the cause and we take really good care of our digestion and our gut health, then all these other benefits kind of cascade out from that. So the gut healing protocol is something that we could do. You know, ideally, what happens is it becomes a little bit of a lifestyle, but we can always do it if we feel like we need a little bit of extra care for that system.
- [46:46]
Jenny Urch
So this is in the section about the bitters and interesting that you wouldn't even really think about it because it's been bred out of our system. So you might not think about it. And you talk about. Herbalism includes taste experiences. You just learned so much. The gut provides approximately 95% of total body serotonin. You talk about dried citrus peel. You talk about low stomach acid. I mean, who knew one out of five Americans has. Has low stomach acid? So these are all things that can help. And you also, then when you talk about the detoxification, you're talking about ones that help curb sugar cravings and ones that help you with your metabolic functions. So it is just one thing after the next. Things that help with liver. But what was interesting to me, because you could get a book like this, Rochelle, and you would walk away really overwhelmed, like, oh, gosh. I mean, I. You know, there's 50 herbs that are nervines, and how could I possibly learn? Well, first of all, the chart in the back is fantastic. But you just, for whatever reason, are able to communicate. Just try something. Can you have just one cup a day? Can you do that? And you. So what a wonderful combination of having all the information that you need explains it. So then you learn about the tinctures, and you learn about the. I mean, there was a word I've never even heard of. Oxymel.
- [48:07]
Rochelle Robinette
Yeah. Oxymol. Yeah. And it's so delicious. Please make one. It's. It's very easy. And it's so delicious.
- [48:14]
Jenny Urch
Okay. It doesn't seem like it would be delicious. Half and half. Ish. Mingling of vinegar and honey.
- [48:19]
Rochelle Robinette
Oh, it's like a sweet salad dressing that's infused with herbs. I make it with fresh rose geranium that grows in, like, in my backyard. And so you have this, like, rose geranium, you know, honey, apple cider, vinegar, like, drizzle that you can put in drinks or on salads or anything. Oxymols are. Are definitely delicious. Yes. Okay.
- [48:41]
Jenny Urch
I've totally done that because I've made my own salad dressings that has apple cider vinegar with a little bit of honey and garlic. And. Okay, I've done it. I've also made elderberry syrup. So I was like, yes, I am an herbalist. You talk about essential oils. You say that within 20 minutes, they're able to affect every cell in the body. Smelling essential oils is consuming them. So, so much to learn, and you just feel empowered to do it. Can you talk about kava? I'd never heard of it. You say, this plant has been in my life since childhood, and is undoubtedly my closest botanical ally.
- [49:15]
Rochelle Robinette
Yes, I love kava. So I discovered kava during my anxious childhood. And this is an herb that is traditionally drunk as sort of an alternative to alcohol. So it's a. Like a shrub. And you use the root. Root. And the root is ground up into a powder, and then the powder is mixed with cold water, typically, and made into just a simple tea. And traditionally, you know, people will sit around. Sit around a fire, sit around at home, whatever it is, and drink this kava that relaxes our muscles, that helps us feel more calm, that helps us feel more upbeat and social, and gives us this really nice, like, peaceful, loose, you know, kind of relaxed sensation, but doesn't make us drunk, like, mentally or cognitively. So it's a really great herb for anxiety, as I was using it. Some people like it for sleep. And it's also an herb that I started to use before I would do public speaking or sort of presentations or any kind of stressful experience. You could use it before a date, like any. I mean, really can. You can use it whenever you want, but. But because it helps us feel relaxed. But still, mentally, we are all there. We're sharp and clear and can function. So I. I love this herb. I always travel with it. Yes, it's like my desert island plant. And as more and more people are looking to drink less, to drink less alcohol, I think that, you know, is a really exciting opportunity to experiment with herbs as well, because there are so many. There's so many products on the market now, but there are so many different ways to use them to make us feel however we want to feel without the negative side effects of alcohol. So there's, you know, essentially a chapter on that, as you mentioned. But, yeah, kava. Kava's a fun one. Kava will make your mouth a little bit numb for a couple minutes. So just like, that's a side effect that not everyone is comfortable with at first. But it's not perfect.
- [51:25]
Jenny Urch
It's. Katie. Okay. Let people know ahead of time. Even some of this wording is so beautiful. Like, when you're talking about. So in the aphrodisiacs, you're talking about pleasure, but not, you know, not just pleasure in the bedroom. I mean, there's all sorts of things here. You're talking about herbs for optimism. Another thing, like the enthusiasm, the optimism. Saffron shedding light on depression. If any single color represents the sensation of wide, smiling happiness. I mean, the wording. So saffron, the color. The color represents wide, smiling happiness. I mean, that really drew me in. When the. With the kava you're talking about, it increases our capacity for chill. I saw this book the other day I just saw in passing, but someone, I think it was called something like the Relaxed Mom. And what the person was saying was, I've seen all sorts of moms, you know, in the world. You see all these moms. I've never seen a relaxed mom.
- [52:20]
Rochelle Robinette
That's a good one.
- [52:22]
Jenny Urch
Yeah. And I think that's probably kind of true. Like, are we emulating that we're relaxed, that we're calm? So that's for cava. It increases our capacity for chill. You talk about nootropics. I don't know if I'm pronouncing that right. Dopamine beans. Dopamine beans. You talk about tempering overindulgence, that we're in the stage where we're reaching for all sorts of satisfaction via anything. And it causes health challenges in certain areas. Talk about energy and motivation, sedatives and sleep. I want to bring up this because I've talked about a couple times on here. One time we found what's called ghost pipe. And I had no idea what it was. We found it in the wild one time in my whole life. I was like, what is this thing? It's like a translucent looking flower. And then I looked it up and it only blooms for one day. And it's not really a flower, it's not a mushroom. I don't even know what it is. So ghost pipe is in here, in the section on pain?
- [53:17]
Rochelle Robinette
Yeah. Yeah. That's amazing. That plant is incredible to see in the wild. And it's very strange. It's like a parasitic plant that parasitizes parasites. So it's like living off of other living creatures that are living off of something else. You know, trees and mushrooms and these kinds of things. Yeah. And it's white or clear. It's really ghost. I mean, it's ghostly.
- [53:39]
Jenny Urch
Yes.
- [53:40]
Rochelle Robinette
But it's a, you know, quote unquote. It's an herb and it can be used. Used for pain relief.
- [53:45]
Jenny Urch
So interesting. You talk about the pain of grief that's in here. You also talk about change. We can and should rely on nature via herbalism for support during times of change. And obviously we're in a time of rapid change. So this book is just helpful for so many, many different things. And then you just also talk about the growth of nature avoidance and how that's linked with higher levels of stress, depression and other mental health issues. So this will get you back to you know what, here's what it did for me. It expanded my options. That's what I felt like it did. It expanded me. And I thought, oh, there's more. Even though we're trying to get outside and this has been our thing for a long time, I was like, oh, there's more to this than I was getting the benefits from.
- [54:30]
Rochelle Robinette
I'm so glad to hear that. And that is my intention. It is to, yes, expand everyone's options. It's to allow us to reconnect with nature in such a wide variety of ways. Right. We don't have to go. I mean, we should, we should definitely go outside. But we can also use herbalism in all these different ways to reconnect with nature and to reconnect. Reconnect with ourselves. Which as you've read is to me the same thing. We are part of nature. And I'm really happy to hear that you feel like you have all of this information and all of these options, but also the ability to begin simply and the tools that you need to just start. Because that is often the challenge with herbalism. And that was one of the main reasons why I wrote this book. I wanted to give people a new understanding of what herbalism is and show them how. How vast the options are for us, but also how simple it can be to start.
- [55:40]
Jenny Urch
Yeah, yeah, you say, I see. I see herbalism change people's lives time and again. Because nature promotes balance, well being and vitality. And the clients that you worked with, the stories that you share are really empowering and intriguing. Like you talk about this woman named Camilla and so you say, you know, these are some of the changes she noticed. She starts to add a little movement to her life. She becomes more satisfied with their meals and stops snacking. Her mood becomes calmer and more stable. She like. That's the one you talk about. She likes having an aquatic bouquet beside her. You know, just brewing the tea. And then you say, by your third meeting, her long term sugar cravings were practically non existent. She was no longer waking up in the middle of the night coughing that each small change she made yielded more results than she even expected. And then she started to play the piano.
- [56:31]
Rochelle Robinette
Yes, it's one of my favorite stories, actually. I'm seeing her today for a session. I haven't seen each other in some time, so it's a really. Yeah. Her story is incredible. I mean, every single client's story was incredible without fail. It is, it is humbling for me to be able to be the messenger of this kind of medicine, because what it does in people's lives is truly, truly transformative.
- [56:55]
Jenny Urch
Yeah. It's so far reaching. It's way more far reaching than you could imagine. I loved it. I'm already doing it. I did it immediately. I went right to HomeGoods and got these little tea bags. But then I ordered some loose leaf offline. It hasn't come yet, but I'm excited about that. And I got the little pots, and we have a French press, so I'll be able to use that. The book is called Naturally the Herbalist Guide to Health and Transformation by Rochelle Robinette. It is out now. This podcast is. If this podcast is live and you're listening to it, the book is available. It's just a wonderful one. You add it to your shelf. Rachelle. We always end our show with the same question. The question is, what's a favorite memory from your childhood that was outside?
- [57:31]
Rochelle Robinette
Oh, well, my favorite memory from childhood is running through these dense moss covered forests in the Pacific Northwest, dodging skunk weed. Unfortunately, not dodging nettle. Stinging nettle, Coming back with many of many welts from that. And me and my four brothers would scramble up this hill. It would be a whole day project. We'd climb up to our spring to see where our water came from and, you know, have some of it, probably throw some things at each other. And then we would trek all the way back home covered head to toe in dirt, in burrs, in all these different things, having caught frogs or snakes or whatever it was, and, you know, just be exhausted in the most alive way. And that was a little. That was a little routine that we had. Maybe once a month or something, we would do this, like, we're gonna trek to the spring today. And then later, you know, I become an herbalist, and I realize that. But nettle is a medicine, and skunk cabbage is a medicine. And all of these things that I was, you know, just surrounded by growing up, that we're all surrounded by are actually medicines.
- [58:50]
Jenny Urch
Yeah. Woven through your whole life. Woven through all of our lives. What a book. It has expanded me as a person, and I'm so thankful to have read it. We are all herbalists, Rachelle. Thank you for being here.
- [59:02]
Rochelle Robinette
Wow. I am. I moved. That was the most, like, deep, deep reading and really like, yes, thank you. I am moved.
- [59:13]
Jenny Urch
I sent a picture of the teapot to my midwife, and she was like, what the heck? I had three babies with her and I was like. And I couldn't get on board with the tea. So I was like, well, this book did it for me, so.
- [59:27]
Rochelle Robinette
Oh, I'm so happy.
- [59:29]
Jenny Urch
Oh, I'm so grateful. Huge congrats. Well, well done.
- [59:32]
Rochelle Robinette
Thank you so much.