Herbs with Rosalee

Nettle has a reputation, and like many beloved herbs, it’s picked up a few myths along the way.
In this short podcast, I untangle some of the most common misunderstandings about this deeply nourishing plant. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re getting the most from nettle, this is a great place to begin.
And if you’re interested in going even deeper with nettle, I’ve got you!
My friend Mason Hutchison and I teamed up to bring you the Nettle Immersion, a 30-day deep-dive into this amazing, nourishing herb.
This immersive experience includes over 100 minutes of video lessons spanning 10 modules, a community space where you can discuss your love of nettle, a cookbook filled with nettle recipes, and so much more. We’d love to have you join us!
Learn more and sign up at https://courses.folkmethodology.com/nettle-immersion.

Nettle all day, everyday.
Does this sound exciting to you? Perhaps it sounds a little intimidating…or maybe you’re just curious why on earth you’d want to submit yourself to so much of a plant that literally stings you. (But not when it’s properly prepared, which is super simple to do, I promise!)
Well, my friend Mason Hutchison and I are certainly excited about nettle—and that’s why we teamed up to bring you the Nettle Immersion, a 30-day deep-dive into this amazing, nourishing herb.
This immersive experience includes over 100 minutes of video lessons spanning 10 modules, a community space where you can discuss your love of nettle, a cookbook filled with nettle recipes, and so much more. We’d love to have you join us!
Learn more and sign up at https://courses.folkmethodology.com/nettle-immersion.

Isn’t smoking bad for you? Yes…but the conversation around smokable herbs may be more nuanced than you think.
In this episode, I’m joined by herbalist and founder of Puff Herbals, Lian Bruno, for a grounded, thoughtful conversation about smokable herbs—especially mullein (Verbascum spp.). While many herbalists shy away from this topic, Lian approaches it through a lens of harm reduction, compassion, and what she calls “holistic hedonism.”
LIan explores why mullein has long been used in smoking blends, how formulation dramatically changes the smoking experience, and why all-or-nothing thinking can make conversations about smoking harder, not safer. This episode isn’t a blanket endorsement of smoking, nor is it a how-to guide. Instead, it’s an invitation into nuance: understanding energetics, honoring ritual, and supporting people exactly where they are.
During our conversation, Lian shares her recipe for Lung Lube, a syrup that offers both immediate relief and long-term support for lungs irritated by smoke or sickness. You can download your beautifully-illustrated recipe card here.
By the end of this episode, you’ll know:
► Four reasons mullein is considered a classic smokable herb
► Why mullein should rarely be smoked alone (and what to pair it with)
► How smokable herbs can serve as a bridge for reducing nicotine or cannabis use
► How to formulate a smoking blend with intention, matching plant energetics to your desired effect
► Eighteen examples of smokable herbs—and the reasons you might include them in a smoking blend
► and so much more…
For those of you who don’t know her, Lian Bruno is a clinically-trained herbalist, holistic health educator, writer, and founder of Puff Herbals — a brand redefining smoking rituals with tobacco-free, cannabis-free herbal alternatives. With a background in ethnobotany, she blends science, storytelling, and subculture into smoking blends designed for modern rituals.
Rooted in harm reduction and what she calls holistic hedonism, Puff Herbals makes herbalism approachable for anyone looking to light up — from the sober-curious and wellness-obsessed to skeptics and smokers looking to quit or cut back.
Whether or not you ever work with smokable herbs, I hope this conversation encourages curiosity over judgment and reminds you that herbalism is ultimately about relationship — with plants, with our bodies, and with one another.
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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com
Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.
You can find Lian at PuffHerbals.com.
For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!
Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.
If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!
On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.
Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.
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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.

What if working with hawthorn isn’t just about supporting your cardiovascular system, but also about influencing how your body expresses health at the deepest level?
In this heartfelt conversation, I’m joined by herbalist Betzy Bancroft to explore the many layers of hawthorn (Crataegus spp.)—a plant that nourishes and protects the heart in more ways than one. Though hawthorn is widely known for supporting cardiovascular health, Betzy shares how its effects go far deeper, helping regulate gene expression, improving flexibility of the blood vessels, and overall supporting the body’s natural resilience.
At the same time, this beloved plant offers profound emotional medicine. Betzy shares how hawthorn can help soften grief, ease emotional tension, and encourage us to stay open-hearted while also maintaining healthy boundaries. Whether you’re seeing physical nourishment or emotional resilience, hawthorn is a true ally for the heart on every level.
Betzy also shares so many ways to work with hawthorn! She includes her recipe for a delicious, warming Hawthorn Cordial; you can download a beautifully-illustrated recipe card here.
By the end of this episode, you’ll know:
► What makes hawthorn such a wonderful tonic for the cardiovascular system
► The fascinating way that hawthorn influences your body’s own ability to react to oxidative stress
► Practical tips for extracting hawthorn effectively (and why preparation matters!)
► Why consistency is key when working with hawthorn
► Eleven different (delicious!) ways to bring hawthorn into your daily life
► and so much more…
For those of you who don’t know her, Betzy Bancroft has been teaching herbal medicine making for more than three decades at herbalism schools and events. Betzy is one of the founders of the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, where she teaches classes including medicine making and formulation, and is a mentor for clinical interns. She also teaches and often leads herb walks at Sage Mountain Botanical Sanctuary. She is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild and serves on the advisory board of United Plant Savers. Her book, Herbal Pharmacy, will be out in April of 2026.
Whether you’re drawn to hawthorn for its cardiovascular or emotional support, this is a plant that invites a lifelong relationship—one cup, one sip, one season at a time. However you choose to work with hawthorn, may it support you in cultivating a heart that is steady, resilient, and deeply alive.
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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com
Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.
You can find Betzy at HerbalPharmacyBook.com.
For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!
Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.
If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!
On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.
Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.
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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.

Stinging nettle has a reputation as a mineral-rich powerhouse—but what happens when you drink it every day for decades?
For many herbalists, stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) is one of the first plants they fall in love with—and for herbalist Mary Blue, that relationship has only deepened over time. In this episode, I sit down with Mary to explore the many ways stinging nettle can nourish and support the body, as well as what it means to build such a deep, lasting relationship with a single plant.
Mary shares stories from her decades of working closely with stinging nettle, from harvesting hundreds of pounds each spring to drinking daily infusions and incorporating it into nearly every tea blend she creates. Her lifelong connection with nettle shows how even a common plant (one some consider a weed!) can support both physical and emotional health and become a profound source of nourishment, resilience, and daily support.
As delicious as it is medicinal, stinging nettle makes a wonderful addition to everyday meals. Mary shares one of her favorite ways to enjoy nettle as food: Stinging Nettle Pesto. You can download a beautifully illustrated recipe card for Mary’s pesto recipe here.
By the end of this episode, you’ll know:
► How stinging nettle can help support seasonal allergies
► When nettle works best as an infusion—and when a tincture might be useful
► The role nettle can play in supporting kidney health and detoxification
► How nettle can be worked with topically (yes, using the sting itself!) to ease joint pain and arthritis
► Why understanding herbal solvency is critical when deciding how to prepare herbs
► and so much more…
For those of you who don’t know her, Mary Blue is a community herbalist, educator, and activist with over 25 years of experience. She founded Farmacy Herbs in Providence in 2006, growing it into a nationally respected hub for herbal education, farming, and health justice that has trained over 1,000 students and launched herb businesses across the country. Her work focuses on using herbs, nutrition, and lifestyle to support health.
Mary has taught and delivered keynote addresses and taught nationally including at universities, conferences, and community institutions. She has served as a Teaching Associate and Associate Professor at Brown University Medical School and spoke about herbalism at the United Nations Council on Women in 2012. A widely cited and award-winning herbalist, Mary is a leading voice in community-centered herbal medicine.
I’m delighted to share our conversation with you today!
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Get full show notes, transcript, and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com
Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, click here for the video.
You can find Mary at FarmacyHerbs.com.
For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!
Working successfully with herbs requires three essential skills. Get introduced to them by taking my free herbal jumpstart course when you sign up for my newsletter.
If you enjoy the Herbs with Rosalee podcast, we could use your support! Please consider leaving a 5-star rating and review and sharing the show with someone who needs to hear it!
On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.
Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.
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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.