In this episode of HerbMentor Radio, Mimi Prunella welcomes Kimberly Gallagher and Lauren Morgan to explore Rhythms & Relationships, a new LearningHerbs course that invites us into a slower, more relational way of practicing herbalism.

Kimberly Gallagher is co-founder of LearningHerbs and HerbMentor, where she has spent years helping thousands of people cultivate joyful, practical relationships with medicinal plants through education, community, and everyday herbalism.

Lauren Morgan is a community herbalist, dreamworker, author of Seasonal Herbalism, host of the Herbs and Dreams podcast, and founder of Herbs & Dreams. Her work weaves together herbalism, dreams, Earth-based spirituality, and deep relationship with the living world.

Together, Kimberly and Lauren invite us to consider the plants not simply as remedies to be studied but as living beings with whom we can cultivate meaningful relationships. While many of us begin herbalism by learning constituents, actions, preparations, and botanical names, this conversation explores another way of knowing the plants through presence, listening, and lived experience.

They discuss how slowing down allows us to reconnect with the rhythms that have always guided herbal traditions. From the changing seasons and lunar cycles to our own bodies, dreams, and intuition, herbalism becomes less about accumulating information and more about participating in a living relationship with the world around us.

The conversation also explores the role of dreams in herbal practice, the wisdom that emerges through the senses, and the importance of creating space for stillness in a culture that often celebrates speed and productivity. Kimberly and Lauren also reflect on the beautiful experience of creating this course together, sharing how their friendship, time on the land, and deep reverence for the plants shaped both the course and their work together.

In this episode, we explore:

• Dreams, intuition, and the many ways plants speak to us
• Living in rhythm with the seasons, moon, and the natural world
• The importance of slowing down and cultivating presence
• Herbalism through relationship with plants as beings
• Bringing herbalism into family and community life

Learn more about Lauren Morgan and her work at: Herbs & Dreams

Learn more about Rhythms & Relationships and the LearningHerbs community at: LearningHerbs

Are you ready to take your herbal learning to the next level?

Sounds like it’s time to check out HerbMentor!

HerbMentor offers a wide variety of rich herbal content — including an in-depth course on food as medicine — that gives you the opportunity to choose your own herbal adventure, take your time, and connect with other herbal learners and experts whenever you login.

Get a special offer on HerbMentor at https://HerbMentorRadio.com

Are you just starting to make herbal remedies?

Build your natural first aid kid with our free Herbal Preparation Cards: https://Herbal.Cards

Lavender is one of herbalism's most recognized and beloved plants: familiar enough to live in a garden bed or a scented lotion, yet grounded in a body of clinical studies that most people never get to see.

Lavender, or Lavandula angustifolia, has been used medicinally for centuries across Europe and the Mediterranean, and it continues to impress modern scientific research. The Botanical Safety Handbook gives it its highest safety rating, making it one of the most accessible herbs you can add to your home practice.

Let's explore three medicinal uses of lavender...

Follow along with herbalist Sorrel Hartford to learn about 3 benefits and key contraindications of lavender.

And after learning these 3 benefits of lavender you might be wondering how you can learn more about other common herbs.

Here’s the easy way to learn more about our favorite common herbs: download a FREE deck of our top 12 Herb Notes. You’ll learn all about popular herbs like catnip, aloe, elderberry, and more.

Get your FREE Herb Notes printable flashcards here: https://www.learningherbs.com/herb-notes-flashcards/

This month on HerbMentor Radio, Kimberly Gallagher and Mimi Prunella welcome Appalachian herbalist, storyteller, and educator Heather Wood Buzzard for a delightful conversation celebrating the remarkable plants many people overlook. Together, they explore the world of weedy herbalism, where common plants become nourishing foods, trusted medicines, and lifelong teachers.

Heather shares the story of her unconventional introduction to herbalism, digging dandelion roots for dollars as a young wildcrafter, and reflects on the lessons those humble weeds taught her about perseverance, humility, and the value hidden in ordinary places. Her love of storytelling shines throughout the episode as she weaves together childhood memories, Appalachian traditions, and the healing power of narrative herbalism.

The conversation also celebrates Heather and Mimi's collaboration on National Geographic Backyard Guide to Edible Wild Plants, exploring why learning the abundant plants growing close to home is one of the best ways to begin a relationship with wild foods and medicines. Together they share favorite edible plants, laugh about organizing a field guide around plant parts, and reflect on how much they learned from one another during the writing process.

Listeners will also hear Heather's unforgettable childhood memory of discovering a sprawling patch of wild passionfruit, learn why daylilies deserve a place at the table, and discover the surprising appeal of a hearty bowl of cream of weeds soup. Along the way, Heather offers thoughtful reflections on how wildcrafting teaches mindfulness, observation, and restraint, reminding us that gathering plants is as much about relationship as it is about harvest.

In this episode, we explore:

• Digging dandelions for dollars and the lessons they teach
• Why common weeds often become an herbalist's greatest teachers
• Beginning wildcrafting with abundant backyard plants
• The making of National Geographic Backyard Guide to Edible Wild Plants
• Daylilies as an abundant and delicious edible plant
• Childhood memories of discovering wild passionfruit
• Narrative herbalism and the healing power of stories
• Heather's upcoming books on wildcrafting and narrative herbal medicine

Discover More

Follow Heather: @plantsandstory

Website: https://www.heatherwoodbuzzard.com

National Geographic Backyard Guide to Edible Wild Plants:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/770136/national-geographic-backyard-guide-to-edible-wild-plants-by-mimi-prunella-hernandez-and-heather-wood-buzzard/

Are you ready to take your herbal learning to the next level?

Sounds like it’s time to check out HerbMentor!

HerbMentor offers a wide variety of rich herbal content — including an in-depth course on food as medicine — that gives you the opportunity to choose your own herbal adventure, take your time, and connect with other herbal learners and experts whenever you login.

Get a special offer on HerbMentor at https://HerbMentorRadio.com

Are you just starting to make herbal remedies?

Build your natural first aid kid with our free Herbal Preparation Cards: https://Herbal.Cards