How to Forage for Healing Plants in Your Backyard

For most of us, the plants growing in our backyards and neighborhoods go overlooked. We mow them down or walk right over them without a second glance. But did you know many of these plants have been used medicinally for centuries? In this episode, we'll share fundamental tips from an expert forager, herbalist, and hiker, Heather Houskeeper. You'll learn basic plant identification skills, foraging best practices, and uses for several common medicinal "weeds."

In this episode, we learn:

• [07:14] How Heather became a botanical hiker
• [09:30] Juliet’s Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine
• [13:14] What does sheep’s sorrel taste like?
• [18:54] What should you know when trying to make foraging your new hobby?
• [16:11] How does Heather's approach to foraging align with the concept of homesteading?
• [20:04] Where can you find the best chimes for your lawn and garden?
• [22:15] Why is plant identification key, especially specific to region, important?
• [25:35] Why is a magnifying loop helpful in the process of identifying plants?
• [26:36] Tips for your first foraging adventure
• [28:35] How to approach and communicate with a plant while foraging
• [30:51] How does sensory experience enhance plant-human connection?
• [31:35] What are good harvesting practices, especially if you're on public land?
• [36:21] General guideline for harvesting plants without causing harm to the overall population
• [37:38] What is the best way to identify plants while foraging?
• [38:34] Why is it important to use scientific names when searching for plant information?
• [39:47] Botanical terms and concepts that beginner foragers should understand
• [40:09] Radial and bilateral symmetry in flowers
• [42:33] Parts of a flower
• [44:22] Leaf arrangement and leaf shape
• [48:18] Herbalist terms you should know for medicinal purposes
• [50:44] Medicinal properties and uses of common plants
• [54:04] Healing properties of sorrel plant family
• [55:15] Healing properties of plantains
• [59:14] Healing properties of yarrow
• [01:02:37] Where can you find Heather online?

Mentioned in our conversation:

• The Lodge at Woodloch
• Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine
• Growing Joy Episode 168 Grow Your Own Tea: Intro To Herbalism With Juliet Of Chestnut School Of Herbal Medicine
• Love and the Long Path
• A Guide to the Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Mountains to Sea Trail
• A Guide to the Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Finger Lakes Trail
• Alone - TV show

For five of the most common backyard healing plants and their uses,

check out the full show notes and blog here!

Thank you to our episode sponsor:

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