Creating a Kitchen Apothecary with Sarah Kate Benjamin

Healing is about more than addressing symptoms. It's about tending to the foundations of our vitality, nourishing the relationship between body and spirit, and remembering our innate capacity for healing.In this episode of The Dancing Willow Podcast, Elliott is joined by Dana Hutchinson, clinical herbalist, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, and founder of the Wildflower Clinic, for a beautiful conversation exploring the art of healing through the lens of Chinese medicine.Drawing from her personal journey with lichen sclerosus, a chronic inflammatory skin condition, and her years of clinical practice, Dana shares how Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offers a holistic framework for understanding the interconnectedness of our physical health, emotional experiences, and environment. We explore the deeper roots of chronic illness, the influence of our emotional lives on physical health, and how herbs, nourishment, movement, and connection to nature can help us rebuild our foundations.At the heart of our conversation are the Three Treasures of Chinese Medicine: Jing (essence), Qi (vital energy), and Shen (spirit). We explore how these three aspects of our being nourish one another, and the practical ways we can cultivate greater vitality, resilience, and a deeper sense of well-being.In this episode, we explore:Dana's personal healing journey with lichen sclerosus and her path into Traditional Chinese Medicine.The art of TCM diagnosis and what our tongue, pulse, skin, and overall vitality can reveal about our health.The relationship between emotional health, the nervous system, and chronic inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.The Three Treasures of Chinese Medicine- Jing, Qi, and Shen- and how they influence our vitality and spirit.Nourishing Jing through mineral-rich herbs, restorative foods, and foundational lifestyle practices.Herbal allies including milky oats, nettle, goji berries, jujube, black sesame, hawthorn, and mimosa.The role of Qigong, flower essences, breathwork, and energetic practices in supporting emotional and physical well-being.The importance of our dao, connection to nature, community, and ourselves in the healing process.Simple, accessible ways to begin cultivating greater vitality in everyday life.Links & Resources:Wildflower Clinic — Work with Dana HutchinsonDana's Personal Healing StoryLady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa SeeDancing Willow Herbs: sign up for our newsletter for the launch of our new products!Whether you're navigating your own healing journey, curious about Traditional Chinese Medicine, or simply longing to feel more nourished and connected, this conversation is an invitation to look beyond individual symptoms and consider the whole of what makes us well.Stay ConnectedIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it.Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs!Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.comInstagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

Being sexy is the byproduct of embodiment: slowing down, feeling yourself more deeply. In this episode we explore how movement and herbal medicine can help facilitate this feeling and bring you back into relationship with your body.Join herbalist Elliott Brinkley and dancer and movement teacher Ana Hyatt in a conversation around sensual movement, somatic awareness, dance, embodiment, vulnerability, and healing through the body. Ana shares how her relationship with dance evolved from performance and technique into a deeply personal practice of slowing down, feeling, and trusting the body.They also explore the intersection of herbal medicine and embodied movement. Including plant meditation, working experientially with herbs, and why direct relationship with a plant can offer a different kind of knowing than simply learning what an herb is “for.”In this episode:Sensual movement as a practice of embodiment rather than performanceMoving through self-consciousness, vulnerability, and fear of being seenSomatic processing and allowing emotion to move through the bodyWhy slowing down and repetitive movement can feel so powerfulTouch, circles, spirals, and reconnecting with body awarenessAna’s philosophy that “sexy is the byproduct”Reclaiming sensuality outside of rigid ideas about femininity or sexualityCreating safer spaces for embodied and sensual movementPlant meditation and experiential herbalismElliott + Ana’s experience combining the plant Linden with movementHerbal medicine as relationship rather than simply informationAutumn herbs, roots, berries, bark, mushrooms, and seasonal slowing downTheir upcoming Plant Meditation + Sensual Movement series in Durango, ColoradoLinks & resources:Autumnal Plant Meditation & Movement: A Four-Week Autumn Series in Embodied Herbal Wisdom & Sensual MovementOctober 21 + 28 and November 4 + 115:30–7:30 PMFLY Space at the Smiley Building | Durango, ColoradoLearn more about this offering here!    //  And sign up directly here!https://dancingwillowherbs.com/products/autumnal-plant-meditation-movement-seriesAna Hyatt Movement:https://www.anahyattmovement.com/Alt Femininehttps://thealtfeminine.com/Follow AnaInstagram: @ana_heal.dance.lifeStay ConnectedIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it.Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs!Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.comInstagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

Sophia Rose used to spend her days doing what she called "the traveling medicine show", where she was wildcrafting, teaching and selling herbs as she road tripped around the country. Now her life looks really different as she landed on her 2.5 acre homestead in Truchas, a rural town in northern New Mexico- it looks slower, more intimate, and rooted in her local community of plants & people. In this episode, Elliott & Sophia weave through what it looks like to create a life that is more aligned with your nervous system and the simple practices that help us come home to ourselves. From homesteading, foraging for vintage, cultivating community, finding faith, and working with plant medicine- Sophia's story reminds us that life is an ever-unfolding path of growth and the more that we make space for our nervous system's capacity, the more beauty, connection and authenticity we can experience. In this episode we explore: How Sophia’s relationship with herbalism has changed after nearly two decades with the plantsWhy knowing a few plants deeply can be more meaningful than knowing many superficially What place-based herbalism looks like when you are truly rooted to one landscape Why nervous system regulation changes the way we experience our lives The role of co-regulation, community, and not trying to do everything alone How technology can pull us away from our interior lives and what “technological hygiene” can look like How tending our own nervous system can change our family relationships Sophia’s experience with Sabbath and learning to rest without needing to be productive How faith became an unexpected part of Sophia’s life The connection between natural fibers, vintage clothing, and sensory wellbeing What homesteading has taught Sophia about humility, limits, and interdependenceLinks & Resources: Sophia's instagram: @sophiarose.worldSophia's apothecary, House of Flowers: hofnm.coSophia's farm shop in Truchas, New Mexico brings together her apothecary, farm goods, and curated vintage collection. Visits are available by appointment, and upcoming gatherings are shared through her website and Instagram.Acequia: A Living LegacyThe Way of the Rose, Clark Strand and Perdita FinnStay ConnectedIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it.Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs!Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.comInstagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

Herbalism becomes far more sustainable when it is woven into the meals, rhythms, and rituals that already shape our days.In this episode, Elliott is joined by Sarah Kate Benjamin, herbalist, private chef, author, and creator of The Kosmic Kitchen. Sarah Kate shares how chronic fatigue and depletion first led her to bring herbalism out of the tincture bottle and into her everyday food. What began with adaptogens, nourishing meals, fresh herbs from the garden, and a jar of tea waiting in the refrigerator eventually grew into The Kosmic Kitchen- a beautiful and practical approach to making food and herbal medicine part of the same conversation.In this episode, we explore:Sarah Kate’s experience with chronic fatigue and how food and herbs became part of her healingUsing herbal oils, vinegars, pestos, dips, dressings, teas, and other kitchen staples as everyday medicineAn approachable introduction to Ayurveda, the five elements, and the vata, pitta, and kapha doshasFoods, herbs, spices, and lifestyle practices that can support each doshaThe best herbs for cooling summer infusions, including tulsi, lemon balm, nettle, chamomile, marshmallow root, and cinnamonSeasonal self-care practices such as herbal body oiling, foot baths, salt scrubs, and movementHow motherhood has simplified Sarah Kate’s herbal practice while making it even more essentialPreparing deeply nourishing foods for pregnancy and postpartum recoveryThe importance of mothering and feeding the mother while she cares for a new babyBuilding confidence and creativity in the kitchen through flexible foundational recipesConnect with Sarah Kate Benjamin:The Kosmic KitchenJoin the Kosmic Cooking Club on SubstackExplore Sarah Kate’s herbal recipesFollow The Kosmic Kitchen on InstagramThe Kosmic Kitchen Cookbook: Everyday Herbalism and Recipes for Radical WellnessResources mentioned in this episode:The dhyana Center of Health Sciences — founded by Sarah Kate’s Ayurvedic teacher, DeAnna BatdorffSage Mountain Botanical SanctuaryFlorida School of Holistic LivingThe Yoga of Herbs by Dr. David Frawley and Dr. Vasant LadDancing Willow Herbs products for an herbal kitchen:Fire Cider- use in salad dressings, sauces, hot toddiesAdaptogenic Honey Paste- add to recipes, toast, or teaDamiana Love Cordials- pour over ice cream, add to mocktailsDelicious cold infusion teas: Flowers She Spoke, Tension Tonic Stay ConnectedIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it.Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs!Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.comInstagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

Herbalist and phytochemist Lisa Ganora returns to the podcast for a lively exploration of herbal constituents and the ways plants communicate with the body.We talk about the tingling alkylamides found in echinacea and spilanthes, immunomodulating polysaccharides, carotenoids, mucilage, and how different medicine-making methods extract different aspects of a plant. Lisa also shares stories about brittlebush, nettles, calendula, dandelions, and the importance of combining scientific research with traditional knowledge and direct sensory experience.In this episode, we explore:Why herbal constituents are more than isolated chemicalsWhat echinacea’s tingling sensation can teach usAlcohol versus water extraction for extracting alkamines and immunomodulating polysaccharides How immunomodulating polysaccharides work in plants like echinacea or brittlebrush as well as medicinal mushroomsThe relationship between the immune and lymphatic systemsCarotenoids in calendula, dandelions, leafy greens and fall colorsLearning about plants through taste, texture, color, and sensationWhy phytochemistry can deepen our respect and relationship with plantsLinks, resources & herbal products: Listen to our first conversation with Lisa Ganora: The Magic of Herbal Constituents: Plant Chemistry with Lisa GanoraLisa's website: herbalconstituents.comExplore Lisa’s two-semester Herbal Constituents Course, which connects phytochemistry with clinical herbalism, energetics, and medicine makingDancing Willow Herbs products mentioned in the episode: Ultra Echinacea (double extracted Echinacea)Immense Defense Lymph TonicRed Root TinctureTummy TeaReishi Tincture (double extracted)Mindful Mushroom Mix (double extracted)Stay ConnectedIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it.Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs!Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.comInstagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

Most of us know lei as something beautiful- flowers placed around the neck in welcome or celebration- but in this conversation, herbalist Keya Guimaraes invites us into lei as formula, prayer, ritual, and medicine.Together, Elliott & Keya explore Hawaiian herbalism, lei making as medicine, and what it means to become naturalized to the land beneath your feet. This conversation moves through beauty, ancestry, reverence, daily practice, bees, plant communication, and the ways we can return to the earth through devotion and presence. Keya speaks to the sacredness of weaving plants, the importance of place-based relationship, and how even simple daily rituals can become an umbilical cord back to the living world.In this episode:How to become naturalized to the land you live onWhat lei making teaches us about plants, prayer, and impermanenceThe difference between beauty as surface and beauty as a feelingHow plant rituals support rites of passage, grief, birth, death, and transformationWhy daily practice matters in rebuilding relationship with the earthThe meaning of reverence and why it goes deeper than gratitudeHow bees, flowers, and animals can help us remember how to belongKeya’s work with Hawaiian plants, hydrosols, lei, herbal consultations, and place-based healingLinks & Resources:Ecotone Kauaʻi: ecotonekauai.comEcotone Essex: ecotoneessex.comKeya's Instagram: @ecotonekauai and @keyaflowerandfernStay ConnectedIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it.Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs!Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.comInstagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

What if the summer solstice is not just about celebrating the light, but learning how to truly receive it?This solo episode, Elliott Brinkley explores herbs for the summer solstice, including St. John’s Wort, Mugwort, Lavender, Rose, Elderflower, and the sun-faced plants of the Asteraceae family.Through seasonal herbalism, plant folklore, and practical medicine, this episode looks at how midsummer herbs help us connect with solar energy, protection, pleasure, boundaries, intuition, and the slow return toward darkness.This is an invitation to gather the medicine of the season and ask: what light do you want to carry forward?In this episode:The meaning of the summer solstice as a celebration of light and a turning point in the year Why St. John’s Wort is one of the great herbs of midsummerHow St. John’s Wort teaches us about hope, protection, sunlight, mood, and letting the light inThe folklore and meaning behind Hypericum perforatumWhy St. John’s wort is best used fresh, and what to know about medication interactionsHow sunflowers, calendula, chamomile, yarrow, dandelion, and other Asteraceae plants reflect community, radiance, and shared abundanceLavender, Rose and Elderflower and their connection to summer solsticeMugwort as an herb for balancing summer solstice by honoring the darkness within the lightSimple ways to work with summer solstice herbs through oils, teas, flower essences, sun teas, rose water, smoke bundles, and seasonal ritualA reflection on what light you are ready to gather, embody, and carry into the darker half of the yearLinks & Resources: Herbal Allies for Summer Wellness (free e-book) when you sign up for our newsletter here: https://dancingwillowherbs.com/Summertime Herbal Collection of Dancing Willow Herbs productsHerbal Allies for Summer Wellness Podcast Episode from last year!Fresh Plant St. John's Wort TinctureSt. John's Wort Plus TinctureFresh Plant St. John's Wort OilFresh Plant St. John's Wort LinimentRooted Heart ElixirMesa Verde Lavender Our episode with Katie of Mesa Verde LavenderStay ConnectedIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it.Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs!Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.comInstagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

Honey is more than a sweetener- it is a spiritual substance born from land, flower, bee, and devotion.This conversation with Courtney Cosgriff of Honeybee Herbals is a journey into the mystery, medicine, and ancient wisdom of bees. More than a discussion about honey or pollination, this episode invites us into the hive as a living temple- a place of devotion, protection, nourishment, transformation, sweetness, and sting. Courtney’s perspective moves us beyond extraction and into reverence, reminding us that bees are not simply here to serve us, but to teach us about right relationship with the land, the flowers, the medicines of the hive, and the wider web of life.This episode is a beautiful listen for herbalists, plant lovers, tenders of the earth, and anyone longing to remember a more reciprocal way of being with nature and the sacred buzz of a bee.In this episode, we explore:How Courtney’s path with the bees began through near-death experiences, dreams, and synchronicityThe ancient connection between bees, priestesses, temples, and the feminine mysteriesThe Melissae, or “bee women,” and the lineage of women who served the Mother Goddess through the wisdom of the hiveWhy the hive can be understood as a womb, a temple, and a mirror of the earth herselfThe deeper medicine of beeswax, venom, propolis, pollen, royal jelly, and honeyHow venom teaches boundaries, protection, humility, and the sacredness of stingWhy honey is not just a sweetener, but a reflection of land, flower, bee, devotion, and immense laborThe ethics of harvesting hive medicines and the importance of moving from extraction into relationshipWhy “saving the bees” begins with growing flowers, restoring habitat, and supporting all pollinatorsHow to begin connecting with bees even if you are not called to become a beekeeperLinks & Resources: Courtney’s website: honeybeeherbals.coInstagram: @honeybeeherbalStay ConnectedIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it.Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs!Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.comInstagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

Are you dreaming of building an herbal garden, or just curious what it actually looks like to begin?In this cozy solo episode, clinical herbalist, Elliott Brinkley shares the story of building a brand-new herbal garden on raw land- starting with compact clay soil, active deer, harsh sun, and a big dream. After years of focusing on building their home, Elliott and Aaron are finally in the process of creating a garden ecosystem filled with medicinal plants, food crops, flowers, and a future gathering space.This episode is part practical garden journal, part love letter to the plants. Elliott walks through the full process: observing the land, choosing the garden site, building raised beds, improving soil drainage, starting seeds indoors, setting up drip irrigation, planting food and medicinal herbs, and learning through plenty of trial and error along the way.In this episode:Building raised beds and garden infrastructure from scratch on raw landWorking with compact clay soil, drainage issues, deer pressure, and dry climate gardeningStarting seeds indoors with wooden seed boxes, sheep’s wool, grow lights, and lots of patience spritzingGrowing both food and medicine, including squash, potatoes, greens, culinary herbs, calendula, nettle, valerian, elder, comfrey, violet, elecampane, echinacea, and milky oatsWhy fresh milky oats are such powerful nervous system medicine, and why dried milky oats are not the sameThe beauty of creating a garden as a place for nourishment, plant relationship, community gatherings, and future classesLinks & Resources:Medicinal Plant Sale at Dancing Willow Herbs June 5th, 6th, and 7th from 11am–4pm with Crystal from Growing Creations Herb Farm. Come early Friday for the best selection of medicinal plant starts.Spring Garden Party Recipe Ebook A seasonal recipe collection inspired by the Dancing Willow Herbs team garden dinner, with recipes like beet-pickled deviled eggs, spring salad, lemon balm cucumber lemonade, marinated olives, and lemon posset.Milky Oats Tincture One of our favorite fresh plant nervines for replenishing the nervous system, especially during seasons of depletion, stress, and feeling stretched thin.Summer Seasonal Herbal Collection A collection of herbal allies for summer travels, outdoor adventures, sun-soaked days, bug bites, gardening, and seasonal wellness.Crystal’s Previous Podcast Episode Listen to Elliott’s conversation with Crystal of Growing Creations Herb Farm for more inspiration on growing medicinal plants and tending relationship with the herbs.Listen in for an honest, earthy, and inspiring look at what it really takes to build an herbal garden from the ground up- and why the process is just as nourishing as the harvest.Stay ConnectedIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it.Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs!Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.comInstagram: @dancingwillowherbsco

How do we find our way back into the body after trauma, pain, and the complete unraveling of the life we thought we were living?In this powerful episode of The Dancing Willow, Elliott Brinkley sits down with herbalist Emma Prescher to explore a healing journey that defies convention. After a near-fatal cycling accident left her with devastating injuries and an uncertain future, Emma turned not to rigid protocols but to intuition, plant medicine, and deep presence.Drawing from her background as a critical care nurse, Emma bridges the worlds of Western medicine, herbalism, and astrology. She shares how plants like nettle, kava, and calendula supported her recovery, how a near-death experience reshaped her understanding of life and death, and why curiosity may be one of the most powerful tools we have for healing.This conversation is a reminder that healing isn’t linear and that the body, the plants, and the cosmos are always in conversation.In This Episode:Emma’s transition from ICU nurse to herbalistSurviving and healing after a life-altering accidentA profound near-death experience and its messagePlant allies that supported her recoveryIntuitive and embodied approaches to healingThe connection between herbalism and astrologyAstrological connections to plants like Lemon Balm, Tulsi and YarrowLinks & Resources: Emma’s website, The Golden Fermata- https://www.thegoldenfermata.com/Stay ConnectedIf you enjoyed this episode, subscribe, leave a review, and share with others who would love it.Support the podcast by making a purchase with Dancing Willow Herbs!Website: www.dancingwillowherbs.comInstagram: @dancingwillowherbsco