Women's Moon Wisdom Podcast Intro - Rebecca Rankin (00:01):
Stories teachings and guidance. Welcome to the Women's Moon Wisdom podcast with your host, Rebecca Rankin.
Rebecca Rankin (00:19):
Welcome back to the Women's Moon Wisdom podcast. In this episode, you are in for a real treat. I hope you enjoy the conversation. As much as I did with clinical herbalist and integrative health educator, Kaylaleya Hunnybee. The conversation is full of resources in how to work with herbs within your own cycle if you're just getting started, your go to herbs to just work with, and even some great resources and free guides. So have a listen and enjoy
Rebecca Rankin (00:48):
So welcome Kayaleya to the podcast. It's so great to have you here. Um, and let's just learn a little bit about you. You are a clinical herbalist and an integrative of health educator. Um, can you just tell us a little bit more about your background?
Kayaleya Hunnybee (01:08):
Sure. Yeah, it's really great to be here. Thanks for thanks for inviting me to come and join you. Um, my background is extensive yeah, I started on this journey about 15 years ago. Maybe more than that now. Gosh, more than that now, 17 years ago. I started on the journey into plant medicine. It's funny how the years just fly, but yeah, I, I dove into it more from like a grassroots perspective and I started apprenticing with an herbalist back in 2006, I guess is when I first started apprenticing with him. And I saw the life of an herbalist from a very hands on perspective. I mean, I was living with him at the time. It was in the mountains of Western North Carolina. And I really saw this embodiment of being what it meant to be an herbalist. He had an incredible garden and he made medicines and we were stocking an apothecary and we filled orders for a local acupuncturist in the area. And we had a free clinic. I mean, it was like a lot going on. It was a really interesting experience to be there and it was this feeling and he was an elder herbalists, he'd been doing it for a long time. And it was a feeling that really stuck with me. It's not, I just start on the path of like becoming a clinical herbalist at that point. He wasn't, he wouldn't even have called himself a clinical herbalist. He was just, he's just a,
Kayaleya Hunnybee (02:34):
A plant person. He's a plant whisper . But yeah, at that time I had no idea how to learn more about herbs. So I actually left and I went to body work school and I studied massage and body work and integrative therapeutics essentially all together. And that was in New Mexico. And, and I studied, I started offering body work for years. That's really what I did. I was massage therapist. And then I got into birth work as a doula and a student midwife. And that's really where my love for herbs started. So I had had that experience with that herbalist and I was like, okay, this is what it means to be an herbalist. That's really hardcore and really grassroots. And I, but then I started to learn actually through midwifery studies, how to work with herbs, with folks who are pregnant and actually support them through pregnancy and well fertility pregnancy, the actual birth experience and postpartum, and because so many, cause I was studying home birth midwifery, and so many midwives actually don't have access to pharmaceuticals, especially the home birth midwives.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (03:40):
And so because of that, they use a lot of herbs. And so I started to actually understand, okay, this is I, I straight up was learning, you know, clinical work for the childbearing years. And that's when I started to realize, oh, you know, life really like life can look different. Like we can actually work with people from a clinical perspective using plant medicine. And there's a lot of history to this, like over the course of obviously thousands of years, this is our history. And, um, and yeah, that got me really inspired. So from that, I continued to do the birth work and the body work. And I actually found Aviva Romm around that time. So it was about 10 years ago, maybe a little over 10 years ago that I found her. And so she was maybe, I don't know if listeners know her or not, but she was a midwife, a home birth midwife for many years, like 20 plus years and an herbalist, a really, uh, professional level herbalist and she was, uh, becoming a doctor at the time that I met her.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (04:43):
She wasn't quite a doctor yet. So she was still in medical school. and so, and so there, she was offering programs. And so I just started studying with her and I started to realize, oh, there's so much more that I can offer to the whole life cycle of people with wombs. Like not just the childbearing years. And so that really, yeah, that's where that all started. That was about 10 years ago that I really started diving into that. And then I just started learning with different herbalist in my communities where wherever I could, I was like devouring information. So it just went on and on devouring information. And then I ended up in grad school cause eventually I was like, I was working an herb shop at the time. I really got into the path of an herbalist and um, and I was working in an herb shop in Northern California.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (05:25):
And when I say herb shop, some people are like, oh, is that like an, you know, a cannabis shop? And that's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about an herb shop that had over 200, those are called dispensaries or medicinal herbs. And we had lots of tinctures and local products and all kinds of stuff that going on. So I worked there for a couple of years and while I was there, I was working with people over the counter. I mean, people would come in and they'd have their thing going on and I'd listen to them and then I'd formulate a custom blend of tea for them. And I really started to realize, oh, I'm like starting to apply this. Like I was already seeing people through my massage practice and just as I, as I was doing birth work and also just in life, I was seeing people a little bit as an herbalist, but that was when I really started to feel like, oh, I'm actually like able to work with more people.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (06:17):
You know, I can actually really listen. And I got excited about that and interested in that. And I, I remember at one point I was talking to, um, I was talking to a friend of mine, who's a doctor. She is a pediatrician and she's one of my close friends from college. And she was like, you know, I don't think I could ever refer to, or even really trust an herbalist, even though she loves me and she knows me and she knows that I'm an intelligent human and she trusts my knowledge. She couldn't actually, honestly, as a doctor refer somebody to an herbalist or even suggest that they go find one, unless she had more knowledge and really was working with somebody who was at the, like had the highest degree in their field. And so at that time, that was probably like 2015, 2016. And I was like, huh.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (07:08):
Okay. So I would really like to actually work more integratively. Like I would like to be able to speak the language of doctors. I would like to be able to get, I mean, look, look into what the highest degree in the field was. So I'm in the herb shop just like working with customers and somebody walks in and she's visiting, she's visiting from New York City. And she's talking about how she's got this herbal practice and she's able to support herself in New York city. And I'm like, wow, you really must be doing well. you're like, and then she told me about a university that she had gone to where she got a Master's of Science degree in herbal medicine. And I was like, that's so wild. And she was like, oh, it's the highest degree. You know, it's the only school in the country that offers this accredited degree.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (07:49):
And I was like, wow, that is, it was like a week after I had seen this other friend. Yeah. So I was like, all right, that's pretty much a sign that I need to do this. So I just dove into it. It was a huge investment and expense, but I dove into that program. It was a three year intensive, very science based clinically based therapeutic herbalism program got a Master's of Science degree. And since then I've just been, well, I had a little, I had a health journey that I went on, so I've taken some time off, but overall I've just been kind of, yeah, just revving myself up to like bring myself into the world and yeah, just starting this business now. Like I, I have obviously been working with people clinically, but I'm actually starting to come out from, I feel like I've been in a little cave. I've been in a little cave in my little world and I'm opening myself up to the internet. You, you know, to like the world beyond my little community. So yeah, that's crash, there you go.
Rebecca Rankin (08:47):
And your podcast is beautiful. I have listened to several episodes. In fact, I'm drinking Tulsi tea right now because I listen to the Tulsi, episode and I was just like, oh, I love that plant. I'm like falling in love with plants. I'm a, I am a like a house plant person and, um, and I love to garden as well. So, um, so this is all right up my alley, but, um, your podcast is so informative and, um, beautiful. So I'm hoping all of our listeners here will check it out. Um, and, and I'll put it in the show notes as well, but it's Herbal Womb Wisdom, right. Podcast. Yeah. Great. Um, so in, in your work, you say that, uh, the quote 'plant medicine is your birthright'.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (09:33):
mm-hmm.
Rebecca Rankin (09:34):
I love that. So in a world where like, we are often so removed from like the natural world and our connection kind of to it, like where, and how does the modern woman even begin to like work with plant medicine? And I know you mentioned it like through the birth process and, and everything, but let's say, um, yeah, just how would an everyday woman who's just like craving like a little bit deeper connection? Like where do you start? Where do you begin?
Kayaleya Hunnybee (10:05):
Oh gosh, where do you begin? Well, I truly believe that plant medicine is people's medicine and there's a spectrum, right? So like, like I was saying, when I first started exploring plant medicine, I knew nothing. I knew absolutely nothing. And I think what really helped was just starting to explore some books. Um, and I, I highly recommend not just searching online. I mean, you can, it's a, it's a way, but there's so freaking much information online. That's just, you don't know who you're getting the information from. So I highly recommend checking out some books. I think, you know, a good starter book is something by Rosemary Gladstar would be a great book to explore. I think she has one that's like herbal medicine for women's health or something. I forget what the name is, but it's something like that. Um, that's a great one to just kind of dive into, you know, Deb Soule has one, uh, women's book of herbs, I think is what it's called.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (10:51):
So things like that, where you can see that there there's, these people who've been working for decades with plants. That's what I think, I think finding some of these good resources to start now. I also think that if you just wanted to start getting connected to plants, you know, listening to podcasts, for instance, my podcast is an option, but starting to learn from people who are sharing about the plants that are living around you, you know, or that you can grow in your garden. So just starting to cultivate a relationship with one or two or a few plants, seeing what might be supportive for your own body, if you have certain specific things going on, you get one of those books and you check out some of the plants that are in there that maybe you feel an affinity for, or you feel something like, oh, okay, well I have menstrual cramps.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (11:37):
And look, I could be supporting myself with something like, let's say Motherwort or Cramp Bark or whatever it is that will work for - ginger - or something that will work for you. And then just start connecting with those plants. Maybe you grow them in your garden. Maybe you find them in the wild, you know, um, going on plant walks. I mean, there's so, so many ways to start working with plants, but I do think, and I also think like if somebody's really serious and really wants to dive in, finding a local herbalist who can teach classes, who's teaching classes in person, I think in person is - As much as I love zoom and I'm offering stuff online and I'm gonna try to offer as much as I can so that it's like accessible and people can really go out into their environment and identify plants. I also think going on a plant walk or having a connection to, to the plants that are around you is, is so, it's transformative.
Rebecca Rankin (12:27):
I, I completely agree in that the more that you're outside and you see like your, like just innate connection, right? You see kinda yourself reflected in the plants and like the, the cycles of the, the Earth. Like it's you then just intuitively start to, um, pick up on the, just innate wisdom around you.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (12:49):
Starting with somebody's backyard. Like depending on where people live or if they don't have a yard, if they're in a city, you know, checking out a park and just starting to pay more attention to the plants, learn about them. You know, like here in the Northeast, my friend, Liz Neves wrote a book that's medicinal plants of the Northeast, I believe is what it's called. And I think there's different ones for each of the different areas, at least in the United States. And so getting a book like that, I mean, she's got over a hundred plants that you're probably gonna in your backyard or in your local park. So starting to look from that lens and yeah, and just getting to know them.
Rebecca Rankin (13:22):
Even just think about my, um, connection to like our garden and even just like the plants I have around me, like you do really like establish this relationship. It's like,
Kayaleya Hunnybee (13:31):
mm-hmm, .
Rebecca Rankin (13:32):
when someone asks me, how do you know when to water your plants? I'm like, I don't know. I just do they like talk to me, like you can like, you know, things like that. So I think drawing that, that connection, um, just takes being intentional behind, you know, being outside. When someone works with you, like when someone works with an herbalist in general, like, like where do you guide them in working with herbs, like what, like, what does the, the process of working with an herbalist, like what does that actually look like? Like, is it through like supplements or teas or tinctures? Just let me know. I live in a tiny little village that has less than a thousand people. The closest, anything is over an hour away. Um, and I know, uh, in particular we don't necessarily have an like herbalist right here, but if I were to have an herbalist right in my backyard, what would it look like? What would that experience look like?
Kayaleya Hunnybee (14:24):
Yeah. I mean, or you would, you could see somebody online, right? So that's another option. So I will start by saying that herbalism is not a regulated thing in the United States. And so there are as many ways to practice herbalism as there are humans that are practicing herbalism , that is an actual reality. However, if you're, so there's different kinds of herbalist, there's people who call themselves community herbalist or family herbalist. And those folks are usually they have, um, usually have like a baseline training, which is kind of where I was for many, many years, a baseline training of understanding the plants that are around us, kind of more simple ways of working with them, helping people through infections or flus or colds, or maybe, um, injuries, you know, things that are more acute or more are simpler things. Right. And, and then there's people who maybe would call themselves a clinical herbalist.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (15:19):
Honestly, anybody could call themselves a clinical herbalist. so looking into somebody's background is a good idea, but, um, but yeah, so as a clinical herbalist, I'll say that my training has been, and I've, I've worked, I've trained actually with a number of different clinicians over the years, including at my graduate school program. So I have a few different lenses of how that looks and most of them are pretty similar, you know? So what it looks like is if you've ever been to say a nutritionist or some, maybe an Ayurvedic Practitioner, um, I don't know if people have gone to these things, but there's this deep in depth, initial consultation that happens. And so it's usually at least an hour, if not an hour and a half or two hours, that's that initial consultation. And it's, one-on-one very, in-depth going into your whole health history.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (16:09):
And honestly what your life practices are, what your nutrition is like, what your daily foods are, you know, what your daily life is like and really understanding what's going on. Also talking about whatever your primary concern is that you're coming in with, and then just looking at different systems in the body. And it's just a very, it's an interactive, really sweet, deep connection time. And then, for me, what happens - for some people they'll just give, you know, a remedy right away and they'll like leave with it. Um, often what happens for me, the way that I approach it, because I'm often working with people who have more complex cases. It's usually not just they're coming in for like a flu. And honestly, if you were coming in for like a flu or something, that could be like a 15 minute or 30 minute consultation, but if you're coming in for something deeper, that's more chronic that's been going on for a long time.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (16:55):
Let's say, it's something that relates to your menstrual cycle. That's going on for, you know, six months or a year or 10 years or 20 years. I mean, there's things that we deal with for a long time and we just consider to be normal. That can take a lot more, right. So that's definitely a deeper journey to go on together. It's um, so usually I'll kind of complete the consultation. I might offer a little bit of support or guidance just initially, and then I will actually review that case and I will really reflect on it. Sometimes I'll do research depending on what it is. I'll often do research and then I'll put together some kind of formulation or, you know, recommendations. And that often includes definitely herbs. So that can, it can be in whatever form seems like it makes sense for that person.
Rebecca Rankin (17:39):
Some, it depends on, you know, what is their budget? What are they most likely to take? Are they somebody that like is gonna, they probably are not gonna take it unless it's like in a food. Then I think about it like that, you know? Or is it somebody who's like really used to taking tinctures that might be the right thing for them. So it really depends on the person, so it could look like anything. It could be, um, suggest like often I'll have like maybe two different remedies. So there's like a tea. It's like a daily tea. I love tea. So that's, you know, love of mine or could be a powder blend, um, that you can add into things like you can add into oatmeal or something, and then maybe a tincture that's more acute or maybe you're using over time. It just depends also on what herbs cuz the herbs guide it too.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (18:20):
So it's very much, I think what I'm meaning to say by this, that's the initial consultation process and then there's often follow ups and there's kind of tweaking the formula, seeing how things are going and it can last, that relationship can be just that initial time or it could be something that lasts months or even years potentially. And that's based on what's needed essentially, it's really based on what's needed. But what I also wanna say is that being an herbalist, like a clinician level herbalist is very much about listening and paying attention to who that person is, that's right here, the individual and also kind of matchmaking with the individual herbs. So over time we learn a lot about all the intricacies of each of the herbs and then we can kind of match make with the people.
Rebecca Rankin (19:05):
What I love about this type of work is that it is so indepth and is so like you are taking the time with each person that you see to really like understand the underlying condition, understand, and then like you said, tweak it along the way rather than just, oh, this is your, your symptom. Here you go. Next patient, you know, it's um, it is such a beautiful relationship that you cultivate with with people. And I think now more than ever like that, those type of connections, like, so that you feel heard that like, as, you know, as, as a, as a client, a patient, like you, you feel heard and you feel that you someone's actually really listening and really wants to get to the root cause rather than just putting a bandaid over over something and that's, um, that's absolutely beautiful. This is, I do appreciate just that relationship that herbalist has with the individual.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (20:03):
A hundred percent. Yeah. There's so much healing that can happen even just in that relationship. Um, that's one thing that actually we even learned about in our clinical studies is the concept of healing presence, right? And just being with someone and how healing that can truly be like when we feel heard, I went through, cause I mentioned, I went through this health journey the past couple of years and we think it was probably post COVID. It's really unknown cuz it was a mysterious journey I went on, very based in my heart, which is really intense. And scary, but I went through a lot of medical testing and went to tons of doctors and specialists. And I really saw because I've been a practicing herbalist, I was a mid, I was, I, I wasn't actually a midwife should say I was only a student midwife.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (20:47):
I never finished my midwifery studies, but I went through the whole program. I was a doula for years. I was a massage therapist. I am somebody who has come from like really, since my early twenties, I have been working in the capacity of like that deep healing presence relationship. So I hadn't done a lot of like doctors. I mean, I'd gone to like, you know, know the PCP, the primary care, but I hadn't done all those specialist visits. And so to just experience it for myself, like what people have been telling me forever is true. And to be like, wow, that, that guy, like I'm paying him a ridiculous amount of money. And he just spent maybe five minutes with me and he didn't even listen to me. Like there was this, um, my electrophysiologist, which is a specialized cardiologist that worked with heart rhythms. Anyway, he came in and when I first met him, he told me he just reflected back at me what my chart said. And it was like, he didn't even have, I had to butt my way in to speak. You know, it was like, he was just telling me what he already saw. And he already knew. I'm like, what kinda relationship is that?
Rebecca Rankin (21:52):
This type of work. Like I said, this type of work is just so needed and so, um, necessary for all of us, right. To be heard, to be listened to. So, um, so thank you on behalf of everyone, thank you for doing this work. How would you suggest like women or like those with, with wombs? Um, best utilize herbs if working with an herbalist isn't accessible to them and you mentioned reading books and everything, but like how, like if you're like, I want to, cause I'm sure there's some sort of contraindications with working with herbs. Like maybe you shouldn't be working with them like your whole cycle or you should, you know, ease into 'em whatever. Like how would someone who's like wants to not use pharmaceuticals for like period discomfort or, you know, any cyclical condition that is of concerning a is life disrupting for whatever reason, they don't have access to an, an herbalist and to have that really one-on-one care.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (22:57):
Yeah. So this is an interesting question. I think there's a lot of different approaches. I mean, what I would start, what I always start with and what I suggest starting with is actually starting to track your cycle. So on in my idea is to do that on paper. Some people, a lot of people do it on an app. You can do it on an app. That's fine. I find doing it on paper to be much more just, you just cultivate a better relationship with yourself and you get a lot more detail. You get to write down all your symptoms. You've got, you know, this hand touch paper in front of you, you're tracking your temperature, you're tracking your, you know, when you're ovulating, you know, when you know, you know, you can see the phases of your cycle much more easily. There are some apps I believe that are good at that kind of thing.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (23:42):
Kindara is one that I've heard of. That's good at that, but I'm not an app type of person. I'm a paper kind of person. So I recommend starting to learn to track your cycle. And that is, I believe a huge part of being able to work with herbs more effectively in your cycle is actually understanding where you're at. And honestly there aren't, yes, there are contraindications. There's some herbs that you don't wanna be using when you're bleeding. Like for instance Dong Quai is one of those herbs and that's because it will increase your bleeding, but, or it's, it's not something you're gonna learn overnight. And it's not something honestly that you can probably just like, I mean, I hate to say it, but it is more complicated than just being like, oh, I'm just gonna go to the store and I'm gonna grab, you know, an herbal formula off the shelf that says that it's hormone balancing.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (24:25):
And I'm just gonna use that because it's not - you can do that. You can experiment. And for some people they actually find support from those things. So it depends on the person, you know, for instance, there's a lot of cramp formulas out there. There's a lot of menstrual cramp formulas out there and you can certainly try them. I have tried a whole lot, like before I started learning more about the individualized herbs, I tried a whole lot that didn't really do a lot for me. And that's a reality. It's a reality that what you find on the shelves is it's more generalized, right? They're generalized formulas. And honestly, a lot of people formulating are not like they're not necessarily clinical herbalists, they maybe have some knowledge about herbalist, but they're like a product company. You know, some of them are better. I mean, this there's a variety of different, you know, formulations out there.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (25:15):
There's some stuff that's really amazing, but I don't, I wouldn't discourage people from just starting out and trying things. There's really herbs are not like drugs. I just have to speak that. Like, it's not like you're gonna just completely mess with your cycle or your symptoms unless you're taking something every single day for a long period of time, you can potentially shift things around. But if you're just taking things once in a while, if you're doing like a menstrual cramp formula, you're usually just taking that maybe a little premenses, maybe the day of, that's you're not gonna mess things up inside your cycle, if you do something like that. Um, so you can definitely explore things like that. But I do think tracking your cycle, getting to know where you're at. And then I do think some of those books, if you don't have access to an herbalist, I do think some of those books are a great way to start.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (26:00):
Um, some of my favorite, uh, you know, Aviva Romm is great. However, she's very sciencey and not everyone can kind of take in everything that she says. She has some books like around pregnancy and, um, you know, postpartum that are much more accessible. Um, but some of her more recent books like "Hormone Intelligence" or her botanical medicine for women's health textbook are like hard to read and really like take in. But those are, you know, they're all resources, depending on the person. I would recommend if they didn't have an access to an herbalist, getting some really good books, I would get three or four and then you could kind of compare back and forth. You could be like, what do I have going on? What does this person suggest? What does this person suggest? Where are their overlaps? Maybe try to start formulating for yourself and just explore. You know, I also think, you know, if you're really just starting. Yeah. Like finding someone you trust, someone you resonate with and you trust, if that's some, it could be someone on social media, it could be someone on the internet somewhere. Um, someone that you wanna start learning with. There's certainly programs out there too. I mean, eventually I'll have some programs going that will be more accessible for people. But yeah, I think that's, that's definitely a, that's a starting point.
Rebecca Rankin (27:12):
So do you have any simple tips for working with, um, with plant medicine, for someone who wants to support with their like menstrual and sexual health,
Kayaleya Hunnybee (27:24):
If you really were just like, I don't know where to start. I don't know what to do, but I really wanna work with herbs. I would probably just start, um, making nourishing infusions. I would start making nourishing infusions with probably a combo of Red Raspberry, Nettles and Oats Straw any of those, you can make them altogether. You can make them as singles and kind of alternate throughout the month. But honestly, just starting to take those herbs in which are incredibly nutritive. And they also have a lot of other effects on the body. Red Raspberry is a wonderful uterine tonic. It's just supportive in the entire like menstrual experience. Um, Nettle is an unbelievably nutritive herb. Has so many different effects on the, on the body has an anti-inflammatory effect, is even antihistamine. So can be supportive for people who have more of that like histamine allergic response, which actually has been found to be more common in people with endometriosis.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (28:27):
So somebody with incredibly strong menstrual pain that sometimes lasts for weeks in their cycle, you know, somebody, they might not even be diagnosed with endometriosis. What else is just an incredible and incredible ally? I really one of my herb, okay, now I'm just gonna get into it. One of my herbal teacher, way early on herbal teachers was like, if you don't know what to do with a person, just give them nettles and have them drink that for six weeks, literally, and then have them come back and see what's going on because that will like support so many different parts of a person's body. So yeah. Start with Nettles. Start with Red Raspberry. Start with Oat Straw. Oat Straw is really wonderful cuz it's a nourish, it's nourishing high in magnesium, but it's also - and calcium - but it's also a very nourishing nervous system support. So you have kind of the three of those, I think paired together, wonderful starting point if you don't know anything else to do.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (29:18):
And so a nourishing infusion is literally, you're just gonna take a handful of that herb like a straight up handful, an ounce of herb to a quart of water, which is a handful of, of herb into a quart of water. You're gonna pour the water over, the hot water, hot water over it, cover it, steep for at least four hours, if not eight hours or overnight, really get the minerals out of that. That's why you're steeping it for so long. You're really getting the nutrients out and then just drink that. You can drink three to four cups of that every day. And you could do that for your whole life.
Rebecca Rankin (29:50):
Oh, I love it. So infusions are briefly here to, for, for my, for my own sake and for the listeners infusions are when you like soak it in hot water for, for longer than like a tea, a tea is like, you know, 10 minutes or so, right. With an herbal tea. So infusion would be, you said like four to like overnight like 12 hours, right?
Kayaleya Hunnybee (30:10):
This Is confusing - it's like, it's both simple. It's extremely simple. Cause I'm like, oh, just grab a handful of, or put some hot water on it. Yeah. So it's it, that's a very simple practice, but herbalism is also simple and complex. So, um, an infusion, I actually did a podcast episode about this a few weeks ago, it's called medicinal herbs for your womb or medicinal teas for your womb health. And it's all about the different kinds of teas that you can make. So there's a beverage tea, which is, you know, just like you get a bag tea and you make a, or a small amount of tea that you're just infusing. Then there's what I would call a medicinal level infusion. The medicinal level infusion is usually just covered and steeped, it's hot water, usually covered and steeped for 15 to 30 minutes, sometimes up to an hour, that's a medicinal infusion.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (30:59):
What I was just talking about is called a nourishing infusion. And you only do that with nourishing herbs. So you're not doing that with really bitter herbs or other, you know, weird tasting herbs or, you know, like for instance, if you were to do a really long infusion of Chamomile, it would get super bitter. That's not ideally what you're going for. Typically when you're having Chamomile, but there's herbs that are just these nourishing, where you to get the nutrients out, which include, like I said, the Nettles, the Oat Straw and the Red Raspberry Leaf. Also includes herbs like, um, Chickweed is another one best fresh. Um, Red Clover can be one. Um, Linden is one that is used that way. So there's a variety of different herbs, but there's not many that you're gonna use in that like long infusions. So that's a nourishing infusion. Okay.
Rebecca Rankin (31:46):
Love it. And then I will also link to that podcast in, um, that podcast episode in the show notes too. So you just mentioned like Nettles, right? Being like just this amazing, uh, herb and Red Raspberry Leaf. Are there any other like top herbs that you, that are your just like go to favorites that everyone should have in their kitchen or garden to support like menstrual, sexual, cyclical health?
Kayaleya Hunnybee (32:14):
Yeah. So like I said before, everyone's an individual, so I can't be like, oh, a blanket statement, these herbs are going to be the great for everyone. But herbs that I wouldn't wanna be without, that I think are wonderful herbs for us to start forming relationships with that can be supportive for many, many, many people who are menstruating are Motherwort. Motherwort is like to me an in indispensable herb. Um, so Motherwort is an absolutely amazing herb for so many reasons, but also it's considered a little bit to be a uterine tonic can support bleeding, especially at that, the end of the cycle, when you're feeling kind of like the bloating, you're like, oh, I'm gonna bleed, but I'm not bleeding yet. You know, mother, if you take like a bunch of Motherwort that can actually really help bring the bleeding on, but also Motherwort can be helpful for menstrual cramps, is really wonderful for reducing spasming of the smooth muscle in general, and specifically the uterus.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (33:12):
So wonderful plant for, for menstrual cramps. And just in general, I mean, I find Motherwort especially wonderful for anxiety, if there's any palpitations during menopausal years, there's often this, it is common for there to be palpitations that happen that are accompanied by anxiety. And so that is a wonderful place for Motherwort. Anyway, Motherwort is a plant that I would - it's also bitter. So it's wonderful for your digestive juices getting those going. Um, Motherwort's one of my favorites. Oh, I could say that about so so many plants though. I mean really but I wouldn't wanna be without Motherwort. And another one is Dandelion, which I did a whole podcast episode about if anybody wants to listen to that. Um, but Dandelion, it's funny because you know, it's just a weed and everybody is like, oh, there's so much Dandelion everywhere. And, and a lot of people know it as like you can eat the greens, you know, or know it as maybe they know, maybe people know about Dandelion as like a liver tonic or something that's supportive for, but it's really a liver tonic like actually Dandelion has been shown to work on two different phases.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (34:17):
I don't need to get two sciencey here, but two different phases of liver detoxification, which is incredible for moving hormones outta the body. It's incredible for moving toxic substances outta the body, for moving just, you know, it could be a variety of different things that you just wanna move out of the body. Um, so it's really a wonderful herb, especially if you've got, you know, what seemed like excess hormones, for instance, you might see the acne on the face, um, close to menses. You might feel the breast tenderness. You might, you know, you've got the little, but just around the cycle, not like constant, but you know, just around the cycle, um, you might feel bloating like those kinds of things, Dandelion can be amazing for. So Dandelion Root and Leaf, I mean, you could kind of combine them, but root especially is the liver support is really helpful for liver detoxification, which is just so wonderful for, and is really helpful for also if there's mild constipation really can help move the bowels.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (35:11):
And the leaf itself is wonderful for urinary tract infections is really, um, is really nutritive is because it's a diuretic, so it helps, but it's a potassium sparing diuretic, so it actually keeps nutrients inside our body and will move more fluids through the kidneys. It's just a wonderful, it's an incredible plant and it literally lives outside of most of our doors. so keep those dandelions on your lawn. and then another herb that I probably, I would, I would either want to have Ashwaganda or Tulsi, or maybe both. I mean, I ideally probably both. Ashwaganda is really easy to grow, um, just like if you have ever grown tomatoes, it's basically very similar to growing tomatoes. Um, it does like, you know, nutrition in the soil and stuff, but it's really easy to grow plant. And in an ideal world, you'd have it over wintering.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (36:03):
If you were living in a warmer climate that happens, that is something that's ideal for it to over winter, because you can get stronger, bigger roots, but you can totally just grow it for a season and still use those roots. And Ashwaganda is such a, a wonderful plant for so, for so many reasons, especially if people are like, if they've got hypothyroidism, um, it can be really helpful. And a lot of, a lot of people with female bodies have hypothyroidism, actually, it's more and more of a thing these days. So it can be really helpful to increase, um, the function of the thyroid and is also an adaptogen which probably most people know about it as, because it's become kind of one of those celebrity herbs in the world, but which some of the herbs get to experience their celebrity status. Sometimes Ashwaganda is really wonderful for stress resilience and our stress response is so impactful in our hormonal balancing and in our menstrual cycles, especially.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (37:00):
So a lot of times when we have like intense acute stress or chronic stress, our cycles can be impacted. So whether that means that we're having irregular cycles, we're having longer cycles, we're having shorter cycles that can just mess with things. So definitely having something to help with the stress response. So that's why I say either Ashwaganda or Tulsi and Tulsi for the same reason. So Tulsi is Holy Basil. Um, people use both of those terms and Ocimum Sanctum or Ocimum Tenuiflorum if you're looking on the internet for it. but Tulsi is just, it's so easy to grow. Cause it's like a basil, you know, because you've listened to the podcast episode, but it's like, it's a basil it's uplifting. It has an incredible affinity for our, for it actually is also a little antispasmodic and slightly anti-inflammatory. So it's got like all these wonderful effects, but also really helpful for our stress response.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (37:55):
So I think, I mean, to me, I'd want all of those herbs, honestly, I want I'd want the Motherwort, the Dandelion, the Ashwaganda and the Tulsi to bring all of those together. And it's funny because there's a lot of people who'd be like, well, what are your favorite like menstrual, hormonal health herbs? They would not, maybe they'd say Motherwort, but they probably wouldn't say Ashwaganda, Tulsi or Dandelion. Like, it's just not one of those, you know, some people were like Cramp Bark or they're like Vitex or something, but I'm not gonna say those herbs because yes, those are there's reasons to work with those herbs. But those herbs aren't necessarily for everyone and not, not that all of that I've shared is necessarily for everyone, but most people can actually work with these herbs. And I think of herbs, I don't know. It's also, you know, you get to you form your relationships with herbs and these herbs that I, I love dearly and that I work with consistently, so I wouldn't wanna be without them.
Rebecca Rankin (38:46):
I love using Ashwaganda. And, um, and recently like the Huberman podcast talking about Ashwaganda and was like, well, and of course you wouldn't wanna use that long term. And I was like, is there contraindications in like using it?
Kayaleya Hunnybee (39:01):
Yeah. So this is a good, it's actually a good thing to talk about, he's probably saying that from the place of you don't typically wanna be using adaptogens long term. So, um, Tulsi, I mean, sorry, not Tulsi, Ashwaganda is what would be considered to be a calming adaptogen. So it's very different from a stimulating adaptogen. So our stimulating adaptogens include things like Ginseng or Rhodiola. Those are two examples of stimulating adaptogens. Those will give you a boost of energy right when you take them, you'll notice it. Um, and they will help you with your stamina. Ashwaganda has the capacity to do that too, but Ashwaganda is also, I don't know about Andrew Huberman. I don't know him as a human, so I can't speak to what he, where he was getting that information. Ashwaganda is considered to be what in Ayurveda is called a Rasayana, which is kind of building tonic herb that you work with.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (40:00):
Um, maybe if you're coming out, it's postpartum or out of an illness, or you're starting, you're recovering from something, or just building up a depleted body, essentially. So Ashwaganda is considered to be, uh, an herb like that. Some other adaptogens are used that way. The thing is with adaptogens, there is a caution - using too many adaptogens can or for too long. I don't actually think that's an issue with Tulsi. I personally do not believe that's an issue with Tulsi. Now somebody could prove me wrong, but my experience is that it is not, um, I don't a hundred percent know in my embodied experience if that's an issue with Ashwaganda. But the concern is that if you're kind of boosting your body for, for, you know, consistently, for too long, that you could kind of push yourself beyond what your natural limits or your natural kind of, you could go beyond the recovery phase into kind of like a pushing too far phase.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (40:55):
And there, Paul Bergner is an herbalist who talks about the dangers of adaptogens. So that's something, if somebody was interested, they could look into what he shares about it, but he talks about, especially he, he references Rhodiola. And I know this can happen with Ginseng that, you know, somebody was using Rhodiola like consistently, they were in college and towards the end of one of their semesters, they were using Rhodiola like really intensively to study and to stay up. And at the end of that, I, cause they were just really fatigued and they, and then they did really well on their test, whatever they finished it off at the end of that they were in bed for about a month afterwards because they had pushed themselves so far that they like literally made themselves ill from that. So that's the danger of adaptogens. That's what I will say.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (41:39):
I do think like a friend of mine, um, is the herbal formulator at rasa, which is an adaptogenic coffee alternative company. And they're kind of getting out there in the world and they are, uh, really encouraging people to be drinking adaptogens every single day. I don't know how I feel about it. like, I feel like there, I, I think we should, I think we should just listen to our own bodies. I think that's the point, right. Is like really our bodies know best and it can feel really good to be revved up sometimes. And I think it's also really important to take breaks sometimes and just see where we're at. Like, how are we feeling if we're not taking that thing,
Rebecca Rankin (42:23):
It would be safe to say that cycling it in and out throughout like your cycle or, you know, if you're not on a cycle, whatever type of like cycling would make sense in this scenario with adaptogens. I think that be a safe thing to say,
Kayaleya Hunnybee (42:40):
Right. And then if you were working with a clinician or somebody who was like, who added, let's say Ashwaganda into your formula, there's probably a reason for that. And so you're gonna wanna just take that for like the six weeks or eight weeks or whatever that, that is the recommended amount of time to see how it's impacting you. Cuz there might be another reason, like if you've got that, you know, low thyroid function, it could be really supportive for you for a period of time, you know, but then that's, it's not always the same, everybody's an individual. So yes, I agree. Just if you're just kind of off the cuff, you know, working with adaptogens then yeah. Cycling on and off is a good idea.
Rebecca Rankin (43:15):
Thank you for sharing so much. Is there anything else that you think is important to share that we haven't like talked about yet that you haven't shared yet?
Kayaleya Hunnybee (43:26):
I do wanna just say that there's nothing to be afraid of in relation to just starting to get to know plants and herbs and, and it could look like the most simple thing. It could just be having a tea every day. You know, it could just be growing one plant this year that you have, you wanna have a relationship with and starting to get to know that plant, you know, watching it through the whole cycle and season, you know, also maybe tasting it, harvesting, making medicine with it, just like starting slow and really allowing yourself to just listen, paying, paying attention like you were saying to what's happening outside and just connecting to the earth. And it's a beautiful opportunity to kind of find more of more meaning in life really is to start to get to know the plants that are living around us. And it doesn't have to be a like, oh, I wanna be an herbalist. You know, it could just be like, oh, I wanna just get to know a plant.
Rebecca Rankin (44:21):
So where can, where can we find you where, um, on, on social and, and otherwise
Kayaleya Hunnybee (44:27):
Herbal Womb Wisdom, so there's the podcast. And then there, there's also on Instagram. I mean, I don't do a ton on Facebook, but Herbal Womb Wisdom on Facebook too, but Instagram Herbal Womb Wisdom, I'm still just kind of starting that account up, but I am starting to post more on there and HrbalWomb.com is my website. So you can check that out if you want to. And I actually have an offering if anybody is interested in just like the basics, I have a guide for gardening for your menstrual health, but it just has like 13 easy to grow herbs that you can add into your garden this year, if you want to. Um, so that would be at herbalwomb.com/garden that you can grab that. And um, yeah. And it's got just like I talk about the plants. So, you know, some of the plants we talked about here at I've got in there and then I also talk about just kind of basics on what they do in the body.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (45:17):
And then also if you'd rather have, or if I, I suggest either having that in a tea, or a tincture, what to do with it, because some things are just a little too bitter and you're gonna end up drinking 'em in a tea and be like, that's gross. So so its good to just have a little guidance along the way. And so that guide has all of those little pieces and then there's also a resource page at the end, which is like, if you wanna go deeper, if you wanna learn more about growing things, if you wanna source seeds, there's some resources on there.
Rebecca Rankin (45:44):
Wonderful. Thank you for sharing that. There's also, I wanna say this too, you mentioned earlier about tracking your cycle. You've created a great resource, um, and a free guide on how to, um, just the ins and outs of tracking your cycle. So that I downloaded that. I was like, oh, this is so beautiful and awesome. So
Kayaleya Hunnybee (46:03):
That's kinda stuff like what you need to know. It's like the starter guide, you know? So, um, yeah, that's, that's, herbalwomb.com/trackyourcycle. So if you're interested in that,
Rebecca Rankin (46:13):
I will put both those in the show notes. Those are they're beautiful, beautiful, beautiful, um, free guides. So everyone, please check them out. Thank you so much for, um, for this, for, for sharing all of your wisdom, Kayaleya, and, um, and thank you for your time.
Kayaleya Hunnybee (46:33):
It's such an honor to be here with you, Rebecca. Thank you so much for inviting me. It's like, yay. It just feels, it feels like there's a kinship. I appreciate what you're doing in the world.
