Episode 1

My Love Affair with St. John's Wort & A Cautionary Tale

Published on: 5th January, 2023

Thanks for sticking with me through my very first podcast post! I think I have a bit to work on when it comes to audio editing, but I’ll get there. Here are the links that I mentioned during this month’s Herbal Sensorium.

~ Here are two different systematic reviews covering clinical trials on the effectiveness of St John’s Wort for mild to moderate depression: #1 and #2

~ My upcoming 5-part intensive Demystifying Herbal Research & Herb-Drug Interactions taking place in February 2023 as well as my FREE class What Every Herbal Practitioner Should Know about Herb-Drug Interactions taking place on January 18th 2023.

~ Easy recipes for St John’s Wort Infused Oil and Tincture from the Herbal Academy

~ Tradition of use from the Eclectic Physicians

~ My source for St John’s Wort essential oil (not an affiliate link - I just love sharing the love).

~ A wonderful source of St John’s Wort live plants and seeds (you need to search by Latin (Hypericum perforatum). Hypericum punctatum seeds also available.

~ My favorite American herb farms growing St John’s Wort for fresh plant or dried plant orders are Oshala Farm in Oregon and Golden Hour Farm in Michigan

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About the Podcast

The Herbal Sensorium

A sanctuary for musings and explorations into the sensational realm of clinical herbalism.

The Herbal Sensorium is a sanctuary for musings and explorations into the sensational realm of clinical herbalism hosted by Erika Galentin MNIMH RH, Clinical Herbalist of Sovereignty Herbs. Whether you are a student of herbalism working towards your heartpath goal of working one on one with clients or a seasoned herbal practitioner with years of clinical experience (or somewhere in between), the stories woven in the Herbal Sensorium will inspire your passion, invoke a deepening of your herbal philosophy, and enlighten your path to clinical practice.

Hello! I’m Erika Galentin…I am a clinical herbalist with over 17 years of experience working one on one with clients from all walks of life and the Herbal Sensorium is my way of sharing this experience and its insights with those of you who are walking a similar path.

Held by narratives from my own journey as an herbal practitioner, each episode is structured around a real-life story from my clinical experience that has sparked my enthusiasm and which represents a foundational element of clinical herbal practice. I will share my musings and insights about an aspect of clinical herbalism - a philosophy, approach, or concept - with the hope of enriching your own perspectives and philosophies of herbal practice. Each episode is rounded out by a deep-dive into a specific medicinal herb and its virtues which highlight these insights. And while I will be doing most of the sharing, I will also be inviting guests in from time to time to share their experiences of the topic at hand…and I have some really amazing, learned, and experienced herbal practitioner friends.

About your host

Erika Galentin MNIMH RH

I am the Clinical Herbalist, Lead Creatrix, Grower, Distiller, Educator, & Clinical and Business Mentor at Sovereignty Herbs. I am also the host of the Herbal Practice Connexion (HPX), a community and gathering ground for herbalists seeking resources and support to build and grow their clinical practice. My home base and medicine gardens are located in the Appalachian region of SE Ohio, but I serve a national and international community with my renowned herbs & wellness coaching, online and in-person classes and workshops, and clinical and business mentorship programs.

I have a degree in Herbal Medicine from the University of Wales, Cardiff, UK and Scottish School of Herbal Medicine, Glasgow, UK. I am a professional member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (UK) and the American Herbalists Guild (USA) and also a proud member of Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society in Horticulture (USA).

Over a decade of clinical practice has provided a platform for witnessing the efficacy of medicinal plants and aromatics within a clinical environment. It is through this clinical practice that I seek to encourage positive, learned relationships between plants and people and people and their bodies. I am a firm believer in celebrating the role that emotions and the psyche play in the ecology of our physical terrain. I am also deeply passionate about the history of botanical medicine in the United States as depicted by the American Botanical Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and have built my clinical philosophy around the principles and practice of Physiomedical and Eclectic traditions.

In addition to clinical practice, I am both a student and teacher of horticulture, native medicinal plant conservation and ecology, and the phenomenological and Goethean study of plants and their medicinal virtues. And with my dedication to medicinal plants native to Ohio and the Greater Appalachian region, I teach, lecture, and write on native medicinal plant conservation and applied ecology, propagation, herbalism, and clinical efficacy. I also participate as a member of the Education Advisory Council of the American Herbalists Guild.