Ask Herbal Health Expert Susun Weed

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview Dance therapist  Amber Elizabeth Gray Amber Elizabeth Gray  was, in her father’s words, born “dancing and fighting”. A lifetime of dance and travel to explore movement and dance-based community and healing traditions has contributed to her passion for, and belief in, movement as life. Encouraged to study Haitian dance by Katherine Dunham initiated a pathway to her own initiation into Vodou. Haitian dance was her portal to Emilie Conrad and Continuum, a revolutionary movement practice  arising from Emilie’s 5 years living and dancing in Haiti. Amber believes that every human beings birthright is embodiment. Her 25 years of work as a Dance/Movement Therapist, Continuum & Yoga teacher include time working and living in conflict and post conflict zones, exposing her to the harsh realities of human rights abuses. Her clients, all survivors of political violence, torture and war,  are co-collaborators and inspirers in the work she teaches, Restorative Movement Psychotherapy and Polyvagal-informed Somatic & Dance/Movement Therapy.

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Relationship coach Sumati Sparks.   For over twenty years, Sumati Sparks has been coaching people of all relationship configurations, gender expressions, sexual orientations and cultures to create successful consensual, ethical non-monogamous love and intimate connections. She is a no-nonsense wisewoman, a loving empath, a wounded healer and a powerful stand for love. Since 1984, she has been on a personal path of 12-step work and recovery, has studied directly and taught with many spiritual & relationship teachers including the great Indian saint Mata Amritananda (aka "Ammachi") who gave her the name Sumati, Since 1997, she has been on her own transformational path of conscious consensual non-monogamy.

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Herbalist Linda Conroy.  Linda Conroy dedicates her life to connecting with the green world. She is a practicing herbalist, providing herbal education, workshops and apprenticeships, as well as individual consultations and her herb store. Linda also holds two masters degrees: MSS (Master of Social Service) and MLSP (Master of Law and Social Policy). Linda is a community organizer and the founder of the Midwest Women’s Herbal Conference. Her primary mentors are the plants who never cease to instill a sense of awe in her daily life. Linda’s primary human mentors are Isla Burgess, Susun Weed  and Marshall Rosenberg. She has also studied with Tieraona LowDog, MD, Stephen Buhner, Cascade Geller Anderson, Ryan Drum, Eaglesong and Sally King of Raven Croft Gardens, Matthew Wood, Suzanne Tabert and many others. She has studied as well as studies women’s mysteries with Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Z. Budapest, Vicki Noble, Starhawk, Jean Houston and other of our inspiring foremothers.

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions 

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions  

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Chris Elcock. Chris Elcock is an independent historian based in France, with a PhD from the University of Saskatchewan. For 12 years, he studied the history of LSD and psychedelics and in 2013 one of his papers on the American psychedelic movement received an award at a pop culture conference. He is the author of Psychedelic New York: A History of LSD in the City, which will be available in May with McGill-Queen's University Press. He is currently teaching in several higher education institutions. 

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Priestess Kaitlin Ilya Wolf. Kaitlin Ilya Wolf is a priestess, facilitating rituals and ceremonies for individuals, large and small groups, and her community of Earthaven Ecovillage in western North Carolina. Kaitlin is an ordained Priestess with the Temple of Diana, a women's earth based tradition. She has led women's Red Tent circles and the seasonal ritual cycle in her community for over 15 years. Kaitlin offers a monthly Red Tent ritual online for women. Her passion is supporting people through the process of personal ritual, rites of passage, the cycles of community ceremony, and women's circles. Kaitlin apprenticed with Susun in 2006 and it changed her life. More at www.priestessofcycles.com

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Author Marisa Handler.  Marisa Handler—writer, singer-songwriter, teacher, and coach—is the author of Loyal to the Sky, which won a Nautilus Gold Award for world-changing books.  Her essays, fiction, and poetry have appeared in numerous publications, and her music is available on various platforms.  Marisa earned her MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and has received many fellowships in Creative Writing, including a Fulbright and an Elizabeth George Foundation grant.  On the spiritual side, Marisa has been studying Insight Meditation in retreats and daily life since 2002, and instructing since 2012. She is a Certified Facilitator of The Work of Byron Katie, and has long-term practices in Authentic Movement, Somatic Experiencing, and various forms of dance. Marisa is the founder of Live Your Creative Genius, an in-depth coaching program offering a new paradigm for creative work, and she teaches on creativity, writing, and transformation at places like Stanford University, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Esalen, and the California Institute for Integral Studies.  She also works one-on-one as a coach.  More at www.marisahandler.com

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Teacher Amanda Smith. Amanda is an Earth Wisdom Teacher and a metaphysical artist. She has a diverse background with degrees in Environmental Science and Soil Chemistry, coupled with certifications in healing with Earth Energy and Reiki. This journey created Amanda's desire to become a teacher who shares the importance and the benefits of the re-unification of Science and Spirituality. Amanda is now the owner of a property in Eastern Kentucky dubbed the Mothership that she is slowly converting into a regenerative farm/ nature retreat center -  The vision is to teach others how to create their own food, connect and listen to the Earth, create the sovereignty that humanity is meant to have, and ultimately save the planet! You can find out more at her website, www.theactivatedearth.com

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Herbalist Tania Oceana. I am a Pacific NW nature lover & traditional western herbalist. After dealing with some health issues in early adulthood, I started to dive into holistic health, nutrition, and Herbalism. Seeing the benefits of this wisdom got me hooked! It's been over 10 years since then, and my thirst for knowledge only continues. I want everyone to remember that our body is on our side, it's built to heal, and it's communicating with us all the time. I try to listen and dare to heal. Find out more at Epicherbalism.com.    

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Dr. Shilpa Ravella, M.D  Shilpa Ravella is a gastroenterologist and author with expertise in nutrition. A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet & Disease (October 11, 2022, W.W. Norton) is her first book. Her writing has appeared in The Atlantic, New York Magazine, Slate, Discover and USA Today, among other publications, and she has appeared as an expert on ABC's Good Morning Americaand in print media outlets including Forbes, Cosmopolitan, Food and Wine, Glamour and Women's Health. She is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center.

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Minister Jerrigrace Lyons  Jerrigrace Lyons is a Minister, death midwife, educator, home funeral guide and Reiki Master. She founded the educational non-profit organization, Final Passages in 1995 to inform people about little known funeral options, natural death care rights and practicalities, green burial and the benefits of bringing funerals back into the home and family care.

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Herbalist EagleSong Gardener.   EagleSong Evans Gardener dances her mischief in the hedge, the veld, that luminous place between wild and tended. She is a 3rd generation northwesterner raised on salmon and cedar long enough to find a root and love for a place she calls Home. EagleSong is a practicing herbalist in the wise woman tradition and a lifelong gardener. She is most at home cultivating life and watching things grow. Working with apprentices for over 25 years, her “Healing From the Ground Up” community centered herbal apprenticeship is a 9 month journey for the rigorous adventurer. EagleSong is known for her wit and kitchen table wisdom and her incessant need to go outside and play! She stays busy these days weaving the Pacific Women's Herbal Conference back into being and teaching at her home place, RavenCroft Garden and the flumdiddley kitchen school. Learning opportunities with EagleSong can be found online at: www.eaglesong-gardener.com    

Susun Weed answers 90 minutes of herbal health questions followed by a 30 minute interview with Shaman Stacy Berman.    Stacy Berman, Ph.D. holds a Ph.D in Natural Medicine with a focus on psychoneuroimmunology. The founder of Stacy's Bootcamp, a pioneering personal fitness company, she was called an "NYC fitness icon" by Forbes, and is a sought-after speaker, shaman, and healer.

Recorded live at the Midwest Herb Conference, May 2019. What are your experiences of interactions between herbs and drugs? My fifty years of practice have convinced me that such interactions are rare and are limited to certain types of herbs, prepared in particular ways, and used in specific circumstances.