“Health is something that is incredibly personal and deeply intimate that lives within our bodies, and it will only ever be ours, no matter how many pictures we have on social media health will only be our own intimate experience.”
Brittany Wood Nickerson is an herbalist and holistic practitioner who runs Thyme Herbal, and has dedicated her life to learning about plants and their healing properties. To be totally honest, I never in my wildest dreams I’d be as in awe with plants as I have been recently… from food-as-medicine, to the richness they add to self-care products, to the way they purify air and radiate energy to interiors, plants are awesome.
I always seem to be striving to integrate more plants into my life… with varying degrees of success. I’ve been experimenting with supplements and tinctures, replacing my morning coffee (let’s be real – almond milk latte) with tea, and have even started a little windowsill garden. It’s pretty cute. Right now we’ve got a TON of basil. Actually way too much. If anyone needs organic basil… I’m your person. Hit me up. Actually serious.
Plants are the solution to many modern ails: air quality, common cold, skin irritations, fatigue, stress, the list goes on. I wanted to learn more about her specific approach, as well as the guiding principles behind why plants are so great. I also challenged Brittany a lot in our conversation, about the effectiveness of herbs and plants, the placebo effect and other “knee jerk” type responses to slow living — not because I don’t believe in it, because you know I do, but because we need to hear it. Her answers are so beautifully articulated.
We discuss:
- Foundations and basics of Ayurveda, Chinese medicine and western herbalism
- How to do a “pulse” diagnosis on yourself
- The science of “folk” remedies
- How she turned her passion and truth into her lifestyle
- How she works with her clients to achieve wellness and well-being
- Modern culture around medicine in the United States and the diagnostic culture of the Internet
- Her own incredible experiences of healing through holistic methods
If you want to reach Brittany during the show, if the show changed your perspective, if you’re loving it, let us know. I’m @wellaware_ and Brittany is @thymeherbal on Twitter and Instagram.
SHOW NOTES
Thyme Herbal: Instagram / Twitter / Facebook
Online Herbalism Apprenticeship – Art of Home Herbalism Online
Kitchen medicine poster (pictured here and on Instagram)
Essential reading on herbalism:
Herbal Homestead Journal by Brittany Wood Nickerson
Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar
Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide by Rosemary Gladstar
Susan Weed books
Common Herbs for Natural Health by Juliette Bairacli Levy
Thank you, Brittany, for your light, your love and your wisdom!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed
Lovely interview, thank you for sharing!
Of course! Thank you for stopping by!