Medicine Stories

First Blood & Lost Rites of Passage - Kami McBride

Menarche- a girl’s first period- shapes how we experience womanhood for the rest of our lives, and the lack of initiation most of us experience is itself an initiation. In this culture that has fractured from the rites and wisdom of our grandmothers, where so many of us met our first period with confusion or shame, how do we begin to heal this tender threshold- for our daughters, and for the younger version of ourselves? In a conversation brimming with practical suggestions, my herb teacher Kami McBride- who has led countless women’s circles, developed and taught a class for cycling women, and even written a book on menstruation- shares her decades of experience and insight. Together, we explore how to remember what was once celebrated, and how to bring reverence and empowerment back to this profound beginning.Medicine Stories Patreon (thank you!)- enter the giveaway & get a list of my favorite books on menstruationKami’s free classes: DIY Body Butter for Gifting & Top 3 Stress-Melting Herbal OilsKami’s course: Handcrafted Healing Herbal OilsJoin me at the Medicine Stories Healing Waters Nature Immersion Retreat in Costa Rica November 2026!Mythic Medicine herbal remedies- take our quiz to be notified when our Moment Markers Bundles become availableKami on InstagramAmber on InstagramMusic by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

TCM’s 7yr Timeline of Women’s Life Transitions - Dr. Suuzi Hazen

Did you notice metabolic changes around age 35 and/or 42? Does perimenopause even exist? Is there an ideal childbearing window? Why are humans one of the only species to experience menopause? Suuzi Hazen, doctor of Chinese Medicine and my closest companion in healing from midlife burnout, gives us the Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective on the 7 year framework for girls’ and womens’ life transitions.Suuzi’s post that inspired this conversationJoin me & Suuzi at the Medicine Stories Healing Waters Nature Immersion Retreat in Costa Rica November 2026!Related previous episodes with Suuzi- Nourishment Lost, Women’s Bodies are Metabolically Expensive, Midlife Burnout for WomenMother’s Best Liver Pills by SuuziWomen’s Bodies podcast by SuuziMythic Medicine herbal remedies- take our quiz to be notified when our Moment Markers Bundles become availableSuuzi on InstagramMe on InstagramLeonard ShlainMusic by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

Reshaped by Parenthood: Families, Fathers, and the First Year - Rachelle Seliga

Birth opens the door, but what comes after walks you through it. Many new parents find themselves moving through the first year feeling lonely, confused, and wondering why it’s so hard.In this episode, I’m joined again by Rachelle Seliga of Innate Traditions, who has spent over 20 years teaching and gathering communities to explore postpartum, motherhood, and revillaging. Together, we open the conversation wider — into the realm of fatherhood — with Rachelle’s signature depth, wisdom, and grounded practicality.Whether you’re preparing for birth or reflecting on your own postpartum journey, this conversation offers insight, validation, and a new lens on what it means to be reshaped by parenthood.Planning for the Fourth Trimester for Mothers & Fathers w/ Rachelle Seliga and Dan DotyRachelle & Dan are offering a free class on FRIDAY Sept 19th What No one Tells You About Postpartum- Until It’s Too Late Two Medicine Stories Patreon bonuses: 1) extended interview w/ Rachelle giving me her hot takes on controversial wellness/spirituality topics and 2) audio recording of me giving a podcast/medicine/life/health status updateRachelle’s previous Medicine Stories appearance Revillaging: Maternal, Cultural, and Planetary Wellness Are OneTake our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy?Innate Traditions WebsiteInnate Traditions InstagramMythic Medicine WebsiteMythic Medicine InstagramMusic by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

Cannabis-Induced Psychosis: A Mother’s Story of Love and Loss - Tara Couture of Slowdown Farmstead

In 2021 Tara and her family got the knock on their door that every parent fears most. In the days that followed they discovered eighteen-year-old Mila’s journal and were able to piece together the shocking and devastating chain of events that led to her death. Tara’s Instagram and Substack, Slowdown Farmstead, is followed and admired by tens of thousands of people. Tara and her husband raised their three daughters on their beautiful Canadian farm, lovingly tending to and butchering their own livestock in order to nourish their family and community. Deeply acquainted with the cycles of nature, Tara has a perspective on the interconnectedness of life and death that was the daily reality for our ancestors but eludes most modern people.But that did not prepare her for what could happen when a drug that is now bred to be as strong as any pharmaceutical- and which is often misunderstood as being a benign herbal medicine- snuck its way into her daughter’s life at a vulnerable time and completely rewired her brain in a matter of months.It is our hope that sharing Mila’s story will make more people aware of the increasingly common psychosis that is a side effect of the new high-THC strains of cannabis on the market, and especially of its dangers for the developing teenage brain. Please read the article linked below for more.How Weed Became the New OxyContin: Big Pharma and Big Tobacco Are Helping Market High-Potency, Psychosis-Inducing THC Products as Your Mother’s ‘Medical Marijuana’Patreon bonus conversation- What We Want Our Daughter To Know: women, restriction, chronic illness & more on Tara’s metabolic journeyLearn more about Tara’s book Radiance of the Ordinary Slowdown Farmstead on Substack and InstagramCannabinoid Hyperemesis SyndromeTake our fun quiz Which Healing Herb Matches Your Energy?My website MythicMedicine.love Mythic Medicine on InstagramMedicine Stories Facebook groupMusic by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)

Women Making Medicine for Healing & Connection - Kami McBride

My most beloved herbal elder and I talk about our favorite subject- women throughout time using plants for self care, family healing, and community connection. After nearly 4 decades as a practicing herbalist and teacher, and in an age of informational overabundance, Kami has seen what actually works when it comes to truly embodying herbal knowing.Find Kami’s freebies & learn more about Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils (including the peek at what you see when you log in to the course).Two Patreon bonuses for this episode- an extended conversation with Kami where we share our stories of Mothering Without Elders, and two free videos with Kami entitled Garden Herb Walk- meet 9 favorite garden herbs that can calm the nerves, help with digestion, heal the skin, kick a cold, and more! Let’s meet beautiful edible and medicinal flowers, weeds, leaves and seeds and find out which ones are used for what.Kami’s book The Herbal KitchenAmber’s website MythicMedicine.love Take our fun Which Healing Herb is Your Spirit Medicine? quizAmber/Mythic Medicine on InstagramAmber’s Nourishing Motherlines SubstackMedicine Stories Facebook groupMusic by Mariee Siou (from her beautiful song Wild Eyes)