80. Rhythm and Time- A Sustainable Approach to Self Care: Genna Pyewacket on Self Care with Herbs

Genna Pyewacket is a naturopath and herbalist with a special interest in functional medicine. Training in Canada as a teen under the guidance of a traditional herbalist, she continued her studies formally in Australia studying at Nature Care College in Sydney, where she graduated in 2004 with an Advance Diploma of Naturopathy and a Bachelor of Health Sciences (UNE), followed by an Advance Diploma of Homeopathy in 2011 (Endeavour College).

Her naturopathic practice has shifted focus from the clinic to the kitchen over the last six years with her business, Pyewackets Traditional. Her focus there is on fermented fruit and herb preserves known as shrubs, apple cider vinegar tinctures and tonics, as well as bitters. With her drinks, she hopes to help improve the health and nutrition of her customers, as well as their relationship to every day kitchen medicine and plants . She lives in Lismore New South Wales with her family. 

During our chat, Genna shares how as part of her environmental activism in her early teens, she found herself on a herb walk, immersed in the medicine of the old growth forests. This was such a lightbulb moment that from then on, she was determined to learn more and started studying herbal medicine at only 17 years old,  with a local herbal elder- which led to an apprenticeship when she finished school and further learning with renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar.

Genna shares her journey from Canada to Australia to further her studies in herbal medicine and the evolution of her connection with the plants. 

She shares her passion for shrubs and their historical significance as a preservation method for fruit and herbs. Being lucky enough to live in the Northern Rivers with an abundance of local produce at her fingertips, Genna paints a picture of her adventures across the countryside picking up surplus citrus, herbs hanging out the windows of her little car…

We chat about what’s growing in Genna’s garden and she shares a little known use for that common sub-tropical fruit tree, the paw paw…(hint, it’s not the fruit!)

Genna shares some of the ways women can tune into their self care needs by observing changes to their cycle and we agree that this can be a really tangible way to see the impact of self care practices. Entering the season of peri-menopause has shifted her nervous system in different ways and Genna shares a herb that she has found to be a wonderful ally at this time…

We talk about different constitutional types and how having an awareness of our own constitution can influence the how, when and why of our self care.

Genna describes what she sees as the two most important ingredients for seeing the long term benefits of self care by telling a beautiful story about the lasting impact of the waves or moving water on a stone or rock…

We finish our chat with a gorgeous image of Genna in the lavender fields of the south of France with the fragrance of one of her favourite herbs wafting over her…

**CONNECT**

Pyewackets Traditional https://pyewacketstraditional.com/

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https://www.facebook.com/PyewacketsTraditional/

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The intro and outro song is "Sing for the Earth" and was kindly donated by Chad Wilkins.  You can find Chad's music here and here.