81. Subtropical Herbalism and Herbfest: Cat Green on Herbal Education

Today's interview is a great discussion with Cat Green from Everyday Empowered. Cat is a home herbalist and grassroots community herbal organiser and educator. She's passionate about making it easy -and normal - for people to make simple, effective herbal remedies at home.

She believes home herbalism is all about reclaiming our capacity to care for ourselves and our families, as well as reconnecting more deeply with the earth. Through Everyday Empowered, she offers a wide range of practical ways for people to learn about herbs - HerbFest, monthly workshops through the Herb Folk group, DIY Herbal Remedy Kits and online courses in collaboration with Heidi Merika (for more about Heidi Merika check out interview #9).

In this episode, Cat Green and Tatiana Dawn discuss subtropical herbalism. They explore the challenges and considerations of growing and harvesting plants in subtropical climates, as well as the importance of sourcing medicine locally. They also touch on the topics of ancestral connections to plants, the impact of colonization on herbal medicine, and the need for responsible and ethical practices in working with native plants.

The conversation emphasizes the importance of building relationships with plants and working with what grows abundantly in each specific region. The conversation explores the challenges and strategies of growing herbs in subtropical climates. The speakers discuss the need for trial and error to determine which plants grow best in different seasons and microclimates. They also touch on the importance of understanding tropical conditions and the specific issues that arise in these climates. The conversation highlights the need for a deeper connection with plants and the land, as well as the importance of community and knowledge sharing in herbal medicine.

Cat and Tatiana also discuss the upcoming Herb Fest, a community gathering focused on herbs and herbal medicine.

*SHOW NOTES*

Herbfest 18th June 2023:

https://everydayempowered.com.au/herbfest/

You can learn more about Cat, her upcoming offerings, HERBFEST, check out her blog posts and buy her herbal starter kits ⁠here⁠.

Or follow Cat on ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠Facebook⁠ to keep up to date with all of her offerings.

Check out a previous episode of the Elder Tree, where Cat was interviewed by Tatiana Dawn, founder of the Elder Tree:

⁠Episode 33: Building a Culture of Collaboration in the Herbal Community

She was also more recently interviewed by Jessyca Bosscha on the self-care with herbs segment:

Episode 48: Self care as a dynamic, seasonal, everyday practice

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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.