Shows / The Herbalist's Journal
The Herbalist's Journal
The Herbalist’s Journal explores the stories behind the plants of the Northeast and beyond. Hosted by Celine Colbert, a forester and Master Arborist, each episode dives deep into one species—its botany, ecology, medicinal uses, and cultural history. From towering trees to hidden woodland herbs, discover how plants heal, harm, and inspire. The forest is speaking—let’s listen.
Episodes
- The Herbalist's Journal
Brown Knapweed (Centaurea jacea): The Armor-Plated Wound Healer
Meander into the wild margins and roadside ditches on The Herbalist’s Journal to meet one of nature's toughest survivalists: Brown Knapweed (Centaurea jacea)…
- The Herbalist's Journal
More Than a Pickle: The Soothing Power of Dill (Anethum graveolens)
Dill isn't just for pickles! On this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, we unlock the 5,000-year medicinal history of Anethum graveolens. From ancient…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis): The Wild Anti-Cancer Bramble
Step into the summer brambles on The Herbalist’s Journal as we explore the deep medicinal power of the native Black Raspberry (Rubus occidentalis). Far more…
- The Herbalist's Journal
The Paradox of Golden Ragwort
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, we untangle the complex history and chemistry of Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea). Known historically as "Life Root"…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Sweet Fern — The Dry Ground Healer
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Sweet Fern (Comptonia peregrina), a resilient shrub of sandy soils and open woodlands. Known for…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Blue Vervain — The Tension Reliever
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata), a plant of edges, waterways, and quiet release. Long used to…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Black Walnut — Medicine in the Shadow
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), a powerful forest tree known for its deep medicinal history and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Sarsaparilla — The Woodland Tonic Root
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Sarsaparilla (Aralia nudicaulis), a modest woodland plant whose roots have supported Indigenous…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Golden Alexanders — Sunshine on the Forest Edge
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Golden Alexanders (Zizia aurea), a bright yellow perennial that thrives at forest edges and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Solomon’s Plume — The Gentle Forest Tonic
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Solomon’s Plume (Maianthemum racemosum), a delicate woodland plant whose arching plumes and red…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Wild Blueberry— The Woodland Jewel
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Wild Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), a small, low-growing shrub that carpets forest edges and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
American Ginseng — The Forest’s Golden Root
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores American Ginseng — the forest’s golden root. From its slow-growing, shade-loving habitat to its…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Goldenseal — The Golden Thread in the Understory
In this thoughtful and ecological dive, Celine explores Goldenseal—a quiet forest plant whose golden root has been both revered and over-harvested. From…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Skullcap — A Steady Support for the Nervous System
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora), a modest woodland herb with a long history of calming and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Anise Hyssop — Calm, Comfort, and a Cup of Tea
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores the gentle, fragrant presence of Anise Hyssop—a plant beloved by pollinators and long valued in…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Self-Heal— Everyday First-Aid in a Plant
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Self-heal—also known as heal-all—a small but remarkable woodland and meadow herb with a long…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Violet — The Medicine of the Heart
Celine explores Violet (Viola spp.), a soft-spoken woodland plant known for emotional, lymphatic, and respiratory support. This episode highlights violet’s…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Burdock — The Root That Cleans
Celine journeys underground with Burdock (Arctium spp.), a deep-rooted plant of long-term healing and resilience. This episode explores burdock’s role in liver…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Chickweed — The Medicine of Cooling and Care
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine meets Chickweed (Stellaria media), a tender plant that arrives in cool seasons to soothe heat and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Calendula — The Sun’s Gentle Medicine
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Calendula (Calendula officinalis), a bright and generous plant long valued for skin healing and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Mullein — The Listener of Lungs
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine meets Mullein (Verbascum thapsus), a tall, velvety plant of breath and boundaries. From respiratory medicine…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Red Clover — The Medicine of Softening
Celine steps into open fields with Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), a plant known for nourishment, balance, and gentle restoration. This episode explores red…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Plantain — Medicine Underfoot
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Plantain (Plantago major and P. lanceolata), a resilient plant that follows human footsteps. From…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Wild Bergamot
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine meets Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), an aromatic meadow plant that opens breath and gathers pollinators…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Wild Rose
Celine explores Wild Rose (Rosa spp.), a plant of fragrance, nourishment, and boundaries. This episode highlights the medicinal value of rose hips and petals…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Wintergreen
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), a low-growing evergreen of the forest floor. From Indigenous…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Staghorn Sumac
Celine takes a closer look at Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina), a misunderstood pioneer of disturbed land. Learn how its tart berries became food and medicine…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Elderberry
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis), a plant rooted in nourishment, medicine, and respect. From…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Sweet Flag
Celine steps into the wetlands to meet Sweet Flag (Acorus americanus), a deeply aromatic plant of water and memory. This episode explores its role as a travel…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Witch Hazel
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Witch Hazel (Hamamelis virginiana), a plant that blooms at the edge of winter. From Indigenous…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Bee Balm
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Bee Balm (Monarda spp.), a vibrant medicinal plant of meadows and pollinators. From Indigenous tea…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Yarrow
Celine steps into open fields to meet Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), a plant shaped by disturbance and known for its role in wound care, fever relief, and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Boneset
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), a bitter wetland plant long relied on for fevers and seasonal…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Solomon's Seal
Celine spends time with Solomon’s Seal (Polygonatum biflorum), a graceful woodland plant known for its deep restorative medicine. This episode explores its use…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Mayapple
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine walks among the umbrella-like leaves of Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum). Learn how this plant balances…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Bloodroot
Celine explores Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis), a striking spring ephemeral known for its red sap and complex history. From ceremonial dye and protective…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Blue Cohosh
Celine turns her attention to Blue Cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides), an early-spring forest herb known for its potency and cautionary history. This episode…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Wild Ginger
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine kneels down to meet Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), a warming, grounding plant of the forest floor. Discover…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Black Cohosh
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa), a powerful understory plant rooted in women’s medicine and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Sugar Maple
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores the Sugar Maple (Acer saccharum)—a tree of sweetness, ceremony, and identity in northeastern…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Paper Birch
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores the luminous Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera)—a tree central to the lifeways, medicine, and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
White Pine
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores the Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus)—a towering species woven into medicine, history, and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Shagbark Hickory
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores the Shagbark Hickory (Carya ovata)—a tree of sweet nuts, tough wood, and deep cultural roots…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Cucumber Magnolia
Join Celine in this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal as she explores the Cucumber Magnolia (Magnolia acuminata), a rare Appalachian native with ancient…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Virgin’s Bower — The Vine of Transition
In this episode of The Herbalist’s Journal, Celine explores Virgin’s Bower (Clematis virginiana)—a climbing vine of hedgerows, riverbanks, and woodland edges…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Jack-in-the-pulpit
Beneath the shade of eastern woodlands grows Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), a spring wildflower of striking beauty and hidden danger. In this…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Joe-Pye Weed
Towering over late-summer meadows, Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium spp.) is both a pollinator favorite and a plant steeped in healing traditions. In this episode of…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Jewelweed
Along shady streams and damp woodland edges grows jewelweed (Impatiens capensis and I. pallida), a plant long treasured as nature’s remedy for poison ivy and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Goldenrod
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) lights up late-summer meadows with brilliant yellow blooms — often blamed for allergies but truly a healer, pollinator ally, and…
- The Herbalist's Journal
American Mountain Ash
High on rocky ridges and cool northern slopes, the American mountain ash (Sorbus americana) glows with clusters of red berries that feed wildlife and spark…
- The Herbalist's Journal
White Snakeroot
Welcome back to The Herbalist’s Journal — where we explore the plants that shaped human history, one story at a time. I’m your host, Celine Colbert, and today…
- The Herbalist's Journal
Trailer
The Herbalist’s Journal explores the stories behind the plants of the Northeast and beyond. Hosted by Celine Colbert, a forester and Board Certified Master…