Herbal Womb Wisdom

One of the most amazing things about the womb is that it always, ever changing. Especially during our cycling years.

It naturally expands larger than other organ in the body when it is carrying a child, and then contracts to its pre-pregnancy size. It grows an internal layer of tissue every month, and sheds it if no pregnancy occurs. It contracts, relaxes, produces cervical fluid, responds to hormones, and is just an overall powerhouse of creativity, intuition and wisdom that we hold in the center of our pelvic bowls.

I'm not sure there is anything quite so miraculous as our wombspaces. Is there??

And according to today's guest, the "so-called womb" is considered a "curious" organ" in TCM partly because it has such a dynamic interplay of relationship with other organs like the kidneys, liver and even heart.

Which is why, when someone comes into her abdominal massage practice with menstrual challenges, she may end up tending other organs, meridians or even parts of the body to support a healthy cycle.

The ecology of the body is so tangible when we look at all of these relationships. And gosh, when we listen, more deeply, to the language of our bellies and wombs, so much is possible.

Resources:
Today's shownotes: Grab links to Caitlin's offerings
Free Meditation: 22 minute guided audio womb connection & clearing
Episode 56: Womb & Heart Connection? 

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.
Click here to send me a quick message :)

A couple weeks ago I received a DM asking for the "cooling chai" recipe because she had just listened to an episode where I mentioned it, so I sent it along and then posted it in my stories and got a reflection from a longtime listener that it should be a yearly thing to share it because it is such a great recipe.

So today I decided to brew some of that chai up for myself and sit with you, sharing more deeply about each of the herbs in it, as well as how this kind of practice - the slowing, quieting and cooling - can help to prevent accumulation of longer term imbalances in our bodies, minds and spirits.

I share about the concept of the exposome, and how living more seasonally and more deeply listening to your own unique body can support you to cultivate a healthier external and internal environment.

I also speak to doshas, elements, and more than anything invite you to drink tea alongside me while we parse through some beautiful herbal allies that also taste good and are perfect complements to this seasonal transition into autumn.

Resources:
Today's shownotes: Get the cooling chai recipe here
Episode 88: How to ease into Autumn
Episode 139: How to cultivate resilience in Autumn w Molly McConnell
Free meditation: Womb Connection  Clearing

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.

Click here to send me a quick message :)

How many of us have journeyed through this life without some form of disordered eating patterns or an eating disorder? 

My guess is, if we were honest, the answer is very few. 

We live in a world constantly feeding us images of bodies that are desirable, even when trends change, they are often not realistic bodies that most of us live in.

It is SO easy to fall into patterns or either restricting and/or binge-eating. Sometimes it's body image based, sometimes it's gut health based, sometimes it's even orthorexia (obsession with purity or healthy eating).

I've personally experienced all three. So what can we do to both acknowledge these patterns in ourselves, and also find paths to a more harmonious relationship with them? How can cycle tracking (from a body literacy lens), herbal allies and the frame of harm reduction support us?

This is what today's guest - student midwife and FAM educator Kaeleigh Terrill - speaks to from both an embodied and a professional perspective.

It is SUCH a needed conversation. May we have many more of these.

Resources:
Today's shownotes: Grab Kaeleigh's zine on herbs for harm reduction etc
Fee Guide: Get started with Fertility Awareness Method cycle tracking
Episode 4: Tulsi herbal spotlight
Episode 21: Disordered eating, chronic illness & cycles w Lisa Mase
Episode 68: Milky oats herbal spotlight
Episode 75: Breathwork, body image & disordered eating
Episode 86: Ashwagandha herbal spotlight

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.
Click here to send me a quick message :)

I'm honestly not even sure what people find "sexy" anymore. 

Trends come and go. I think maybe we're back to ultra-thin being a desirable look. Thankfully we do have more body positivity movements, and finding our individual paths to self-acceptance and self-love is a beautiful, empowering thing.

But whether it's ultra-thin, over-exercising or overweight, it's SO common for our body weight or activity levels to impact our cycles and hormones and you may not even realize it's happening.

In today's episode, Adriana Zoutal shares her story of over-exercising, the impacts on her cycle, and how nutrition, more restorative strength training and deepening her relationship, with her body, her cycle, and even her self-talk have supported her own personal healing path.

Resources:
Today's shownotes: Get links to Adriana's offerings!
Episode 73: Cyclical movement with Tara Lynn Steele
Free 10 Key Herbs for your Hormonal Health 
Free Womb Connection & Clearing meditation

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.
Click here to send me a quick message :)
Click here to send me a quick message :)

What is late summer, actually? Like beyond the light on the horizon becoming more golden and the leaves starting to turn...

How can we apply what we understand from the Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic lenses to our own bodies, and our cycles. 

In this week's episode, I explore all of this and more, including some insights I personally have on what late summer might physiologically be in our menstrual cycles and why I see it that way. 

I share basics on how to align with this season, and even an herbal ally that can be both supportive for our bodies in this transitional season as well as support a healthier luteal phase. 

Resources:
Free guide: Track Your Cycle with FAM 
Join the Natural Contraception 2027 waitlist
Today's shownotes: Aligning late summer in your cycle 
Episode 82: Late summer medicine making
Episode 88: How to ease into Autumn
Episode 139: How to cultivate resilience in Autumn w Molly McConnell

If you loved this episode, share it with a friend, or take a screenshot and share on social media and tag me @herbalwombwisdom

And if you love this podcast, leave a rating & write a review! It's really helpful to get the show to more amazing humans like you.  ❤️

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only, I am not providing any medical advice, I am not a medical practitioner, I’m an herbalist and in the US, there is no path to licensure for herbalists, so my role is as an herbal educator. Please do your own research and consult your healthcare provider for any personal concerns.
Click here to send me a quick message :)