Episode 160: Black Birch with Amelia South

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Would you prefer watching or reading this episode? If so, click here for the 'Black Birch Benefits' video and transcript.

Episode Summary

I’ve only worked with black birch a little bit, and I was really excited when Amelia South told me she was interested in discussing this beautiful tree!  Amelia had so much to share about black birch, and I left the conversation wishing I could be out in the woods smelling and tasting it right then.  I’d be surprised if you don’t leave this episode feeling super interested in black birch, too!

One of the things Amelia shared was how black birch has supported her with pain relief in so many different situations, from arthritic pain to tummy aches.  We have a beautifully illustrated recipe card for Amelia’s Tummy Ache Tea, which you can find in the resource section below.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► How to work with black birch both topically and internally for pain relief

► How to use your nose to distinguish black birch trees from wild black cherry trees

► Six tips for harvesting birch bark (and any tree bark!) ethically and respectfully

► How talking with the plants has helped Amelia in her herbal journey

► Why it’s important to learn from plants through your senses, not just about plants through reading books

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t know her, Amelia is a professional foraging instructor and practicing herbalist living on her small organic farm in eastern Connecticut. She helps people reconnect with nature, heal their bodies with wild food and medicinal plants, and reclaim their gut health by escaping the toxic Western diet. She teaches many lessons on her TikTok channel as well as YouTube.

I’m thrilled to share our conversation with you today!

What You'll Learn from This Episode

• [01:09] Introduction to Amelia South
• [01:55] How Amelia found her plant path
• [04:52] Eat the weeds!
• [06:50] How Amelia got started working with birch
• [09:17] Tips for identifying black birch
• [10:45] Medicinal gifts of black birch
• [14:35] Tummy ache tea
• [16:30] Tips for ethically harvesting bark
• [22:42] When to harvest birch bark
• [23:56] Experience birch with all your senses!
• [26:13] Amelia’s current projects
• [28:57] What Amelia wishes she’d known when she first started working with herbs
• [33:13] Herbal tidbit

Get Your Free Recipe!

A simple tea blend you can make to soothe stomach upset that is accompanied by griping pain, such as when you have the stomach flu.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp dried ginger chunks
• 2 Tbsp dried thyme
• 2 Tbsp lemon peel (just peel, no pith)
• 1-2 Tbsp black birch bark or twigs

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and put them into a glass jar.  Use 1 Tbsp of the blend for each cup of tea.  Allow the tea to steep in just-boiled water for at least 10 minutes, covered, to get the most benefit.

Connect with Amelia:

• Websites | Black Sun Farm LLC and Herbal Remedies By Amelia
• Instagram | @blacksunfarm 
• Facebook | Black Sun Farm 
• TikTok | @theoriginalmealchan
  

Connect with Rosalee

• On Instagram | @rosaleedelaforet

• On Facebook | Herbs With Rosalee
• On YouTube | Herbs With Rosalee

• Website | herbswithrosalee.com


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