Ep. 245: Wild Medicine with Ali English

<p>Today on the Plant Cunning Podcast we talk with UK herbalist and teacher Ali English, author of Wild Medicine (Aeon Books), about her path from childhood gardening and Culpeper’s Herbal to formal training and later teaching in the Lincoln College herbal medicine degree program. Ali describes how the course is structured (therapeutics, anatomy and physiology, evidence and critical thinking, pharmacy/community practice, and intensive clinical training and exams), and discusses gaps like limited outdoor time. She explains her practical approach to medicine making (teas, syrups, salves, tinctures, decoctions, and combined extracts), her interest in energetics, planetary correspondences, and hedge-witch “small magics,” and how she evaluates plant associations through both tradition and experience. The conversation also covers plants like knapweed, scabious, rosebay willowherb/fireweed, and blue flag, plus dosing differences between the UK and US, and Ali&#39;s upcoming projects, consultations, workshops, and mentoring.</p><p>00:00 Meet Ali English</p><p>00:36 Finding the Plant Path</p><p>04:35 Early Herb Books</p><p>05:55 Training at Lincoln College</p><p>06:43 Making Herbal Remedies</p><p>08:37 Inside the Degree Program</p><p>11:54 Clinical Exams and Practice</p><p>15:15 Fieldwork and Plant ID</p><p>18:12 Why Write Wild Medicine</p><p>24:02 Witchcraft and Energetics</p><p>28:41 Planetary Plant Links</p><p>31:38 Local Herbs Over Imports</p><p>33:23 Harvesting Knapweed Medicine</p><p>34:18 Decoction and Double Extracts</p><p>36:48 Astrology in Tincture Craft</p><p>38:59 Knapweed as Liver Tonic</p><p>39:57 Fireweed Uses and Fermented Tea</p><p>43:26 Blue Flag Dosing and Trauma</p><p>45:53 Why Herbal Dosage Differs in the UK and the US</p><p>52:30 Teaching Energetics in Clinic</p><p>55:30 New Projects and Offerings</p><p>57:19 Consults Workshops and Farewell<br></p>