Lila's Herbal Revolution

Lila Swanberg | Clinical Herbalist
  • 5.0 (5)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Weekly

Lila is a clinical herbalist here to make natural healing potent again. And these are the conversations making it happen. Both sides of the fence are failing — and flailing. Conventional medicine has missed the mark, and the alternative health and wellness scene has become a mess of internet health gurus, bloggers regurgitating bad information, wellness marketing machines, and dogmatic opinions. Here we help you find what's been missing in your health journey. The potency needed to move the needle and prove that natural works. Get ready to find the tools, the knowledge, and something about

  1. 2d ago

    Bacopa GONE WRONG

    🌀 Come Join us In the Path to Practitioner Potency Community. After multiple requests for mentorship I launched this program to create a space for herb learning. If you are a practitioner, student, podcast fan, this is the place to go deeper, ask questions, get support, join monthly trainings, Q&A's, Learn new materia medica, Experiment with herbs and more! This community is designed to fill in the gaps I see in the natural healing space. The ones that prevent it from all coming together, making sense and applying it IN PRACTICE. Join here: skool.com/path-to-practitioner-potency-3445 🌀 The Herb That Said No: Bacopa, 7 Days of Diarrhea, and Knowing When to Quit A For Science episode with trauma-informed therapist Nicky Yazbeck This For Science episode didn't go the way I planned, and I'm so glad it didn't. I picked Bacopa for Nicky Yazbeck because it's one of my favorite herbs for the mind. We worked up to a therapeutic dose of 10 grams a day, and her body said no from day one. Nicky tried everything to get it down: honey, applesauce, kombucha, chasers, and swallowable wrappers that burst open in her throat. Seven days of diarrhea later, she called it. This is the side of herbalism nobody posts about. Not every herb is right for every person, even a gentle, well-loved one, and listening to your body's feedback is part of the medicine. From there we get into taste memory and plant medicine, the keeper at the gate, dieting with plants, my ongoing wrestle with eating meat, and what's happened to the nutrient value of our food. What We Cover - Bacopa (Brahmi) energetics: bitter, sweet, cooling, and why it can aggravate vata and dampen digestion in excess - Traditional and clinical uses: memory, focus, ADHD, anxiety, sleep, nervous system rejuvenation, and topical oils - Why Bacopa gets confused with Gotu kola - Nicky's 7 day experience and why she stopped - Every method she tried to get the powder down, and what actually worked - Swallowing herbs in wrappers: the learning curve and the 5 gram limit - How taste can trigger a body memory, and Nicky's Huachuma connection - The keeper at the gate: why some medicines don't let you in - Plant dietas and clearing your system to connect with a plant - How porous we are to other people's energy, food, and habits - My conflict about eating meat, and why some clients need it as medicine - Soil depletion, nutrient loss, and why food tastes different abroad - Focusing on what we can control: news, social media, sleep, sunlight Meet Nicky Yazbeck Nicky is a trauma-informed licensed therapist, EMDR therapist, and yoga teacher who works with plant medicine. She hosts The Connected Community: Exploring Possibilities, a podcast with open-minded conversations on plant medicine, Ayurveda, yoga, human design, astrology, and more. If you enjoy this show, you'll love hers. And yes, she's a total trooper. 🌐 Nicky's website → https://nickyyyoga.com/ 🎙️ The Connected Community on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-mc44gawLCunGyoY13c2wQ 💥 Watch Nicky's Bacopa powder fail → https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19WYS15WUL/ Links and Resources 🪬 pattern assessment quiz → https://tally.so/r/n05N1y 🪷 work together → https://tvnhc.com/start 🌿 Subscribe → https://tvnhc.com/listen/ Website: tvnhc.com Email: hello@tvnhc.com

  2. Oct 6

    We Took 30 Grams of Ashwagandha a Day for Two Weeks ( With Mason of HerbRally)

    🌀 Come Join us In the Path to Practitioner Potency Community. After multiple requests for mentorship I launched this program to create a space for herb learning. If you are a practitioner, student, podcast fan, this is the place to go deeper, ask questions, get support, join monthly trainings, Q&A's, Learn new materia medica, Experiment with herbs and more! This community is designed to fill in the gaps I see in the natural healing space. The ones that prevent it from all coming together, making sense and applying it IN PRACTICE. Join here:skool.com/path-to-practitioner-potency-3445 🌀 We Took 30 Grams of Ashwagandha a Day for Two WeeksFor Science with Mason Hutchison of HerbRally Mason Hutchison, founder of HerbRally, joins me for a For Science episode where we both took 30 grams of powdered ashwagandha root every day for two weeks. Mason came into this deeply burnt out and walked away feeling grounded from the very first dose. His health quiz scores jumped across mood, energy, digestion, and strength, and his nightmares quietly disappeared. I share what shifted for me too, and my theory that ashwagandha literally gives you thicker skin. We get into why traditional preparation matters, why tinctures and gummies won't get you there, what's really behind the "dark side of ashwagandha" internet panic, and why therapeutic dosing deserves a comeback in modern herbalism. What We Cover:- Why we chose 30 grams of ashwagandha powder, and how to taper down to a maintenance dose- Mason's instant "grounded" feeling and his before and after quiz results- How ashwagandha reset my sleep and circadian rhythm in real time- My theory: ashwagandha builds thicker skin, physically and energetically- Why we crave what throws us out of balance (and why balance can feel jarring)- Burnout, entrepreneurship, and learning to embrace slow mornings- Traditional Ayurvedic preparation: churna (powder), ghee, milk, honey, and anupanas- Why I don't recommend ashwagandha tinctures or decoctions- Kyle Denton of Tippecanoe Herbs on ashwagandha as a male tonic (plus his jingle)- The "dark side of ashwagandha": nocebo, leaf and berry adulteration, and extracts- Nightshade sensitivities and ashwagandha root- Ashwagandha for nightmares, PTSD, and nervous system dysregulation- Sustainability when herbs go trendy, and my Shilajit supplier story- KP Khalsa's pairing of ashwagandha and shatavari- Food-like herbs, the food-drug spectrum, and why tonics need bigger doses Links and Resources:🪬 pattern assessment quiz🪷 work together🌿 Subscribe🌀 Path to Practitioner PotencyWebsite: tvnhc.comEmail: hello@tvnhc.com Connect with Mason and HerbRally 🌿 Stay connected with the herbal community through the HerbRally newsletter! Founded by podcast guest Mason Hutchison, HerbRally shares herbal events, courses, podcasts, plant monographs, interviews, and other resources to support your herbal learning. Sign up and unlock a bundle of herbal goodies, including a 91-page Botanical Anthology filled with recipes, stories, and remedies; Rosalee de la Forêt's Calendula for Radiant Skin ebook; and Heather Irvine's full-length audio class on adaptogens. You'll also get your first 30 days free in the HerbRally Schoolhouse. Newsletters arrive 1-4 times per week. 🌱 Get your freebies🌱 Check out the HerbRally Website

  3. Sep 29

    I Let the Pernicious Evils In + My Herbalist Identity Crisis

    📚 NEW: Herb-Drug Interactions Masterclass with KP KhalsaIf you use herbs and anyone in your life takes medications, this class is a must. KP breaks down how to think about herbs and drugs together so you have a real framework instead of guesswork.Get the class here:https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gyfvDcimchAdRT9Ve08🌀Come Join us In the Path to Practitioner Potency Community. After multiple requests for mentorship I launched this program to create a space for herb learning. If you are a practitioner, student, podcast fan, this is the place to go deeper, ask questions, get support, join monthly trainings, Q&A's, Learn new materia medica, Experiment with herbs and more! This community is designed to fill in the gaps I see in the natural healing space. The ones that prevent it from all coming together, making sense and applying it IN PRACTICE.Join here:skool.com/path-to-practitioner-potency-3445🌀I Let the Pernicious Evils In (Plus My Herbalist Identity Crisis)A bonus episode on fall colds, the six pernicious evils, and what the word herbalist leaves outI got sick, and I'm using myself as the case study of what not to do. I'm a firm believer that coming into contact with a germ doesn't mean you'll catch it, and I still believe that. What gets us sick is when our barriers come down. So I'm walking you through exactly how I let mine down (hello, sundress and Birkenstocks in freezing, windy weather), the six pernicious evils from Traditional Chinese Medicine, and how to stay balanced through one of the hardest seasonal transitions of the year. Then I get honest about something I've been mulling over all fall: why the title herbalist isn't resonating with me anymore, and what it means to practice in a way that's rooted in plants but reaches far beyond them.What We Cover- Why exposure to a germ isn't the same as getting sick- Your barrier systems: skin, lungs, digestion, and the layers of immunity behind them- How I got sick this fall, and the mala bead and bread pudding story from years ago- The six pernicious evils in TCM: wind, cold, summer heat, dampness, dryness, and fire/heat- How these line up with Vata and Ayurvedic energetics- Living with the seasons: dressing for the weather, warming foods, abhyanga, and doing the opposite of what's going on around you- The herbs I reach for to build resilience: astragalus, guduchi sattva, and echinacea- Why the title herbalist doesn't feel resonant for me right now- Why most herbal content focuses on the plant instead of the person- "Everybody uses herbs, so why do you need an herbalist?"- Practicing in the space that's herbal adjacent but not quite herbalLinks and Resources📚 Herb-Drug Interactions Masterclass with KP → https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gyfvDcimchAdRT9Ve08 🌀 Path to Practitioner Potency → https://www.skool.com/path-to-practitioner-potency-3445/about 🪬 pattern assessment quiz → https://tally.so/r/n05N1y 🪷 work together → https://tvnhc.com/start 🌿 Subscribe → https://tvnhc.com/listen/ Website: tvnhc.comEmail: hello@tvnhc.com

  4. Sep 22

    Lila Gets a Ba Zi Reading with TCM Herbalist Maria Coliviras

    On this episode of Lila’s Herbal Revolution I’m joined with Maria, from Green Dragon Healing to get a Bai Zi reading. I had zero knowledge of what was to be revealed before the episode, and filmed it live for everyone’s benefit to see how a real life Bai Zi reading may go. Ba Zi is a traditional astrological assessment used to better understand ourselves and our lives. It can help us with relationships, business, our spiritual work and more. It connects to patterns in our being, and helps us bring our gifts to the world. In this episode we cover  * What is Bai Zi  * Traditional vs. Modern Medicine  * Is it Woo???  *  What are the 4 pillars * Lila’s Very own Chart Reading *How Bai Zi has helped Maria in her own journeyI hope you enjoy this insight into myself, and this ancient practice. I found it to be fascinating, resonant and an insightful exercise. Maria was a wonderful guest, and a great chart reader! If you are interested in more of her work you can connect with her here: https://greendragonhealer.com/https://www.instagram.com/greendragonhealer/Maria, an Herbalist of Chinese Medicine and Ba Zi  chart reader based out of Toranto Canada. Maria works with the chart and with the life around it: health, habits, the shape of ordinary days. The aim is that you leave clearer, and more at ease in your own timing. She sees clients virtually, check her out! I will definitely be back for another reading. Especially when I’m out of this crazy period of my life!  Links and Resources 🪬 Pattern assessment quiz → https://tally.so/r/n05N1y 🪷 Work with me → https://tvnhc.com/start 🌿 Subscribe → https://tvnhc.com/listen/ 🌀 Path to Practitioner Potency (PTPP) →https://www.skool.com/path-to-practitioner-potency-3445/about Email- Hello@tvnhc.com Website- tvnhc.com

  5. Sep 8

    The Lie of SSRIs: A Natural Approach to Understanding and Healing Depression

    🌀 Ready to go deeper on today's topic? Join Path to Practitioner Potency, my mentorship community for practitioners who want more training, more herbs, and real dosing guidance beyond what a podcast episode allows: https://www.skool.com/path-to-practitioner-potency-3445/about 🌀The Lie of SSRIs: A Natural Approach to Understanding and Healing DepressionI have never felt this topic land closer to home. Friends, family, clients, it feels like depression is everywhere right now, and I wanted to give you both the natural therapies that can help and a wider look at what's actually going on, including the real shortcomings of the conventional model. I share my own history with depression, the myth that natural healing only works for "mild" cases, and why I think that narrative is b******t. Then we go deep on SSRIs, the studies behind them, and the Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine concepts that explain why depression feels like a heavy, stuck fog, plus what actually clears it.What We CoverWhy natural therapies work across the full spectrum of depression, not just mild casesThe difference between situational, mild, severe, postpartum, and seasonal depressionAyurveda's Sampropti, the six stages of disease, and why catching imbalance early mattersAgni and Sadhaka Agni, the fire that processes emotional challengesNon-attachment, the Bhagavad Gita, and not letting external forces control your stateSSRIs: full side effect breakdown, the black box warning, and why we still don't know how they workKirsch's 2008 placebo data and the 2017 study on serious adverse eventsKapha, Tamas, and Mano Vaha Srotas: the Ayurvedic map of why depression feels stuckTraditional Chinese Medicine angles: phlegm in the heart orifice and liver qi stagnationNutrient depletion and the "empty tank" feeling behind depressionSense organ overstimulation, screen time, and losing the ability to process lifeHerbs worth knowing: cayenne, curcumin, albizzia, rose, lithium orotate, shankhapushpi, bacopaLinks and Resources🪬 Pattern assessment quiz → https://tally.so/r/n05N1y🪷 Work with me → https://tvnhc.com/start🌿 Subscribe → https://tvnhc.com/listen/🌀 Path to Practitioner Potency (PTPP) → https://www.skool.com/path-to-practitioner-potency-3445/aboutEmail- Hello@tvnhc.comWebsite- tvnhc.comA Quick NoteThis podcast is shifting from weekly to biweekly to keep the quality high and make room for everything happening in PTPP. I may still release the occasional weekly episode when inspiration strikes, but every other week is the new baseline going forward.Coming Up on Lila's Herbal RevolutionA For Science episode on Bacopa, featuring a therapist trying the herb firsthandA dedicated fall episode with practical seasonal support as the days get shorterThe 30 gram ashwagandha experiment with Mason from HerbrallyA herb-drug interactions masterclass with KP KhalsaSo don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss out on the fun!

  6. Aug 25

    Ginseng for Fatigue & Natural Birth Wisdom with Doula Sonny

    🌀 Come Join us In the Path to Practitioner Potency Community. After multiple requests for mentorship I launched this program to create a space for herb learning. If you are a practitioner, student, podcast fan, this is the place to go deeper, ask questions, get support, join monthly trainings, Q&A's, Learn new materia medica, Experiment with herbs and more! This community is designed to fill in the gaps I see in the natural healing space. The ones that prevent it from all coming together, making sense and applying it IN PRACTICE. Join here: skool.com/path-to-practitioner-potency-3445 🌀 Ginseng for Fatigue & Natural Birth Wisdom with Doula SonnyA red ginseng energy experiment, then a doula's take on birth, fear, and the postpartum void. This episode is really two conversations in one. First, Lila and guest Sonny Dahood, a doula and herbalist based in New Hampshire, break down a two-week red ginseng experiment Sonny ran for fatigue. She reports unexpected wins beyond just energy, including deeper sleep, fewer sugar cravings, and a "clean" motivated feeling with none of the jitteriness she usually gets from stimulants. Lila explains why ginseng, despite its energizing reputation, can actually be one of the best sedatives in the herbal toolkit when the picture is right. Then the conversation shifts entirely into Sonny's work as a doula. She and Lila get into home birth versus hospital birth, the fear and stigma around out of hospital birth, the systemic issues baked into modern maternity care, and why the way we're born may shape our health for decades. They also cover placenta preservation, herbs used to support labor like black and blue cohosh, postpartum Ayurvedic care, and the postpartum depression and anxiety that so often goes unaddressed once the focus shifts entirely to the baby. What We Cover: Part 1: The Ginseng Experiment Why Lila reaches for red ginseng specifically, and how it differs from American ginsengSonny's day by day experience with ginseng: energy, motivation, cravings, and sleepThe lesser known link between ginseng and better sleep, straight from Michael Tierra's teachingsDosing ginseng, from saturation dose to long term maintenancePart 2: Doula Work & Birth What drew Sonny to doula work and her own home birth journeyHome birth vs hospital birth outcomes, interventions, and the fear narrative around eachHow the medical model designs care around edge cases instead of the average birthThe push toward more autonomy in hospital births, and what's still stuck in the old modelHerbs used to support labor, including black and blue cohosh, red raspberry leaf, and evening primrosePlacenta preservation options: encapsulation, salves, prints, and burialWhy the generational trauma of depleted birth may be compounding across generationsPostpartum depression, postpartum anxiety, and how the system checks on baby but forgets momAyurvedic postpartum care: warmth, grounding, and why AC and fans work against healing✨ Want to learn more about Sonny's work? ✨🌿 Visit her website: https://sonshineraine.com/ Links and Resources:🪬 Pattern assessment quiz → https://tally.so/r/n05N1y🪷 Work with me → https://tvnhc.com/start🌿 Subscribe → https://tvnhc.com/listen/🌀 Path to Practitioner Potency (PTPP) → https://www.skool.com/path-to-practitioner-potency-3445/about🌐 Website → tvnhc.com📧 Email → hello@tvnhc.com

  7. Aug 19

    Herb-Drug Interactions Aren't What The Internet Says They Are

    🌿Herb Drug Interaction Masterclass with KP Khalsa. 👉 https://buy.stripe.com/aFafZgcjr2HM95og019Ve0bHerb-drug interactions are one of the most daunting corners of herbalism, and the fear around them is almost entirely out of proportion to the actual risk. In this episode I'm breaking down where that fear comes from, why it doesn't hold up, and what I actually do in clinical practice instead.Why herb-drug interaction fear can quietly end herbal practice before it startsThe Western medical lens we've applied to plants, and why it doesn't fitThe garlic-and-dogs study that shows exactly how reductionist science creates false alarmA recent conversation with a nursing student that revealed how this fear gets built into medical trainingThe "5 G's and baby aspirin" video making the rounds, and what the evidence actually saysWhy adverse drug events are one of the top 3 causes of death in America, yet drug-drug combinations barely raise an eyebrow onlineThe compliance question nobody's asking: what happens if people actually took every drug exactly as prescribed?My real clinical framework for working with clients on medication: intake, drug mechanism, dosing strategy, and where the real risk actually livesWhy licorice root's scary reputation doesn't match how billions of people actually use itIf you've ever felt frozen by a contraindications list, or you're a health seeker wondering if it's safe to combine your herbs with your meds, this one's for you.✨ Get the masterclass with KP Khalsa Here 👉 https://buy.stripe.com/dRm4gyfvDcimchAdRT9Ve08Links and Resources:🪬 Pattern assessment quiz → https://tally.so/r/n05N1y🪷 Work with me → https://tvnhc.com/start🌿 Subscribe → https://tvnhc.com/listen/🌀 Path to Practitioner Potency (PTPP) → https://www.skool.com/path-to-practitioner-potency-3445/about🌐 Website → tvnhc.com📧 Email → hello@tvnh.com

  8. Aug 11

    Sourcing Herbs Is a Nightmare: Out of Stock, Wrong Form, Price Just Doubled

    🌀 Come Join us In the Path to Practitioner Potency Community. After multiple requests for mentorship I launched this program to create a space for herb learning. If you are a practitioner, student, podcast fan, this is the place to go deeper, ask questions, get support, join monthly trainings, Q&A's, Learn new materia medica, Experiment with herbs and more! This community is designed to fill in the gaps I see in the natural healing space. The ones that prevent it from all coming together, making sense and applying it IN PRACTICE. Join here: skool.com/path-to-practitioner-potency-3445 🌀 Sourcing Herbs Is a Nightmare: Out of Stock, Wrong Form, Price Just DoubledWhy "just go buy the herb" is one of the most misleading sentences in herbalism This week I'm talking about herb sourcing, one of the least glamorous but most important parts of clinical herbalism. I run a fully virtual practice, which means I'm not handing someone a plant, I'm handing them a protocol and trusting them to go find the right herb, in the right form, from the right supplier. I talk through why that's harder than it sounds, what can go wrong between writing a protocol and actually getting herbs into someone's hands, and how I've built my own process after years of six-hour sourcing sessions. What We Cover Why I built my practice virtual from day one, and what that means for how I get herbs to clientsThe real cost of sourcing: budget, supply chain issues, out of stock herbs, and price fluctuationsWorking from a planetary perspective and why that means juggling Western, Chinese, and Ayurvedic suppliers separatelyApothecary vs drop shipping: the tradeoffs of holding inventory versus sourcing per clientWhy the right herb isn't enough, you also need the right part (root vs seed), the right processing (raw vs processed), and the right extract ratioReal examples: butterbur safety questions, He Shou Wu processing, burdock root vs seed, nettle root vs leaf vs seedWhy I don't forage or make my own medicine, and why that's a deliberate choice, not a shortcutWhat young practitioners need to think through before they ever write their first protocolLinks and Resources🪬 Pattern assessment quiz → https://tally.so/r/n05N1y🪷 Work together → https://tvnhc.com/start🌿 Subscribe → https://tvnhc.com/listen/🌐 Website → tvnhc.com📧 Email → hello@tvnhc.com

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Ratings & Reviews

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About

Lila is a clinical herbalist here to make natural healing potent again. And these are the conversations making it happen. Both sides of the fence are failing — and flailing. Conventional medicine has missed the mark, and the alternative health and wellness scene has become a mess of internet health gurus, bloggers regurgitating bad information, wellness marketing machines, and dogmatic opinions. Here we help you find what's been missing in your health journey. The potency needed to move the needle and prove that natural works. Get ready to find the tools, the knowledge, and something about

Information

  • Creator
    Lila Swanberg | Clinical Herbalist
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Lila Swanberg | Clinical Herbalist
  • Show Website
    Lila's Herbal Revolution

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