This month on HerbMentor Radio, Kimberly Gallagher and Mimi Prunella welcome North Carolina herbalist, educator, wildcrafter, and Red Moon Herbs owner Jeannie Dunn for a journey into the rich forests of the Southern Appalachians. Together, they explore woodland herbalism, sustainable wildcrafting, and what it means to build a relationship with medicinal plants that includes not only harvesting them, but tending and protecting the places where they grow.Jeannie takes listeners into the cool, green world of an Appalachian rich cove, where extraordinary biodiversity creates habitat for some of our most treasured woodland medicines. She reflects on growing up on her family’s North Carolina farm and the generations of women who taught her to grow food, preserve the harvest, work with plants, and care for family and community. That lineage eventually found a natural home in the Wise Woman tradition and continues to shape Jeannie’s approach to herbalism today.The conversation celebrates Jeannie’s beloved mantra, “Eat More Weeds,” and the value of turning toward abundant plants growing close to home. Jeannie and Mimi explore how favoring common weeds can also take pressure off slower-growing woodland medicinals and discuss how herbalists can move beyond sustainable harvesting toward active stewardship of vulnerable plant communities.The episode’s anchor herb, American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), opens a deeper conversation about one of Appalachia’s most storied medicinal plants. Jeannie shares her relationship with ginseng and the complicated history surrounding its harvest, trade, and conservation. She also introduces an intriguing alternative to digging the prized root: working with ginseng leaf, offering another way to experience the medicine of this remarkable plant while keeping its roots in the ground.Listeners will also hear how these values shape Red Moon Herbs, where fresh, local plants, seasonal medicine making, and responsible sourcing remain central even as an herbal business grows. Jeannie reflects on Western North Carolina’s vibrant herbal community, the Asheville Herb Festival, and the extraordinary ways herbalists, growers, and neighbors came together following Hurricane Helene.In this episode, we explore: Stepping into the rich coves and medicinal forests of the Southern Appalachians Generations of women, plant knowledge, and the roots of Jeannie’s herbal path The Wise Woman tradition and its influence on Red Moon Herbs Why Jeannie wants us all to “Eat More Weeds” How using abundant plants can help protect vulnerable woodland medicinals American ginseng, Appalachian tradition, and conservation Using ginseng leaf as an alternative to harvesting the root Building an herbal business around fresh, local, and seasonal plants The Asheville herbal community and Asheville Herb Festival Herbalism, mutual aid, and community resilience after Hurricane Helene Discover MoreJeannie Dunn / Red Moon HerbsInstagram: @redmoonherbsWebsite: https://redmoonherbs.comExplore National Geographic Herbal: 100 Plants That Heal by HerbMentor Radio co-host Mimi Prunella Hernandez and continue learning with Mimi at @herbalandhome and herbalandhome.com. Are you ready to take your herbal learning to the next level? Sounds like it’s time to check out HerbMentor! HerbMentor offers a wide variety of rich herbal content — including an in-depth course on food as medicine — that gives you the opportunity to choose your own herbal adventure, take your time, and connect with other herbal learners and experts whenever you login. Get a special offer on HerbMentor at https://HerbMentorRadio.com Are you just starting to make herbal remedies? Build your natural first aid kid with our free Herbal Preparation Cards: https://Herbal.Cards
