An Herbal Diary

Dina Ranade
  • 4.8 (64)
  • ALTERNATIVE HEALTH
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY

Explore the art and science of kitchen herbalism. Each episode delves into the fascinating world of botanical medicine - how it can enhance our lives and support our well-being. Build your own personal kitchen apothecary, a medicine cabinet stocked with all that is good for your families, friends and yourself.

  1. Culinary Herbalism featuring Baking with Cinnamon

    12/15/2025

    Culinary Herbalism featuring Baking with Cinnamon

    In this episode we delve into herbal medicine from a culinary perspective by baking with the queen of baking spices.. cinnamon. It's no surprise that this spice has a pastry named for it. Cinnamon is prominent as a remedy in traditional Chinese medicine. Its warming quality stimulates circulation. We talk about the differences between ceylon and cassia cinnamon along with when to choose between the two.  This episode of An Herbal Diary continues the Herbal Bake Club segment of the podcast highlighting pumpkin pie cinnamon rolls.  I have started a virtual herbal bake club and am including a companion podcast episode for each recipe.  Please consider joining my Herbal Bake Club!! I have also started a newsletter on Substack. Please subscribe for all the details, recipes and zoom link for the meeting. I hope that our herbal bake club will give us a chance to smile a bit together, immerse ourselves in kitchen herbalism and bake lovely creations.  If you are subscribed to my Substack, you are automatically invited to Herbal Bake Club meetings. Check your inbox for the recipes and Zoom link.  If you are not yet subscribed to my new Substack, please head to notesfrommykitchenapothecary.substack.com to join. I would love to have you join!  Spice Source Mentions: Diaspora Co. Burlap and Barrel Mountain Rose Herbs Herbalist & Alchemist (spiced bitters) Sending you warm baking and gathering together thoughts and thank you for listening!! ---Deepest gratitude to Andrea Klunder, my podcast boss.  Find her at thecreativeimposter.com.  Original music by Dylan Rice Please send me your comments, requests, or feedback.  Send me a message, voice or write an email, my email is dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com. I look forward to hearing from you! To get herb inspired recipes, plant profiles and read more about herbal medicine, visit my website at: theherbalbakeshoppe.com Join me on Substack Connect with me on Instagram  If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe where ever you like to listen to podcasts! And if you have time, kindly share with your friends and family.  ABOUT DINA Dina Ranade is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist. She is also a mom of three humans - two daughters and one son all now living their young adult lives - and one sweet Pomeranian named Maci.

    36 min
  2. Herbal Bake Club: Panna Cotta & Cookies with Herbal Guests Ashwagandha and Cardamom

    10/21/2025

    Herbal Bake Club: Panna Cotta & Cookies with Herbal Guests Ashwagandha and Cardamom

    This is a special episode of An Herbal Diary. I am organizing a virtual herbal bake club and this is the first companion podcast episode.  Please consider joining me! I have also started a newsletter on Substack. Please subscribe for all the details, recipes and zoom link for the meeting.  If you are not yet subscribed to my new Substack, please head to notesfrommykitchenapothecary.substack.com to join. I would love to have you join!  If you are subscribed to my Substack, you are automatically invited to Herbal Bake Club meetings. Check your inbox for the recipes and Zoom link.  Our first Herbal Bake Club Meeting: Saturday, October 25th at 2 pm EST.  We will be making two herb infused desserts, banana panna cotta and lemon butter cookies. We have two special herbal guests -  ashwagandha and cardamom. We will meet on Zoom.  I've introduced ashwagandha in the last few episodes.  Link to Ashwagandha Monograph episode.  Sources for Herbal Ingredients: Cardamom Pods Ashwagandha Tea Ashwagandha Root I hope that our herbal bake club will give us a chance to smile a bit together, immerse ourselves in kitchen herbalism and bake lovely creations.  Sending you warm baking and gathering together thoughts and thank you for listening!! ---Deepest gratitude to Andrea Klunder, my podcast boss.  Find her at thecreativeimposter.com.  Original music by Dylan Rice Please send me your comments, requests, or feedback.  Send me a message, voice or write an email, my email is dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com. I look forward to hearing from you! To get herb inspired recipes, plant profiles and read more about herbal medicine, visit my website at: theherbalbakeshoppe.com Subscribe to Notes from a Kitchen Apothecary on Substack Connect with me on Instagram  If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe where ever you like to listen to podcasts! And if you have time, kindly share with your friends and family.  ABOUT DINA Dina Ranade is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist. She is also a mom of three humans - two daughters and one son all now living their young adult lives - and one sweet Pomeranian named Maci.

    29 min
  3. Ashwagandha Monograph

    09/30/2025

    Ashwagandha Monograph

    This episode highlights Ashwagandha, a medicinal herb that originates from the Indian Ayurvedic tradition. I'm spending time with this nourishing plant today with an herbal monograph episode. An herbal monograph is also called materia medica. It is a collection of knowledge about one plant that helps to describe the plant as a material of medicine. In the last episode of an herbal diary, I spoke about a general category of plants called adaptogens.  If you've listened to that last episode, you will remember we talked about how there are only a few herbs that through research can be clearly defined as adaptogens. Ashwagandha is one of these herbs.  Ashwagandha's botanical name: Withania Somnifera Plant Family: Solanaceae Link to Adaptogen Episode   I'm excited to tell you about a new Herbal Diary spinoff. It's a virtual baking club. We will highlight at least one herb each time we meet, you can bake along with me or just watch. I will send recipes ahead of time. More details to come very soon! If you have ideas or want to join, please email me dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com    Sending you warm autumn thoughts and thank you for joining me! ---Deepest gratitude to Andrea Klunder, my podcast boss.  Find her at thecreativeimposter.com.  Original music by Dylan Rice Please send me your comments, requests, or feedback.  Send me a message, voice or write an email, my email is dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com. I look forward to hearing from you! To get herb inspired recipes, plant profiles and read more about herbal medicine, visit my website at: theherbalbakeshoppe.com Join me on Patreon Connect with me on Instagram  If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe where ever you like to listen to podcasts! And if you have time, kindly share with your friends and family.  ABOUT DINA Dina Ranade is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist. She is also a mom of three humans - two daughters and one son all now living their young adult lives - and one sweet Pomeranian named Maci.

    1 hr
  4. Stress Relief from Adaptogens and How Herbs Can Do This

    06/10/2025

    Stress Relief from Adaptogens and How Herbs Can Do This

    Plants labeled as adaptogens take the word literally. These herbs lend us a way to adapt, a way to adjust to what life throws at us. You can't go wrong taking adaptogens, but you can go wrong in how you take them. There are two paths to careful selection. Work with an herbalist who can guide you to adaptogens that fit you best or arm yourself with deep study. I hope this episode will help with the deep study path. I am beginning a series on adaptogens. In this first episode, I  focus on the basic foundational principle that adaptogen is considered an herbal action. We talk about the body's stress response and the role adaptogens play in stress relief. We also talk about how social media may be a way of community herbalism.  Resources to find Herbalists: The American Herbalist Guild Herbmentor HerbRally Book Mentions: Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief by David Winston, RH(AHG) The Alchemy of Herbs : Transform Everyday Ingredients into Foods and Remedies that Heal by Rosalee de la Foret   Link to Ashwagandha Chai Episode Sending you warm summer thoughts and thank you for joining me! ---Deepest gratitude to Andrea Klunder, my podcast boss.  Find her at thecreativeimposter.com.  Original music by Dylan Rice Please send me your comments, requests, or feedback.  Send me a message, voice or write an email, my email is dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com. I look forward to hearing from you! To get herb inspired recipes, plant profiles and read more about herbal medicine, visit my website at: theherbalbakeshoppe.com Join me on Patreon Connect with me on Instagram  If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe where ever you like to listen to podcasts! And if you have time, kindly share with your friends and family.  ABOUT DINA Dina Ranade is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist. She is also a mom of three humans - two daughters and one son all now living their young adult lives - and one sweet Pomeranian named Maci.

    47 min
  5. Making Gumbo with Sassafras

    02/15/2025

    Making Gumbo with Sassafras

    Sassafras is a richly nuanced medicinal tree that also has a distinctive place in the culinary world. Sassafras root bark is responsible for the flavor of root beer, but it is no longer used due to a Food and Drug Administration ban. The reasons for this fortunately do not transfer to sassafras leaves which have a long history of being essential to classical Southern gumbo. I think sassafras falls into the category of underutilized herbs. Despite questions about safety and bad publicity, sassafras is distinctive and very much worth getting to know.  Links to Gumbo Mentions: Toni Tipton Martin Jubilee Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking: A Cookbook by Toni Tipton Martin Lena Richard New Orlean"s Cookbook by Lena Richard My favorite sources for gumbo file: Red Stick Spice Co. Mountain Rose Herbs: dried sassafras leaves Join me in this episode for more on sassafras…the unique features of its leaves, its medicinal qualities and some safety concerns. Sending you warm winter wishes  and thank you for joining me! ---Deepest gratitude to Andrea Klunder, my podcast boss.  Find her at thecreativeimposter.com.  Original music by Dylan Rice Please send me your comments, requests, or feedback.  Send me a message, voice or write an email, my email is dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com. I look forward to hearing from you! Episode Website To get herb inspired recipes, plant profiles and read more about herbal medicine, visit my website at: theherbalbakeshoppe.com Join me on Patreon Connect with me on Instagram  If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe where ever you like to listen to podcasts! And if you have time, kindly share with your friends and family.  ABOUT DINA Dina Ranade is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist. She is also a mom of three humans - two daughters and one son all now living their young adult lives - and one sweet Pomeranian named Maci.

    43 min
  6. Getting to Know Sumac, An Underutilized Herb

    08/09/2024

    Getting to Know Sumac, An Underutilized Herb

    What makes a fruit or vegetable easy to find in grocery stores? While there are many answers to this question, a lot of edible medicinal herbs are not, herbs like nettles, burdock root and elderberries. To this list, I am adding sumac berries. Sumac may not give us delicious fruit, but there is good reason to get to know it better and I am doing this in my kitchen. And in case you are wondering, this is a totally different plant than toxic poison sumac.  My favorite sources for dried sumac: Mountain Rose Herbs Burlap & Barrel Join me in this episode for more on sumac…its uses as a culinary spice and as an underutilized medicinal herb and also the difference between sumac and poison sumac.  Sending you warm summer thoughts  and thank you for joining me! ---Deepest gratitude to Andrea Klunder, my podcast boss.  Find her at thecreativeimposter.com.  Original music by Dylan Rice Please send me your comments, requests, or feedback.  Send me a message, voice or write an email, my email is dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com. I look forward to hearing from you! To get herb inspired recipes, plant profiles and read more about herbal medicine, visit my website at: theherbalbakeshoppe.com Connect with me on Instagram  If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe where ever you like to listen to podcasts! And if you have time, kindly share with your friends and family.  ABOUT DINA Dina Ranade is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist. She is also a mom of three humans - two daughters and one son all now living their young adult lives - and one sweet Pomeranian named Maci.

    46 min
  7. 57. The Medicine of Tree Bark and Flowering Spring Trees

    06/06/2024

    57. The Medicine of Tree Bark and Flowering Spring Trees

    What makes a tree medicinal? The answer to this question depends on the medicine we are searching for. Especially in spring, trees can be medicine for our eyes. After the grayness of winter, glorious flowering trees like dogwood and magnolia are sweet visions. Aside from landscaping decoration, both dogwood and magnolia along with many other trees,have long been used for strong medicines derived from their bark.Tree bark has phytochemicals that make it bitter, astringent, and highly antimicrobial. Bark is a tree's protective layer, helping it to survive through winter cold and other dangers like bacteria, fungi and troublesome insects.  The same phytochemicals in tree bark offer much medicine to humans as well.  Join me in this episode for more on tree bark and the medicine of dogwood and magnolia trees. Sending you lovely spring thoughts and thank you for joining me! ---Deepest gratitude to Andrea Klunder, my podcast boss.  Find her at thecreativeimposter.com.  Original music by Dylan Rice Please send me your comments, requests, or feedback.  Send me a message, voice or write an email, my email is dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com. I look forward to hearing from you! To get herb inspired recipes, plant profiles and read more about herbal medicine, visit my website at: theherbalbakeshoppe.com Join me on Patreon Connect with me on Instagram  If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe where ever you like to listen to podcasts! And if you have time, kindly share with your friends and family.  ABOUT DINA Dina Ranade is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist. She is also a mom of three humans - two daughters and one son all now living their young adult lives - and one sweet Pomeranian named Maci.

    40 min
  8. 56. Warming Energetics and Evergreen Trees

    03/20/2024

    56. Warming Energetics and Evergreen Trees

    Plant energetics is a way to understand how a plant can affect the body through our senses and how it feels in the body. Energetics is subtle, but so helpful when choosing herbs. The difference between warming and cooling plant energetics is like feeling the warmth of the sun versus a cool plunge into the ocean. In this episode, we delve deep into warming energetics and match these with a group of trees that provide great examples: evergreens. These trees have great potential for kitchen uses and herbal remedies. We talk all about  juniper, fir, hemlock and spruce trees.  Some examples of herbs with warming energetic qualities: ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne pepper, turmeric, garlic, rosemary, cumin, black pepper. Sending you the warmest thoughts and thank you for joining me! ---Deepest gratitude to Andrea Klunder, my podcast boss.  Find her at thecreativeimposter.com.  Original music by Dylan Rice Please send me your comments, requests, or feedback.  Send me a message, voice or write an email, my email is dina@theherbalbakeshoppe.com. I look forward to hearing from you! To get herb inspired recipes, plant profiles and read more about herbal medicine, visit my website at: theherbalbakeshoppe.com Join me on Patreon Connect with me on Instagram If you enjoyed this episode, please follow or subscribe where ever you like to listen to podcasts! And if you have time, kindly share with your friends and family.  ABOUT DINA Dina Ranade is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist. She is also a mom of three humans - two daughters and one son all now living their young adult lives - and one sweet Pomeranian named Maci.

    52 min
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4.8
out of 5
64 Ratings

About

Explore the art and science of kitchen herbalism. Each episode delves into the fascinating world of botanical medicine - how it can enhance our lives and support our well-being. Build your own personal kitchen apothecary, a medicine cabinet stocked with all that is good for your families, friends and yourself.

Information

  • Creator
    Dina Ranade
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2025
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025, Dina Ranade
  • Show Website
    An Herbal Diary