Sky House Herbs

Ashley Elenbaas

Everywhere we go, we can find plant spirits. In this podcast, clinical herbalist Ashley Elenbaas invites us to discover the healing power of plants—not just their medicinal properties but their deeper wisdom and gifts. With respect and reverence, Ashley guides her listeners to be open to the teachings of these potent teachers. If you are looking for a holistic approach to healing that can help you achieve optimal health and well-being, then pop in for a listen.

  1. 1d ago

    How To Wait — Dividing What's Left

    What do we do with the part of ourselves that is ready to begin when life is asking us to wait? 🤝 Share this Video: https://youtu.be/ZqDkWzkcygo  🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://skyh.to/SUB  In this first episode of How to Wait, a new series following Savoring the End, I share what it feels like to live between two places: preparing to leave the garden I've tended for six years while waiting to meet the land that will become our new home. With the Knight of Wands from the Spirit of the Herbs herbal tarot as my companion, I explore my own impulse to charge ahead, make plans, and start building. Meanwhile, dividing my garden plants offers a quieter practice: choosing what comes with me, what stays behind, and where to direct my energy while the next chapter takes shape. In this episode, I explore: • The Knight of Wands and the tension between enthusiasm and restraint • Dividing black cohosh, iris, and lady's mantle as a practice of choosing what to carry forward • Monkshood's symbolism and the respect that great force asks of us • My decision to spend a full year observing the new land before building a garden • How waiting can become a meaningful form of preparation Where in your life are you ready to charge ahead before the path is clear? What might it look like to hold that energy with a little more patience and care? I'd love to hear your reflections in the comments. Monkshood (aconite) is highly toxic and is discussed in this episode only as a symbol, not as an herbal remedy. HERBAL COURSES 🌱 HERBAL FOUNDATIONS APPRENTICESHIP A 12‑month online journey designed to help you weave herbal medicine into the fabric of daily life. This is the place we begin, learning to make our own remedies, meeting the plants in our backyards and kitchens, and connecting deeply with the rhythms of nature. It is a foundation built not just of facts, but of relationship and trust in the green world. 👉 Become a herbalist → https://skyh.to/roots   🌿 SECOND YEAR: HERBAL INTEGRATION & PRACTICE For those who have laid the first stones and are ready to walk further into the woods. This second year focuses on the art of advanced formulation, clinical skills, and discovering your unique seat of service as a community herbalist. Here, we refine our listening and deepen our apothecary practice, moving from student to practitioner. 👉 Second Year Details →  https://skyh.to/bloom   ———— Resources: Savoring the End Series - Watch Here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQYhK0h_mY0o&si=xu_qdrX1C_kcVCYe  The Herbal Tarot Deck by Michael Tierra and Candis Cantin: https://amzn.to/4yb3cfq  The Journey Home by Radhanath Swami: https://amzn.to/47IkUfc  Everything is Waiting for Us by David Whyte

    How To Wait — Dividing What's Left
  2. Oct 5

    Savoring the End: An Epilogue-Where We're Going, and Why | Ashley Elenbaas

    After the final episode of Savoring the End, many of you reached out to ask more about our move: how it came about, where we're going, and what I've been processing along the way. This epilogue is my chance to share that fuller story. 🤝 Share this Video: https://youtu.be/oL7-4p2TWFE  🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://skyh.to/SUB  I talk about my long-held longing for quiet, how the wild landscapes of Southern Italy helped me recognize what I was seeking, and the pond that made meeting our new home feel deeply personal. In this episode, I explore: - Wanting privacy while continuing to teach, host, and share plant medicine. - The privilege of being able to make this choice, and my hesitation about sharing it. - Becoming a steward of the pond, wetlands, and life already present. - Letting go of my plan to build a garden right away and giving the land a full year of attention first. - Making room for creativity, family, and a slower relationship with home. For someone whose instinct is to jump in and build, choosing to wait is a meaningful shift.  I'm ending this series with a question I'm learning to live into myself: What would it look like to give something in your own life a full year of attention before you act on it? 2027 The Oracle Within Retreat - https://nightlightastrology.com/oracle-within-retreat/  Sky House Herb School - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/  HERBAL COURSES 🌱 HERBAL FOUNDATIONS APPRENTICESHIP A 12‑month online journey designed to help you weave herbal medicine into the fabric of daily life. This is the place we begin, learning to make our own remedies, meeting the plants in our backyards and kitchens, and connecting deeply with the rhythms of nature. It is a foundation built not just of facts, but of relationship and trust in the green world. 👉 Become a herbalist → https://skyh.to/roots   🌿 SECOND YEAR: HERBAL INTEGRATION & PRACTICE For those who have laid the first stones and are ready to walk further into the woods. This second year focuses on the art of advanced formulation, clinical skills, and discovering your unique seat of service as a community herbalist. Here, we refine our listening and deepen our apothecary practice, moving from student to practitioner. 👉 Second Year Details →  https://skyh.to/bloom

    Savoring the End: An Epilogue-Where We're Going, and Why | Ashley Elenbaas
  3. Sep 30

    Herb of the Month: Valerian | Ashley Elenbaas

    Valerian, Valeriana officinalis is one of our most well known herbal allies for sleep and nervous system support, but it does not affect everyone in the same way. 🤝 Share this Video: https://youtu.be/UJPnJWZUt3U  🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://skyh.to/SUB  In this Herb of the Month episode, I share the story of how my brother and I both took valerian and had two very different experiences. Our responses illustrate an important truth in herbal medicine: a plant that feels deeply calming for one person may feel stimulating or unsettling for another. We will explore: • How to identify and grow valerian, Valeriana officinalis • The traditional use of the root for sleep, anxiety, tension, and nervous digestion • Valerian's fascinating connection to dreams, folklore, and the otherworld • Why valerian relaxes humans but excites many cats • The difference between fresh and dried valerian root • Why some people experience a paradoxical stimulating response • Preparation methods, safety considerations, and possible interactions Valerian is a powerful reminder that herbal medicine is personal. Learning about an herb's actions is important, but paying attention to how your own body responds is just as essential. This video is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Watch my other Herb of the Month Videos here on my playlist! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtGmbdK5tigdQ6AtMVIyHsQ7fytqaR25Q&si=sxTSKPx2ZJ-OQVRB  #Valerian #HerbOfTheMonth #HerbalMedicine #MedicinalHerbs #SleepHerbs #NervousSystemSupport #SkyHouseHerbs HERBAL COURSES 🌱 HERBAL FOUNDATIONS APPRENTICESHIP A 12‑month online journey designed to help you weave herbal medicine into the fabric of daily life. This is the place we begin, learning to make our own remedies, meeting the plants in our backyards and kitchens, and connecting deeply with the rhythms of nature. It is a foundation built not just of facts, but of relationship and trust in the green world. 👉 Become a herbalist → https://skyh.to/roots   🌿 SECOND YEAR: HERBAL INTEGRATION & PRACTICE For those who have laid the first stones and are ready to walk further into the woods. This second year focuses on the art of advanced formulation, clinical skills, and discovering your unique seat of service as a community herbalist. Here, we refine our listening and deepen our apothecary practice, moving from student to practitioner. 👉 Second Year Details →  https://skyh.to/bloom

    Herb of the Month: Valerian | Ashley Elenbaas
  4. Sep 21

    Savoring the End: Final Episode & Leaving the Garden | Ashley Elenbaas

    What does it mean to savor an ending? In this final episode of the series, I reflect on change, transition, and the tender work of letting go. As my family and I prepare to move into a new home, I share some of the emotions that arise when one chapter closes and another begins. 🤝 Share this Video: https://youtu.be/frtSymG4Q5Q  🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://skyh.to/SUB  Together, we explore the burden of fullness and consider how releasing what no longer serves us can create space for new growth. I offer several questions for self inquiry: ● What are you ready to release? ● What are you being asked to witness? ● What lessons and practices do you want to carry forward? As we welcome the Equinox, we pause to honor the balance of light and darkness and the wisdom found in every season of transition. Endings can be difficult, but they can also be beautiful invitations to trust, reflect, and begin again. Thank you for being part of this journey and for sharing this space with me. I would love to hear what you are releasing and what you hope to carry into the season ahead. HERBAL COURSES 🌱 HERBAL FOUNDATIONS APPRENTICESHIP A 12‑month online journey designed to help you weave herbal medicine into the fabric of daily life. This is the place we begin, learning to make our own remedies, meeting the plants in our backyards and kitchens, and connecting deeply with the rhythms of nature. It is a foundation built not just of facts, but of relationship and trust in the green world. 👉 Become a herbalist → https://skyh.to/roots   🌿 SECOND YEAR: HERBAL INTEGRATION & PRACTICE For those who have laid the first stones and are ready to walk further into the woods. This second year focuses on the art of advanced formulation, clinical skills, and discovering your unique seat of service as a community herbalist. Here, we refine our listening and deepen our apothecary practice, moving from student to practitioner. 👉 Second Year Details →  https://skyh.to/bloom   ────── Join my Year Two Herbal Apprenticeship - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/second-year  Book - "Prayers for the Wild Heart" Compiled by Gail Faith Edwards - https://blessedmaineherbs.com/collections/literature/products/prayers-for-the-wild-heart-tribe Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: BATMTR66BH8NEYJ6, USJ5FQSBPNHXZCXT, V8TPNCXHTEMUCVWI, MT3KJIU4VST1BYUA

    Savoring the End: Final Episode & Leaving the Garden | Ashley Elenbaas
  5. Sep 14

    Savoring the End: The Danger and Wisdom of the Wind | Ashley Elenbaas

    In this episode of Savoring the End, I reflect on the changing winds of early autumn and the feeling that something in the air is asking us some big questions about our next steps. 🤝 Share this Video: https://youtu.be/ZyIXMLz7yWU  🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://skyh.to/SUB  Drawing inspiration from the film Chocolat, I explore the wind as both a force that calls us forward and one that exposes what is tender. Sometimes the wind tells us it is time to leave. At other times, it asks us to stay, protect what we love, and become more deeply rooted in our values. HERBAL COURSES 🌱 HERBAL FOUNDATIONS APPRENTICESHIP A 12‑month online journey designed to help you weave herbal medicine into the fabric of daily life. This is the place we begin, learning to make our own remedies, meeting the plants in our backyards and kitchens, and connecting deeply with the rhythms of nature. It is a foundation built not just of facts, but of relationship and trust in the green world. 👉 Become a herbalist → https://skyh.to/roots   🌿 SECOND YEAR: HERBAL INTEGRATION & PRACTICE For those who have laid the first stones and are ready to walk further into the woods. This second year focuses on the art of advanced formulation, clinical skills, and discovering your unique seat of service as a community herbalist. Here, we refine our listening and deepen our apothecary practice, moving from student to practitioner. 👉 Second Year Details →  https://skyh.to/bloom   ────── Together, we'll explore: ● Wind as a source of change, vulnerability, and seasonal illness ● Wisdom from Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, and Italian folk traditions ● The relationship between cold air, the neck, and our immune defenses ● Astragalus and Reishi for long-term seasonal support ● Echinacea and Red Root at the first signs of illness ● Nervines for wind-related anxiety, restlessness, and disrupted sleep ● How to discern whether we are being called to move or invited to hold our ground This episode guides us toward deeper questions: What do I value enough to protect? Where am I being asked to take a clearer position? What needs sheltering and what is ready to be carried somewhere new? I'll also share more about open enrollment for the Year Two Herbal Apprenticeship and invite you to our Fall Equinox Gathering with Adam and me in Minneapolis on September 19.   Resources: Watch: Herb of the Month: Astragalus - https://youtu.be/2Ny7BsrOxsc?si=i1je2HMo68OqDxTV  Herb of the Month: Tulsi - https://youtu.be/48cwQ5P6iq8?si=E4_6rBQrk4aS0af5  Herb of the Month: Echinacea - https://youtu.be/ocLzjJXRgsg?si=t65xwPkdvsuNr2Z_  Herb of the Month: Chamomile - https://youtu.be/fHKpuIx7ApM?si=Lwj35OUWQ-dqttso  Music Attribution: Music licensed through Soundstripe. Code: HE0TI35GJCPPSBLW, FCZKSWMTU03V855N, 9UOYSW224T4MMZ0F, FHPJX1MLRLI4EZZ8, AWCCEU5BFPBYS7ZI, CM2WBPGFPZ9A42PS

    Savoring the End: The Danger and Wisdom of the Wind | Ashley Elenbaas
  6. Sep 7

    Savoring the End: When Life Makes You Wait | Ashley Elenbaas

    There is a strange pause in the garden right now. Summer isn't quite over, but autumn hasn't fully arrived. Some plants are still blooming brightly, while others have already gone to seed. 🤝 Share this Video: https://youtu.be/miISIwjRO2Y  🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://skyh.to/SUB  In this episode of Savoring the End, I explore the doldrums, an old sailing term for the place where the winds go still and a ship has nowhere to go but wait. Together we'll explore: • The garden's transition from late summer into autumn • Why periods of stillness can feel so disorienting • Sunflowers, goldenrod, jewelweed, echinacea, and the first changing maples • The difference between being stuck and simply being still • What it means to recognize something as complete rather than trying to squeeze more from it • How waiting itself can become a practice The wind will pick back up. You don't have to make it happen. Sometimes our work is simply to stay in the boat. I will also share some personal stories of the moment and show you what a sunflower head looks like once it has given everything it can. Year Two Herbal Integration and Practicum - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/second-year  Book - "Blue Iris: A Collection of Poems and Essays" by Mary Oliver - https://amzn.to/4ydDQOb  HERBAL COURSES 🌱 HERBAL FOUNDATIONS APPRENTICESHIP A 12‑month online journey designed to help you weave herbal medicine into the fabric of daily life. This is the place we begin, learning to make our own remedies, meeting the plants in our backyards and kitchens, and connecting deeply with the rhythms of nature. It is a foundation built not just of facts, but of relationship and trust in the green world. 👉 Become a herbalist → https://skyh.to/roots   🌿 SECOND YEAR: HERBAL INTEGRATION & PRACTICE For those who have laid the first stones and are ready to walk further into the woods. This second year focuses on the art of advanced formulation, clinical skills, and discovering your unique seat of service as a community herbalist. Here, we refine our listening and deepen our apothecary practice, moving from student to practitioner. 👉 Second Year Details →  https://skyh.to/bloom

    Savoring the End: When Life Makes You Wait | Ashley Elenbaas
  7. Aug 31

    Savoring the End: The Burden of Fullness

    As late summer reaches its peak, the garden begins to bow beneath its own fullness. In this episode, I explore Doyo, the transitional season associated with the Earth element and how we have to work this time of year to stay grounded.   🤝 Share this Video: https://youtu.be/HXaWr_d4uy4  🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://skyh.to/SUB  I’ll take you on a tour of my garden, my mammoth sunflowers, Joe Pye weed, and look for the signs of Doyo in each of them.  I share a few simple practices for building support from the ground up and stories from my life when things almost fell apart. In this episode: ● What the sunflowers are teaching me about fullness, endings, and support ● Doyo, the Earth element, and the practice of returning to center ● Simple grounding rituals with bare feet and trees ● A short strength practice for building physical support and reserves ● A centering tea with chamomile, catnip, ginger, licorice, and rosemary ● A simple navel-pulse practice for exploring your own sense of alignment As the season begins to turn, perhaps the invitation isn't to resist the change, but to strengthen our roots, tend our center, and create the support we need for what comes next. A 15-MINUTE STRENGTH PRACTICE Here are some equipment free practices you can do each day to build strength in your core and in the supportive muscles of your body. - Wall sit — held 30-45 seconds, repeated 2-3 times - Plank — held 30-45 seconds, repeated 2-3 times - Push-ups (modified on knees if needed) — 3 sets of 10 - Bicycle crunches — 3 sets of 10 HERBAL SUPPORT — A CENTERING TEA BLEND These herbs warm and support digestion, assimilation, and transformation, while also relaxing and centering emotionally. - Chamomile and catnip — calming the nervous system - Ginger — warming digestion - Licorice — grounding sweetness, adrenal support (avoid if you have HBP) - Rosemary — mental clarity and circulation Visit my website: https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/  Watch my video on Rosemary - Herb of the Month: https://youtu.be/m4GacKSTeP4?si=GTibNmRahGJOUR_C  Watch ny NEW  Rooted in the Stars Series - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLP8chd2N9iSk&si=vD9GplfZxeVRBhQ9   HERBAL COURSES 🌱 HERBAL FOUNDATIONS APPRENTICESHIP A 12‑month online journey designed to help you weave herbal medicine into the fabric of daily life. This is the place we begin, learning to make our own remedies, meeting the plants in our backyards and kitchens, and connecting deeply with the rhythms of nature. It is a foundation built not just of facts, but of relationship and trust in the green world. 👉 Become a herbalist → https://skyh.to/roots   🌿 SECOND YEAR: HERBAL INTEGRATION & PRACTICE For those who have laid the first stones and are ready to walk further into the woods. This second year focuses on the art of advanced formulation, clinical skills, and discovering your unique seat of service as a community herbalist. Here, we refine our listening and deepen our apothecary practice, moving from student to practitioner. 👉 Second Year Details →  https://skyh.to/bloom

    Savoring the End: The Burden of Fullness
  8. Aug 24

    Herb of the Month: Jewelweed

    Meet Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), one of my favorite late-summer plants for cooling, soothing, and tending hot, irritated skin. 🤝 Share this Video: https://youtu.be/H4etBI78_Q0  🌿 Subscribe for herbal tips and wellness insights: https://skyh.to/SUB  In this month’s Herb of the Month, I take you into the garden to meet Jewelweed up close. I’ll show you how to identify it, harvest its juicy, gel-like stems, and use it fresh on the skin. In this episode, we’ll explore: ● It’s many names like “touch-me-not” and spotted jewelweed ● Its traditional uses for poison ivy, bug bites, stings, and hot skin rashes ● How to harvest and use the cooling sap inside its succulent stems ● Why Jewelweed so often grows right alongside poison ivy ● Some of the plant’s medicinal constituents and what modern research has to say ● Stories from my own experiences using Jewelweed, including with the young herbalists at my recent Junior Herbalist Camp I’ll also share an important conversation about the difference between traditional herbal knowledge, personal experience, and clinical research and how we can hold all three with curiosity and respect. Jewelweed feels a little like the Midwest’s wild aloe: juicy, cooling, soothing, and arriving at exactly the right moment in the heat of late summer. Join My Upcoming Herbal Apprenticeship Courses - https://www.skyhouseherbs.com/ Watch more Herb of the Month videos here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtGmbdK5tigdQ6AtMVIyHsQ7fytqaR25Q&si=BlfxekVo6Fe7G6MD   HERBAL COURSES 🌱 HERBAL FOUNDATIONS APPRENTICESHIP A 12‑month online journey designed to help you weave herbal medicine into the fabric of daily life. This is the place we begin, learning to make our own remedies, meeting the plants in our backyards and kitchens, and connecting deeply with the rhythms of nature. It is a foundation built not just of facts, but of relationship and trust in the green world. 👉 Become a herbalist → https://skyh.to/roots   🌿 SECOND YEAR: HERBAL INTEGRATION & PRACTICE For those who have laid the first stones and are ready to walk further into the woods. This second year focuses on the art of advanced formulation, clinical skills, and discovering your unique seat of service as a community herbalist. Here, we refine our listening and deepen our apothecary practice, moving from student to practitioner. 👉 Second Year Details →  https://skyh.to/bloom   ────── 🌼 GARDEN GATHERINGS A sacred, seasonal monthly gardening circle where we root our hands in the soil and our hearts in community. We explore medicinal plants, create herbal medicines, plant inspired art, and tend to both the earth and our own nervous systems. All levels of gardening experience are welcome. Classes are in-person in the Minneapolis metro area. 👉 Explore Garden Gatherings → https://skyh.to/garden  ────── 🌸 GENTLE FRIDAYS A live gathering for plant spirit support in changing times. Each session includes a check‑in, a short reading, and simple practices with medicinal herbs that support stress, depletion, and emotional overwhelm. We draw plant spirit cards for symbolic guidance. This is a calm, supportive space to settle, listen, and be held by plants and shared wisdom. Come as you are—quietly listen, participate in the chat, or simply rest in the hour. 👉 Join Gentle Fridays  → https://skyh.to/events

    Herb of the Month: Jewelweed

Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
36 Ratings

About

Everywhere we go, we can find plant spirits. In this podcast, clinical herbalist Ashley Elenbaas invites us to discover the healing power of plants—not just their medicinal properties but their deeper wisdom and gifts. With respect and reverence, Ashley guides her listeners to be open to the teachings of these potent teachers. If you are looking for a holistic approach to healing that can help you achieve optimal health and well-being, then pop in for a listen.

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