#54 Rosemary Gladstar on Nurturing Medicinal Plants, Gipsy Life, and the Wisdom of Elders

Pacific Rim College Radio

My guest in this episode truly needs no introduction. Rosemary Gladstar’s impact in the world of herbal medicine cannot be overstated, and it would be potentially easier to create a list of who she has not inspired and what she has not catalyzed than to do the opposite. For the last half century, plant medicine has been the centre of her life, and she has been at or near the epicentre of the zeitgeist of the modern herbal movement.

This interview was a pure joy for me to partake in as Rosemary’s passion, compassion, and general zeal for life soar to emboldened heights. Now, as she settles into a new chapter of her life, she is drawing inward to find peace and healing and has empowered others to carry on her extraordinary herbal legacy.

We talk about her full-time herbal practice for a patient of one – her elderly mother – and the relationships Rosemary has forged with her ancestors and elders. She takes us to the genesis of so many remarkable events and projects that still thrive today, many decades later, and have likely influenced you or plant lovers you know. And we talk about her many herbal books and the creative writing project that may still be to come.

A gypsy by nature, Rosemary has travelled the globe in search of herbal connections and has taken hundreds of people with her to experience firsthand the wisdom of elders and nature. Many of these trips were in the belly of Gitano Brujo, the gipsy healer, a converted yellow school bus that for decades sallied from Western Canada to Mexico and all parts in between.

While listening to this episode, you will certainly laugh, likely reflect on your path, and possibly even shed a tear or two. And we will probably all feel deep gratitude to this remarkable woman and what she has done for us and the plants we love.

Please enjoy this episode of Pacific Rim College Radio with the incomparable Rosemary Gladstar.

Episode Links:

The Science & Art of Herbalism

United Plant Savers

Learning Links:

School of Western Herbal Medicine at PRC

Online Herbal Medicine courses at PRCOnline

Student Clinic at PRC