Ep. 245: Wild Medicine with Ali English

Today on the Plant Cunning Podcast we talk with UK herbalist and teacher Ali English, author of Wild Medicine (Aeon Books), about her path from childhood gardening and Culpeper’s Herbal to formal training and later teaching in the Lincoln College herbal medicine degree program. Ali describes how the course is structured (therapeutics, anatomy and physiology, evidence and critical thinking, pharmacy/community practice, and intensive clinical training and exams), and discusses gaps like limited outdoor time. She explains her practical approach to medicine making (teas, syrups, salves, tinctures, decoctions, and combined extracts), her interest in energetics, planetary correspondences, and hedge-witch “small magics,” and how she evaluates plant associations through both tradition and experience. The conversation also covers plants like knapweed, scabious, rosebay willowherb/fireweed, and blue flag, plus dosing differences between the UK and US, and Ali's upcoming projects, consultations, workshops, and mentoring.00:00 Meet Ali English00:36 Finding the Plant Path04:35 Early Herb Books05:55 Training at Lincoln College06:43 Making Herbal Remedies08:37 Inside the Degree Program11:54 Clinical Exams and Practice15:15 Fieldwork and Plant ID18:12 Why Write Wild Medicine24:02 Witchcraft and Energetics28:41 Planetary Plant Links31:38 Local Herbs Over Imports33:23 Harvesting Knapweed Medicine34:18 Decoction and Double Extracts36:48 Astrology in Tincture Craft38:59 Knapweed as Liver Tonic39:57 Fireweed Uses and Fermented Tea43:26 Blue Flag Dosing and Trauma45:53 Why Herbal Dosage Differs in the UK and the US52:30 Teaching Energetics in Clinic55:30 New Projects and Offerings57:19 Consults Workshops and Farewell