I had such a blast with this episode about the myriad gifts of holy basil, in part because my guest, Lucretia VanDyke, is so infectiously fun. But also because I blissfully started the day with her recipe for Herbal Love Pancakes and that is definitely not to be missed.

Lucretia brings so much joy and creative energy to her work! Even if you’ve long loved holy basil, I suspect you’ll come away from this episode knowing even more ways to work with this wonderful herb.

You’ll also receive instant FREE access to Lucretia’s delicious Herbal Love Pancakes recipe featuring holy basil, lemon balm and roses. I know you’re going to love making (and eating!) these healthful, yet indulgent pancakes with your loved ones.

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► A variety of ways to work with holy basil’s gifts for nourishing and balancing the body and spirit

► Why holy basil is one herb you just might want to grow for yourself, rather than purchasing it

► Why it’s important to recognize and honor the grandmothers of American herbalism

Here is one of my favorite takeaways from our conversation: 

“Why not bring holy basil into your daily routine? I love it for the properties that it does for skin. It brightens a lot. It really hydrates. It adds this beautiful smell when you infuse it in the oils; especially if you try to do it fresh, it's amazing. I'm all about self love and all about self nourishment and adorning yourself. And I love to teach other women that.”

For those of you who aren’t already familiar with Lucretia, here’s a bit more about her.

With a journey that began when she was a little girl mixing herbs, muds, and roots on her grandparents’ farm, Lucretia VanDyke has had a lifelong connection to the plants and been in the wellness industry for over 25 years. Her quest for knowledge and storytelling has led her all over the world to learn about remedies, traditions, and ceremonies from indigenous healers.

One of the foremost experts on southern folk healing arts, Lucretia integrates rituals, plant spirit meditation, holistic food/herbal medicine, and ancestor reverence into people’s practices.

Lucretia has worked and trained with many internationally known spa and skin care companies. She is a Holistic Educator, Speaker, Herbalist, Sacred Sexologist, Ceremonialist, Spiritual Coach, Intuitive Energetic Practitioner, Diviner, Author, and world traveler. Lucretia has studied with some of the greatest minds of our time. She brings her vivacious spirit and her message of ancestral connection in herbal practices to inspire others to embrace their unique relationship with the plants.

Her work with herbs and ceremony honors African healing arts, Women's Wholeness Medicine, grief work, trauma, self love empowerment, and holistic botanical skin care.

Teaching herbal classes, cooking, storytelling, traveling, and foraging in the woods learning native medicine is what charges her soul!

I’m so thrilled to share our conversation with you today!

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Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

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On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.