Plants Are Our Relatives: Exploring Ancestral Wisdom and the 5 Rs of Herbalism

Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness

Education, Wellness, Gardening, Leisure, Eco Therapy, Nature Therapy, Self Care, Health & Fitness, Houseplants, How To, Home & Garden, Mental Health, Plants

4.8 • 912 Ratings

🗓️ 12 August 2025

⏱️ 59 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I thought I had a pretty deep connection with plants. I mean, this podcast is literally about talking to them (and about them). But after 300+ episodes, this is the only conversation that impacted my daily interaction with plants. My guest, LoriAnn Bird, an Indigenous Métis herbalist and author of Revered Roots, introduced a concept of “plants as our relatives.” Elders. Teachers. Sovereign beings. And once you start viewing them that way, you can’t unsee it. You will realize that we all need to take care of what takes care of us. Listen in and join the conversation!In this episode, we learn:[04:56] What does “ indigenous plants” mean for LoriAnn?[06:18] How LoriAnn developed her close relationship with nature[08:51] What it means to be a Métis woman[10:39] Being raised in a privileged Eurocentric view[12:10] How herbalism came into LoriAnn’s life[14:53] Gift a soothing and personalized Wind River Chime for any special occasion, and get a free engraving![17:06] Why the book was structured to start with relationships[17:41] The 5 Rs of plant relationship[24:17] Understanding our relatives: rooted, stone, and flying nations[28:44] What's the connection between humans and birds?[30:29] The story of “Sky Woman”[32:03] Birth, life, death, rebirth - continuous cycles[33:39] Honorable harvest and reciprocal foraging[35:58] Asking permission from landowners when foraging[38:19] How to get started with herbalism[39:47] Your garden may already be full of medicine[41:11] Where to get the book ‘Revered Roots’[43:00] Meet your local herbalist![43:19] "Ancestral" vs "indigenous" in the book titleMentioned in our conversation:Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall KimmererGathering Moss by Robin Wall KimmererDon OllsinDoug Tallamy - Co-Founder of Homegrown National ParkMary Reynolds | We Are The ArkMerlin Bird IDWebMDIf you're looking to connect deeper with your plants and with the world,check out LoriAnn's guide in the full show notes and blog.Thank you to our episode sponsor:Wind River ChimesVisit windriverchimes.com and use code GROWINGJOY to receive free engraving on your chosen wind chimes. Follow Maria and Growing Joy:Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha LeungJoin the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!Instagram: @growingjoywithmariaTiktok: @growingjoywithmariaSubscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmariaWebsite: www.growingjoywithmaria.comPinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

Transcript

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0:00.0	Before this conversation, I got to tell you, I thought I had a pretty deep relationship with plants.
0:05.2	But after speaking with today's guest, Lori Ann Bird, I see plants completely differently.
0:11.0	I don't know if another episode in this 300 episodes that I've created for Growing Joy have
0:17.5	impacted my daily interaction with plants as much as this conversation
0:22.2	due to the way that our guest views plants as relatives, not living things as elders, teachers,
0:29.3	sovereign beings that we're in relationship with. This reframe really has changed the lens in which
0:35.2	I look at the plant world and really crack something open
0:37.9	in my heart. And I have not looked at my garden, my lawn, my houseplants, or even the weeds on
0:42.8	my sidewalk the same sense. I'm so excited to bring this conversation with Lori Ann Bird,
0:48.8	author of revered roots, ancestral teachings, and wisdom of the wild, edible, and medicinal
0:53.6	plants to you,
0:55.2	as it really is an invitation to see the natural world, not as scenery, or even as living things,
1:00.4	but as family.
1:07.9	Welcome to the Growing Joy with Plants podcast, where we not only learn how to care for plants
1:12.5	successfully, but how to simply and affordably use our plant babies to cultivate more joy
1:17.4	in our lives by doing so. I'm Maria, former plant killer turned happy plant lady, author of
1:23.2	Growing Joy, The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness, speaker, podcaster, and most importantly,
1:28.4	your new best plant friend. On Growing Joy with Plants, you'll find conversations about house plant
1:32.9	care, gardening tutorials, and wellness through the lens of plants.
1:37.0	Plant care is self-care. Ungrowing joy.
1:46.0	Hello, plant friends. My name's Maria. I'm here to help you care for plants and grow joy.
1:50.2	If you're new here, welcome. If you're a repeat guest, repeat listener, welcome home.
	...

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