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Episode-1346- Demetria Clark on Herbs for Living and Healing — 23 Comments

  1. Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

  2. Yay for Demetria on TSP! I can’t wait to go home and download this show! I first heard Demetria on herbmentor’s podcast and I loved her interview. Herbal medicine is so needed right now and it has such a deep, rich history and culture. I have really been enjoying you talk about it, Jack. Maybe in the future you could get Rosemary Gladstar and Jim McDonald on the show as other herbalists. I would also love to see Paul Stamets talk about mycology.

    Seriously, I just LOVE this podcast! The topics covered, the guests that are interviewed, and the knowledge I gain is priceless.

  3. Recently, I’ve been using coconut oil as a solvent to extract concentrated herbal oil. I partially stuff a jar with some herbs (we grow quite a lot of herbs) and coconut oil then place into a crockpot w/water on low for a while (day or so..). Then strain the coconut through a coffee filter.

    The flavor and aroma added by oil from thyme, oregano or garlic is amazing. When you eat it, it feels like you’re consuming pure life energy.

    In the last year I’ve dramatically added herbs to our diet (including the kids). Everyone has gotten sick a lot less this year. I have a 2-yo and 4-yo who spend 2 days/wk in day care. Usually we all get sick during winter. This year we had a few minor sniffles which were quickly dispatched with garlic/lemon/cayenne/thyme tea. I didn’t get sick at all this year, usually I get at least one major head cold type thing.

    We have a french press. We throw a few herbs in (whatever we feel like) and add boiling water and serve it with dinner.

  4. As a developing grower of herbs, Demetria can you comment on what you perceive to be the most desirable form of herbs? Dried, essential oil, other?

    • bluprint- I guess the best form of herbs are the ones I have on hand.
      If you are becoming or are a developing grower I would go with your income herbs first, common medicinal herbs, herbs that restaurants in your community will want, etc.. then when you have a sustainable income you will find more flexibility with what you can grow and develop for. Herbs that wholesale companies want will also be good choices. I would call and ask what people are looking for, so you can grow for those needs. Thanks for listening!

  5. A Mid-wife is something I have thought about a lot for a survival community, if the world was to go to hell in a hand basket people won’t stop having sex and someday children will grow up, without a Mid-wife or someone who could deliver babies and knew how to deal with problems that arise, it would be back to the middle ages where you have a 50-50 chance maybe the mother and child live through it, Col. Bo Gritz used to sell videos called the Spike series where it was one of the things he covered, I could kick myself for not buying them back then

  6. Respectfully, the podcasts are becoming harder and harder to listen to….15+ minutes to get to the actual interview, so much dichotomy in “herbs vs. modern medicine”, a lot of Jack trying to show that he’s as informed as the interviewee. Jack, we know you know your stuff. I would love to see this episode (and future ones) truncated to just the basics without the excessive dialogue and seemingly endless examples once a point has been made and already gotten by the listeners. In short, you’re going long when shorter could be just as, or more, effective. By the time I get to the end of these sometimes exhaustive podcasts my excitement has worn off and I’m no longer interested in digging deeper on my own. Hope you take this as a critique and not as criticism.

    • Wow, that’s weird bro, I love that Jack has conversations with the guests and not just some outlined bullet point interview, I think it’s what makes his Podcast special!

      • I don’t mind conversation. Actually I like it. But sometimes Jack seems to come off as more of a know-it-all than he does an informed interviewer. I’m just saying that conciseness and brevity may be more meaningful and may stand a better chance of appealing to a broader audience (isn’t the purpose to spread the word?). Also, sometimes the tone of content makes the subject even more polarizing than it already is. To draw a comparison, it’s almost like a political debate where you have two like-minded candidates discussing why their stance on some social issue is superior and how the others are fools for thinking otherwise. You will NEVER appeal to the “others” with this approach. Like trying to convince a pro-lifer that they’re stupid for being pro-life, all you’ll do is offend them, put them on the defensive, and make them shut down and unreceptive to ANY good points you may bring up.

        • I have a solution for you DLJ! Up in the right hand corner is an x, click it.

          Seriously no one makes you listen to TSP and if you don’t like the intro, it is a PODCAST, you can hit FF anytime you want. Perhaps you would be happier listening to something like or I don’t know a good old NPR podcast?

        • By the way I have been telling people I have no interest at all in “appealing to a broader audience” since 2008 when I started this podcast.

          The purpose of TSP isn’t to appeal to a broader audience or even to “spread the word”, the purpose is to provide REAL GENUINE INFORMATION AND ENTERTAINMENT to the people that enjoy the format in which I always have and always will continue to deliver it with.

          I am not trying to win people over with scripts or shrewd psychology or shifty political angles. I do the show my way, the way I always have. I do it for those that like it the way I do it and frankly I don’t give a damn about those that don’t like it.

          There is an old saying, “you can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself”.

          The world is full of choices and my choice is to NOT have TSP be like any other radio show or podcast on the planet. I don’t try to appease, I don’t strive to increase ratings. If something pisses people off so be it, at least it is fricken genuine and honest and true to who the hell I really am.

          Nothing I do is fake, nothing is formulated to the end of personal gain and frankly I would rather lose a listener than compromise who and what I am. It is what it is, if you don’t like it again, there are other choices.

        • Wow….I was trying to give honest feedback and trying to not sound like an asshole by any means. I do fast forward. But Jack, this is a DAILY podcast and I’ve always wanted to give each episode my full attention. Seems like I’ve struck some nerve with you that was not my intention at all. Nonetheless, I suppose I struck it….was it Benjamin Franklin that said, “the sting in any rebuke is the truth?” But you hit the nail on the head when you said “like-minded”. Someone can make a simple critique (one of your own episodes draws a clear distinction between a critique and a criticism) and you blow a gasket? Dude, I was simply making some observations. 2 hour podcasts are tough on many people. If no new people listen to your show when we suggest it to our friends then it leaves you and the prepper community as whole in the dark to the “others” and you do a disservice to the community at large because everyone will CONTINUE to think we’re nuts.

          Format you have always had? You have NOT always provided the history segment, Jack.

          But okay, I’ll exercise my option to use the X and you can lose a single listener (I know it won’t hurt your feelings or your wallet so I’m not making that comment out to be any kind of bombshell). By the way, I’ll send you a response to the email you just sent out this morning with the subject line “Considering Coming Back to The Survival Podcast MSB”. You may keep your 50% discount and I’ll forego supporting the show at 18 cents an episode (or 9 cents in the case of the 50% off discount that you’re trying to extend to me). The revolution is you, buddy.

        • Ah taking your ball and going home hey? Enjoy that. No hurt feelings and you talk out of two sides of your head here. You don’t like this and that but try to “give each episode my full attention”.

          The history segment was put to an audience vote and kept based on feed back, again it is called fast forward.

          I didn’t blow a gasket I just gave you my opinion of your opinion. It is funny that some people (we call them teacups) feel they should be able to be critical but not have to have criticism returned.

          Not only won’t you be missed but my guess is you won’t actually stop listening. If you do though God Speed. Though you might want to listen today, LOL. If you do you will see (well hear) why.

  7. I think this was the show where Jack said he had a cup of comfrey and mint tea. I might have to try that. I wonder if it would help with my rotator cuff injury.

  8. Hi, I have a question for Demetria if I ask her here. I would love advice on varicose veins. I have trouble with them, especially when I’m pregnant (I’m only 27 and hope to have more children). I refuse to believe the mainstream belief that there is nothing you can do about them (though I know they are at least partly genetic) but I get frustrated when trying to find herbal/natural options and reliable sources. I don’t have access to a midwife or herbalist and many of the herbal products that claim to help are not recommended during pregnancy (particularly those that contain horse chestnut). Just wondered if you would speak to this. What would you recommend?

    • Thank you so much! I haven’t seen these herbs suggested before, I’m excited to try them. Would you suggest extract, salve, poultice…or is it mainly my preference? Also, just curious as to the results I can hope for. Are these mainly for the pain and preventing further damage or can I hope that some of my unsightly veins will heal?