Herbal Mutual Aid: Lessons from Minneapolis | Tea Talks Roundtable with Jiling

This week on Herbal Radio, join Minneapolis-based herbalists Emily Pearson Ryan, Lise Wolff, and Ashley Marie Elenbaas as they reflect with Jiling Lin on herbal mutual aid and rapid-response herbalism during Operation Metro Surge (December 2025 - February 2026).

Listen in as we discuss:

How herbalists creatively showed up under pressure, including making house calls, hosting pop-ups and community nights, practicing street herbalism, and offering other forms of community support. This included herbal donations from the wider herbal community and cheer and other forms of support from even wider circles. Convenient herbal preparations to serve as many people as possible in a short time, including teas,tinctures, flower essences, aroma sprays, and sachets. Commonly used herbal categories during this time, such as immuno-supportive and warming botanicals, and herbs to support the nervous system, especially for sleep and during trauma. Some herbal rockstars, including California poppy, anise hyssop, roses, and "sunshine plants" like calendula, St. John's wort, and goldenrod. Discerning healthy stress and anger— instead of simply stress reduction for everyone, every time. The power of collaboration and simple medicines during crisis care. Asking, "How can I contribute?" then slowing down, seeing where help is needed, then acting where needed— and remembering to stay flexible, and be easy with yourself. 🎥 Watch the video version to this episode here: LINK

Learn more about these herbalists below!

🌼 Emily Pearson Ryan is a mother, partner, tender of transitions, practicing herbalist and wearer of many hats, who supports her community through plant medicine, ritual, and keeping an open door. Emily has surprised her young self by staying put, and has now lived most of her life several miles from the confluence of the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers, in the city of Minneapolis, Mni Sota Makoce.

Visit Emily Pearson Ryan at www.lowlandplantmedicine.com

🌸 Lise Wolff, MSc in Herbalism (University of Wales), RH-AHG, has been teaching and practicing drop dose herbalism in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the last 32 years. She harvests her pharmacy from weeds that grow prolifically and loves to share her knowledge with students of all levels.Her lectures are based on actual case histories, with a focus on actually using the herbs in real life.

Connect with her in-person classes, including her year long program Three Seasons of Herbal Wisdom at www.herbalistlisewolff.com