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Plant Detective, The

Each week Flora Delaterre a.k.a. The Plant Detective investigates a new medicinal plant somewhere around the globe--and it could be in your backyard. Beth Judy writes and voices this minute-and-a-half program in consult with Bastyr University, Tai Sophia Institute, and the Vermont School of Integrative Herbalism. Produced by MTPR.

The Plant Detective podcast

Latest Episodes
  • Ever since people in tropical regions around the world began to grow Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus) for its cheerful pink flowers, the plant…
  • In the National Museum of Denmark, there's a 2,800 year old piece of Bronze Age cloth made from nettle fiber. Nettle fabric has been used a lot more…
  • It's not called "stinging nettle" for nothing: if you're going to spend time in a nettle patch, cover up. The hairs on nettle's leaves and stems are…
  • When taken as herbal medicine, echinacea stimulates our immune systems, raising white blood cell counts and strengthening cell walls. Although it…
  • 7/12/14: This week on The Plant Detective: Asian ginseng, Panax ginseng, helps people with Type 2 diabetes maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Both Asian…
  • 7/5/14: This week on The Plant Detective: They may have different flavors but black, green, white and oolong teas all come from the same plant: Camellia…
  • 6/28/14: This week on "The Plant Detective:" According to archaeologists, human use of tea, Camellia sinensis, goes back 500,000 years. The flavonoids in…
  • 6/21/14: This week on "The Plant Detective:" Even today, many elderly Chinese still prefer a good ginseng root to health insurance. American ginseng…
  • 6/14/14: This week on "The Plant Detective:" Aloe was one of the most frequently prescribed medicines throughout most of the 18th and 19th centuries. It…
  • 6/7/14: This week on "The Plant Detective:" For thousands of years, people in India, China, and Indonesia have used gotu kola to heal wounds, improve…