California Poppy, Herbal Formulation, and more with Benjamin Zappin

In this episode, I’m excited to explore the benefits and properties of California poppy with Benjamin Zappin, one of my first ever herb teachers down at the East West School of Herbology in California. 

When might you reach for California poppy (Eschscholzia californica)? Among other things, it’s a wonderful herb to support sleep, relaxation, and emotional quiet. (Know anybody who could use more of those things in their life?) ;) 

There’s a lot more to know about this beautiful plant, though, so be sure to listen in to the entire episode for all the details, including a recipe from Benjamin for a California Poppy Tincture. (By the way, don’t miss downloading your beautifully illustrated recipe card!)

Besides celebrating the gifts of the beautiful California poppy, Benjamin also shares a wealth of general herbal advice about dosage and formulation. When I hear “herbal formulation,” in my mind, there’s Benjamin Zappin. So I’m really excited to share this conversation with you.

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

► Which parts of California poppy are most potent and whether to make medicine with the fresh or dried plant

► How to work with California poppy for sleep, anxiety, and pain relief (including what types of pain or discomfort may be helped by it)

► How to grow California poppy in your own garden so wild stands are left alone

► How to gain an understanding of the building blocks of herbal formulation

► and so much more…

For those of you who don’t already know him, Benjamin Zappin is an herbalist and licensed acupuncturist with over 25 years of clinical experience. He co-founded Five Flavors Herbs with his wife, Ingrid Bauer, to provide their community with exceptional herbal finished products and custom herbal formulas. Benjamin offers integrative herbal consultations through Paeonia Integrative Medicine. In his free time, you’ll find Benjamin cooking and studying music.

If you’d like to hear more from Benjamin, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for his website and social media channels. You can also find the transcript for this episode in the show notes.

I hope you enjoy listening to this episode as much as I enjoyed recording it!

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

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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 Herbalists 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.