Rhodiola with Ben LeVine

Rhodiola is an amazing herb to support you during times of stress! It’s energizing without causing jitters, supportive to the immune system, helpful to modulate the physical effects of stress as you’re making lifestyle changes. Rhodiola rosea is so rich in gifts, but these very attributes have led to overharvesting and sustainability issues. That’s why I am excited to share this conversation with Ben LeVine with you!

Ben not only shares a lot of information about the efforts that are underway to protect this wonderful herb, but also gives questions you can ask suppliers to make sure the rhodiola (and other endangered herbs) you are buying were harvested sustainably. And as a listener, you’ll also receive instant access to his recipe for Rhodiola Energy Balls.

For those of you who aren’t already familiar with Ben, here’s more about him. Sitting quietly atop a Colorado mountain peak, Ben LeVine felt a voice from his favorite herb that would define his future: “You were meant to become an herbalist. Just let the plants guide you.” That path has led him to the farthest corners of the Earth and back, driven to unravel the mysteries of the world’s most powerful plants. Now as Co-Founder and Chief Herbalist of Rasa, he’s using those potent herbal secrets to revolutionize your morning energy ritual with the power of adaptogens.

Listen in for:

► Considerations and questions to ask when sourcing rhodiola

► Why rhodiola’s growing conditions make it adaptogenic for humans

► What cautions should you be aware of when working with adaptogenic herbs?

Here is one of my favorite takeaways from our conversation:

“Are you using adaptogens to build a ladder out of the bucket or are you just using [them] to struggle longer? I'm seeing adaptogens sometimes co-opted this way – like a one-to-one replacement for coffee, with no lifestyle changes, no introspection."

It was a delight to speak with Ben and I’m so happy to share our conversation with you today!

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Get full show notes including a transcript of this episode at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com.

For more behind-the-scenes of this podcast, follow @rosaleedelaforet on Instagram!

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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 Herbalist 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.