About this episode

This episode explores the medicinal uses of pleurisy root and its ecological significance, featuring an interview with herbalist Linda Shanahan.

What if one medicinal herb could change the way you think about healing—not just in the body, but across entire ecosystems? Pleurisy root ( Asclepias tuberosa ), also called butterfly weed, is often thought of as a lung herb. But as this conversation with herbalist, farmer, and nurse Linda Shanahan reveals, this brilliant orange wildflower has a much bigger story to tell—one that stretches from monarch butterflies to microbiomes. In this episode, Linda shares the remarkable story of transforming a chemically treated sod farm into a thriving wildlife sanctuary where native plants, pollinators, birds, and beneficial insects returned together. Along the way, we explore pleurisy root's medicinal uses, why it's such an important plant for monarch butterflies, and how thinking like an herbalist invites us to see connections everywhere, from restoring habitats to supporting the microbiome within our own bodies. This episode’s “recipe” card is something a little different: a guide to creating your own Monarch Medicinal Mini Garden. You can learn how to create a beautiful habitat that nourishes monarch butterflies while incorporating native medicinal plants into your landscape—find your…

People in this episode

Host: Rosalee de la Forêt

Guest: Linda Shanahan

Topics covered

• medicinal herbs
• ecosystems
• monarch butterflies
• respiratory health
• wildlife conservation
• native plants

Keywords

• pleurisy root
• butterfly weed
• monarch butterflies
• respiratory conditions
• wildlife sanctuary
• native plants
• herbalism
• microbiome

Mentioned in this episode

Products: pleurisy root, butterfly weed

Places: Monarch, wildlife sanctuary, sod farm, habitat, landscape

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