In this episode, I’m joined by clinical herbalist Dana Aronson of Wild Kin Botanicals for a meaningful, heartfelt conversation on mutual aid, herbal first aid, and community care.
Dana shares her early connection to the natural world and how that shaped her view of health and healing as an adult. From there, we move into mutual aid — what it really means, how it differs from charity or for-profit structures, and why it’s such an important part of community care. Dana shares her experiences working in mutual-aid clinics and offering herbal first aid, wound care, and disaster relief support, along with the realities of this work and how to care for yourself while showing up for others.
We touch on her experiences with plant spirit connection, including a memorable moment with Rosemary that connected Dana with her Ancestors, and we also speak to simple ways you can begin getting involved, wherever you are on your path.
A thoughtful and important conversation about plants, people, and showing up for one another in a world that desperately needs our humanity.
In this episode we discuss:
• Dana’s connection to plants and her path into herbalism
• What mutual aid is and why it matters
• Herbal first aid, wound care, and disaster relief
• Supporting community through herbal work
• Caring for yourself while caring for others
• Boundary plants to protect your energy
• Simple ways to begin engaging in mutual aid
• Plant spirit experiences, including Rosemary
Dana Aronson is a clinical herbalist, educator, and holistic practitioner based in Southern Oregon. After her studies, she found herself facilitating herbal first aid pop-ups. These pop up clinics provide herbal first aid and wellness to gatherings, to places that have been hit with natural devastation, and to working with folks who are unhoused and implementing harm reduction and wound care. Dana believes in offering accessible herbal medicines and transparent information. She teaches in the classroom, through 1:1 holistic sessions, and through hands-on learning in the great outdoors.
Find Dana:
- https://www.wildkinbotanicals.com/
- https://www.instagram.com/_wildkin
- Work with Dana: https://www.wildkinbotanicals.com/professional-services
- Dana’s resources, including the “Herbal First Aid Aftercare for All Who Have Experienced Police Violence” Ebook: https://www.wildkinbotanicals.com/resources
Find Hannah:
- https://www.instagram.com/hannahforest.herbalist/
- Work 1:1 with Hannah: https://www.bodhiholistichub.com/practitioners/hannah-forest-moore
Mentioned in Episode:
- https://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/products/throat-coat-tea
