Elecampane with Henriette Kress

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November 30, 2022

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Episode Summary

You have a treat in store with this episode featuring Henriette Kress and focusing on the gifts of elecampane (Inula helenium). I think you’ll see right away that Henriette is a very gentle soul and very modest in spite of the wealth of herbal knowledge she possesses. She even shares things about elecampane that were new to me (and that’s saying something, after years of being herb-obsessed)! As a listener, you’ll also have access to Henriette’s effective and yummy elecampane cough syrup recipe.

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

► Why Henriette’s herbal website, which was one of the first sites out there, is such a treasure in the herbal world

► Why elecampane is one of the herbs Henriette always turns to when formulating a tea for grief

► The connection between Pokemon cards and Henriette’s educational work as an herbalist

► The wonderful herbal tradition Henriette remembers from her grandmother’s village

For those of you who aren’t already familiar with her, Henriette Kress has been working with herbs since she was about five. She’s a bit older than that now, with a head full of gray hairs and all. She attended the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine in Arizona in 1998, and has been a full-time herbalist in Helsinki, Finland ever since.

She has a large website, has written a few books, lectures a lot, and has a distance course in Finnish and Swedish. As you’ll see, she’s very down to earth and practical.

I’m delighted to share our conversation with you today!

Elecampane is special. It’s very grounding, and it’s good for coughs and good to get long term stuff out of the lungs. And it’s good for digestion.

Would you prefer reading this episode? If so, click here to download a transcript.

Would you prefer watching this episode? If so, scroll down below.

Connect With Henriette

What You’ll Learn from This Episode

[00:00] Introduction
[01:09] Introduction to Henriette Kress
[04:08] How Henriette’s grandmother made herbs fascinating to learn about
[07:33] How Henriette came to start her website
[10:29] What led Henriette to become an herbalist
[11:51] Why Henriette chose elecampane (Inula helenium) as a focus for this conversation
[15:22] Closing thoughts about elecampane
[19:44] Henriette’s Practical Herb Cards
[24:34] Giving back to the plants
[26:03] More memories of Henriette’s grandmother and the village where she lived

Recipe

Here’s a tasty elecampane syrup. This is great for coughs and for grief.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Place all ingredients into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, let simmer for 10 minutes, strain, then return to pan.
For each fl. oz. (200 ml) of the resulting liquid, add 2 oz. (400 g)
sugar. Stir on low, low heat until the sugar has dissolved.
You know it’s done when you don’t get sugar crystals on a spoon, if you
dip it to the bottom of your sugary liquid.
Pour into a jar, label: “Elecampane syrup with hibiscus. Take 1 teaspoon
as needed.”

— TIMESTAMPS —

00:00 – Introduction
03:10 – Introduction to Henriette Kress
04:19 – How Henriette’s grandmother made herbs fascinating to learn about
08:24 – How Henriette came to start her website
11:38 – What led Henriette to become an herbalist
13:03 – Why Henriette chose elecampane (Inula helenium) as a focus for this conversation
17:01 – Closing thoughts about elecampane
21:41 – Henriette’s Practical Herb Cards
27:12 – Giving back to the plants
28:47 – More memories of Henriette’s grandmother and the village where she lived