Remedy & Rhyme - by Joyful Roots cover art

Remedy & Rhyme - by Joyful Roots

Remedy & Rhyme - by Joyful Roots

Written by: Kimberly Kling of Joyful Roots
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About this listen

 Remedy & Rhyme is a space where poetry meets the power of plants. Each episode begins with a poem — a soul offering inspired by a single herb — and follows the thread of its deeper herbal wisdom. We explore what the plant stirs in the heart, the ways it invites us into greater wellness, and how we might carry its gifts into our own lives. With each unfolding episode, you'll find gentle reflections, grounded holistic practices, and simple ways to welcome herbalism into your daily rhythms. A podcast for lovers of Earth, language, and the liminal — where the sacred and the everyday meet, one plant at a time.© 2025 Joyful Roots - Kimberly Kling Alternative & Complementary Medicine Art Hygiene & Healthy Living Self-Help Success
Episodes
  • #12: Calendula – Light in the Dark

    #12: Calendula – Light in the Dark
    Jan 7 2026
    It’s the heart of winter here in the northern hemisphere. The holiday decorations are being taken down, the celebrations have passed, and yet the days are still long and shadowed. Even as the sunlight slowly begins to return, it can feel distant—something we long for more than something we can fully feel. This is the season that teaches us contrast: how darkness sharpens our awareness of light, how quiet invites reflection, and how life on this planet moves in cycles of retreat and return. In this month's episode of Remedy & Rhyme, we’re spending time with Calendula—a humble sun-keeper of the plant world. Across cultures, there are figures who don’t defeat the dark but walk within it carrying light: Persephone, Brigid, Hecate, Amaterasu. They remind us that illumination isn’t always blazing or obvious. Sometimes it’s stored, tended, protected. Calendula belongs to that lineage, offering warmth, resilience, and gentle support through the long night. Together, we’ll explore this golden flower as both a physical ally and a spiritual guide, and what it means to tend our inner hearth when the world feels cold. ✨ Support the Podcast Your support is a gift that keeps this podcast running! If you’d like to support the ongoing creation of this podcast and get access to exclusive content like articles, herbal recipes, plant monographs, and behind-the-scenes musings, join the community over on Patreon: 🌱 www.patreon.com/joyfulroots You can also support the podcast by trying my favorite matcha: Posana Matcha. 🌿 Certified Organic 🌿 Third-party tested for heavy metals 🌿 Single origin from Shizuoka, Japan 🌿 Smooth, pure, and powerful—perfect for daily rituals. 🛒 Use code JOYFULROOTS for 15% off at posanamatcha.com Using this code helps keep the podcast thriving through a small affiliate commission—thank you for your support! 📩 Want to share a poem? I’d love to include voices from the community! If you have a nature-inspired or herbal poem you’d like to share in a future episode, send it my way at: kim@joyfulroots.com. For more information and a list of plants, click here. 🌀 Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only. I am not a medical doctor or licensed health professional, and nothing shared here is intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. The information provided has not been evaluated by the FDA. Always check with a qualified healthcare provider about any potential herb-drug interactions or health concerns. If you experience an allergic reaction to any herb, discontinue use and consult a professional. You are the steward of your own body—listen with curiosity, and honor your intuition. 💚 Let’s connect! Sign up for my email newsletter - Botanical Bulletin. Sources/References: WiseEarthBotanicals — Calendula’s lymphatic, digestive, and antimicrobial profile Calendula Actions & Herbal Support Herbal Reality — Traditional actions and tissue support descriptors Calendula Herb Profile (Traditional Actions)HerbRally — Calendula Monograph https://www.herbrally.com/monographs/calendulaBotanical Medicine for Women’s Health — Clinical context on calendula and vulnerary uses (Romm & Winston – ScienceDirect) ScienceDirectThe Herbal Medicine-Maker’s Handbook — (James Green) — Practical methods for making oils, salves, teas (not directly pulled but widely respected)Herbal Constituents — (Types of compounds like flavonoids, triterpenoids, etc.)The Book of Celtic Magic or Celtic Mythology (various writers) — Context for Brigid and hearth fire symbolismWikipedia: Calendula – History & Folklore — historic names (Mary’s Gold, pot marigold), rituals, and lore Calendula History & Folk Uses (Wikipedia)Verywell Health — Overview of Calendula’s benefits, wound healing, skin support & uses (topical + internal context) Calendula Health Benefits and Uses (Verywell Health)ScienceDirect — Calendula’s anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, wound-healing actions (academic overview) Calendula Overview (ScienceDirect)Journal of Plant Medicines — Summary of clinical research on skin healing & inflammation Calendula Skin & Wound Healing StudiesMDPI — Recent review on anti-inflammatory and wound healing potential Updated Review of Calendula Therapeutic Potential
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    25 mins
  • #11: Bee Balm – You Are Multifaceted

    #11: Bee Balm – You Are Multifaceted
    Dec 3 2025
    Bee Balm is fiery, fragrant, and wildly alive! It is one of those plants that feels like it’s mid-dance the moment you meet it. With blossoms that unfurl like tiny galaxies or bursts of flame, Monarda carries the unmistakable energy of movement and transformation. In this episode of Remedy & Rhyme, we explore Bee Balm’s personality, its psycho-spiritual gifts, and the way its spiral-like structure invites us into our own expansion. We’ll also explore Bee Balm’s more body-centered offerings—its warming aromatics, its comforting presence for the breath, and its long-standing use by Indigenous peoples across these lands. From teas and steams to simple daily rituals, Bee Balm shows us how to embrace the multifaceted aspects of our being. Join me as we sit with this exuberant plant, listen for what she stirs in our bodies and hearts, and connect her spiraling shape with the ways we navigate our own cycles of expression, release, and renewal. ✨ Support the Podcast Your support is a gift that keeps this podcast running! If you’d like to support the ongoing creation of this podcast and get access to exclusive content like articles, herbal recipes, plant monographs, and behind-the-scenes musings, join the community over on Patreon: 🌱 www.patreon.com/joyfulroots You can also support the podcast by trying my favorite matcha: Posana Matcha. 🌿 Certified Organic 🌿 Third-party tested for heavy metals 🌿 Single origin from Shizuoka, Japan 🌿 Smooth, pure, and powerful—perfect for daily rituals. 🛒 Use code JOYFULROOTS for 15% off at posanamatcha.com Using this code helps keep the podcast thriving through a small affiliate commission—thank you for your support! 📩 Want to share a poem? I’d love to include voices from the community! If you have a nature-inspired or herbal poem you’d like to share in a future episode, send it my way at: kim@joyfulroots.com. For more information and a list of plants, click here. 🌀 Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only. I am not a medical doctor or licensed health professional, and nothing shared here is intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. The information provided has not been evaluated by the FDA. Always check with a qualified healthcare provider about any potential herb-drug interactions or health concerns. If you experience an allergic reaction to any herb, discontinue use and consult a professional. You are the steward of your own body—listen with curiosity, and honor your intuition. 💚 Let’s connect! Follow me on Instagram at @joyfulroots or sign up for my email Botanical Bulletin. Sources/References: Medicinal Plants of the Southwest – Michael Moore ACORN School of Herbal Medicine – Bee Balm (Monarda) Monograph https://www.acornherbschool.com/plants/bee-balm-monarda Washington College – Scarlet Beebalm (Monarda didyma) https://www.washcoll.edu/learn-by-doing/lifelong-learning/plants/lamiaceae/monarda-didyma.php Monarda – General Overview (Botany, Uses, Constituents) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monarda Grow Native! – Bee Balm Plant Page https://grownative.org/native_plants/bee-balm/ Missouri Integrated Pest Management – “Monarda: The Tea Plant” https://ipm.missouri.edu/meg/2021/4/monarda-DT/index.cfm Spiro Mounds Archaeological Center — the official site for the Spiro Mounds site in eastern Oklahoma. https://www.okhistory.org/sites/spiromounds Petroglyph National Monument (New Mexico, NPS) — one of the largest protected petroglyph sites in North America; includes many spiral/abstract motifs carved into volcanic rock. National Park Service Saguaro National Park (Arizona, NPS) — Rock Art / Petroglyphs Page — describes how spirals and other abstract glyphs appear in rock art sites in the Southwest, giving insight into ancient visual/spiritual languages. National Park Service National Geographic- Spiro Mounds https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/spiro-and-the-art-of-the-mississippian-world-in-oklahoma Bee Balm for the Home Landscape https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/garden-scoop/2022-07-16-bee-balm-home-landscape
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    23 mins
  • #10: Rue – Clear Sight

    #10: Rue – Clear Sight
    Nov 5 2025

    In this episode, we’ll explore Rue (Ruta graveolens) and what it means to see clearly in an age clouded by noise — where media, politics, and consumerism all compete for our attention, and clarity becomes a form of rebellion. Rue reminds us that to see clearly is also to live truthfully, even when that truth makes us a heretic in the eyes of others. Together, we’ll explore Rue’s mythic threads, her modern uses, and her call to reclaim our own holy land — the sacred ground of body, mind, and heart that belongs only to us.

    ✨ Support the Podcast

    Your support is a gift that keeps this podcast running! If you’d like to support the ongoing creation of this podcast and get access to exclusive content like articles, herbal recipes, plant monographs, and behind-the-scenes musings, join the community over on Patreon: 🌱 www.patreon.com/joyfulroots

    You can also support the podcast by trying my favorite matcha: Posana Matcha. 🌿 Certified Organic 🌿 Third-party tested for heavy metals 🌿 Single origin from Shizuoka, Japan 🌿 Smooth, pure, and powerful—perfect for daily rituals. 🛒 Use code JOYFULROOTS for 15% off at posanamatcha.com Using this code helps keep the podcast thriving through a small affiliate commission—thank you for your support!

    📩 Want to share a poem?

    I’d love to include voices from the community! If you have a nature-inspired or herbal poem you’d like to share in a future episode, send it my way at: kim@joyfulroots.com. For more information and a list of plants, click here.

    🌀 Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational and inspirational purposes only. I am not a medical doctor or licensed health professional, and nothing shared here is intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any disease. The information provided has not been evaluated by the FDA. Always check with a qualified healthcare provider about any potential herb-drug interactions or health concerns. If you experience an allergic reaction to any herb, discontinue use and consult a professional. You are the steward of your own body—listen with curiosity, and honor your intuition.

    💚 Let’s connect! Follow me on Instagram at @joyfulroots or sign up for my email Botanical Bulletin. Sources/References:

    The Herbarium at the Herbal Academy – Plant Monograph Archives: https://theherbalacademy.com/blog/tag/monograph/ Herbal Academy+1

    Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism – Herbs A to Z course overview: https://www.matthewwoodinstituteofherbalism.com/course/herbs-a-to-z-materia-medica Matthew Wood Institute of Herbalism+1

    Ruta graveolens (Common Rue) plant profile, NC State: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/ruta-graveolens/ Plant Toolbox

    Ruta graveolens review / scholarly article: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7340976/ pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

    The Purpose of Rue: Unveiling the Mysteries of this Ancient Herb

    Herb Rue: A Thorough Guide to Uses and Benefits
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    29 mins
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