Kristy Bredin is an herbalist, educator and owner of Mermaid botanicals. She lives in the San Juan Island in Washington State. In this episode, you’ll learn what herbalism is, how seaweed is the ancestor to all land plants, some of the magical powers of marine algae, and what a day in the life of an ocean herbalist looks like- tide pools are involved.
Connect with Kristy: website
Quick Links
The Open Center – Holistic Teaching and Trainings in NYC
Robin Rose Bennett
Ryan Drum – aka Fucus Man
San Juan Islands
Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers, by Barbara Ehrenreich
Bastyr University – Bachelor of Science in Herbal Sciences
Bullwhip Kelp
Dulse: Why this Bacon-Flavored Superfood Could be the Next Kale
Sargassum
Fucus (Rockweed) Fact Sheet
Man of Aran (Film)
Carrageenan
Learning Herbs (a good starting point)
Show Notes
00:20 – Kara and Kristy talk about the road she took to becoming an herbalist working with the ocean. After a decade in the publishing world, Kristy saw a flyer for a course called Healing Spices at the Open Center in New York City, took the course, and she was hooked. She then apprenticed with Robin Rose Bennett (who taught the Healing Spices course), and became interested in local agriculture and macrobiotics. Seaweed is typically part of a macrobiotic diet, and Kristy enjoys eating it! Robin Rose Bennet put Kristy in touch with Ryan Drum, an herbal lifecrafter and expert in seaweeds, which led to Kristy leaving the east coast to apprentice with Drum in the San Juan Islands of Washington State. Much of their work involved harvesting seaweeds.
03:42 – Kristy talks about the history of herbalism, referring listeners to Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Witches, Midwives, and Nurses. Prior to the creation of the American Medical Association, people were typically familiar with the plants in their local environment, and many had knowledge regarding beneficial plants. Most herbalists stopped practicing by the early twentieth century, since a medical degree was required to practice medicine. Renewed interest in the 1960s and 1970s led to a new generation of herbalists, including Ryan Drum. This renaissance still focuses on a traditional approach to learning through local classes and apprenticeships, eschewing connections to larger educational structure. Some formal programs have begun to appear at the college level, including an undergraduate degree in Herbal Sciences at Bastyr University.
07:57 – Kara and Kristy compare western herbalism to Chinese traditional medicine. Kristy adds that many western herbalists incorporate some Chinese formulas, since they come from a long and well-documented tradition. Kristy’s approach is to immerse herself in her environment– the plants that she teaches all grow near her home.
09:34 – Kara inquires about how herbal medicinal knowledge is passed on to those who want or need to know. Herbal community forums, teaching classes about local plants, scientific research into herbal efficacy is done, particularly in Germany, herbal conferences are a good place to present and learn.
11:34 – Kristy talks about her own practice. While she does work with individual clients occasionally, most of her efforts focus on education and wildcrafting, continuing what she started with Ryan Drum. Drum retired a few years ago, and Kristy took over his wild harvesting business, which involves collecting wild herbs in her area (none are farmed), and selling/shipping live and dry herbs to companies and individuals around the U.S.
12:52 – Kristy describes what her harvesting of wild herbs looks like. On one of the islands where she lives, she has access to much of the coastline as well as interior locations where she can harvest. She tells listeners that it is always important to get permission from land owners first! Most of the seaweeds can be harvested at the shore, since they grow within the intertidal zone. It is more difficult to access seaweeds that grow in the lowest part of the intertidal zone during winter, since low tide occurs at night. Bullwhip Kelp grows in deeper water, so she needs to harvest it from a boat.
15:14 – Kristy outlines the differences between terrestrial and marine herbs. Plants on the land evolved from sea plants, so the seaweeds are the ancestors, representing a more primitive form. Seaweeds are very different from land plants, and many of these unique characteristics make them great for medicinal use. All seaweeds contain phycopolymer gels that retain moisture. Many of these gels have antiviral and other healing properties. Also, seaweeds contain more iodine than terrestrial plants, and since they are growing in the ocean, they are exposed to and absorb minerals not available in land plants.
17:57 – Kristy describes her favorite seaweed to eat, and how it can be prepared. In the cold waters near her home, Kristy sometimes eats raw seaweed while in the field. This may not be safe to do in warmer waters where seaweed can be contaminated by harmful bacteria that could make you ill. Drying seaweed can improve the flavor and texture. Bullwhip Kelp is one of her favorites. You can dry it and grind it up to use as a salt substitute. She also really likes Dulse, but orders it from Maine since it is more flavorful. You can toast it, and use it as a bacon substitute!
22:10 – Kara notes that most of the seaweed in Florida is Sargassum, and wants to know if it has medicinal applications, and how one would prepare it since it grows in the warm waters of the Gulf and Atlantic. Kristy says that Sargassum is particularly good for some cancers, but that it is difficult to integrate into your diet because it is spiky and is a little weird when dried. She prefers to dry and then powder it, and use it as a daily supplement. She also breaks up the dried Sargassum into small pieces and sprinkles it on dishes as a condiment.
25:04 – Kristy talks about how to process seaweed into a powder. Proper drying is the key.
27:50 – Kristy tells Kara about various cultures that have used seaweed as a medicine, noting that almost all coastal cultures have. Ireland has a long history of using seaweed for medicinal purposes, including seaweed baths. They also harvested seaweed to use it as an agricultural fertilizer. Kristy tells how she does her own seaweed soaks using brown seaweed. She finds it to be an awesome experience, but it can be tricky! She also washes her hair in seaweed.
32:31 – Kristy explains the different parts of seaweed that have medicinal applications. There are the iodine, thyroid precursors, and other nutrients which are found in the leaves and seeds, and the phycopolymer gels are also important sources for healing.
34:40 – Kristy relates a story told by Ryan Drum about an herbalist who successfully treated a patient’s cartilage deterioration with Fucus seaweed.
35:58 – Kara is always concerned about reducing plastic waste, and wonders whether a switch to seaweed as a shampoo is viable. Kristy explains her use of seaweed as a shampoo and body soap may not be for everyone, but it is an excellent way to care for your own body’s ecosystem. After years of using commercial products, your hair and skin can be left very unbalanced in terms of acidity, friendly bacteria, etc. and it can take a little time for things to return to a balanced state once you stop.
40:01 – Kristy discusses the hazards of consumable products that contain Carrageenan. In these products, the Carrageenan is often processed down to very small particles that can pass through the walls of the intestine, and can be harmful.
42:23 – Kristy addresses the big question: What is her favorite sea creature? While she is fascinated by Narwhals, she hasn’t learned much about them. She definitely likes Orcas, and imagines they may be further evolved in their intellect than humans!
45:16 – If Kristy had unlimited funds, what would she do with it? She has a lot of personal projects at her home, such as adding solar power (she is off the grid), and definitely would need a boat! She also wants to start up a new apprenticeship program, and many students cannot be immersively involved without scholarships.
48:16 – Kristy relates her favorite story about a field experience. She was out harvesting in the intertidal with Ryan Drum, when Ryan called to her to come quickly. As she approached, she saw he was struggling mightily to contain an octopus in a bucket, but the octopus was not very cooperative. Ryan weighed the octopus, and then proposed they should cook it and eat it. Kristy convinced him that they were difficult to prepare, and perhaps they should let it go. The octopus had been sulking like an amorphous blob in the pail, but sprung back to life when released. It remained on a nearby rock, staring at them as though it was really angry at its mistreatment in the bucket!
52:01 – Kristy’s conservation request: Please get out there and reconnect with nature, both on land and at the sea. Don’t just look— interact with it! Engage with the ocean and find your way to send it love in a way that feels good to you.
54:33 – Where can listeners go to get started learning about herbalism? Kristy recommends the LearningHerbs.com website, maintained by John and Kimberly Gallagher. It contains a lot of good introductory information, as well as an online store and paid mentoring. Another great place to get a lot of information is at herbal medicine conferences that may be happening near you. You can also get some field guides to plants in your area, and then venture out and see what grows.
56:07 – How can listeners get in touch with Kristy? At mermaid-botanicals.com.