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        <title>The Veritas Botanica Podcast</title>
        <link>https://redcircle.com/shows/the-veritas-botanica-podcast</link>
        <language>en-US</language>
        <copyright>All rights reserved.</copyright>
        <itunes:author>Caitlin Woolery</itunes:author>
        <itunes:summary>Hosted by Caitlin Woolery, clinical herbalist, naturopathic practitioner, and astro-psychologist. The Veritas Botanica Podcast explores repressed and obscured truths within modern medicine and healing systems. The podcast examines the spiritual, emotional, and physical roots of illness as well as the regenerative intelligence of the human body. We uncover the medicinal power of plants and healing wisdom that have been largely removed from public understanding. Through interviews with thought leaders and cutting-edge practitioners, we decode the systems that bind us, reclaim the medicine, and remember what it means to be truly healthy. Welcome to the journey.</itunes:summary>
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        <description><![CDATA[<p><span>Hosted by Caitlin Woolery, clinical herbalist, naturopathic practitioner, and astro-psychologist. The Veritas Botanica Podcast explores repressed and obscured truths within modern medicine and healing systems. The podcast examines the spiritual, emotional, and physical roots of illness as well as the regenerative intelligence of the human body. We uncover the medicinal power of plants and healing wisdom that have been largely removed from public understanding. Through interviews with thought leaders and cutting-edge practitioners, we decode the systems that bind us, reclaim the medicine, and remember what it means to be truly healthy. Welcome to the journey.</span></p>]]></description>
        
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            <itunes:name>Caitlin Woolery</itunes:name>
            <itunes:email>caitlin@veritasbotanica.com</itunes:email>
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                <itunes:title>The Truth About Comfrey: Sacred Healing, Scientific Controversy &amp; Suppressed Herbal Wisdom</itunes:title>
                <title>The Truth About Comfrey: Sacred Healing, Scientific Controversy &amp; Suppressed Herbal Wisdom</title>

                <itunes:episode>1</itunes:episode>
                <itunes:season>1</itunes:season>
                <itunes:author>Caitlin Woolery</itunes:author>
                <itunes:subtitle>Ancient Hawaiian Lāʻau Lapaʻau, Allantoin, and the Scientific Controversy Behind Nature’s Most Misunderstood Regenerative Herb</itunes:subtitle>
                <itunes:summary>In this episode of The Veritas Botanica Podcast, Caitlin Woolery speaks with master herbalist Gabriel Monaghan, founder of Ho’olono Natural Remedies and practitioner of traditional Hawaiian Lāʻau lapaʻau medicine.

With decades of experience cultivating and teaching plant medicine, Gabriel shares the history, controversy, and regenerative potential of Comfrey, one of the most misunderstood herbs in modern herbalism.

We explore the suppression of herbal medicine in the late 20th century, the debate surrounding pyrrolizidine alkaloids, the limitations of reductionist scientific models, and the powerful role of whole-plant healing. Gabriel also discusses Comfrey’s historical use as a survival food and its remarkable tissue-repairing properties, including the role of allantoin.

This conversation invites a deeper look at ancestral healing traditions and what may have been lost along the way.</itunes:summary>
                <description><![CDATA[<p>On this <strong>The Veritas Botanica Podcast</strong> episode, we will be talking with <strong>Gabriel Monaghan</strong>, master herbalist and founder of Ho’olono Natural Remedies. Gabriel is a Lāʻau lapaʻau medicine practitioner in the Hawaiian Islands. He trained for over 12 years with native medicine men, learning the ancient indigenous methods of the spiritual and botanical sacred healing arts. He also carries the lineage of Dr. John Christopher and graduated from the School of Natural Healing. Gabriel has his own herbal medicine school and teaches herbal healing classes all over the Hawaiian Islands.</p><p> </p><p>Gabriel owns an herb farm on the Hawaii islands, grows medicine for the local people, and ships Hawaiian medicine products all over the world. He has been cultivating Comfrey on his farm for over 15 years, and is one of the most experienced and educated herbalists alive today on the subject and utilization of Comfrey.  </p><p> </p><p>Key Takeaways:</p><p>This episode examines the historical suppression of herbal medicine in the United States during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when regulatory agencies attempted to restrict access to herbs and supplements. We explore how Comfrey became a primary target during this period, despite thousands of years of documented traditional use.</p><p>The scientific allopathic model only understands herbs by isolating individual plant chemicals. They administer them to rats at abnormally high doses, then use those results to characterize the entire plant as dangerous. In contrast, traditional herbalism uses the full spectrum of the plant, where naturally occurring constituents interact together and may balance or neutralize compounds that appear harmful when studied in isolation.</p><ol><li>Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are indeed dangerous when isolated, but can be neutralized by other constituents in the plant and by supporting liver function. Rats are highly sensitive to PAs, while pigs, sheep, and butterflies tolerate or even benefit from them. Human genetics are closer to pigs than to rats, so concluding human effects based solely on rat studies is limited.</li><li>Comfrey has been used and consumed internally throughout human history. During the Irish potato famine, many people survived on comfrey due to its rich protein matrix and high mineral and vitamin content.</li><li>Comfrey has remarkable healing properties, and we review incredible cases involving comfrey, including severe burns, ACL injuries, bone healing, stomach ulcers, liver disease, and surfing accidents involving deeply embedded coral.</li><li>We deep dive into the profound regenerative role of allantoin. Comfrey is one of the few plants that contains allantoin, and this compound is widely credited for comfrey’s ability to rapidly stimulate tissue proliferation and repair. The human body was meant to regenerate and heal from injury and illness, yet much of this knowledge has been repressed and lost. We speculate on the medical industries that might go out of business if this plant had not been infamously repressed.</li></ol><p> </p><p>Connect with the Host:</p><p><strong>Website:</strong> https://www.veritasbotanica.com</p><p><strong>Join our Educational Community</strong>:<a href="https://www.veritasbotanica.com/community" rel="nofollow"> https://www.veritasbotanica.com/community</a></p><p><strong>Shop our Herbal Products: </strong>https://veritasbotanicals.gethealthy.store</p><p><strong>Facebook:</strong> Caitlin Woolery</p><p><strong>Instagram</strong>: caitlin_woolery_ccmh</p><p> </p><p>Connect with the Guest:</p><p><strong>Facebook:</strong> Gabriel Monaghan</p><p><strong>Website: </strong>https://www.hoolono.com</p><p><br></p>]]></description>
                <content:encoded>&lt;p&gt;On this &lt;strong&gt;The Veritas Botanica Podcast&lt;/strong&gt; episode, we will be talking with &lt;strong&gt;Gabriel Monaghan&lt;/strong&gt;, master herbalist and founder of Ho’olono Natural Remedies. Gabriel is a Lāʻau lapaʻau medicine practitioner in the Hawaiian Islands. He trained for over 12 years with native medicine men, learning the ancient indigenous methods of the spiritual and botanical sacred healing arts. He also carries the lineage of Dr. John Christopher and graduated from the School of Natural Healing. Gabriel has his own herbal medicine school and teaches herbal healing classes all over the Hawaiian Islands.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Gabriel owns an herb farm on the Hawaii islands, grows medicine for the local people, and ships Hawaiian medicine products all over the world. He has been cultivating Comfrey on his farm for over 15 years, and is one of the most experienced and educated herbalists alive today on the subject and utilization of Comfrey.  &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Key Takeaways:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This episode examines the historical suppression of herbal medicine in the United States during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when regulatory agencies attempted to restrict access to herbs and supplements. We explore how Comfrey became a primary target during this period, despite thousands of years of documented traditional use.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The scientific allopathic model only understands herbs by isolating individual plant chemicals. They administer them to rats at abnormally high doses, then use those results to characterize the entire plant as dangerous. In contrast, traditional herbalism uses the full spectrum of the plant, where naturally occurring constituents interact together and may balance or neutralize compounds that appear harmful when studied in isolation.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ol&gt;&lt;li&gt;Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) are indeed dangerous when isolated, but can be neutralized by other constituents in the plant and by supporting liver function. Rats are highly sensitive to PAs, while pigs, sheep, and butterflies tolerate or even benefit from them. Human genetics are closer to pigs than to rats, so concluding human effects based solely on rat studies is limited.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Comfrey has been used and consumed internally throughout human history. During the Irish potato famine, many people survived on comfrey due to its rich protein matrix and high mineral and vitamin content.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Comfrey has remarkable healing properties, and we review incredible cases involving comfrey, including severe burns, ACL injuries, bone healing, stomach ulcers, liver disease, and surfing accidents involving deeply embedded coral.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;We deep dive into the profound regenerative role of allantoin. Comfrey is one of the few plants that contains allantoin, and this compound is widely credited for comfrey’s ability to rapidly stimulate tissue proliferation and repair. The human body was meant to regenerate and heal from injury and illness, yet much of this knowledge has been repressed and lost. We speculate on the medical industries that might go out of business if this plant had not been infamously repressed.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ol&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Connect with the Host:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Website:&lt;/strong&gt; https://www.veritasbotanica.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Join our Educational Community&lt;/strong&gt;:&lt;a href=&#34;https://www.veritasbotanica.com/community&#34; rel=&#34;nofollow&#34;&gt; https://www.veritasbotanica.com/community&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Shop our Herbal Products: &lt;/strong&gt;https://veritasbotanicals.gethealthy.store&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Facebook:&lt;/strong&gt; Caitlin Woolery&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Instagram&lt;/strong&gt;: caitlin_woolery_ccmh&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Connect with the Guest:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Facebook:&lt;/strong&gt; Gabriel Monaghan&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Website: &lt;/strong&gt;https://www.hoolono.com&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content:encoded>
                
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                <pubDate>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 05:55:15 &#43;0000</pubDate>
                <itunes:duration>5004</itunes:duration>
                
                
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