WorldWild Podcast
Episode 7 29th March 2019
Restoring Vital Connection with Monica Wilde
Monica Wilde, forager and research herbalist, grew up in Kenya and has a deep love of the natural world. In this conversation, she is frank about her belief in humanity's ability to course-correct. As one of the owners of Napiers the Herbalists, she sees herself as a custodian of a grander scale endeavour; Napiers having been established in 1860.
We explore topics such as connection, synchronised interaction, forest bathing, losing energy and gaining wisdom, the seasonality of milk and honey, gut flora, not-awkward silences and how foraging opens up a whole new space for being. 'There is an unspoken understanding that change is needed', she says. Where that change will come from and how it will look is the overriding theme of this conversation...
'A cure wasn't always just to treat the patient, it was sometimes to treat the community'
- Monica Wilde, episode 7
About Monica Wilde
Monica Wilde is a forager and research herbalist, with a particular focus on Lym disease; she heads up the Napiers Lyme Clinic. Her journey in herbalism began on the Kenyan farm of her childhood where she met with a Kikuyu herbalist. This interest and rigorous study of the potential of herbal medicine has led her to be made a Fellow of the Linnean Society, as well as being one of the founding members of the Association of Foragers. She has formally taught foraging since 2005 and offers nature immersion experiences as well as wild cookery courses. She lives in a self-built wooden house in Scotland and tends to a wild garden, as well as a few furry friends.
Further reading
> Further study: 'Silence is gold, talking is silver' BBC report on Finnish silence.
> Further study: Study on Shinrin-yoku (forest bathing) and its effect on immune system.
About the show
We offer a series of conversations to tap into the wildness within ourselves and to uncover what is possible when we do. It is our hope that through the WorldWild Podcast we can contribute to the revitalisation of wild food culture and conversation around the world.
Through people who know their landscapes intimately, we gather the threads to weave a rich tapestry. Piece by piece the vision of a wilder world comes into view. The wild embrace of nature welcomes us back and offers us a seat at the table. A feast, no less!
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