Plant Cunning Podcast

Ep. 225: The Cunning Farmer with Todd Elliot

Today the Plant Cunning Podcast features farmer, and magician Todd Elliot, author of The Cunning Farmer. In the interview, Elliot describes his path from nature-loving childhood in Philadelphia to homesteading and CSA vegetable farming in Kentucky, his interest in ethnobotany and plants like datura, and key influences in farming and esoteric practice. He explains his eclectic “cunning” approach, combining ancestors/underworld, land and nature spirits, celestial/astrological forces, and angelic magic, plus reiki-based energy healing for crops. We discuss lunar timing versus weather realities, agricultural talismans, offerings to land spirits, animal signs, the state of industrial agriculture, and where to find Elliot’s website and Substack. 00:00 Show and Book Updates 01:23 Meet Todd Elliot 02:48 Todd’s Plant Path Origins 05:11 Datura and Entheogenic Plants 09:09 Teachers and Influences 12:07 Cunning Farmer Identity 14:09 Land Spirits Awakening 18:28 Sacred Farming and Ritual 23:35 Corn Reverence and Monoculture 30:58 Worldview and Four Realms 33:44 Land Trauma and Ancestors 38:46 Reiki for Crops 42:47 Reiki for Seedlings 43:04 Moon Timing for Planting 43:43 Weather Versus Almanac 46:48 Eclipses and Weed Killing 47:57 Trees and Lunar Mansions 48:56 Talisman Success Stories 51:40 Offerings to Land Spirits 54:34 Animal Signs and Omens 57:24 Deer Pests and Cernunnos0 1:06:24 Advice for Cunning Farmers 01:12:21 Protection and Haunted Places 01:15:00 Ghosts and Deified Ancestors 01:17:58 Where to Find the Book

Ep. 224: The Herbal Pharmacy of Betzy Bancroft

Today on the show we welcome herbal educator and longtime practitioner Betzy Bancroft—co-founder and teacher at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism, Sage Mountain neighbor, United Plant Savers advisory board member, and author of "The Herbal Pharmacy: The Science and Magic of Preparing and Administering Plant Medicine". We discuss distilling decades of teaching into a foundational medicine-making book designed for different learning styles. She shares her path from New Jersey to studying with David Winston, working at Herbalist & Alchemist, and being inspired by mentors including Rosemary Gladstar and William LeSassier. Betsy explains VCIH’s tuition-supported sliding-scale clinic and Zoom-based student mentoring with SOAP notes, safety, and formulation review, then covers formulation principles (triangle theory), taste in teas, extraction decisions (surface area, time, heat, solvent, agitation), vinegar/oxymels and constituent solubility, polyphenols and gene expression, subtle influences and intention in medicine making, and current plant allies like mushrooms, chaga, reishi, and self-heal, plus upcoming events and where to find her book.00:00 Meet Betzy Bancroft01:05 New Book Overview02:22 Teaching Superpowers04:03 How Betzy Learns06:53 Finding Herbalism08:47 Mentors and Lineage10:21 Founding VCIH Clinic13:49 Clinic Mentoring Process18:13 Formulation Triangle Theory21:59 Vinegar and Oxymels27:42 Polyphenols Flip Genes31:42 Extraction Tips Solubility35:11 Book Marketing And Website37:03 Subtle Energies In Medicine39:47 Astrology And Intention41:47 Tea Intention Experiments47:07 Learning Through Plant Time50:06 Mushroom Remedies And Chaga55:14 Self Heal Plant Profile01:00:28 Classes Events And Wrap Up

Ep. 223: Spring Forecast/Aries Ingress 2026 with ZamboniFunk

It's the spring 2026 “astrological New Year” episode of the Plant Cunning Podcast, with hosts AC and Isaac Hill, with resident forecaster, ZamboniFunk. Isaac shares his upcoming astrological gardening book The Zodiac Garden Guide (out April 4) and reading offerings—then review 2025 and the eclipse window’s intensity, including the Iran war escalation. Using the Aries ingress chart, we discuss Mercury retrograde stationing direct in Pisces conjunct the North Node and Mars, Sun conjunct Neptune and Saturn in Aries, and what this suggests about confused but forceful narratives, pro-war escalation, and trouble for the U.S. executive branch. We emphasize skepticism, asking better questions, managing information overload, and prioritizing nourishment, rest, and grounding practices like gardening. We also preview Uranus moving into Gemini as an acceleration of tech and AI, arguing for learning new “languages” while drawing on enduring ancient wisdom and choosing fewer battles. 00:00 Spring Equinox Welcome 00:38 Zodiac Garden Guide Update 01:38 Readings And Courses 02:38 Which Way To Wisdom 04:05 Springtime Setting The Scene 04:44 Looking Back On 2025 07:56 Eclipses And World Events 10:30 Astrology For Regular People 17:32 2026 Ingress Big Themes 17:58 Mercury Retrograde Narrative Fog 24:50 Chart Walkthrough Key Placements 30:08 Tyranny Escalation And Control 36:00 Jupiter Economy And Religiosity 43:01 Unplug Or Engage Strategically 46:49 Medicine For The Moment 47:49 Herbs For Burnout 49:35 Rest And Spirit Care 51:46 Acceleration And Uranus 54:26 Gardening As Medicine 57:57 Mercury Pisces Paradox 01:02:45 Unplugging From Opinions 01:08:42 Uranus Gemini Skills 01:10:38 Printing Press AI Lesson 01:23:52 Old Versus Ancient 01:29:13 Pick Your Battles

Ep. 122: Natural Healing with Peter Jackson-Main

In this episode, AC & Isaac welcome natural healing practitioner and teacher Peter Jackson-Main to discuss Natural Healing, his background in the Dr. John Christopher lineage, founding The Natural Center in the UK, and his clinical approach using structured case-taking alongside tongue and pulse diagnosis and iridology. They focus on what detoxification is, why it matters in a toxic environment, and how he supports organ-by-organ elimination (bowel, kidney, liver, lymph), including a gentler polarity-based liver flush using apple juice, lemon, garlic, ginger, olive oil, and a dandelion-root detox tea, plus seasonal timing in spring and autumn. Peter contrasts herbs with supplements, emphasizes patient commitment in chronic illness, and shares views on fasting as spiritual and physical medicine. He previews his forthcoming book The Medicine of Plants on ecology, exchange with plants, and plant intelligence, and shares favorite allies like astragalus, burdock, nettle, artemisia, and horsetail. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:34 Guest Intro and Announcements 03:01 Defining Natural Healing 04:29 Origin Story and Training 08:33 Building the Natural Centre 10:25 Herbal Preparations and Teas 12:51 Clinical Intake and Intuition 20:56 Detox Basics and Rationale 23:58 Organ by Organ Detox Strategy 28:41 Liver Flush Protocol 34:55 Seasonal Detox and Herb Choices 36:16 Warming Detox Tea 37:25 Fasting Basics and Benefits 40:17 Fasting as Whole-Being Practice 41:17 Handling Chronic Illness Cases 46:01 Eclectic Herbal Lineage 47:50 Rethinking Research and Reality 51:45 Supplements Versus Living Herbs 55:00 Plant Allies and Local Substitutes 58:47 New Book The Medicine of Plants 01:04:44 Closing and Where to Find Him

Ep. 221: Fungi, Citrus, and Berries OH MY! with Olga Tzogas

Find out all about Olga and her Greece trips at Smugtown Mushrooms [https://www.smugtownmushrooms.com/] AC and Isaac welcome returning guest Olga Tzogas of Smugtown Mushrooms, calling in from California where she’s teaching frequent classes, connecting with mushroom and herbal communities, and harvesting no-spray citrus for an east-coast fruit share. They discuss shifts in mushroom education interest, regional and international mushroom diversity tied to trees and rainfall, and favorite Greece finds like shaggy parasols and almond-scented wild Agaricus, plus simple grilling methods with olive oil, oregano, and lemon. Olga explains truffles—trees they associate with, how quickly they can be found with trained dogs, why prices are high, preservation challenges, and ways to use them. Olga shares details on her Greece trips in May and October (including truffle hunting, medicine making, hydrosols, dyes, and food), early bird timing, and mentions the upcoming New Moon Mycology Summit in September. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:33 Guest Intro and Teasers 01:50 Greece Trip Announcement 03:33 Olga in California 06:55 Teaching on the Road 08:27 Mushroom Trend Talk 10:09 Foraging Origins and Fungi Magic 11:48 California Mushroom Season 14:00 Mushrooms Around the World 18:49 Greece Mushroom Favorites 22:23 Citrus Share and Bitters 25:51 Peels Oxymels and Aronia 31:04 Sea Buckthorn and Ojas 36:16 Thorns Hawthorn and Cornelian Cherry 37:52 Wild Fruit and Wood 38:47 Truffles and Host Trees 39:46 Cultivating Truffles Fast 41:30 Training Truffle Dogs 43:24 Truffle Prices and Shelf Life 44:43 Preserving Truffle Aroma 47:09 Cooking With Truffles 50:13 Greece Foraging Trips 56:28 Trip Dates and Lodging 01:00:15 Workshops and Slow Travel 01:07:20 Why Greece Feels Free 01:12:28 New Moon Summit Update 01:16:35 Early Bird and Giving Back 01:18:39 Final Thanks and Farewell