Ep 85 Using Herbs for Painful Periods with Phyllis Jaworski

Phyllis Jaworski (Juh-wore-ski) is the founder of Sacred Ibis (Eye-bis) Botanicals in Hudson, WI. As an herbal clinician she supports her clients in having pain-free menstrual cycles, and being energized and to live their best life every day of the month. Her career started out with a degree in Animal Science from University of Wisconsin-River Falls and she worked as a scientist for 13 years. After a diagnosis of endometriosis in 2015 Phyllis turned to her new hobby of herbalism for support. Within 6 months she was pain and surgery free. In 2019 Phyllis obtained her Master of Herbalism certification from Green Wisdom School of Natural & Botanical Medicine. Phyllis focuses on using whole plant preparations to address symptom relief, as well as whole plant nutrition and energy and thought blockages to create lasting healthy patterns. When not supporting clients you can find her out collecting plants, creating herbal products or traveling with her family. 

Find out more at www.sacredibisbotanicals.com

Here is a link to the Healthy Hormone Strategy Session:

Link to her event page that is updated often for free offerings and other events:

Well Connected Twin Cities is connecting you with local health and wellness professionals in your community. Discover what's possible by surfing the directory, taking a class, or attending the next event.

http://wellconnectedtwincities.com/
Follow us on instagram https://instagram.com/wellconnectedtwincities

Transcript

[00:00:26] Cynthia: hello, and welcome to the Well Connected Twin Cities Podcast. Today I get to invite you to sit in on a conversation with me and Phyllis Jaworski. Phyllis is the founder of Sacred Ivis Botanicals and Hudson, Wisconsin. As an herbal clinician, she supports her clients in having pain free menstrual cycles and being energized to live their best life.

Every day of the. Her career started out with a degree in animal science from University of Wisconsin River Falls, and she worked as a scientist for 13 years after a diagnosis of endometriosis. In 2015, Fells turned to her new hobby of herbalism for support. Within six months, she was pain and surgery free.

In 2019, Phyllis obtained her master of Herbalism certification from Green Wisdom School of Natural Botanical Medicine. Phyllis focuses on using whole plant preparations to address symptom relief, as well as whole plant nutrition and energy and thought blockages to create lasting healthy pattern. We're not supporting clients.

You can find her out collecting plants, creating herbal products, or traveling with her family. 

[00:03:23] Cynthia: So here we are with Phyllis. Welcome. Hi, 

[00:03:26] Phyllis: Phyllis . Hi Cynthia. How are you? 

[00:03:29] Cynthia: Good, good. I'm just super excited for everyone to hear your story of how you got into herbalism specifically for. Pain free periods.

That's something I just personally hadn't heard of before. So I'd love to hear and have you share your story, you know, what brought you into the space? 

[00:03:51] Phyllis: Yeah. Thank you. And thank you so much for having me today. It's a pleasure to be with you. Um, and yeah, so, so for me, I, I think as with a lot of holistic heals, right?

They, their specialty is something that they've lived through oftentimes. Um, and for me in 2015, um, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. Uh, it was kind of an unofficial diagnosis to officially diagnose that you have to do surgery. Um, And the OB surgeon that I saw was like, You're not even ready for surgery yet.

Even though I was spending two to three days a month on the couch in so much pain that even over the counter pain medication wasn't really even helping or addressing. Um, and so because I wasn't ready for surgery at that point, she's just said to go and try whatever. I could try and see what would work until I needed surgery, and then to go back and see her, which.

Left me feeling so alienated. It just made me so angry and sad and frustrated. Um, and then in my mind I just thought, I'm, I will, I will go out and try these things and I will not be back here. Um, and at that point I had taken a few herbalist classes and decided to reach out to the, my mentor at the time, Lisa Wolf.

Um, and, you know, just ask her, you know, what do I do? And she sent me actually to a more, an herbalist closer to me. Within working with her after about six months, I was pain free. Um, I didn't know how nutritionally deficient I was in working with some whole plant preparations. My nutrition was back, my hair was thick again.

It wasn't falling out anymore. Um, And I just felt so good and I decided then that I was going to go get my Master Vocalism certification and I wanted to help people, um, using herbs because it is such a great way to get nutrition, to get, um, to, to work on issues, you know? So, I mean, surgery just can't be the only option, right?

I mean, there has to be other ways and there are, you know, now, I know. So I just have now made it my mission to, um, to support other women, um, this way because no one should be left told to just go out and try things and come back when they need surgery. That's just unacceptable to me. So, 

[00:06:07] Cynthia: Oh wow. Well, I'm so glad that you had at least that provider was like, Try, try things.

Unfortunately, they didn't have any specific resources for you, but you really took that to heart and went out and and tried things, and you were taking the herbalism classes. What, I'm curious what drew you to the herbalism class to begin? And what you were doing before you pursued herbalism as a career?

[00:06:33] Phyllis: Oh, good question. Um, so I was a scientist for 13 years and, you know, in that it was, um, kind of, uh, in vitro diagnostics is kind of what I worked in. So that was like making test kits for hospitals to use for diagnosing disease. Um, Not really anywhere near herbalism at that point. But when I was pregnant with my, um, two children, I was, I just became allergic to so many things that I had to start making my own, um, like lotions and stuff, cuz anything I used, I would break out from.

Um, and so I started working with single oil, so like almond oil, coconut oil, um, olive oil. And then I started getting books on, you know, making lotions and stuff and people would try things. And so actually in 2015 I had started Sacred. I was botanicals as a business where I made hand, um, or a handmade.

Lotions. And so I had a personal care line, a a, a home cleaning product line cuz um, cleaning products are laced with things that are not good, especially for women and young children as far as, um, androgyn or exogenous hormones. Um, and other bad, bad things that you don't wanna be inhaling for. Lung health and a lot of other things.

Um, and so then in working with all of those reagents and ingredients and stuff, and then discovering, you know, for the lotions, well, when you add. You know, bees, wax and emulsifiers and stuff, and then you get a better lotion. And so I just started kind of going down that path. What's super interesting about that is just everything came back to the plants, right?

So it was all of these great plants giving their wisdom to create these fantastic lotions and serums. I don't know, it just like, I, I could geek out about it forever. Um, and then after taking classes with me wolf and realizing, oh my gosh, like we have great plants here, right? Like, you don't have to go to Africa or Asia necessarily to get medicine or, um, You know, lotion or um, oils and stuff, right?

Like we have great oils that come from this area as well. Sunflower oil, walnut oil. I mean, you can make an oil outta so many different things. And that just sparked so much curiosity and it was, it's so fun to me, even to this day, learning about new plants. And new ways to use them. Um, it's just, it just brings me a lot of joy

[00:08:52] Cynthia: Yes. And it's so cool that it's all around. It's accessible. And you know, you had mentioned, I know we had talked about how you kind of did research in the pharmaceutical space and you recognized weight. Even pharmaceuticals. It's using plant extracts and and pieces of plants and parts of plants, but then adding all these additives so that they can patent it and make it something sellable and

[00:09:22] Phyllis: Yeah. And that, that's the amazing thing is, is the plants that, that I use most in my practice cannot be patented cuz they are. You know, um, native plants for the most part. I mean, there are a lot of plants that aren't native, um, to the North America continent, right? But those can't be patented. So if you create different plants with specific genetics, you can patent those, you know, like roses and stuff like that.

But the regular plantain and, um, you know, daisy that grows out in your yard right, cannot be patented. And so when creating these medicines, oftentimes, oftentimes what pharmaceutical companies are going after is this specific constituent, so they'll. They'll maybe use the plant preparation to be like, Okay, this is the constituent that works.

And then they manufacture that constituent cuz that can be patented. Um, and then they're not using the whole plant, they're just using that constituent. They manufacture it, they put it into a pill and send it out into the world. Um, but what's so interesting is when you work with the whole plant, you get all of these other aspects of the plant that are important with that constituent, that help.

In so many ways, um, and have fewer side effects then than just that specific constituent. Um, because it's not meant to usually have that specific constituent, like just that, right? It's meant to have the whole like your food, right? Like yeah. You can take, you could just survive probably on just multivitamins and a few calories, right?

But to be nourished and flourishing. You need a variety of foods, right? Like you need the whole food, not just a pill, um, to live off when you think of it that 

[00:10:56] Cynthia: way. Yeah, there's, there's some intelligent design there where the whole plant being consumed. Is optimal. It's all the parts of it working synergistically to give you exactly what you need.

And as an herbalist, you've been studying this, you know, you've been working with the plants and what they do, how they affect you, you know, What would you say the role of a herbalist is? Let's say, cuz I've never worked with an herbalist personally. I know herbalist, but what would it be like working with an herbalist?

Like what, what is that? 

[00:11:31] Phyllis: Thank you. Um, yeah, so an herbalist is much like an allopathic doctor, a western medicine doctor, in that, you know, obviously a health history is something that we all want to have, right? Like, we need to know what is driving a person. Um, and so just like going to see a regular doctor, we, um, we have.

An extensive intake. We need all the information we can get. Mm-hmm. . And then from there, you know, we can decide what your goals are. I mean, that's one of the best things that I love about my job, is that I can work with my clients to achieve the goals that they want. Right. Like, so if they wanna reduce their anxiety, they don't want, um, specific side effects.

Like I can help tailor the herbs and to them too. Right? To their constitution. It's not just everyone. This herb right? Or this pill, right? It's like, oh, so you maybe need a Irvine that's not, um, an uplifting Irvine, not like a sedating Irvine, right? Something that, um, it just depends upon, you know, that person and what their anxiety is.

Is their anxiety in going out places? Is it that they're overwhelmed? You know, you can even get down to those details. It's not like everyone just. The same, like it's anxiety, you know, Zoloft here, you go out the door, you go, right? Um, and so, and I, I really get to know my clients, right? And then I can help them find the plants that suit them best.

[00:12:55] Cynthia: Mm. I. Never really knew that you can address anxiety through herbs. I mean, I know that there's aromatherapy and it's there's something there. But to consume herbs and address anxiety in such a. Patient centered approach, Right. Where it's unique to each person, because as you said, we're all, we're all different, right?

Yeah. It depends on your constitution, um, your chemistry, your, your mindset. And so that's, that's incredible. And I, I'd imagine you bring that level of. Attention to detail to each woman when you work with their painful periods and the issues that they're having. Uh, do you mind sharing just. Your work and why specifically painful periods?

[00:13:48] Phyllis: Absolutely. Yeah. So when I opened my door, so it's kind of a funny story. I actually opened my office doors on March 13th, 2020 and then closed them that Friday because we had the shelter in place. Um, and then I was home for 11 months with my my, with my children. Um, . But even in that time, I mean I didn't have as many clients as I was hoping, obviously cuz the whole world changed.

Um, and how I was going to structure my business changed dramatically, dramatically. , Oh yeah. Mm-hmm . But in that time and the next year, I mean the majority of people who were coming to me were women having menstrual issues. Um, and so I felt like that was a good focus, right? If that's who's coming through my door, might as well focus on that.

And obviously that's my. . That's my specialty. I've lived through it all. I mean, I've had, you know, um, endometriosis, fibroids, uh, prolapse, uh, you name it, I've pretty much had it.

[00:14:39] Cynthia: You talked about working with clients through anxiety clients through painful periods.

I wonder if you've noticed any. Link there, cause I know there's that mind body connection. And when our psyche might be inflamed, our, you know, sympathetic nervous system is firing. Then also our reproductive systems gets really outta sync. And so I wonder if there's a link there that you've noticed. Yeah, I think.

[00:15:09] Phyllis: There are a couple different links, right? Cuz everyone is a little bit different. But in what I've seen and how I work with my clients, right? Is um, so everyone is made of energy. I mean, that's like a fact I think that everyone can agree on, right? Everything in our universe is energy. We're all made of atoms moving around.

And so when energy doesn't move, right, when it gets stuck, then that's a problem. Um, and I feel that. For most of us, um, growing up, even as children, there are things that maybe thought patterns. We've had things that have happened to us that may have seemed like now as an adult would be like, Oh, that wasn't a big deal, but at the time it caused something in you that.

Made you hurt, it made you feel less than you should be or whatever. Right. And every one of those little thoughts, if they get stuck in you right, they, they cause long term issues. Right? Cause that, I feel like the manifestation of disease, especially later in, is just, Kind of a symptom of these blockages that you've held your entire life.

And so in my research for women with, um, reproductive issues such as fibroids, P C O S and those things, that is a held negative belief, right, in those reproductive organs. And so, um, and that is brought on by repression. It can be just, like I said, even the simplest of things. Something that happened as a kid.

Or, and, and to be honest, um, it's amazing how many of my clients walk through my door with sexual trauma as children. And you carry that your entire life and you're holding it, holding it, and holding it in, right? And eventually it just is stuck and it just becomes something else. Um, and so that can come with, you know, for some of my clients, it rep, it can come with anxiety, it can come with depression.

You know, that feeling of shame, you know, another feeling that's. Suppressed and hidden and held onto. Um, but yeah, for some of my clients it does. It does, it does express itself as anxiety and. It just depends upon that person and their, um, you know, how their life has gone and how they've been able to deal with, with the manifestation of the blockage.

So, um, yeah, it's, it, it is, there is often an element of anxiety, um, with it, but yes. Mmm. 

[00:17:40] Cynthia: Mm-hmm. . Yeah. So I wonder, besides herbalism, cuz you mentioned energy and blockages, and I feel like this is so aligned with so many different healing modalities. Do you offer other tools besides herbalism, alongside for that complimentary support?

[00:17:57] Phyllis: Yeah, I definitely, I love to refer clients out. I have, so obviously with clients who had suffered, um, trauma, like sexual trauma or extensive trauma, right? Like therapy is also a great option. I mean, in working with someone, um, any practitioner, even a doctor, right? Like the goal is not just to mask the symptoms.

It should be, um, it should be to find that cause. And so even working with me and getting a pain free period, right? Like yep, we can work with the herbs and we can use those plant constituents and that whole plant nutrition to get rid of that. But if you don't work on those inner blockages, those little things that have been held so tightly that your body wouldn't know what to do and just releasing it, right?

I mean, that's when we have like healing. Crisis crises, . Um, and so, so definitely like, you know, if, if it needs to be working with a therapist to get to those problems, that is fantastic. For some women it might be physical therapy, right? Like if you are, um, Pelvic floor isn't where it needs to be. Right. And we can work on these constituents, but if you have a misalignment, I mean that, that can cause a lot of pain and stuff that yes, the constituents and the plants can help with, but really getting that confirmation back that or um, that alignment back is really needed.

Right? So I love to help refer clients out to other. Practitioners that can help. Um, because you know, your body has so many different parts, right? I mean, and, and, um, and it, and it's just great to have the support you need to get everything back into alignment. 

[00:19:34] Cynthia: Mm mm-hmm. beautiful. Being able to. Really make it a collaborative effort cuz everyone, you know, all these wellness practitioners, they're here to support, support you.

And so it's great that you have that referral network and yeah, you understand that herbalism plays a role and yet there's also all these other healing modalities that can support individuals in their healing and their processing. Yeah. That's awesome. And 

[00:20:04] Phyllis: it's a journey. It's a journey. It's not ever, you know, just a linear thing.

Right? Like I find a lot of women who then get through, we get through the painful periods. Many of them do end up, um, maybe seeing a therapist for a little while, right? But then maybe there'll be another issue that they'll be like, Oh, I didn't even know that this was an issue because there was so much pain with this.

And then they might go on to a different practitioner. If they need to, to work on whatever else, You know, if it's a physical therapist or whatever at that point to work on some other things. Um, yeah. And it's a journey. It's not, I mean, you just have to know who's out there to support you when you need wherever you are in that journey.

Right. Um, yeah. 

[00:20:44] Cynthia: Yeah. Well, and I feel like the story, the public story is the accepted story is, is that painful periods are painful, periods are uncomfortable, and you just have to deal with it. Right? You right. I feel like growing up I just, you know, Oh, I'm cramping. It's my time of the month. Like I just heard that so often or people would.

Saying they had to miss school because they had to stay on the couch and like put an ice pack on their belly or like a warm pad on their belly. And, and it was just this accepted thing where like, Oh yeah, that stinks. Like I'm very fortunate where I don't have painful period, so I, I just counted myself lucky and would witness my friends having issues and I wish, I wish.

I knew or they knew that this was an option. Um, I have to say, Phyllis, I actually had a client a couple days ago who said, Do you know anything about how I can manage my periods? Cuz they are debilitating and. Before meeting you, I would've said, I have zero idea. Talk to your doctor. . The doctor would've been like, I have zero idea.

[00:21:54] Phyllis: Yeah, yeah. Here's a pill and let's see if that's it. And 

[00:21:58] Cynthia: yeah, so I'm just, I wanna send you some gratitude cuz I was able to give her some hope and say, Actually, I do know of an herbalist who specifically works with painful periods. Uh, you know, unfortunately this woman wasn't local, so I was like, but I'm sure there are herbalists out nearby you, and you can ask around for specifically people with that experience and Yeah.

Yeah, I never would've known that. 

[00:22:21] Phyllis: Yeah. Well, and, and. Thank you Covid. In a way, I guess I do most of my work online now, and so, and I work, I can send people things. I have a full script account for if there are supplements and stuff that I need to recommend. Um, so that was one of my , That's what happened for me.

Instead of seeing mostly people face to face, I can see people online. Okay, wonderful. I'll have to let her know. . Okay, great. . 

[00:22:47] Cynthia: Oh, that's awesome. And, uh, I, I was so fascinated because you said that you don't only work with adults, but you also work with young girls. Can you tell us a little more about that and how that, that came to 

[00:22:59] Phyllis: be.

Yeah, it's just something that has recently started. I just, um, I've had a couple parents reach out, you know, their daughters are starting to menstruate, you know, and they're asking questions about, you know, how to use different things like cups versus tampons. And of course, you know, again, every woman is different.

And already for some of these poor girls who are starting, you know, um, They may have issues where they maybe can't use a cup. Um, maybe tampons aren't right for them for whatever reason. Um, and so it's great to be a resource for those kinds of things to help, um, moms out with that. Cause that's a huge, that's a huge anxiety piece for a mom too, right?

Like cuz they know how hard it was for them. Some, And I have one woman who reached out to me with some of my messaging that I had about first periods, and she was like, my mom had had a hysterectomy. I had three brothers and a dad, and she didn't even know what to do. She didn't even help me. I just had to figure it out on my own.

Um, and could you imagine that like, uh, in the little bit of information that you get in school, um, isn't really enough to adequately prepare you, and especially then many girls start out with painful periods right off the bat? I mean, can you imagine how, how hard that is? And so what's nice too about working.

With, you know, young women, is that getting to them before all of this manifests itself into things like, Endometriosis and fibroids, and some of these girls may even be starting out with endometriosis, right? But it's so much easier to work with that at that level, you know, when they're younger, it just seems like the changes come easier.

And then also too, the best part is, is getting to those core. Issues, Right? Those core beliefs, those core negative patterns and turning them into something positive, right? I mean, to me, that just brings me so much joy to think like we can keep these girls from going through decades of these negative thoughts, so that hopefully when they decide to have children, right?

Hopefully there aren't any issues with infertility, we can help them. Nutrition and making sure that they're, that they know that that's really, really important for when they get older for so many reasons, and they won't understand it at all. , you know, what being a mom is or whatever. Right. You know, like how, how much that zaps you, but giving them that foundation so that when they think, Oh yeah, that's right.

This is where I'm at, Okay, this is how I need to support myself. Or even just giving them the power to say, I need support, right? Like, I got support at this one time and it was so helpful and I need the support again. I'm going to look for it. Versus thinking like, there is nothing that I can do. There's nothing for me.

I just have to deal with this because painful periods are not normal. Women's bodies are not designed for that type of pain. Like granted, we can take on a lot, but that doesn't mean that we should have to go through that kind of pain every month. Um, and it's, it's just, it's not, it's not healthy and no woman is alone.

Like, and that's the other thing too is we all know this and it just seems like everyone's in. Little pods, right? We just don't come together as women anymore and support each other. You know? There are no red tents. I mean, actually now I think there are people who are creating red tents again, which I think is fantastic.

Um, but, um, but you know, it's a community thing. I, I really, I don't, I, I'm hoping at some point to be able to drive something like that where women can come and, and talk about it, get support. Um, you know, and just, just be heard. 

[00:26:33] Cynthia: Yeah. Beautiful. And for those who don't know what a red tent is, can you give us a little history lesson,

[00:26:40] Phyllis: Yeah, so, I mean, I'm not really even sure of the timeframe. I mean, to me it's like a. Biblical kind of thing. But when women were menstruating, they would go to this red tent. They were considered like you, you couldn't touch them or anything. I don't wanna say it was dirty, cuz I don't think it was dirty.

But anyway, in this red tent, the women would support each other. So they would have, you couldn't do anything, you were just resting. Um, and so I think food and water were brought to them and you know, it was just, Um, kind of bonding time, um, you know, and right when a woman, like when a girl first got her period, she, you know, she'd be ushered to the red tent and there was kind of like a ceremony around it.

And, um, you know, in our culture today, it just seems. I don't know. I remember when I was first menstruating and my mom wanted to celebrate and I was like, What is there to celebrate? I mean, you, when you think about it, right? Like, like it's scary cuz it's like, I could get pregnant. I mean, you don't really understand at the time, right?

Like all you know is that, um, you know, like it's, it just seems like a lot of responsibility I guess. And you don't really understand, um, how that's how that works. But it would be great to have that community where, Um, you know, just to be surrounded by women and, um, and to get support and to get rest. Cuz that's really what you should be doing when you're menstruating is resting.

[00:28:06] Cynthia: So. Yes. Yes. It's, gosh, and that's so cool that your mom wanted to throw you like a celebration. I, I think. I think there is a wave of people doing like period parties or something where it's like, yes, serious. Hey, let's celebrate this. It's, it's a beautiful moment and just kind of flipping the script cuz you know, just like you, when you said periods shouldn't be painful, like that's not normal.

It's so opposite of what I grew up hearing and knowing. Yeah. And so to also flip the script around, Oh, getting your period. It's not a burden, It's not a, a tragedy or, you know, it's, Wow. Like you're, you're celebrating this new transition. Uh, did you have a pretty open household growing up where your mom was able to kind of support you there?

Or what, what was that like for you growing up? 

[00:28:57] Phyllis: Yeah. Yeah. It was also, I don't know. For some reason I just felt it was so, Scary that, I mean, I didn't tell anyone. It was months before my mom found out. I mean, cuz I had ordered I could order like this free kit and I was able to get by so many months, you know, on it.

And no one knew anything. Um, you know, and then by the time I had to ask for something right? Then she was like, Oh my gosh, . It's like, well it's already been six months, but Okay. Um, . Yeah, sure, that's all right now. Um, but, um, but yeah, I mean, And I felt too, you know, that we didn't really discuss it much before it happened.

And then it was kind of like after it happened, then there was a discussion. So, um, that, that was a little tough. But also too, I mean, I, I just didn't have a good mindset around it, cuz to me it was frightening. It was scary. Um, And so, but see, again, that's, that was my thought pattern, right? Like, it's one of those things I was talking about where I just kind of held that in because I was afraid of, you know, what it was and I didn't wanna ask any questions.

And, um, unfortunately then, you know, my mom and I talked about it and released that as far as, you know, that shame or. Uh, fear that I had around it. So that was a good, good work through of of a negative behavior or emotional pattern. 

[00:30:23] Cynthia: Wonderful. Yeah, Do so what do you do when you work with thought patterns with your clients?

You know, how do you help them shift that thought pattern? 

[00:30:33] Phyllis: Good question. Uh, so in coming up with, okay, so I follow Louise Hay. I don't know if you know Louise Hay, but she deals with positive affirmations and her affirmations, Um, kind of go off of this manifestation. Of a negative belief as disease or some sort of health issue.

And so, like I said, for women who are suffering from, um, endometriosis and fibroids, that's often, um, repression that we store in our uterus for whatever reason. Um, and so that is dealing with, um, not loving yourself completely or maybe finding the genitals sinful and dirty. And so in dealing, These affirmations, right?

We want to acknowledge these negative patterns that have caused this blockage. You want to then replace that with a positive, um, Affirmation, Right, To bring in a positive set. You know, you want that blockage to be cleared so that when you relieve your symptoms of your painful period or whatever you have going on, that then that blockage isn't there and it doesn't, it doesn't come back.

And I love to facilitate the use of the affirmations with flower resistances, which are a very subtle vibrational energy. That helps open up chakras. It helps release these negative patterns and bring in positive qualities, just like affirmations. And what's great is then you don't have to relive any specific trauma.

I mean, you can handle that with a therapist or or with whoever. With whomever. But I like it because it just helps to. With my clients, with our regimen, right? That I, that I create for my clients, that individual regimen to help, um, just facilitate some of this inner deeper vibrational healing, uh, without it being, um, so taxing.

You know, like, again, we don't wanna healing crisis. We want to gently move some of this energy through so that you can be the best version of you without having to. Relive everything, right? I mean, life is already hard enough as it is. And just these gentle little things are just a great way to support you.

Um, and then to create those new habits that are needed to sustain the new version of you. 

[00:32:47] Cynthia: Yeah. Beautiful. It's such a gift to be able to have that space of gentle healing of those subtle shifts that can free you up enough to, to continue on to, to move forward. Um, Uh, and I had no idea that certain flower essences also work with the chakra system.

Is this, Yeah. Is this common knowledge? I've never heard of that before. ? 

[00:33:18] Phyllis: Um, I don't know. I don't know if it, I mean, I don't know. I, I mean, that's just, That's in my training that I have and, and in my readings that yeah, there are specific flower essences that can work with different chakras to help open them.

Um, and again, they, they deal with, so oftentimes specific negative emotional patterns can reside in certain chakras. Right. So like a fear of using your voice Right. Would definitely be a throat chakra. Um mm-hmm. . Uh, issue. And so, I mean, when you kind of think about what the flower essence is doing, you can kind of tell which chakra it might be working with too.

And there are some that are specifically like for opening up all the chakras and, and different things, but, um mm-hmm. , but yeah, isn't it great? It's just, it's. Energy work is the most amazing. And there are so many different types and it goes into so many different reals. I mean, I'm just in my plant realm, Um, , that's like all I can focus on.

I'm just 

[00:34:21] Cynthia: here for a bit. Like this is already a lot of information. 

[00:34:24] Phyllis: Yeah, 

[00:34:25] Cynthia: yeah, Yeah. So I love it. So working with plants to open up chakras and the flower essence, is it something that's consumed? Is it something that smelled, Like, how do, how do you work with that? 

[00:34:36] Phyllis: Yeah, yeah, you can use it a lot of different ways.

So, um, I usually have my clients take them under the tongue. I feel that that is the most direct way to do it. Um, for some people it might be too much because, and there is alcohol, there is brandy in it. So for my clients who don't take alcohol, you can either do it. On a forearm, you can do it as a spray, you can put it in your bathwater.

For my children, I do it as a spray cuz it's super fun. Then for them, they love having their little spray that they get to spray and um, and sometimes too, if it's something like, you know, they're in a foul mood or whatever, and I can just click. Spray it, and I can't, they don't have to take it or whatever.

You know, there's like the flower essence, Julie is for impatience, you know, and my loved one sometimes gets really upset about things he can't change, you know? And so it's like, here, here's a little support for you. Right. Um, even for myself when I'm in traffic, it's like, here's a little, little for me too.

Um, and so, uh, yeah. It's, it's just, it's a great, it's just a great support. Um, I just love 

[00:35:41] Cynthia: them, so. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. And I, I remember us having this conversation about how your goal as an herbalist is not for someone to have to come to you all the time, but for you to educate them so that they know how to heal themselves.

Right. So the next time. Having patience. Next time they have anxiety, the next time they already know, Okay, I need these herbs, I need these, these tools that Mother Nature can provide me with. And you know that that knowledge is with them forever. I mean, that's so empowering and gosh, what, what a gift. 

[00:36:23] Phyllis: Yeah.

Yeah. And I feel, um, as. Holistic practitioners, right? Like, we wanna leave the person whether they decide to sign up with us or not, right? Better than we found them. So I feel like that's kind of the unspoken rule of what we do. Um, and then, yeah. Yeah, the, what I love is I want my clients. To have this knowledge.

Yes. Your body knows how to heal itself. It just needs maybe a reminder. It needs some support. Right. Um, working with plants is reconnecting to the earth. Right. And in reconnecting, you know, it's kind of that, um, gaining that knowledge and that confidence back that, that we're really born with, I feel. But we just kind of ignore cuz we get so caught up.

You know, our life and we just don't really pay attention. We don't pay attention to the cues that our body is giving us the way we used to. Um, and then when working with herbs, right, like if you notice your anxiety comes back a little bit, right? Like, okay, so what could I do for that? Right? How can I support myself?

Oh, I use the out straw for that. I'll go get some outs, straw. Or you know, maybe you'd just say, Wow, that's really interesting. You know, this is what sparked this bit of anxiety, right? So when you start to recognize what causes your anxiety, I mean, that's a tool in and of itself, and that's a part of like the work that I do is making sure that my clients are able to recognize those, those cues, right?

Because then that tells them kind of what they need to do. And so it's working much the way I work with them, right? They learn to, to do some of that for themselves. So it's really important. 

[00:37:56] Cynthia: Yeah, for sure. So, Right. You do, you do a lot of different work with different symptoms and herbs. Uh, what would you say is the part of your job, the part of your work that really excites you the most?

Yeah. Well, I 

[00:38:17] Phyllis: think I've kind of touched on that. I mean, as far as like working with the young girls and you know, having them just think like we're setting them on course now. Right. For success here. Like I love that. Um, I love when I'm done working, I usually work with. In packages with my clients just because I feel like that gives them the best support.

Um, and then I feel like I can do my best when I'm seeing a client more than one time, right? Cause I get to know them a little bit better. We can make sure that we're dealing with their specific goals and issues. Um, but just at the end, Like what's fun is like checking in with a client, right? And being like, So how is this menstrual cycle?

And it was like, Oh, it's so crazy. I didn't even know it was coming. And it's like, Yes, that's what we want, right? Like, and then they might, they might be like, Oh my gosh, I didn't even realize like, I didn't, cuz I had a client just recently and you know, like in the middle of her cycle she would just get, her breast would get so painful and she'd have spotting and she, and, and it was like even in the middle of the month, she had to take a day off cuz she was in so much pain from ovulating and stuff.

And then when we had done our check-in after a month, after her next menstrual cycle and she was like, like going through all this stuff and she's like, Oh my gosh, I didn't even realize that I didn't. The pain during the middle of the month, it just like went right through and, you know, my menstrual cycle wasn't like I didn't have to down ibuprofen and, you know, and she's like, I actually didn't even know it was coming cuz like normally she would have all kinds of other issues.

And, and, and then she realized it, you know, it wasn't like, You know, she got to the middle of the month and was like, Oh, nothing yet. Nothing yet. It was just like, cuz like life goes on, right? Like you just move through it. And she just hadn't even realized it cuz she had already just 

[00:40:00] Cynthia: gone. Wow. So, So it can happen that quickly, just within one cycle.

With herbal support, you can have a pain free period. 

[00:40:09] Phyllis: It depends upon what the client has, but within four sessions we can usually make sure. We can get bleeding down middle of the month. Stuff usually goes away. Sometimes working on the cramps can be a little bit difficult, depending upon if it's endometriosis or fibroids.

I've had clients come in with 5, 6, 7 centimeter fibroids, and that takes much more. Work because there's so much excess estrogen. And then just finding ways to get that excess estrogen out while giving support and nutritional support, cuz nutrition is, is key. I mean, that's what a lot of the symptoms actually are from our deficiencies.

Um, especially mid cycle. Um, and so I, I, I like to just like be very cautious about what I say. But, um, yes, typically though, um, And within three months getting vitamin, vitamin D is crucial to cramping. Um, I know that sounds crazy, but, uh, it's basically an epidemic in this Vitamin D deficiency is an epidemic in this country.

Um, there are, um, doctors and herbalists out there who definitely, uh, believe in that and have written papers on it. Um, and so, you know, working with those, that nutritional support. But definitely within three months it's manageable, if not completely. Not, you know, gone. Um, yeah. But I do have some clients who have with more severe, um, issues that it takes a little bit longer to get that, that relief.

[00:41:34] Cynthia: So, Mmm. Mm-hmm. . Got it. Very cool. It just, it's so, I'm excited for potentially just even one listener who's dealing with painful periods and feeling like, Well, this is just gonna be the rest of my life till I go through menopause. And uh, it's just so cool to know that this is an option and. That a painful period doesn't have to be a life sentence.

Right? That it's something that you can work with. And, uh, did I hear you even say that you, it helps. You can help reduce bleeding as well, so that it's lighter 

[00:42:12] Phyllis: period. Yeah. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, many of the women who come to me, especially with advanced fibroids and stuff, will be bleeding through pads.

Like they'll double pads and bleed through them in an hour. So it's reducing because then, then you become anemic. Right? And then how do you, how do you have adequate nutrition when you can't even. When you're bleeding to a point where you can't even keep up, right? Like your body is so stressed at a time when you're supposed to be resting, right?

Mm-hmm. . And then, you know, I, like I said, I had a client with severe fibroids. I mean, she couldn't leave the house when we first started working together because she was afraid she would. She and she wasn. Wasn't an if she would bleed through, it was when she would bleed through. And so by the time we were done working together, she could just wear normal stuff.

Not bleed through, you know, her menstrual cycles were reduced by a week. And then the bleeding itself, she's like, I've never, I've, I haven't been able to use anything except for hospital grade pads and double them up. And she's like, I've never been able to just go out with normal stuff and not bleed through and not have.

Agonizing pain that I can't move. She's like, I just went out during my menstrual cycle and I had a good time and I didn't bleed through, and it was the best feeling ever. So. 

[00:43:32] Cynthia: Yeah. Wow. To not be held back by that, to live your life freely. I mean, talk about life changing. That's incredible. Yeah. Mm-hmm. . 

[00:43:43] Phyllis: Yeah.

And not to think, um, I mean, she had already had surgery once and needed to have surgery again. Um, I was working with her to try to make it so she didn't have to. We on Lupron and stuff before her second surgery, you know, But, and then to have that, right, like where she didn't have to take all these nasty medications, you know, she can get through that surgery.

Now she had all of these tools, right? She knew the nutrition she needed to have. She was working on those thought patterns. Um, . And so in fact, I need to check in with her again to see how everything's going now. But, um, but yeah, yeah, it is, it is just such a thing. I mean, and so many women just suffer silently, right?

Like people just don't see 'em for a couple of days and, you know, and here they are, you know, on their couch just all wrapped up just trying to make it through. It's. It's just horrible to think 

[00:44:36] Cynthia: of. Yeah, yeah. Bring back the red tense. Right? Just the opportunity to, to be in a safe space where fellow women are supporting you and it, there's no shame involved.

Like this is something we all go through together. Um, I, I, I so appreciate what you're doing, and I would love to see something being created here with like a community or a group for, for women to be able to talk freely. Uh, I know I have, I have a little text group with a couple of my close girlfriends, and we call it tmi is the title of the group, because we just talk about like periods and sex and

Yeah. All the good stuff. All the things that are considered too much information in. Of the world, but it's like, okay, in this little safe bubble, we can ask all the like awkward, weird, uh, disgusting questions. And it's okay, . 

[00:45:31] Phyllis: I love it. 

[00:45:33] Cynthia: Uh, yes. So Phyllis, how do people work with you? If they're curious, they wanna learn more, or they wanna work one on one with you?

Like what does that look 

[00:45:44] Phyllis: like? Yeah, Yeah. So on my website, I do offer a free comp or a complimentary 30 minute session. It's called my Healthy Hormone Strategy Session. Um, you can find that online at my website, www dot sacred I botanicals. There's a tab at the top that says consultation, so you'll find that in there.

Um, like I said, I off also offer packages because I feel like that is what supports my client, clients the best. Um, so I have four session package, which my sessions run obviously for women suffering from menstrual issues. Four cycles or four months. I feel like that's a good time to see results. Um, I do also offer an eight session package for clients who might have more extensive issues that will take a little bit longer to go through.

Um, I do also offer acute sessions and stuff, and that's for clients I've already seen. Um, and then if they just have like an issue like. I don't know. I like, I've been seeing a lot of people for co covid long haul symptoms and so like if someone wanted to come back and just kind of talk about getting some support for that, that's what the acute session is for.

Um, so those are the, those are the options that I have right now. So, 

[00:46:53] Cynthia: Yeah. Wonderful. And gosh, so also Covid long haul is something that people don't have to feel like they're stuck with, that they can Oh, absolutely. 

[00:47:02] Phyllis: And, and you know, and maybe there are some things that, that can't like completely go away, it just depends upon the person.

But there is definitely support out there for the brain fog. I've had lots of, um, or several people come to me with. Heart issues. Um, and that, that in, in and of itself is a Constitution thing. I think. I feel like there's like a certain subset of people, like each like type of person will have specific issues.

And so it's super interesting and I'm, I've been keeping notes cuz I'm like, oh, this is fascinating that. These people have heart issues and these people have brain fog issues. And so again, in, in like a flower essence, I'm thinking might be like there are specific flower essences that could help with those blockages, right?

It's like a specific type of blockage. So that's been kinda fun, um, for me as a practitioner, not for my clients of course, but, um, but then, yeah, I can definitely, um, give some support for that. 

[00:47:55] Cynthia: Yeah. Wonderful , and I feel you on that, where you're like, Ooh, I'm connecting the dots. I see a pattern. . 

[00:48:01] Phyllis: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's a kind brain coming in. . Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Very much so. Yes. 

[00:48:08] Cynthia: Oh, well, uh, we also will have in the show notes all the links to, um, all the offerings that Phyllis does have her website and. So I wonder, before we close this conversation, Phyllis, what do you hope listeners are walking away from this conversation with?

You know, what thought, what action, what feeling, uh, do you hope that they'll still have after we end? 

[00:48:37] Phyllis: Yeah, I just hope people know that whatever they're, um, suffering through or going through, that there's someone out there to help them. I think well, connected Twin Cities is such a great resource for people out there and, um, and just to reach out and ask, right?

Um, even if, like, I, many of us offer free consultations and that's a great way to see like, is this person a good fit for me? Um, and it's okay to say no and move on to the next practitioner until you find. The one that will work for you where you are at this point in time. 

[00:49:11] Cynthia: Yes. Beautiful. There's always hope and it's such a beautiful community where everyone here in the well connected Twin Cities network, they believe in the collaborative energy, uh, supporting each other, referring out.

And I'm just so happy that you're with us, Phyllis. Uh, you are such a gift and I thank you for your time and your energy and all that you do with your clients. And, um, yeah. Welcome to the Twin Cities. Community here. I'm really excited to continue seeing you and hearing from you. 

[00:49:49] Phyllis: Thank you so much. You too .