It was such an honor to sit down with Rocio Alarcόn and talk about cacao, ancestral and traditional wisdom, hummingbirds, and so much more. 

You can find a wealth of inspiration in Rocio’s stories to help you deepen your own relationship with the plants, animals, family, and larger community in your life. I know you’re going to love the sense of gratitude and joie de vivre that shines through as Rocio speaks! 

Also, don’t miss downloading your beautifully illustrated recipe card for the recipe Rocio shares, a Cacao Beverage from Ecuador. Be sure to listen to the episode for details on kid-approved ways to make it more sweet, more savory, or more hearty!

By the end of this episode, you’ll know:

► How can a plant provide healing, nourishment, and connection between generations?

► Why do we feel happy when we eat or drink cacao?

► In hummingbirds, Rocio sees the energy of the sun, a rainbow of light, and an invitation to let go of worries and sink into the present moment. But if hummingbirds don’t live where you do, how can mindfully spending time with plants help you to tune in to the gifts of the hummingbirds?

► and more…

For those of you who don’t already know her, Dr. Ligia Rocίo Alarcόn G., PhD is Director of the IAMOE Centre in the Ecuadorian Amazon, a curandera, an ethnopharmacologist, and an ethnobotanist. She has spent over 40 years working with ethnic groups in the tropical rainforest, the Andes Mountains of Ecuador, and in the Basque Country of Spain.

She practices and teaches the art and science of curandero (shamanic) healing ceremonies, a knowledge that she received from her mother and grandmother.  She was born in the Andes of Ecuador, at the foot of the Pichincha volcano. 

Dr. Alarcόn offers workshops for different organisations and universities around the world and has published multiple articles for various scientific journals such as The Journal of Ethnopharmacology.

If you’d like to hear more from Rocio, which I highly recommend, then head to the show notes where you can get easy links for her website and social media channels. You can also find the transcript for this episode in the show notes.

I’m delighted to share our conversation with you today!

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Get full show notes and more information at: herbswithrosaleepodcast.com

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On the podcast, we explore the many ways plants heal, as food, as medicine, and through nature connection. Each week, I focus on a single seasonal plant and share trusted herbal knowledge so that you can get the best results when using herbs for your health.

Learn more about Herbs with Rosalee at herbswithrosalee.com.

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Rosalee is an herbalist and author of the bestselling book Alchemy of Herbs: Transform Everyday Ingredients Into Foods & Remedies That Heal and co-author of the bestselling book Wild Remedies: How to Forage Healing Foods and Craft Your Own Herbal Medicine. She's a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild and teaches many popular online courses. Read about how Rosalee went from having a terminal illness to being a bestselling author in her full story here.