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Plants Are Our Relatives: Exploring Ancestral Wisdom and the 5 Rs of Herbalism with LoriAnn Bird, Ep 302

I thought I had a pretty deep connection with plants. I mean, this podcast is literally about talking to them (and about them). But after 300+ episodes, this is the only conversation that impacted my daily interaction with plants. My guest, LoriAnn Bird, an Indigenous Métis herbalist and author of Revered Roots, introduced a concept of “plants as our relatives.” Elders. Teachers. Sovereign beings. And once you start viewing them that way, you can’t unsee it. You will realize that we all need to take care of what takes care of us. Listen in and join the conversation!

In this episode, we learn:

[04:56] What does “ indigenous plants” mean for LoriAnn?
[06:18] How LoriAnn developed her close relationship with nature
[08:51] What it means to be a Métis woman
[10:39] Being raised in a privileged Eurocentric view
[12:10] How herbalism came into LoriAnn’s life
[14:53] Gift a soothing and personalized Wind River Chime for any special occasion, and get a free engraving!
[17:06] Why the book was structured to start with relationships
[17:41] The 5 Rs of plant relationship
[24:17] Understanding our relatives: rooted, stone, and flying nations
[28:44] What's the connection between humans and birds?
[30:29] The story of “Sky Woman”
[32:03] Birth, life, death, rebirth – continuous cycles
[33:39] Honorable harvest and reciprocal foraging
[35:58] Asking permission from landowners when foraging
[38:19] How to get started with herbalism
[39:47] Your garden may already be full of medicine
[41:11] Where to get the book ‘Revered Roots’
[43:00] Meet your local herbalist!
[43:19] “Ancestral” vs “indigenous” in the book title

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Reframing Our Relationship With Nature

I really like how LoriAnn doesn’t just talk about plants. She talks with them. She sees them as beings we’re in relationship with, not objects we control. Trees, weeds, and flowers are not just background but part of our community.

That reframing of plants as family really hit me, and since our conversation, I haven’t looked at my lawn, garden, or even the sidewalk weeds the same. I walk by and think, “Hey, cousin.” It’s a wonderful reminder of the connection we have to the earth.

The 5 Rs of Herbalism

One of the most beautiful teachings LoriAnn shared was what she brings into classrooms and herbal work: the 5 Rs.

Respect: approach plants with care, not control. Don’t take without asking.
Responsibility: you’re part of the ecosystem. How you act impacts everything around you.
Relationship: get to know the plants in your area (not just their names).
Reciprocity: if you take, give back. Plant seeds, sing a song. Or just say thank you.
Reverence: honor their wisdom. They’ve been here far longer than we have.

Reclaiming LoriAnn’s Métis Heritage

LoriAnn grew up surrounded by wild forests and wildlife. But it wasn’t until later that she began reclaiming her Métis identity and stepping into her role as a teacher and guide.

She started working with schools, bringing kids outside and introducing them to wild, native, and even “weedy” plants. She helped them feel, smell, taste, and experience them.

Through that witnessing and that questioning, LoriAnn realized that without our native plants, we have a loss of biodiversity. We have a loss of insects, birds, snakes, and more wildlife. So she embraces her lineage and shares it with others for us to recognize that we’re actually the guardians.

Seeing the World Differently

Have you ever heard someone refer to plants as the “Rooted Nation?” Or stones as the “Stone Nation?” Or insects as “Creepy Crawlers?”

The first time I heard them from LoriAnn, I just thought she sounded so poetic. She refers to them as a different way of seeing the world. A way that centers connection instead of control. What if your garden wasn’t just a space you manage, but a place where your relatives live? What if the birds in your trees weren’t background noise, but visiting cousins?

Here’s a brief breakdown of the terms:

The Rooted Nations – our elders. They're the plants that exist with us here.

The Stone Nations – our oldest relatives, because the stones have been here the longest (river rocks, crystals, mountains).

The Creepy Crawlers – all those little insects.

What Is an Honorable Harvest?

The people LoriAnn considers as her teachers (Don Ollsin and Robin Wall Kimmerer) talked about the honorable harvest.

This means to only take what it is that you need. You ask permission, and you trust that the plants will guide you to what you need. And you always, always give something back.

That could be seeds, a prayer, a little bit of song. In fact, in the old days, people used their blood as an exchange. Apart from the symbolism, it’s full of minerals that can help the plants grow.

How to Get Started With Herbalism

People always compliment how LoriAnn knows so much about plants, but she usually tells them that it’s because she loves them so much that she’s naturally curious. So her advice is to start with one plant. Notice what’s growing around you. What plant keeps showing up? That might be your first teacher.

Or do you have a specific illness that a plant might help with? Start with that. Make tea. Sit with it. Smell it. Notice how it makes you feel. And if you’re on meds or unsure, LoriAnn recommends connecting with your local herbalist.

Reclaiming What We Already Know

We’re all from the Earth. We all live here. So even if you don’t come from an indigenous/ancestral background, this wisdom still applies. Ancestral teachings are in all of us. We’ve just forgotten. So if we change our minds, we change the world.

Plants are our relatives. They're all here to teach us something. And they're all worthy of our respect, our reciprocity, and our reverence.

Mentioned in our conversation:

Thank you to our episode sponsor:

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