The Double-Edged Sword of Plant Identification Apps | Featuring Shana Lipner Grover

Herbal Radio

This week on Everything You Didn’t Know About Herbalism, we are joined by our long-time dear friend that will likely be no stranger to many of our listeners—Shana Lipner Grover! As a highly acclaimed clinical herbalist and educator, Shana joins us for a conversation on the upsides and downsides of plant identification apps, and the advantages of leaning on regional herbalists to gain knowledge on the flora, fauna, and funga surrounding us. Listen in as Shana shares an entertaining yet cautionary tale on the potential dangers of using plant identification apps, and why these apps should always be the beginning of your botanical research, not the end.

If you are interested in plant identification apps or actively use them, here are a few of Shana’s tips:

🌱 Shana’s plant identification app recommendation: iNaturalist

🔎 Be aware and follow all wildharvesting regulations and laws in your local area.

🗺️ Seek out plant apps specific to your bioregional area for better identification accuracy.

🌿 Regional herbalists are the only tried and true reliable plant identification apps out there!

As always, we thank you for joining us on another botanical adventure and are honored to have you tag along with us on this ride. Remember, we want to hear from you! Your questions, ideas, and who you want to hear from are invaluable to our podcast. Please send us an email at [e-mail] to let us know what solutions we should uncover next within the vast world of herbalism.

Learn more about Shana below!

🐛Shana Lipner Grover is a clinical herbalist, health and nutrition educator, field botanist, ethical wildcrafter, medicine maker, and forever student of life and wonder is the director and primary educator of Sage Country Herbs School of Botanical Studies in North County San Diego. This 2-year program is a hybrid online and field-based ecology, botany, nutrition, and plant medicine school that guides students through weaving the study of plants and ecology of diverse environments into the practice of making and using herbal medicine. Through mountain hikes, plant walks, farm activities, and a bit of adventure we learn our roles within our local ecosystems. Shana and her husband, Brandon Grover, organize numerous events and herbal gatherings that bring the herbal and farming communities together. Shana writes for Plant Healer Magazine and Herbaria. She runs a clinical practice in North County San Diego that provides inspiration for the Clinical Herbal Formulations course. Beyond her field school, she has taught at a variety of outdoor education, including Art & Wilderness Institute and Solidarity Farm School, as well as writing and teaching 350 hours of herbal medicine and nutrition programs at Healing Hands School of Holistic Health.

Find Shana on social media!

Instagram @sagecountryherbs

Facebook @Sage Country Herbs

Check out what else Shana’s been up to with us on YouTube!

🌲How to Identify Douglas Fir + Uses and Benefits with Herbalist Shana Lipner Grover

🌱Benefits & Uses of Plantain with Shana Lipner Grover

🌹The Energetics of Rose with Shana Lipner Grover

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