Important links:

Christopher’s Organic Botanicals

Important links:

Christopher’s Organic Botanicals

Important links:

Christopher’s Organic Botanicals

Important links:

Christopher’s Organic Botanicals

The discussion centers on the Ohio Board of Pharmacy’s rapid move from an emergency ban on synthetic kratom derivatives (such as 7-OH) toward a potential outright ban on all natural kratom products. Matthew shares his personal and professional journey with kratom, explaining how he has responsibly sold whole-leaf kratom since 2009 and personally relies on it for chronic pain management—without pharmaceuticals. The trio also highlights Ohio’s history as ground zero of the opioid epidemic and frames kratom as a harm-reduction tool that has helped many people avoid or step down from dangerous narcotics.

Jordan shares his deeply personal journey from severe opioid addiction to long-term recovery, and how discovering kratom over 13 years ago became a turning point that helped him reclaim his life. Together, they explore the critical distinction between addiction vs. physical dependence, the role kratom can play in harm reduction, and why nuanced conversations around plant medicine matter now more than ever.

And then, in Christopher’s Corner, Christopher Deaney talks about product highlights and explains the extraction process of purified kratom capsules. He also talks about the importance of community involvement in kratom advocacy and offers resources like Christopher’s Kratom Education Skool Community.

Unless you’ve been living under a boulder, you are probably in desperate need for some feel-good content right now. Something that restores your faith in human nature and reminds you that love can be a guiding force. Kismet, a podcast about stories of fate, recently featured yours truly, and it was a lovely experience.

If you are curious about the story of how the co-hosts of Getting Personal with Plant Medicine met, you can watch the full episode here. And be sure to check out the other fascinating and uplifting stories after you subscribe to the channel!

Important links:

Christopher’s Organic Botanicals

Christopher’s Kratom Education

Botanical Advocacy and Education

If you’ve been following us for some time, you know that we tried our hand at creating a podcast about entertainment. It was called Must See RIP, and while we certainly had fun with it, we came to the conclusion early on that it might be too niche. Additionally, we realized that we didn’t want to do a podcast that was strictly a recap.

Our new podcast has nothing to do with plant medicine (unless you remember Roseanne’s foray into cannabis), but it’s something that has been in the works for a long time. The upside of our experience with Must See RIP was that it helped us form this one, so it wasn’t a waste of time and energy.

It’s called We Blame Roseanne, and our first episode is focused on turning parentification into a punchline. You can check out the show here: We Blame Roseanne

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We didn’t create any of our usual end-of-year lists, because 2025 as a different kind of year. Also, our best-of podcast list wouldn’t stray too far from last year’s list, and we try not to repeat ourselves. But we made it onto another list, and we are so grateful!

A big thank you to Ear Worthy for including us!!

And the normalization of making parentification a punchline can be seen in many subsequent television shows. For example, Gilmore Girls - created by Roseanne writer Amy Sherman-Palladino - was a case study of parentification if there ever was one, but audiences viewed the toxic dynamic as endearing and amusing. Parents projecting their issues onto their children and treating them as contemporaries was such a regular occurrence at that point that no one thought to criticize it (until much later).

In this episode, Diana and JR talk about some of the ways the show Roseanne made childhood trauma fodder for laugh-track comedy and how the person Roseanne did the same in her standup and with her other projects. At the end, they examine just how complicit Roseanne is, and how much they blame her.

References:

Does parentification place Mexican-heritage youth at risk for substance use? Identifying the intervening nature of parent–child communication about alcohol - ScienceDirect

The positive and negative aspects of parentification: An integrated review - ScienceDirect

Opinion | How Did the Latchkey Kids of Gen X Become the Helicopter Parents of Gen Z? - The New York Times

Latchkey Kids Legal Age Limits Listed By State

5 Ways Being a Narcissist's "Surrogate Parent" Affects You | Psychology Today

When Can Kids Stay Home Alone? 50 State Guide

How parentification can shape your adult life (and 9 tips to heal) — Calm Blog

Produced by Your Highness Media.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

And in our Christopher’s Corner, Christopher talks about impending kratom bans as well as ones already in existence, and how those bills impact consumers. He also outlines a few easy ways to get involved in the fight against bans and offers community outlets to discuss any collective efforts.

*A special thank you, as we end the year, to all of our listeners, and to Christopher’s Organic Botanicals, the brand making it all possible.

In the latest Christopher’s Corner, Christopher Deaney of Christopher’s Organic Botanicals points out how important platforms like podcasts are to the accessibility to plant medicine. He also highlights some of his current product favorites and shares special discount codes.

Following the main segment is a new Christopher’s Corner, where Christopher Deaney talks about important legislation and ways to get involved that require very little effort (but have real impact). He also points out some product highlights and specials, offering listeners a special discount code.

To honor Veteran’s Day, we discuss the benefits of adding kratom to the wellness toolbelt for those who deal with PTSD. This plant is so special, because it includes mood-enhancing, anxiety-relieving, and pain-reducing properties.

For our first ever Christopher’s Corner segment, we hear from Christopher Deaney about the origins of COB.

Important links:

Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) Use in a Veteran With Chronic Pain | American Journal of Psychiatry Residents’ Journal

Dr. Chris McCurdy | The Past, Present, and Future of Kratom Research – Troscriptions®

The Potential for Kratom as an Antidepressant and Antipsychotic - PMC

It is that time of year. The days are getting shorter, leaves are changing color and falling to the ground, a chill lingers in the night air, and horror movies are gracing television sets in many homes. Of course, Halloween is upon us. October 31st marks the end of the harvest in the Celtic festival Samhain. As I look at the herbs I have recently harvested, and the collection of horror movies I have collected, I began to see a perfect pairing between the two. So, follow me, if you dare, and allow your eyes to feast upon the perfect horror movie and plant medicine pairings. It is the Night of the Living Botanicals.

The movie: The Fly

David Cronenberg is considered by many to be the king of body horror. What he started with Shivers in 1975, he mastered with The Fly in 1986. When working on a teleportation experiment, a scientist finds himself mixing his DNA with that of a common house fly. This movie has everything - it has Geena Davis. It has Jeff Goldblum. It has the body of Jeff Goldblum slowly and grotesquely morphing into the body of a human fly.

Plant medicine pairing: Kava 

It can be difficult to watch The Fly or any film in the body horror sub-genre. You can feel your body squirm, almost uncomfortable in your own skin, as you watch the body of the character morph, contort, and break. Thankfully, kava not only calms the mind, but can calm the body as well. Feeling as if you just slid into a hot tub, your body would have a sense of ease and relaxation, keeping you from squirming in your seat while watching the most body altering scenes.

The movie: The Substance 

Much like The Fly, The Substance delivers strong body horror on the visual level, but still offers commentary on an intellectual level. When offered the ability to temporarily rewind time on a cellular by taking a cell-replacement substance, our main protagonist discovers what happens when you do not respect the balance. With intense images that you will hold in your memory forever, The Substance truly and horrifically shows the pitfalls of focusing on eternal youth. 

Plant medicine pairing: Sage 

The easiest way to keep yourself from jumping into a black-market substance of eternal youth, you only need to take care of the body you have here and now. Sage is rich in minerals and vitamins, is loaded with antioxidants, can lower bad cholesterol, aid in memory retention and brain health, and may potentially combat skin aging. So, if you are afraid of reaching a point where you would be willing to cause irreversible mutations to your body to access youth, maybe reach for some Sage before you reach for some Substance. 

The movie: The Descent

Have you ever wondered what a movie that explored a claustrophobic nightmare would look like? I am guessing the team behind “The Descent” questioned the same thing. When a group of women decide to take one last adventure in a cave system, they find themselves trapped in a nightmare of darkness and death when they find themselves in the company of humanoid predators hunting them down. This movie is pure stress for a majority of its 99 minutes.

Plant medicine pairing: Lemon Balm

Like I said above, The Descent is pure stress and anxiety. You have the claustrophobic feeling of being trapped in a cave system underground. You have hard shadows delivering a glorious amount of jump scares. You have creatures that dwell within the realm of nightmares. This is not a casual watch. This is a movie that keeps your heart racing all the way to the final scene. That’s why I paired this with Lemon Balm. Lemon Balm is known to help alleviate stress and anxiety, while also improving attention. So, maybe you will be able to pick up on the coming jump scares before they happen. Maybe the constant stress you are feeling will be calmed. Maybe you will be able to watch The Descent without pulling your body into a fetal position as far away from the tv that you can physically be. Maybe…

The movie: The Thing

The Thing is one of many masterpieces delivered to us by John Carpenter. In this film, Carpenter was not only able to deliver visual horrors, but psychological horrors as well. When a creature enters the research site in Antarctica in the form of a dog, all hell breaks loose.  Being able to assimilate into its hosts and take human form, those attempting to survive have no way of knowing who a friend is, and who is The Thing.

Plant medicine pairing: CBD

CBD is known for many things. It can be relaxing. It can be healing. It can also serve a different purpose. When consuming too much THC, some can find themselves getting too heavy, or reaching a state of paranoia. Consuming CBD can often times bring that “high” down and bring you back to a point of homeostasis. And if there is a moment where you need to bring down paranoia, being trapped in an arctic prison while being hunted by an entity that could have easily been your best friend less than an hour ago is that time.

The movie: The Exorcist

This is a movie that often finds itself on the “scariest movies of all time” lists. Maybe it is because it is believed to be a true story. Maybe it is because many people watch it when they are still younger and first discovering horror movies. Maybe it is that primal fear of having our bodies taken over by a darkness that predates humankind itself. No matter the reason, a simple movie of a young girl possessed by a demonic entity has brought sleepless nights to many.

Plant medicine pairing: Chamomile 

Remember when I said The Exorcist brought sleepless nights to many? Well, hi, my name is many. I remember the first time I watched this movie at a sleepover. I remember watching the morning sun coming through the windows with my tired eyes that refused to close the entire night. Years later, I was able to see the film in theaters for its 30-year anniversary. Guess what happened that night, even though I was much older. Yup, no sleep that night. There is something so deep and primal in this movie. The visuals. The sounds. The things you see that you don’t know if you really saw. It is so primal that it stays with you. So, if you are looking to watch this movie for the first time, maybe start brewing that Chamomile 90 minutes into the two-hour movie if you are looking to get some restful sleep.

The movie: Rosemary’s Baby

This is and will always be a classic. Considered one of the most faithful adaptations from a written work, Rosemary’s Baby delivers everything you would want: mistrust in a class system, satanic cults, the paranoia surrounding who you can really trust and how important your relationships truly are, and of course, horror found in a setting unexpected. Where most horror movies are found taking place away from society, Rosemary’s Baby delivers the horror in the center of society. When a young couple moves into an apartment building in New York City, the woman finds that her purpose is now to bring the anti-Christ into our world. The movie shows us that no matter how high in society to climb, you can’t out climb the devil itself.

Plant medicine pairing: Rosemary 

What? A little too on the nose? I have to admit, the soul reason this was put into this list was because I think of the movie whenever I look at one of my rosemary plants or drink my rosemary kombucha. But look, it still has true purpose. It can boost your mood and aids in mental health. It also helps as a pain reliever. All things that are incredibly important when discovering you are about to give birth to the son of Satan.

We haven’t been putting out new episodes with regularity, but we still have suggestions! Be sure to check out the most recent episode of Cash Color Cannabis, hosted by Mehka King, and hear about the origin story behind Cloud Culture. You can also check out Tashiana (one of the co-founders) in a recent episode of Getting Personal with Plant Medicine, discussing the many ways plant medicine can impact mental health.