Herbalist Answers: What Would You Bring to a Deserted Island?

“Five herbs on a deserted island.” That question, posed to a series of herbalists in this episode of Herbal Radio, forces a practitioner to reveal what they truly rely on — not just what they know, but what they cannot live without. The answers are less about survival gear and more about a philosophy of medicine: what a plant can do for the body, the nervous system, and the spirit when you have nothing else.

Shayna Lipner Grover, of Sage Country Herbs School of Botanical Studies in Southern California, was the first to wrestle with the question. She admitted the exercise is hard because she is “a devil Gemini” trying to make up her mind, but she landed on a clear set of priorities. Her first pick was Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis californica), a Southwest plant she called “one of the most amazing medicines I’ve ever used” — a mucosal membrane balancer, lymphatic, antiseptic, and mild anesthetic. She then struggled between marshmallow and linden, both demulcents, but noted that linden has a “floral beauty component” that makes it special. For a calming herb, she chose catnip because it is easy and functional both internally and topically, though she joked that “if there are wild cats on the deserted island, that might not be good.” She also named skullcap as astringent and calming, and holy basil for its adaptogenic quality. Rosemary was a close call she regretted leaving out.