Rachel Illari is a menstrual cycle mentor, ceremonial guide, and host of the Womb Song Wellness podcast. A mother of three and advocate for sacred postpartum care, she brings deep insight from her work with the Healthy Families Program and her ongoing support of women’s wellness during this preview of our full interview on Free the People’s Food is Freedom.
🌿 Defining Women’s Wellness
Q: Rachel, how do you personally define wellness when it comes to women’s health?
A: “It’s really about cultivating inner attunement by tuning into what’s happening in my emotional world and in my womb, and continually re-centering back to my needs, because they change constantly. Even little sprinkles of attention each day can honor ourselves as the sacred beings we are.
Only women have that capacity to have a womb, to hold, create, build, knit together a person, and bring that person into the world. The experience of being pregnant, birthing, and raising a child is so sacred, so special, and powerful beyond words. It’s a constant process of creating, releasing, and rebirthing. Living in that rhythm, the more I tune into it and let it guide me, I find a lot more joy and flow.”
🌿 Herbal Medicine as Empowerment
Q: What drew you to herbal medicine? Was there a turning point or a particular plant that opened that door for you?
A: “My friend, who was a gardener studying a nine-month herbalism course, introduced me to the power of plants. My first pathway was infusions — steeping dried herbs like nettles overnight, for eight to 10 hours, and drinking them in the morning. After a month, I felt nourished and more balanced.
Then I discovered Yoni herbal steaming at a women’s circle which is simple, affordable, and deeply relaxing. From there, I learned to craft herbal teas, oils, and blends for myself and others. Then, it became part of my self-care, and I learned to guide women with their needs and craft blends. It’s nice to have options that are natural, simple, and affordable. You can do it regularly, like a facial, at home, in your private space, making the ritual intentional.
Herbalism is accessible, joyful, and empowering — a way to take sovereignty over our own care and connect with the Earth.”
🌿 Living with the Cycle
Q: A key part of your work is helping women reconnect with the rhythm of their menstrual cycle. Can you share your journey with your cycle along with what shifted when you started centering your life around it?
A: “Learning a Chinese medicine framework from a practitioner, when she explained it, something clicked. Inner seasons: inner winter is the first day of fresh red blood until the period ends. Then inner spring leading up to ovulation, maiden energy, energy slowly reemerging. Inner summer of ovulation and the energetic. Inner autumn which involves long season, humbling, reflecting on what didn’t work, grieving the egg if not conceived.
I started noticing the phases of my cycle and how they influenced my energy, emotions, and creativity. Tracking my cycle taught me to honor my body’s natural rhythms. Like resting when I’m bleeding, embracing energy during ovulation, and reflecting in the autumn phase. Understanding this cyclical flow allowed me to work with my energy instead of against it, making life feel more easeful, intuitive, and connected.”
🌿 On Ceremony and Witnessing
Q: Why do you feel it’s so powerful for women to be witnessed during sacred transitions?
A: “Being witnessed is medicine. It’s about feeling seen and supported for our bodies, cycles, and transformations carry cellular memory. Ceremony helps integrate experiences, honor thresholds, and cultivate resilience. Marking life passages like pregnancy, postpartum, miscarriage, and menopause instead of letting them pass unnoticed is deeply healing.”
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🌿 Living Ceremonially Every Day
Q: You talk about living with your cycle as a ceremony, not just during the “big” moments. What does “living ceremonially” look like for you in your daily life?
A: “It can be simple: oiling my body, drinking tea with intention, slowing down around menstruation, tuning into moon phases. Small, sacred acts keep me connected to myself and the Earth. Even mundane moments like tending a garden, crafting herbal blends, enjoying tea with my kids become ritualized, grounding, and celebratory. Women are as wild as the Earth, and honoring that wildness in everyday life is part of the practice.”
Simple Herbal Remedies for Home Use
- Use nettle infusions (steep dried nettles in water overnight, drink in the morning) for nourishment and blood-building.
- Add lemon balm or mint for flavor and subtle energetic balance.
- Make herbal-infused oils for skin, hair, or body care.
- Customize Yoni steams with herbs for specific needs (cramps, long cycles, dryness).
“Resting more is huge. Leading up to your bleed, sleep more. If you’re not around a bunch of blue light, you’ll be more tired naturally… Drink more teas and soups to replenish fluids. During bleeding, digestion shifts; eat light but frequently. Work with your energy instead of forcing daily schedules.”
Creating Your Own Herbal Blends or Oils
- Choose herbs based on what you want to support (skin, hair, relaxation).
- Start with 1 to 3 herbs to keep it simple.
- Use oils like avocado, apricot, or almond.
- Let the mixture rest for several weeks before use.
- Seek local herb shops or workshops for guidance if you need help sourcing or combining herbs.
“Think about what you want to use it for — hair, face, body. Take one to three herbs and put them together in an oil of choice. Let it sit for eight weeks, then strain or use as-is. You can ask a local herb shop for small amounts and guidance. Keep it simple, accessible, and joyful.”
Listen to the full podcast
Catch Rooted in Ritual: Herbal Healing for the Womb | Rachel Illari | Ep 5 on Free the People’s Food is Freedom, where we dive deeper into the healing power of nature, the beauty of cyclical living, and the role of nourishment in women’s health.
Rachel shares practical tools for herbal self-care, including custom tea blends, yoni steams, womb oils, and warming pastes made with herbs like St. John’s wort, orange peel, and ginger. She offers guidance for both women and men to reconnect with their bodies and reclaim sovereignty through ritual and care.
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Sienna Mae Heath is a gardening consultant, companion gardener, local tea vendor, writer, and artist. She is the host of the Food is Freedom and Real Unity podcasts on Free the People, where she explores agriculture, food as medicine, natural remedies, and human connection.