I just love musicals, and Wicked has been running through my mind lately.
It also reminded me of one of my favorite childhood books: Strega Nona, the magical Italian grandmother healer. Looking back, it makes perfect sense—plants and healing have been part of my life from the very beginning.
And that brings me to my big news:
I’ve officially joined a Clinical Herbalism Mentorship Program
This path is a deep dive—years of study, hundreds of clinical hours, and a lifelong commitment to understanding the human body through the lens of plants.
Most of you know me as a community herbalist and a health coach—someone who teaches about herbs and integrates them into wellness plans.
Becoming a clinical herbalist expands that work dramatically. It allows me to support clients using custom herbal formulas, individualized wellness plans, and clinical-level assessment tools to help the whole person come back into balance.
What Exactly Does a Clinical Herbalist Do?
A clinical herbalist works directly with clients to restore balance using whole plants and holistic practices.
We look at:
- Constitution (cold, warm, dry, damp, tense, lax)
- Energetics (warming, cooling, drying, moistening)
- Tissue states ( heat, damp stagnation, cold, dry)
- Lifestyle, stress patterns, digestion, sleep, and emotional well-being
Then we craft a custom formula—a blend completely unique to you.
These aren’t products you pull off a shelf.
They are built around your body, your life, and your root cause.
How Are Herbs Different From Supplements?
Supplements often isolate a single compound—for example, curcumin extracted from turmeric.
Herbal medicine uses the whole plant, offering a wider range of actions, energetics, and supportive compounds that work synergistically and in essence more naturally. A St. John’s wort tincture is the whole plant versus a supplement which may concentrate the one compound of hyperforin. It therefore isn’t used the same way.
In practice?
I often use both herbs and supplements, but in a targeted, collaborative way—only what your body truly needs for balance.
How Do I Create a Custom Herbal Formula?
I look at the person, the root cause, and the energetics.
A formula usually includes:
- Key herb — the primary action
- Supporting herbs — amplify and guide the effect
- Balancing herbs — harmonize, warm, cool, moisten, or dry
- Catalyst herb — helps the whole blend work synergistically
This is the art and science of herbalism—matching plant energetics with human patterns.
Can You Work With an Herbalist If You’re on Medication?
Absolutely.
Clinical herbalists are trained to work safely alongside medications.
We may:
- Stagger dosing so herbs and pharmaceuticals don’t compete in the small intestine
- Avoid overlapping the actions of medications
- Focus on underlying contributors—nervous system imbalance, tension patterns, digestive sluggishness, emotional overwhelm, etc.
Herbs often support the terrain, not the pharmaceutical pathway.
How Do Clients Actually Take Their Herbs?
There are several options depending on preference and constitution:
- Tinctures (alcohol extracts) – most common and easiest
- Teas – wonderful for calming, digestion, sleep
- Glycerites – sweet, alcohol-free, great for kids and sensitive folks
- Capsules – when taste is a barrier or for convenience
We choose the method that fits your lifestyle and your body.
How Does This Integrate With My Myofunctional Therapy Work?
Generally, these are separate services.
But many clients begin with one and naturally move into the other as we uncover layers of their health.
Some people begin with:
- Myo for breathing, airway, tongue function
Others begin with: - Herbal and health coaching support for digestion, stress regulation, sleep, or inflammation
I also perform informal screenings for myofunctional issues when working with herbalism and health coaching clients, because the mouth, airway, and nervous system are deeply connected.
Want to Learn More About Herbal Medicine?
For foundational herbal FAQs, I recommend the American Herbalists Guild (AHG).
Their resources outline ethical practice standards and offer excellent introductory materials: https://americanherbalistsguild.com/resources/herbal-medicine-fundamentals/
Ready to Explore Natural and Holistic Support?
If you’re curious about herbs, nervous system work, digestion, sleep, or how custom formulas work, I’d love to hear your story.
I help clients in Hillsborough, Raleigh, and Durham, NC, as well as virtually from all over.
Your body has an incredible capacity to heal—and plants can be powerful partners on that journey.
