My Journey as an Herbalist and Product Maker

It all started with asthma.  And I loved horses. I would wish to find a horse in the front yard, wishing on the first star or asking the full moon (with which I additionally had a fascination). This love of horses pushed me towards product making. 

My young life was a bit tumultuous.  The minutia is of no matter. I have come to understand I used asthma as a tool.  For survival, as I saw it in that moment.  

The drugs used to treat asthma in the 50's into the 80's, were akin to cocaine (yes I tried it).  These drugs kept me alive.  They also created a wound up person, flitting from this to this, always on hyper drive, struggling to get a good nights sleep, let alone rest.  Or focus.  Or slow down for a momentary joy.  

As a teenager I was introduced to my first herbal ally, marijuana.  It calmed me, it soothed me.  It did not help my lung health but I felt I "needed it" to live.  Then coffee and the many other things we can be drawn to in young adult life.

A broader exploration of herbs began after being introduced to the book Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss.  What an inspiration.  And other herbal books and teachers followed.  Rosemary Gladstar, Amanda McQuade Crawford, David Hoffman and more.  Fortunate to live in Northern California in Sebastopol and Santa Rosa, I had a wealth of knowledge all around me.  The California School of Herbalism was nothing short of pure magic!!!