My Approach to Herbalism and Health

My name is Rachael. I am an herbalist and doula based in Manhattan, with over 1,500 hours of herbal training. My path has included 1,000 hours of apprenticeship at Flower Power NYC, two years of study under wise woman herbalist Robin Rose Bennett, a summer internship with Herb Pharm, and continued mentorship under Antonia Perez at Herban Cura. Still, I view herbalism as a lifelong study—one rooted in devotion, relationship, and continual learning.

At the heart of my work is one simple mission: to help people return to their bodies.

I support people in restoring trust in their body’s needs, rhythms, and desires while rebuilding relationship with the earth and the nourishment it so generously offers. So much of modern life separates us from what sustains us. We are disconnected from our food, from the plants growing around us, from rest, from our nervous systems, and often from the inner wisdom of our own bodies.

My work is about gently closing that gap.

I believe that food and herbs are some of our most accessible and complete forms of medicine. Health, to me, is not about perfection, restriction, or fear. It is about nourishment. It is about learning to listen. It is about understanding that the body is not a collection of isolated parts, but an ecosystem—every organ, system, emotion, and function in constant relationship with the whole.

When we begin to care for the body as an ecosystem, healing becomes less about “fixing” and more about supporting the conditions in which the body can return to balance.

A large part of my philosophy is also rooted in restoring our relationship to the natural world. Many of the plants we dismiss as weeds are some of our greatest medicines. Dandelion, nettle, plantain, chickweed—these abundant plants remind us that healing is often far closer, simpler, and more reciprocal than we have been taught to believe.

In a culture shaped by convenience, consumerism, and disconnection, I believe that learning how to nourish ourselves through whole foods, herbs, movement, rest, and time outdoors is an act of reclamation. It is a way of returning to ourselves.

My approach to health is never rooted in diet culture, demonizing foods, or equating thinness with wellness. Instead, it is centered on true nourishment, body literacy, and helping each person develop the awareness to understand their own unique ecosystem.

At the same time, I am in no way anti-medication or anti-modern medicine. I deeply respect the miracles of contemporary healthcare. I do not believe healing needs to be one or the other. My work lives in the middle: honoring the profound wisdom of plants, food, and lifestyle support while also respecting the value of modern treatment when needed.

To me, holistic care and modern medicine can work beautifully together. Deep nourishment can restore vitality to a depleted body, support resilience, and often help the body respond more effectively to the treatments it needs.

The truth is, herbs are already woven into our daily lives—coffee, tea, spices, culinary herbs, and so many of the plants we interact with every day are forms of plant medicine. What is often missing is not access, but relationship.

My work is about helping people rebuild that relationship—with plants, with food, with the earth, and most importantly, with themselves.