My job as a Clinical Herbalist is to help you learn about your body and help you support yourself with plants, fungi, and minerals. In a one-on-one setting, we will discuss your concerns and goals related to your health.
One of my greatest passions is helping clients understand the connections between all the body systems, digestion, sleep, and stress. My most important role is to see you as a whole person, ask you the right questions, listen, and help you put together a plan that takes the big picture into account.
My approach to herbalism has been influenced by my mentors, who taught me the languages of plants and people. I have studied at Earthwalk School of Herbal Traditions in Rockport, Maine - finishing their Apprenticeship Program, Community Herbalist Program, and Advanced Clinical Mentorship Program, under Clinical Herbalists and Educators Steve Byers, Jillian Twisla, and Mela Scofield. My mentorship continues under Katja Swift, RH and Ryn Midura of Commonwealth School of Holistic Herbalism, where I have completed specializing courses including Herbs for Birth Workers and A Holistic Approach to Lyme Disease.
the role of the clinical herbalist
Once I began to see the medicine everywhere around me, everything changed.
A search for a deeper relationship with the Earth, a search for agency in health, and a realization of infinite options led me to my commitment to herbal medicine. In the world of plants, we don’t need to sacrifice any part of ourselves while pursuing our goals. It is my firm belief and experience that the same plants who offer us practical physical solutions to bodily concerns also can soothe us emotionally and guide us spiritually.
In my work as an herbalist, my main goal is to introduce you to plants, fungi, and minerals who can help you on your journey towards agency, health, happiness, and deepened connection with the Earth. All of us want to feel empowered by the choices we make, and working with botanical medicine can bring us not only the relief we seek, but also bring us powerful and magical supportive relationships. In the world of botanical medicine, we are never out of options.
about me
My Approach
Every body is different.
This essential truth is often overlooked when choosing options for our health. In the age of information, anyone can pull up a list of herbs that can potentially support any body system or mental health.
How do you choose?
The answer is not random guesswork or trial and error. After an herbal consultation, you can start to look at your body differently and read the patterns of your body’s communication and the way this is mirrored in the plants. Soon, you too will speak this botanical language of flavors and actions.
Learning About Yourself
Together we will discuss and rediscover what makes you unique. Do you run dry? Do you run cold?
We will discuss everything from digestive health to mental health and put together a picture of your holistic self before choosing herbs for you.
building a plan
What works for you is important to this process. Do you love teas? Do you need something that lives in your pocket? We will choose together from all the tools available to us - teas, tinctures, whole foods, etc. to create a plan that is realistic to complete.
I love to provide lots of options, but you will leave the session knowing which tools are a priority and why.
education
My first teacher of plants was my mother, Carrie Quinn Peterson, who trusted me to gather herbs like tarragon, thyme, rosemary, sage, and more from our kitchen garden.
Over time, I grew curious about other plants - dandelion, pine, and blueberry became plants I was fascinated with as I grew up in Maine.
After seeing so many people in my life need more than what our current food and medicines often provide, I made the commitment to study herbalism. My indirect teachers during my self study period include authors such as Matthew Wood, Sajah Popham, Penelope Ody, David Winston, Maude Grieves and more.
As an herbalist, my education shot forward when I began to work under the guidance of Yoga teacher and Health Coach David Walker, who has served the community of Downeast Maine for decades with grace, humility, and a constant learner’s spirit. As of 2026, he has served as Wellness Manager at the Blue Hill Co-op for 19 years. Since 2022, he has guided my progress week after week and taught me how to take care for a community with an integrative approach. Constantly rising above the call, David has set the bar high. Together we have passionately expanded our knowledge of herbs, minerals, and more and learned so much from our community members in Blue Hill. In spring of 2026, he gave me his trust to continue the work of Wellness Manager at the Co-op.
I’ve had the joy of learning from a number of talented herbalists. My first set of classes was by herbalist Elizabeth Heck of the Home Herb School, completing her Introduction & Medicine Making, Growing Top Medicinal Plants, Identify & Harvest Medicinal Plants, and Professional Herbalist classes.
My formal apprenticeship took place under Clinical Herbalist Steve Byers of Waldo, Maine through Earthwalk School of Herbal Traditions. In this apprenticeship we learned plant observation and identification, dug deep into each of the body systems, and built up our materia medica, the herbalist’s toolkit. We learned how to prepare herbal medicine and how to appreciate their many virtues without allopathic thinking. An important part was creating detailed botanical monographs celebrated the wisdom of plants such as Solomon’s Seal, Tulsi, Aloe Vera, and more.
Afterwards, I completed the Community Herbalist Program at Earthwalk School of Herbal Traditions under Herbalists Mela Scofield and Jillian Twisla, with guest teachers including Suzanne Stone of Belfast, Maine. This program deepened knowledge of each of the body systems, how to understand our tissue states, how to understand concepts through Ayurvedic, Traditional Western, and TCM lenses, and when to reach for one plant over another. We also dove deep in this program into specific concepts such as understanding Lyme disease and supporting clients with cancer.
I went on to complete the year-long Advanced Clinical Mentorship under Mela Scofield and Jillian Twisla, completing case studies under the direct mentorship of Jillian Twisla. In this program, we dug deeply into theories of clinical practice, making sure clients get the most out of the consultation. We also had the joy of learning from visiting teachers such as fascia expert Ray Mroczynski, digestive expert Tommy Priester, and mineral expert Hamid Jabbar. In reviewing case studies with clients, feedback from Jillian deepened my approach to balance the scientific and spiritual indications of plants, helped me to see more deeply into people and plants, and helped me develop the right questions to ask. I will be forever grateful for this rare experience, my classmates, and my mentors Jillian and Mela.
I like to think of myself as a perennial student, and my responsibility to my clients includes staying engaged in the learning process under multiple mentors. The potential body of herbal knowledge is infinite. My education continues with Commonwealth School of Holistic Herbalism under teachers Katja Swift and Ryn Midura, where I have completed classes such as A Holistic Approach to Lyme Disease and Herbs for Birth Workers. I am currently enjoying their Community Herbalist program.
