In this soulful exchange, Justiene Davis sits down with her teacher and mentor, clinical herbalist and educator JoAnn Sanchez, to trace a life devoted to the green world. JoAnn recalls a childhood awe that never faded, a small-town model where an herbalist and a physician cared for everyone, and the way lineage, books, and time in the woods shaped her path. Together they explore herbalism as original medicine, the harmony between intuition and science, and why recording elder voices matters. JoAnn also shares a powerful personal testimony about Lobelia as a nervous system ally, speaks to stewardship and conservation, and offers grounded guidance for beginners: go to nature, drink daily herb teas, and keep reading.

Takeaways:

• Many herbalists are called by nature long before the path has a name.

• Awe can be a lifelong practice that deepens with attention.

• Community care thrives when herbalists and physicians collaborate.

• Ancestral threads surface through family stories, food, and folk wisdom.

• Herbalism is not “alternative.” It is original, primary medicine.

• Intuition and science complement each other when we stay close to living plants.

• Personal plant allies, like Lobelia for JoAnn, can be profound and stabilizing.

• True healing often asks for patience rather than instant gratification.

• Beginners can start simply: go outside, drink herbal tea daily, and read widely.

• Stewardship and conservation are core to ethical wildcrafting and practice.

✨ Stay Connected:

🌱 Shop herbal blends and wellness tools:

Mystic Botanica — mysticbotanicaherbs.com

📲 Instagram: @mysticbotanicaherbs

🌿 Connect with JoAnn Sanchez 🌿

Learn from JoAnn’s decades of teaching and clinical practice. Follow her talks, classes, and elder interviews through community events and herbal conferences.

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