photo by Heather McBride

About Kelly

Healing Philosophy

I am a community herbalist and educator with a clinical practice based in Philadelphia, PA. I practice herbal medicine on Lenni Lenape land, specifically Chingsessing, (now called Kingsessing), meaning "the place where there is a meadow.," and I am in deep gratitude to the people who's ancestral land I am on.

My role as an herbalist is to help people connect with themselves, have a positive embodied experience, and build a relationship with the natural world. I believe people are the experts of their bodies and should feel empowered to take care of themselves.  I will meet people where they are at, in order to educate and support them in creating daily practices that heal and sustain. I believe in the power of intention. The low cost DIY aspect of herbalism is what first appealed to me - I wanted to take care of myself and my friends by making medicine from plants growing where I lived.  I offer a sliding scale for all my services because I want to be a part of breaking barriers to accessing healing work.

As a queer person, serving queer community is my joy (but my books are open to everyone!)

My blood ancestors were midwestern farmers and tavern keepers and I trace those lineages back to Ireland and Germany.  I'm in the slow lifelong process of learning more about my ancestral healing practices,  and how those were given up in exchange for the hollow promise of whiteness. 

Humans and plants evolved together and human bodies function best when they ingest plants on the daily (like eating vegetables!). Plants medicine affects all aspects of our being - physical, mental, spiritual. Healing can be a slow process, but I do believe bodies are incredibly smart and often just need some attention and TLC. Herbal medicine and connecting with nature can be  part of a healing process.

I see herbs working in many ways for folks and one of the most profound is the invitation to recalibrate your relationship to self. Herbs require simple, gentle self-care in the form of making tea, taking tincture, taking baths, burning plants, sleeping with them under your pillow. Because herbs tend to act subtly, the necessitate more paying attention to your body and all of its complexities.

Education

Herbal Community Work

I began seriously studying herbal medicine in 2009 in Minneapolis, MN. There, I studied with herbalists Lise Wolff (her main teacher being Matthew Wood), Cynthia Thomas (who studied with David Winston), Julia Graves, and Matthew Wood. One of Matthew Wood's primary teachers was TisMal Crow, a Cherokee and Hitchiti healer. Wood also deeply studied the Eclectics (Thompson, Scudder, King, Felter, Ellingwood). The eclectic herbalists, practicing in this country in the 1800s, learned much of what they know from peoples Indigenous to this land. It's important for me, as a person of settler descent, to name that much of my initial studies in herbalism were drawing from the knowledge of Indigenous healers. And I'm figuring out how to honor that, and not perpetuate the stealing of knowledge.

For 3 years, I studied at the Vermont Center for Integrative Herbalism in Montpelier, VT. The school trains herbalists primarily in Western herbal medicine tradition, physiology and pathophysiology, phytochemistry, holistic energetic systems, and nutrition. I gained clinical skills working as an herbalist at the school's sliding scale clinic. My teachers there were Larken Bunce, Betzy Bancroft, and Guido Masé.  While all of these teachers studied with many people, I was to list some of their primary influences. Larken Bunce studied at Tai Sophia (now know as Maryland University of Integrative Health.) Betzy Bancroft studied and worked with David Winston. 

I learned cupping from Julia Graves and Sandra Lory.

In 2021, I will finish my 3 year Somatic Experiencing trauma resolution training. I'm also taking a year long Celtic Studies program with Sharon Blackie.  

I believe so deeply in the political act of mutual aid, and am committed to sending herbs to mutual aid projects, Black and Indigenous land projects, and communities requesting herbal support on  an ongoing basis. 

I currently help run the Philly Herb Hub with Desiree Thompson (of Nana Catherine's Apothecary), a project that moves herbs from growers and medicine makers to Black folks in Philly for free. 

​I'm part of a growing movement of white people who budget a portion of our income to redistributing our money to Black, Indigenous and people of color. I share this not to get any points, but in hopes of normalizing this practice amongst all white people. You can read more about the case for reparations by Ta Nehisi Coates and see the Movement 4 Black Lives' Reparations Toolkit if you want to learn more. It feels relevant to include in my herbal community work because all of my income is from my work as an herbalist. 

I have taught herbal medicine through EXCO (a free school in Minneapolis), at the Philadelphia Trans Health Conference, Mariposa Co-op, The Philadelphia Free Library, and Bartram's Garden and many other community organizations.