Hi, I’m Ray, a clinical herbalist and educator, death worker, and relentlessly optimistic realist.
I help people work with plant medicines to support their healing on their terms, blending scientific and holistic approaches for tailored care.
For the last 10 years I’ve been studying herbalism and applying it to my own life for everything from acute issues to profound long-term shifts. I’ve been helping others do the same since 2018.
My teachers have included Commonwealth Holistic Herbalism (particularly their Family Herbalist, Community Herbalist, and Clinical Herbalist year-long programs), various instructors at The Human Path school, mandana boushee, Jade Alicandro-Mace, many books, and of course the plants themselves.
Maybe you’re here because you’re dealing with a chronic health issue and there’s only so much modern medicine can do for it. Possibly you’ve wanted to work with herbs for a while now but you’re not sure which ones are safe to take with your pharmaceuticals. Maybe you want extra support around grief, trauma recovery, anxiety, burnout, or other emotional concerns. Maybe you’re queer or trans and you want to talk about your health stuff with someone who’s also queer and trans.
Whatever your reason, I’m glad you’re here. Let’s explore what works for you together.
Why I Do This
As a child growing up on Quinnipiac and Tunxis lands, I carefully gathered various grasses and leaves from around the yard–some I could identify, some I couldn’t–and mixed them together to make pretend remedies, the kind of herbal medicines I read about in fantasy novels or historical fiction. It was too bad that this kind of medicine didn’t exist anymore where I grew up! Or so I thought, unable to see the little ways my family already worked with herbs as medicine.
Fast forward to realizing that herbalism was alive and well, I sank into learning and applying what I learned. I turned to the chronic pain rooted scoliosis that could leave me limping in tears and figured out what I could do to dramatically reduce both the pain itself and instances of its occurrence. And I knew I wanted to help others.
Herbalism is not about ‘taking control’ of your health. It’s not about treating herbs like over-the-counter meds, if only you could find an herb ‘good for’ xyz. It’s not about throwing away Western allopathic medicine. Herbalism is about cultivating relationships with your whole self, with the plants, and with each other, so that we all can heal and be in better community.
If you’d like to work together
I offer one-on-one consultations and teach a variety of classes throughout the year. The best way to hear about them is signing up for the email list, where I also share medicine recipes, seasonal reflections, and other goodies. The second best way is following me on Instagram.
Want to get in touch? Shoot me an email