About
Herban Farmacy -Health Assurance from the Earth
Community Supported Herbalism…from the people, for the people.
Herban Farmacy is Asheville’s first herbal CSA- Community Supported Apothecary. Founded by Jamie Sparks, Herban Farmacy was initially an experiment to see how well an herbal education backed by hand-crafted medicines would actually do in Asheville. Herban Farmacy recognized the needs of the community to take health back into their own hands, and to gain a better understanding of the precious herbal medicines within these mountains. The knowledge and excitement express by shareholders, made it clear, that Herban Farmacy was well needed. In this present phase, Herban Farmacy and Jamie are primarily teaching herbalism and working with massage and herbal clients so as to allow a greater connection to oneself and the empowerment of attuning to ones body and the subtle offerings of herbs and foraged foods. Jamie’s practice focuses on supporting individuals with sensory sensitivities, trauma and children. Jamie holds space in way to build trust and build a client’s awareness that they are ultimately in power in any session.
Jamie has a strong love for the earth and a love for our human community. She is committed to helping her community celebrate and understand more deeply our interdependence with the earth and to promote the recognition of how deeply connected we are. Passionate about a livelihood that is both environmentally and socially conscious, as well as herbally focused Jamie strives to weave holistic integration of health for people and planet.
Jamie first connect to the depth of gifts and wisdom of plants when exploring an ethnobotany course in 1995. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Plant Biology, and a minor in Environmental Studies. Her love for plants and healing continues through constant study of herbalism and massage with a variety of esteemed teachers, as well as the wisdom of working with clients and directly with the plants.
She has apprenticed with Juliet Blankespoor and attended the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine. Jamie has apprenticed and learned clinical skills under Sevensong, the Director of the Northeast School of Botanical Medicine and the herbalist at the Ithaca Free Clinic, located in Ithaca, New York. She furthers her herbal knowledge by annually attending herbal conferences, such as Medicines from the Earth and the Women’s Herb Conference, while increasing her clinical skills and giving to her community through time working as a clinical herbalist at the Ithaca Free Clinic and at a variety of gatherings and festivals.
Jamie also teaches children’s herbal first aid at a variety of schools and home school programs in the Asheville area. She has taught for the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine, John C Campbell Folk School, Appalachian State and many other schools and conferences in the Asheville area. She is a born teacher and teaches herbalism, massage, environmental education, yoga, waltzing, blues, felting and much more. She runs a successful massage practice, where her clients experience handmade oils, personalized massage and yoga stretches to take home with them.
She is happy to live, learn, walk, harvest and commune in the Asheville area and grateful to tend to you wellness through education, massage, herbal consultations and private yoga sessions.
Where Jamie teaches:
Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine
South East Women’s Herbal Conference
Contact: ashevilleherbals@gmail.com
