Hello and welcome to Yantra Herbs Alchemical Apothecary. My name is Kirsten and I am a herbalist, medicine maker, farmer, wildcrafter, artist & mother. 

I am fascinated with the multi-layered healing abilities of plant medicines, from the active constituents, phytochemistry &  actions to the more subtle energetic healing qualities, and this inter-relationship with humans. I believe physical healing occurs on many levels, including our environment, emotions and spirit.  Plants are the original people’s medicine, and through holistic herbalism, they work to heal our bodies on all these levels.

I hold a Diploma of Applied Science, Certificates in Herbalism, Homeopathy & Permaculture, and I am 2/3 completed an Advanced Diploma in Herbalism. I am a Certified Australian Bush Flower Essences Practitioner amd Certified Holographic Kinetics Practitioner with Steve Richards Dreamtime Healing Australia.

I began studying Natural Therapies in the late 1990’s, with Homeopathy and Australian Bush Flower Essences, and in 2002 facilitated my own off-grid home birth using Homeopathics and herbal teas - with the help of my neighbours, my friend who mailed me op-shop books on pregnancy, herbs & home birthing, and the inspiration of my beloved jungle mama friend Fiona. This is when I really deeply experienced the power of herbs and homeopathics, and was inspired even more to continue to learn about herbal medicine.

My influences have come from living in the Amazon & learning tribal herbalism with the Shipibo (native people of the Ucayali region who have a traditional knowledge of over 750 medicinal Amazonian plants) whilst cooking meals & preparing herbal medicines, Banos and saunas for guests on ‘dieta’ at Ani Nii Shobo, studying Curanderismo with Costa Rican Herbalist Adriana Ayales, energetic herbalism with Kat Maier, and many teachers in between. I have lived & learned with a Caribbean folk herbalist of African descent, where I discovered the super nutritious Moringa and Sea Moss (Chondrus crispus). The seeds for my own Moringa plantation were harvested in St Ann Parish, Jamaica. This is where I fell in love with Hibiscus as a cooling herb, which they call Sorrell in Jamaica, and consume as a cold, sweet drink. I have learned bio-regional herbalism & cooking from locals and indigenous people in my tropical travels in South-east Asia, the Caribbean, and Central & South America, and I find many of the same plants for my herbal apothecary growing in my own tropical bio-region - like Bobinsana (Calliandra angustifolia), Blue Lotus (Nymphaea cerulea), Chanka Piedra (Stonebreaker), Brunfelsia grandiflora, (called Chiric Sanango in the Amazon), Kava Kava and Cacao.

I have travelled & lived in different places around Australia & feel deeply connected to my own continent and the Indigenous healing modalities offered, including Australian Bush Flower Essences and Dreamtime Healing Using Holographic Kinetics. I chose to feature the beautiful sustainable Native Australian essential oils of Buddhawood (Eremophila mitchellii) , Fragonia (Agonis fragrans) & Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) in my body products, and the sustainably wildcrafted Western Australian Sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) in the handmade incense.

All products are made in small batches with fresh organic ingredients, here at my organic farm on Kuku Yalanji country, adjacent to the Daintree National Park, in Far North Queensland, Australia. I am passionate about water & soil health, & the microbiome, being so closely related to human health and our own gut microbiome via the foods and liquids we consume. Yantra Herbs is committed to uncompromising organic practices for the body, the kitchen, the home and the farm. Zero waste, home compostable and re-usable packaging is used for all products.

In my free time I love to practice yoga, study herbalism, experiment with tinctures and herb teas, weave baskets, swim in the ocean and creeks of this beautiful area, plant tropical fruit trees, medicinal plants and flowers on my farm and watch them grow, make delicious and wholesome organic foods, drinks and desserts and live in harmony with nature.

It is my pleasure to offer this collection for your wellness.