My journey to the plants

Laura Espinoza-Wulach, MPH

Camellia Infused Healing began when my obsession with Jane Austen and Earl Grey (Camellia sinensis) unexpectedly united with my passion for working with people with substance use disorders: a weekend workshop on Teas for Addiction and Mental Health with herbalist Cascade Anderson Geller. Little did I know that walking into that sacred space would change my life.

While I had always loved being in nature, the only plant I could identify was a dandelion while in bloom. I had been working in public health for years, searching for a clinical profession that would allow me to provide direct care to patients, but never finding one that suited me. However, after spending a weekend with Cascade, an entire world opened before my eyes, and I immediately knew I was home. I enrolled in my first herbalism apprenticeship that same weekend, and have been immersed in the plant world ever since.

At the same time, I had been experiencing debilitating health issues for a few years, and when I was finally diagnosed with Chronic Lyme Disease in 2014, my doctor said I would need to be on IV antibiotics for 3 years in order to “possibly recover”. Seeing how sick and unhealthy the patients in her waiting room looked, it suddenly dawned on me that I could turn to the plants for my own healing journey.

As I began to work with the plants more intimately, my health slowly began shifting. The plants have taught me many lessons on my healing journey, the most profound being unconditional self-love.

I became the first Administrative Director for the ArborVitae School of Traditional Herbalism in 2015, where I was able to take classes with many prominent visiting herbalists, as well as the school’s founders and core teachers, Claudia Keel and Richard Mandelbaum RH. Upon giving birth to my son two years later, I decided to become a stay at home herbalist mom, where I have been blessed with being able to focus on my family while growing a local herbalism practice.

Most days, you can find my son and me spending time in our medicinal herb garden, picking wild flowers from our lawn for lunch, making herbal teas, baking scones, and enjoying a cup of Camellia. I continue to learn from the plants and people daily, as I guide others on their own healing journeys by (re)connecting them with their intuition and the innate healing wisdom of nature.

I’d love to work with you too - join me as we heal, learn, and gather together.