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Tiffany Robbins is a clinical herbalist practicing in Pennsylvania. She also teaches community herbalism classes at Wisdom of the Plants Seminary, which she co-founded. She studies the ethnobotany of many native cultures and is a Penn State Master Gardener and Tree Tender. She is a raw food educator, natural perfumer, natural fiber artist and ethical wildcrafter, and as if that were not enough, she just completed her first year of acupuncture training. She also teaches at various herb conferences in the U.S. She lives with her husband, three children, her 96 yr. old Grandmother, and their cat Tomato.
How did you first become interested in working with plants?
The first time I got really serious about plants was when my oldest daughter asked her dad for a garden. She was about four years old. My husband took her to the local orchard and they purchased vegetable starts and little hand tools for her. It was on a Saturday. On Sunday, they watered the garden. Monday morning, my husband phoned me and said, “You need to go weed the garden.” I said, “That’s you and Rain’s garden.” I took Rain out in the backyard to the garden, and showed her how to pull the weeds. Next thing I knew, Rain was in the sandbox and I was left to weed. Fast forward a couple of months and I was in the Penn State Master Gardener Program.
You work with plants in so many ways! Tell us a bit about your practice and how you incorporate all your different areas of knowledge in your work.
Well, there are two ways. First off, I am passionate about learning. I will forever be a student of the plants. Secondly, I love teaching others about the green world. So, I get to share in very odd ways. Sometimes with clients, along with a formula, they may also get a foraging lesson or even a new craft like basket weaving. I don’t limit teaching to the classroom, and a good clinician has a varied set of tools in the toolbox. It is very unconventional, but I feel healing comes in many ways.
You have been involved in the herbal aid work happening during the protests, to which H&A donated some product. Please tell is about this.
Yes, this happened very unexpectedly. I was watching the protests on my computer. Normally, I would have been right there, but I take care of my 96 yr. old Grandmother. So, I’m sitting there watching and I see a lot of my friends and comrades out there. Things were getting intense. I saw a lot of them getting beat and sprayed with pepper spray or tear gas. I was crying and feeling very helpless. I wanted to be there, I even felt guilty that I was not there.
So, I put a call out to my herbalist friends on Facebook for herbal first aid remedies. I was met with an overwhelming amount of support. So many people felt the same way. They wanted to help any way they could. The generosity came in many forms, some donated money, some bought supplies, hand sewn masks, and many, many, many people made herbal remedies!
Lori Ramus-Lazar and I were classmates in David Winston’s two year program. We became friends and keep in contact. Lori was featured in one of the H&A past interviews. She co-owns Hedge Witch Apothecary with her daughter Leigh. Lori and her friends made awesome herbal goody bags for the protesters. She told me I should contact H&A for a donation. I was so scared to ask, so Lori asked for me. She called me and said, “Guess what? There’s a box in the mail from H&A!” Tears started flowing, as they are now while writing this. I am reminded of all the beautiful teachings David shared with us. He once told me that herbalists are some of the kindest people. He was so right, as always. The plants show up for us in ways we never could expect! I am grateful for Herbalist & Alchemists for being a pillar in our herbal community.
You have studied with many noted herbalists, including David Winston. How did you find his Center for Herbal Studies and how has his training enhanced your practice?
I heard about David through a friend that leads wild food walks. He told me about a webinar David was having. Then, I kept hearing about David from others. I fell in love with his book Adaptogens: Herbs for Strength, Stamina, and Stress Relief. I studied with one of his long-time students, Susan Hess. I watched a video on the school’s website and knew I had to study with him. David has enhanced me on so many levels. I am forever indebted to him for all the time he took with me. I was not the easiest student, with all my questions. He made sure we were very well rounded. I can’t get David out of my head! My classmates and I often say, “What would DW say?”. That is how profound a teacher David Winston is! David first taught us, ‘Do no harm’. He instilled in us to look at the traditional uses of herbs as well as clinical studies. He taught me that it is more important to know the person that has the problem and how it presents than to know the problem. David is encyclopedic in his knowledge of the herbs. He inspires me to go deeper.
As brilliant as David is with knowing the history, constituents, cultivars, and all the other intricate nuances of herbal medicine, nothing compares to when he opens up and teaches Native American Materia Medica. He sings prayers for us and the world. I love that David stays in contact with us. Recently when Covid broke out, he sent out to his students both past and present a synopsis of the virus and herbal formulas that had proven effective in China. That’s the caliber of a teacher David Winston is!
I made lifelong friends at the David Winston Center for Herbal Studies! I was very intimidated at first. One of my best friends made me a flower essence that I took several times a day. I was sitting in class with doctors, nurses, therapists, chemists, farmers and people from so many other professions. My classmates were from as far away as China! We often see each other at conferences or other herbal events. Sometimes people will classify a tonic herb as an adaptogen. You will always hear us say, “That’s not an adaptogen!” Lol, David Winston trained!
I was most honored when David told me he was proud of me. I will cherish that forever!
What are your favorite H&A products and how do you use them?
That’s a hard question. Where do I start? I think my most favorite has to be Kids Tummy Relief. When your child wakes up in the middle of night with a tummy ache, no one wants to get up and make tea. Having the Kids Tummy Relief on hand has saved me many times! It works very quickly and is reliable.
I love all the adaptogen formulas, and the new bitter formulas are outstanding. They are great to use for clients when introducing them to herbal medicine, because they can really see changes when using these formulas. The bitters taste really yummy! David chides me that I’m the only person that likes the taste of elecampane, lol. I love, love, love Phytodent! It makes your teeth and mouth feel really clean. What I recommend the most though is Grief Relief. I’m at the age where a lot of family and friends are transitioning, and Grief Relief is such a wonderfully formulated product. It tastes delightful and is potent! I need to order Grief Relief by the gallons.
Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity!!! Wado, Wado, Wado!!!
