Meet Our Favorite Herbalist

Along with our new location, we are very excited about some of our new offerings. Our in house herbalist, Vicki Zaharopoulos is one of them. For those looking for a natural approach to treating imbalance, illness or a way to support general wellness, making an appointment with Vicki may be a great fit for you. I interviewed Vicki in order to share with you exactly what she does and what working with her looks like.

I am here with our herbalist, Vicki Zaharopoulos, to learn a little bit about what she does and how it helps people heal.

Hello Vicki, we are so happy to have an herbalist at The Reiki School! I guess I would like to start by asking what is herbal medicine and what drew you to it?

Vicki: Herbal medicine is the science of using herbs for preventing and treating illness or imbalances. An herbalist uses fresh and dried plants to create teas, poultices, tinctures, salves, etc. We work together with a client to form a protocol through active listening and connecting with the body and its energetics as a whole system. We also suggest making dietary and lifestyle changes if that is what is needed.

As for what drew me to herbalism, there were lots of things. I have a 22 year history as a licensed massage therapist, I graduated from the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, have studied Ayurvedic medicine and have studied herbalism with David Winston for the past 3 years. I am and always have been looking for ways to get back to a more traditional approach to health and wellness. Working with plants in a symbiotic relationship to the earth is thousands of years old and is still used by 75% of people on the planet. I believe that herbal medicine can work in tandem with both western medicine and alternative ways of healing, making it useful and accessible too everyone.

So who are your typical clients? What are some of the issues people come to you with when seeking out your assistance?

Vicki: From what I’ve seen personally, people seek out herbal medicine when they have imbalances and have tried everything with no positive results. There are also people who like to use herbs to support them through stressful times or big shifts and changes. There is such a large range of imbalances that I’ve seen in my work. Herbs can be used to treat anything from depression, stress and anxiety to auto-immune symptoms, digestive issues, fertility issues and everything in between.

So what does a session with you typically look like?

Vicki: The first visit is a consultation and can be anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes long. Prior to our meeting I will have emailed you a detailed intake that you would fill out and email back prior to your visit or bring it with you already filled out. I would go over this with you and ask a series of questions along with some diagnostic techniques to narrow down what our protocol will be. It takes me a few days to create a custom formula for you but I will always send you home with something to get you started in the meantime. I may give you a tea and/or make some dietary suggestions for you to start with until I have your formula ready. The formula would consist of a tincture and/or a tea. You would pick up your formula when it is ready and we would set an appointment for a follow up after taking the formula to see how you are progressing and to see if I need to tweak anything. The follow up appointments are typically 30 minutes or so. The follow up can be over the phone or face to face. Depending on how you are progressing, I may want to check in with you again 2 weeks after the first follow up. It all depends on how you are progressing and how much support you may need.

What is your favorite herb?

Hmmm… That’s hard. Right now it’s passionflower, reishi (it’s magic) and rose. I also love good old fashioned lavender and linden flower.

What is a good take away for any potential clients that are reading this interview?

The bottom line is it’s not only about taking herbs, it’s about hard work. It’s about making lifestyle changes and adhering to whatever we decide on as a team. You are in charge of your own healing. I can support and guide you and help facilitate as much as I can but in the end, you need to do the work and it’s not always for the faint of heart. I believe plant medicine is nothing short of miraculous. Most pharmaceuticals come from synthetic versions of plants anyway, I say why not go straight to the source.

Vicki will be offering an initial consult appointment for $99 from now through the month of February. Just book your session and enter code HERBS99 at checkout to redeem your discount!!!