Connecting local farmers to herbal practitioners in the North Fork Valley
Paonia Apothecary’s original inspiration came during a visit to a local farm with an herbal program here in the North Fork Valley. The farmer showed our class how he was growing two different varieties of Perilla, a commonly-used Chinese herb I was familiar with from my acupuncture background. He expressed that he loved growing it, but unfortunately “there wasn’t any market for it”. I know many herbalists who would purchase the dried/processed plant for use in their practice from sources overseas. This statement planted the seed of developing a business connecting local farmers to herbal practitioners to encourage the farming of Chinese herbs in the region as well as bolster our local agriculture community.
Amber Fisher
Amber is an experienced East Asian Medicine practitioner who specializes in neurological conditions in her acupuncture practice. You can learn more about her practice at amberleefisher.com . She started Paonia Apothecary because she is passionate about herbal medicine and about building sustainability into her Chinese herbal practice. As Paonia Apothecary develops and grows, Amber will be using more of her own formulas in her practice, developed using as many local/regional herbs as possible. This requires deepening her knowledge of Western herbal medicine as well as increasing access to locally grown Chinese herbs and illustrates her deep commitment to shifting the Chinese herbal paradigm in the U.S.
Jacquie Hill
Family oriented, community enthusiast, Jacquie,is a plant person doing planty things on the Western Slope of Colorado. After practicing her blend of story-rich, folk herbal medicine for 10+ years, she took her studies to academia, earning a bachelor’s degree in botanical sciences from Bastyr University in 2019. With a love of the scientific as well as the nonlinear, Jacquie completed mentorships under Dr. Eric Yarnell, ND and with Shamanic herbalist Julie Charette Nunn, keeping her studies in balance. Jacquie has a GMP certificate from Herbal Medics which comes in quite handy as the owner and maker at her small batch herbal product company, Of the Hill Botanicals. She also consults with and manages Paonia Apothecary, helping to create a central hub for those in her community to offer knowledge, products, and quality herbs.
