About Kirstin Margaret

Looking back, the path feels less surprising than it did at the time. I am of Sicilian and first-generation Cuban heritage, and herbalism has long been woven into both sides of my family. Growing up, herbal teas, traditional remedies, and the use of plants as both food and medicine were a natural part of everyday life. My great-grandmother was a Sicilian herbalist and midwife, whose path continues to inspire my own. In many ways, it felt as though I was returning to something that had been with me all along.

As I followed the path deeper into herbal medicine, I traveled throughout Latin America and the Amazon Rainforest and unexpectedly formed meaningful relationships with traditional healers, shaman, and plant medicine teachers. Through their guidance, generosity, and example, I found myself remembering something that felt both new and deeply familiar. Herbalism was not simply an interest. It was the path I was meant to follow.

That realization did not come with quick answers or instant transformation. The journey required years of study, dedication, perseverance, and formal clinical herbalism training. Along the way, I came to understand that healing is rarely about finding a single answer. It is about building a relationship with yourself, with the natural world, and with the interconnected web of people, plants, and experiences that shape a life.

Kirstin Botanica exists because of that journey.

The formulas I create are inspired by my Sicilian and Cuban roots, the wisdom of Indigenous medicine healers and families in the Peruvian Amazon, and formal studies in Western herbalism, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Together, these influences help shape both my approach to herbalism and my belief that it is safe to feel alive again.