Today I am delighted to feature Katya Difani, owner of a herbal apothecary called Herban Wellness in downtown Kirkland! Not only does Katya have a degree in Herbal Science from the wonderful Bastyr University, but she also runs a gorgeous business. Her store is the kind of place where you start to feel healthy just by walking into it. Add to that, Katya’s kindness and her vast collection and knowledge of herbs, you just know that you are going to have a great time ahead when you walk out of her store. Here are Katya’s sage words about health, herbs and everything that heals.
I love the whiff of the natural healing aromas of herbs that greet me as soon as I walk into your store! Tell us a bit about yourself, your background and your store.
The most common comment I get when people walk into my shop is “It smells so good in here.” The combination of essential oils, bulk herbs, aromatherapy candles and soaps yields a very earthy, unidentifiable scent that feels healthy and natural. Nothing synthetic here!
My story is a long story, and a winding road that led me here. The short version is that I grew up surrounded by nature in rural Montana and was introduced to the healing properties of plants from a young age. I remember bundles of herbs handing from the ceiling of our home and our medicine cabinet contained a mix of over-the-counter medications such as aspirin and herbal tinctures (liquid extracts) and teas. If I had an upset stomach, my mom would prepare a peppermint-fennel tea, and it always helped. My mom grew a large garden of vegetables and over time built an extensive herb garden as well. I fondly remember sunny summer afternoons out gathering red clover blossoms in our cow pastures to take back and dry to later use as nutritious infusions we drank on a daily basis throughout my high school years. I have been a lifelong lover of the natural world, which included animals and plants, so after some wandering, traveling, and soul-searching, I decided to pursue a degree in Herbal Science at Bastyr University. I had found a passion! I absolutely loved my studies and learning about the healing properties of plants, from a traditional and scientific standpoint.
After graduating, I worked for several businesses preparing herbal extracts as well as in retail. After a couple of years, I began to really desire working for myself and being able to make my own herbal preparations and blends, so I looked into starting an herbal apothecary on the Eastside of Lake Washington. I was convinced there was a market here, so I wrote a business plan, found the funding, and opened a shop in Kirkland in July 2009.
I love what I do and what I share with people here, introducing them to herbal teas and extracts that promote restful sleep, calm a tense body and overactive mind, promote better digestion, help relieve stress, reduce inflammation, and overall can help support health in the body. We offer a large variety of bulk herbs and herbal powders, herbal teas, herbal tinctures, herbal capsules, essential oils, natural skincare, skincare oils, a variety of classes, and custom-created tea blends and tinctures for the individual. We also fill prescriptions for patients of Naturopathic doctors and other healthcare providers.
What best defines and distinguishes your approach as a practicing herbalist?
I see myself as an herbal consultant, and ambassador for the plants, if you will. I see my role as one option in an array of health options people have, and my hope is that we are moving toward a more inclusive and integrative healthcare. Herbal medicine has a very long history of use, and can be a helpful adjunct to a persons’ healthcare regimen. I find many people are confused and overwhelmed by the immense body of information (and misinformation) about medicinal plants, so I see my role as one
of education and providing options and recommendations that are safe, and hopefully effective as well.
If an average person were to create an herbal toolbox of just 5 herbs, what would those be and why?
This is not an easy question to answer! Making an herbalist choose just 5 herbs in basically impossible, but I’ll give it my best shot. Off the top of my head, peppermint leaf (either as the bulk herb, liquid extract, or essential oil), lavender (as the essential oil), slippery elm bark, turmeric powder, and valerian root.
Here’s why:
Peppermint is very effective for calming an upset stomach and as the essential oil or tea, can help open the sinuses and lungs when inhaled. The essential oil can be applied to the temples and base of the neck, helping to ease headaches and relieve tension.
Lavender is an essential oil that is great to have on hand for applied neat (straight) to heat burns from the stove, bug bites, bee stings, cuts & scrapes. For burns, it can help stop the further damage through the layers of skin, while easing the pain and speeding healing. It is also great for relaxation and calming, helping to ease tension, headaches, anxiety, and promoting restful sleep when applied to the temples, added to a bath, or inhaled. It can also be applied to wounds to act as an antibacterial and anti-inflammatory.
Slippery elm bark is what we call a demulcent herb, meaning it contains carbohydrates that swell with water and form a mucilage that cools and soothes whatever it comes into contact with. It is great for sore throats, acid reflux, and generally any inflammation or irritation of the esophagus, stomach, or intestines. The powdered herb is great for slowing diarrhea in adults and children, when mixed into applesauce or yogurt, or simply mixed into a gruel with water and then consumed. It contains compounds that act as “prebiotics”, helping to feed good gut flora.
Turmeric powder acts as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant , as well as promoting digestive function. Consumed regularly with healthy fats, turmeric root is helpful for generally reducing inflammation in the body, and acting to prevent oxidative damage. It can also be made into a paste and applied to wounds, boils, acne pimples, and the like to reduce inflammation and act as an antibacterial and wound-healer. The downside is that it can stain the skin a yellow/orange hue. This powder can be taken in capsule or mixed into warm water with honey, cinnamon, and lemon, or you can mix the powder in food and in your pets food too.
Valerian root is a very aromatic herb, that some people love and some do not appreciate. However, it is an effective herb for calming anxiety, easing cramping of the intestines or uterus (PMS cramps), and for promoting restful sleep. It’s also useful for calming a dog or cat who is anxious and/or doesn’t travel well.
As I learn about Nettle, I’m amazed by its nutritional profile! Rich in vitamins and minerals and so easy to grow, I think that it has enormous potential. Do you agree? What is the best way to take Nettle and what conditions does it treat?
Nettle is hands-down one of my favorite herbs. Nutritionally rich, as you mentioned, it is considered a super green, with a high iron, calcium, magnesium, and potassium content. It is abundant in many forests around here and is best harvested early in the spring, but the name Stinging Nettle will tell you that this herb requires caution to harvest, grow, and use. Once cooked (in soups, lasagna, etc.) or put in boiling water to infuse as a tea, or dried, this herb loses its “sting.” I harvest it with gloves, clippers, and wear a long-sleeved shirt. If you grow it, contain it in a pot, because it spreads well and quickly! For the nutritional benefit of nettle, you can consume it in foods or my preferred method is to do an “overnight infusion,” where I steep 1 Tablespoon/cup of nettle leaf in hot water overnight out on my counter. This method extracts the maximum amount of minerals from the plant. I usually add a couple teaspoons of peppermint leaf as well to make the taste more pleasant and make a refreshing tea cold. I use a French press of tea pot and steep 4-6 cups at a time. In the morning, I strain or press out the leaves, and sip on the tea all day or stick it in the fridge and drink as desired. For its medicinal benefits, the tea, capsule (of freeze-dried nettle leaf), or tincture are all good forms to take it in. Nettle leaf is considered a kidney tonic, helping to maintain and restore kidney health. It also has anti-histamine properties, so particularly when consumed regularly as a tea (overnight infusion) or in capsules, this herb is often successfully used to help prevent and reduce symptoms of seasonal allergies.
From time to time, we are all looking for help to weather the storm. What herbs and/or essential oils would you recommend for stress and anxiety?
This is certainly one of the most common things people come into my shop looking for. Fortunately, there are many herbs and essential oils that help calm the nervous system and can help with tension, anxiety, and overall the experience of stress people have.
Several of my favorite herbs include lemon balm, linden flowers, skullcap, ashwagandha, and holy basil. The first 3 are what we call herbal “nervines,” acting to calm the nervous system and relax the body. The last two herbs are nervines and herbal adaptogens, which act to help the body “adapt better to stress” and help balance the adrenal glands. Several of these are found in formulas I blend, like my Chill Out Tea and Chill Out Drops. We also carry a Stress Adaptation Tea and Stress Drops (as well as various capsule blends like Adrenal Health and Stress Take Care) that can help prevent the long-term effects of stress as well as make our experience of stress less intense or overwhelming.
As for essential oils, Lavender, Roman chamomile, and Bergamot are some of my favorites for promoting a state of calm and relaxation. These will be best directly inhaled regularly, adding to an aromatherapy diffuser, a bath, or a massage oil.
What is the one health habit/trend that is overrated?
The weight-loss herbs that trend through for a week or two and then disappear, like Green coffee extract, Moringa, and Garcinia cambogia. Most of these trends are Dr. Oz stimulated, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s hard to keep up with the trends and everyone seems to be looking for the “next big thing,” or
quick-fix for their weight issues. I don’t believe it exists, but people keep looking!
My site HealthEdited is all about making small changes, edits if you will, to your lifestyle habits to create better health. What are you doing at present to ‘edit’ your health?
I am focusing on my breath more. I am doing daily “diaphragmatic breathing” exercises to increase my oxygen intake and make me more relaxed throughout my day. Seven seconds on the in-breath filling the whole chest and abdomen, hold for a second, seven seconds on the out-breath, hold for another second and repeat at least 10 rounds. Such a simple but effective exercise!
Can you describe one experience that makes you say, “Ah, this is why I’m doing what I do!”
I recently had a woman follow up with me regarding her sister who had been trying to get pregnant for over a year and had discovered that her husband had low fertility. I made up a formula for him that included adrenal herbs, like Panax ginseng, and herbs that can help with male fertility by enhancing testosterone and generally balancing male hormes, like Nettle root and Saw palmetto, among other things. He took it consistently for a month and she reported to me that they got pregnant a month later! It was the only thing they had done differently, so they were confident it was the herbal formula that had helped them. That sort of feedback/response is very rewarding.
