The Herb Walk Podcast- Interview with Amy Anthony of NYC Aromatica

Summer is here! For those of us that love plants, this is our season. Here in Oklahoma the wildflowers are blooming everywhere. On the land where I live, I am surrounded by some of my favorite palnts, Yarrow, Wild Rose, Milkweed, and Echincae, just to name a few. My herb garden is also going off, my Thyme, Mints (peppermint and mojito mints), Pineapple Sage, and Lemon Verbena smell divine. My Garden Sage bloomed early and has already gone to seed, and my Passionflower is spreading wildly through the raised bed. Happiness is watching these plants grow year after year.

Meeting new herbalists also makes me happy. I had the pleasure of talking to Amy Anthony, the herbalist, distiller and educator behind NYC Aromatica. Amy was a student of Jim McDonald (a hilarious and fun herbalist) and has studied aromatherapy extensively through the NY Institute of Aromatic Studies.

What I really like about Amy is she is one of the few aromatherapists that is also an herbalist. For me, herbalism and aromatherapy are two sides of the same coin, but for many aromatherapists their experience is only with essential oils or hydrosols, not actual plants. Our conversation on the importance of being an herbalist as well as an aromatherapist really resonated with me and gave me an even greater appreciation for our craft.

We also had an open and frank discussion about social media influencers with little or no herbal knowledge,our concerns of over-harvesting, and the environmental impact of essential oil production. Thank you Amy for giong there with me!

When not teaching or seeing clients, Amy is distilling her favorite aromatic plants and immersing herself in nature as much as she can. Her podcast, Essential Aromatica, is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to listen to as I travel or work in the garden. On her show, she has interviewed incredible aromatherapists like Cathy Skipper, Gabriel Mojay, and Hanna Tisserand. I highly recommend listening!

For this episode, sit back with a cup of aromatic tea (rose, mint, and citurs peel would be nice) and enjoy our conversation about aromatic plants. Then please subscribe and share The Herb Walk with your friends!

As always you can find my podcast, The Herb Walk with Jessica Baker, on most streaming services. If interested, you can also follow me on Instagram @jessicabaker_herbalist

With love,

Jessica