Meet Anna Claire Vaughn

Purpose

I love helping people build meaningful relationships with the plants around them. My hope is that through herbalism, others feel empowered to care for themselves and their families while cultivating a deeper connection with the natural world. I especially love that herbal preparations make the wisdom and support of plants accessible in a way that can become part of everyday life.

Specialty

My herbal education is primarily rooted in Traditional Western herbalism, with additional study in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine principles. I'm especially fascinated by Traditional Chinese Medicine's understanding of organ systems and meridians, and I enjoy exploring the different ways healing traditions view the relationship between people, plants, and nature. I'm continually inspired by the wisdom held within traditional and indigenous plant knowledge, and I believe every culture has something meaningful to teach us about living in relationship with the natural world.

Training

A lifelong lover of the natural world, my academic journey began with a B.S. in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina. My interest in human health led me to graduate studies in Human Nutrition at Clemson University before I found my way to herbalism. I completed the Holistic Herbalism and Advanced Clinical Herbalism programs at the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine, where I also apprenticed for a year with the school's director and lead herbalist, CoreyPine Shane.

Some of my most meaningful learning has also taken place outside the classroom. For over a decade, I have been studying the Andean wisdom traditions within the Q'ero lineage under the guidance of Q'ero wisdom keeper P'aqo and Pampamesayoq Victor Chura Quispe in Peru. As an initiated mesa carrier, this path continues to shape my understanding of reciprocity and has deepened my appreciation for living in right relationship with the natural world.

Teaching

Sharing herbal knowledge has been one of the most rewarding parts of my work. For more than eight years, I taught herbal classes at my alma mater, the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine, guiding students as they developed their own relationships with plants. I have also led numerous herbal and earth-based retreats in Peru and Costa Rica, creating immersive experiences that weave together herbal education, nature connection, and traditional wisdom. Whether in a classroom or on retreat, I love making herbalism accessible, practical, and deeply engaging.

Motivation

Plants have an incredible ability to reconnect us with ourselves, the land around us, and the generations who came before us. They remind us that we are not separate from nature, but an integral part of it. I am endlessly fascinated by the many ways plants support our well-being, from their remarkable chemistry to the traditions, stories, and relationships that have surrounded them for centuries. Working with herbs has given me a deeper sense of embodiment, connection, and empowerment than I ever expected, and I hope to inspire others to discover the same through their own relationships with plants.

First Herb Memory

Looking back, I think my love of plants grew out of a lifelong fascination with the natural world. I spent much of my childhood outdoors, collecting little treasures from nature and exploring the world around me. In many ways, finding herbalism felt like a natural continuation of that curiosity.