Today we’d like to introduce you to Caitlin Rowe.
Hi Caitlin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I originally moved to Monterey, California in 2007 to get started in fashion and jewelry design at the local community college. When one of my classes was canceled, I needed to fill the credits and found a Massage class that was open. I knew pretty quickly this was something that was going to change my life. My first teacher in that class I took was Char Pias, who teaches at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur. She just so happened to also teach at the local community college, which was a real treat for anyone who was able to learn from her.
I massaged for several years before I discovered studying herbalism in 2012 with Ginger Webb here in Austin at the Sacred Journey School of Herbalism. Right away, I was very interested in medicinal mushrooms and adaptogens, trying to inspire deep nervous system tranquility. I developed different tinctures for the chakras, mushroom decoctions, heart-opening elixirs, and nervous system tonics. I did craft markets all over Austin under the name Herban Biophiliac.
In 2016, I actually left Austin to join a sustainable treehouse company in the Sonoma County region of Califonria. We built several treehouses and tiny homes around that area. I was living in Sebastopol, California and found an Ayurvedic Center and School and through my visits there I decided to take some classes and move back into my healing practice.
My teacher Deanna Batdorff had spent several years studying in India and running a center in California, and offered a variety of health clinics and classes all based in Ayurvedic teachings. I studied with her for almost two years before moving back to Texas and studying with Patricia Wickman and Dr. Anusha Senghal at the Radiant Living Academy of Ayurveda to become an Ayurvedic practitioner,
Ayurvedia is the oldest continuously practiced medical system dating back over 5,000 years. Studying Ayurvedic medicine really inspired and informed how I made herbal remedy offerings. Ayurveda is so unique to each individual and focuses on the root cause of imbalance to heal. Ayurveda also shines a light on daily practices and living a life of moderation and routines. Routines create a steady environment which settles the nervous system when it knows what to count on.
Now my herbal offerings are focused on daily routines, whole family health, herbal first aid, organic herbal skin care, gut health, and allergy/immune support. I have been building a beautiful plot of land and growing a lot of my own herbs. I have been creating a lot of whole-family remedies too after starting my own family and helping moms gain confidence in using herbs for their littles. I also make a lot of hydrosols. A hydrosol is a steam distillation of a plant in a still (I use copper) that captures the aromatic constituents, also known as the essential oils. These essential oils are captured in the steam, which is the water byproduct, and makes them really friendly to use topically and internally for things like skin care, bug spray, antiseptic spray, pain relief, throat spray, hair spray, and really truly anything.
It is funny to reflect on what I do because I learned a lot about all of this really truly from my mom. She has had a landscaping business since 1975 and is an avid entrepreneur. When I was in high school, she started a botanical business making soap and skin care and became an online skin care chemist in the early days of AOL. I used to help her make and bottle products and do crafts markets and here I am continuing my own version of that through plants and herbal remedies.
Currently, I am available at the Mueller Farmers Market in Austin, Texas, every Sunday from 10-2, online, or at various local retailers like Wheatsville, Earth Commons, and The Herb Bar
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely had its shifts and ups and downs. Especially during COVID the economy in such flux raises costs and puts a lot of strain on running a small business
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Herban Veda?
My practice specializes in Ayurveda, which is the medical science of India. I help clients one-on-one with everything from chronic to acute diseases, fertility, autoimmune conditions, digestive health, and seasonal lifestyle routines and diet. Ayurveda focuses on each individual’s unique constitution, which is made up of the five elements: Vata (ether/air), Pitta (fire/water), and Kapha (water/earth. We are all made up of varying degrees of these elements, which is called our prakruit or birth constitution. It is the state of health we are always striving for.
I also offer Ayurvedic body treatments like a Netra Basti, which is a ghee eye bath that helps to strengthen the eyes and nourish the cranial nerves, but also helps to let go of things holding you back and bring you clarity. Other treatments I offer are pinda swedana, which are warm bundles of rice and herbs compressed rhythmically on the body to soften tissues and move air out of the joints.
I am proud of the formulation of all of our herbal product offerings; they are well-rounded and support all constitutions by balancing the energetics of the herbs in each product. I grow and wildcraft a lot of the herbs used to create a closeness in the products that is hard to find in mainstream herbalism,
What’s next?
I am looking forward to the build-out of a new studio space to refine offerings and dive deeper into my healing practice in my community. i want to share more Ayurvedic body therapies because I truly believe they are deeply beneficial. Ayurvedic medicine really emphasizes oiling every orifice of the body in order to protect the tissue and focus on longevity of vitality. I love making herbal infused oils and using them in my body therapy practice through various treatments and massages and I am looking forward to doing that more.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://herbanveda.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/herban.veda/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/herban.veda
