Forest Heart Botanicals

Forest Heart Botanicals is owned and operated by Larkin Schmiedl, a queer trans person residing on Salt Spring Island, the traditional unceded territory of the SENĆOŦEN-speaking people the W̱SÁNEĆ ("Saanich" - specifically the Tsawout people), & Hul'qumi'num'-speaking peoples the Quw’utsun ("Cowichan"), Penelakut, and Hwlitsum.

Larkin strives to provide high-quality herbal medicine services, driven by the desire for ecological and social justice. He sees herbal medicine as one way we can connect more deeply with nature, and believes strengthening that connection is one of the most vital things needed in the world today.

Building reciprocal relationships with plants that encourage their flourishing as much as providing medicine is deeply important to him.

Larkin is descended from German, Scottish & English ancestors, and as a settler he works to support the resurgence of Indigenous cultures on the lands where he lives and harvests. He sees this work as a continual deepening into his desire to support decolonization and the health of the land.

​

Larkin organically grows 28% of the plant medicine for sale on this website in his gardens (medicines like milky oats, chamomile, skullcap, passionflower, marshmallow root), respectfully wildcrafts 28% (medicines such as hawthorne, nettles, horsetail), and purchases 44% organically grown from high-quality sources (feel free to ask if you'd like more details about sourcing). He is excited to be able to grow an ever-increasing amount of medicine in his gardens!

He works to create a supportive space for all bodies & abilities in his practice. His focus is on meeting clients where they are with their health goals without judgment. As a practitioner who lives with chronic pain, Larkin has a personal understanding of health limits. He views his work from a harm reduction perspective.

He also takes all the plant pictures you see on this site! Larkin loves to geek out about plants & hopes you'll join him.