Herbal Academy Student Feature: Haille Olimb (@theherbalistsassistant)

Haille Olimb (@theherbalistsassistant) is the owner of The Herbalist’s Assistant where she creates herbal self-care products. Haille is a student of the Introductory Herbal Course, Intermediate Herbal Course, Emulsifiers and Preservatives in Botanical Products: 2 Part Intensive, and the Botanical Drawing for Herbalists Course.

HA: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you started your path into herbalism. 

Haille Olimb: Growing up, I was very outdoorsy. My family loved to camp and hike. I was always outdoors playing. I was camping before I could walk. My mother loves gardening, and ever since I was little, the garden has always been her little oasis that we all enjoyed until “yard work day.” But it wasn’t until I moved from Washington state to Virginia, attended six years of college, and suffered a concussion from a car crash that I really got into herbalism. I didn’t have health insurance at the time (I didn’t know about student insurance). I went from being a pretty subdued person to suddenly having anxiety. I was prescribed a couple of different things that made me feel worse and I stopped taking them almost immediately. At the time I was also getting into witchcraft. Learning about the correspondence between of crystals, colors, and herbs was fascinating. I was also living in the city and for the first time ever, I had to make an effort to be in nature. My whole being was craving nature and herbs, mentally, spiritually, and physically. For a couple of months, I was a couch potato due to the concussion, which made it impossible for me to drive, and I came across herbalism on Instagram, and eventually the Herbal Academy. I signed up, started my business, The Herbalist’s Assistant, a few months later, and I’ve been learning ever since.

HA: Why did you choose to pursue your herbal education with the Herbal Academy? 

Haille Olimb: I chose the Herbal Academy because of the way the classes are structured. I chose to be homeschooled for high school and learn best with a combination of reading, visuals (videos), and exercises. The Herbal Academy just made sense. But upon starting, I began to love it more with incorporation of the spiritual aspects of herbalism and its easy readability. 

HA: Do you own an herbal business or brand?  

Haille Olimb: I own and manage The Herbalist’s Assistant where I make natural, handmade, and eco-friendly skin and hair care products inspired by nature and magic andy formulated for sensitive skin.

HA: How did your Herbal Academy courses help shape or improve your business? 

Haille Olimb: Immensely! Without the Herbal Academy, I wouldn’t have had the confidence to start the business. I remember making a modified version of the calendula salve from the Introductory Herbal Course for my eczema, since I didn’t have money for a dermatologist at the time. It worked great and it gave me the confidence to start selling my own products. The salve was named the Omni Salve and is one of my staple products today. 

HA: What were you looking for when you enrolled in your Herbal Academy course that you were not able to find elsewhere?

Haille Olimb: I was looking for a combination of well-sourced learning material (check!), aforementioned accommodation of learning styles (check!), and a community of like-minded people (check!).

HA: What did you like most about your Herbal Academy course? 

Haille Olimb: I like the way the courses are structured. Coming from a background in engineering and physics, it’s very important to me to have an easy to follow class structure. The classes have a good flow and overlap when necessary. I also enjoy the atmosphere and the way the courses are written. Information is given with clinical or book references, but also feels a bit like a story going from macro to micro without feeling like, “where are we going with this?”

HA: If you were to recommend an Herbal Academy course to your best friend, what would you say?

Haille Olimb: I already have! I share Herbal Academy with people who ask about getting into herbalism. I say that if you want a structured, easy to follow, self-paced way of learning herbalism, the Herbal Academy is worth it.

HA: Did your Herbal Academy courses help you avoid any potential mistakes while launching your business? 

Haille Olimb: Definitely. I was very scared to make any types of emulsions until I took the Emulsifiers and Preservatives in Botanical Products. I now make a hair and body lotion. It’s a cream that can be used as a leave-in conditioner, wash-out conditioner, and as a body lotion. I also use herb infused oils in most of my products, which again, I wouldn’t have had as much confidence in if it wasn’t for the Introductory Herbal Course.

HA: Do you enjoy the Herbal Academy online community? If so, what specifically do you enjoy?

Haille Olimb: I am more of an Instagram user than a Facebook user, but simply by using #myherbalstudies I have found quite a few like-minded people whose content I enjoy. The community is very supportive, kind, and most importantly, inspiring. Many of the daily tea blends and food recipes I make for myself are inspired by other herbalists on Instagram. 

HA: How has your herbal education deepened your connection with nature and the seasons? 

Haille Olimb: When I started my herbal education journey, I was a workaholic, diet crazy, and a health nut, which I still struggle with in this capitalist society as a business owner, but since learning about herbs I have learned (and am still learning) that everything works in cycles. There is a time to rest and recover (winter), and a time to plan and prepare (spring), a time to grow and celebrate (summer) and a time to reflect and collect (fall). And this translates from gardening to daily life, to business, and beyond. 

HA: How has your herbal education deepened your connection with your personal health and well-being?

Haille Olimb: Learning herbalism has helped put more of my health in my hands. I have been able to feel more confident in my ability to take care of a variety of health problems for me and my loved ones from migraines and colds to allergies and anxiety. I don’t feel the need to take pharmaceuticals and help many other friends and family do the same. On another note, part of my herbalism journey has been getting back into gardening which has deepened my connection with the cycles of nature as well as my own cycles, and has become something that I enjoy with my parents. 

HA: Do you feel empowered by your herbal practice?

Haille Olimb: When I first started herbalism, I was looking for a holistic way to deal with my anxiety and migraines. I created a lemon balm, lavender, chamomile and rose tea that always helps my anxiety. And my skullcap with white willow bark tincture works great in a pinch. Just a few weeks ago, my family was suffering from allergies, so I made a stinging nettle oxymel and it instantly helped my mother, who was having an allergic reaction to some nuts. My father, who had open heart surgery two years ago, had respiratory problems. I had been growing mullein in my garden for a year, and that year, tons of it grew. It felt like the universe was reaching out and saying “here you go.” I made him a tulsi, lemon balm, thyme, mullein, and rose tea every day, twice a day, for about a month, and it helped significantly when combined with breathing exercises. That was probably the most empowered I ever felt. I grew and harvested something that helped my father when the doctors were stumped. Nothing compares the empowering feeling of being able to take care of yourself and loved ones. 

HA: Have you learned more about your ancestral roots and traditions through your herbalism studies? If so, what have you learned? 

Haille Olimb: I have just started looking into my ancestral roots when it comes to herbalism. My maternal grandmother was a strong black woman and single mother of seven living in South Carolina. She died when I was young, but I have slowly learned through my mother and aunts that she made her own anointing oil when they were sick and did interesting practices. Unfortunately, she was very guarded but has left me with a fascination with hoodoo, which involves a lot of herbal practices and preparations with roots.

HA: Is there a specific herb that you feel particularly drawn to? If so, why do you think that is OR what is it about that plant that fascinates you?

Haille Olimb: The first herbalism book I ever bought was from a random Renaissance fair. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the name of it, but it was a book about native herbs of Virginia. It was summer here in Virginia, and there were wildflowers everywhere, but I was always drawn to a particular white lacy flower that, through the book, I was able to identify as Queen Anne’s lace. I learned how to properly identify it and differentiate it from its lookalike poison hemlock by its hairy stem (versus the shiny, purple spotted stem of hemlock) and the flat floral umbel (versus hemlock’s globe-like flower head). I still have never worked with it but it holds a special place in my heart.

HA: If you were an herb, which herb would you be?

Haille Olimb: Possibly lemon balm or some kind of fiddlehead fern since I prefer shade and wooded places with dappled sun. 

HA: Has your herbalism experience encouraged you to learn and explore other related niches, like botanical crafts, gardening, natural dying, aromatherapy, etc?

Haille Olimb: Yes, I have explored gardening, green witchcraft, flower pressing, and watercoloring herbs and landscapes. 

HA: Do you have any rituals or traditions surrounding herbalism that you would like to share? These can be long-standing traditions or new ones that you’ve integrated into your life since taking our course. 

Haille Olimb: In the Introductory Herbal Course, there was a section talking about connecting with herbs before foraging for them and asking their permission before using them. This really resonated with me as I had read some of Scott Cunningham’s work where he talks about connecting to plants in a similar way. The integration of herbalism and spirituality is something that I utilize very often when working with herbs by paying attention to the plant’s energies when harvesting, meditating while garbling, and imbuing intention into my herbal preparations that I use for myself, family, and business. It just feels respectful and right to do so.

HA: What is the biggest way that herbalism has brightened your life? 

Haille Olimb:

When working with herbs, gardening, and herbal preparations, you are not entirely in control. There is a connected relationship with nature. Nature is cyclical, intuitive, formidable, and eternal. When I study herbalism or make herbal preparations, I become more aware and in tune with these energies, and all of the ups and downs of life feel wholesome and important. I no longer feel like it’s me against the world, but am encompassed in compassion, which fills me with gratitude that brightens my life.

HA: How do you find yourself incorporating herbalism into your daily life? 

Haille Olimb: Just about every morning, I like to start my day with yoga and meditation followed by a hot cup of tea. Every morning I make a personalized blend for the day to address my needs, from anxiety to an upset stomach. At this point it’s just routine and I hardly think about it.

HA: Did you feel that something in your life was missing before you discovered herbalism? If so, what do you think it was and how was herbalism helped? 

Haille Olimb: Before my journey into herbalism, I had little knowledge of the healthcare system, yet I knew I didn’t like taking pills and I had several disheartening doctor’s visits where either I was simply given medication without my symptoms being fully listened to or there was a clear lack of connection. This was frustrating, to say the least, and even moreso during medical visits with my aging parents. Every time, I either followed the doctor’s instructions, which on several occasions led to different and often worse symptoms, or I ignored them all together. It’s very scary when you feel you can’t trust the healthcare system, and worse, when you can’t even afford it. Herbalism has filled a gap in my healthcare. Now, I only go to the doctor to see a specialist for evaluations or for a serious reason. Since incorporating herbalism, I mostly go just for check-ups.

HA: Has anything about herbalism – or your herbalism practice – been a pleasant surprise?

Haille Olimb: As I mentioned before, part of my herbalism journey is getting into gardening and starting an herbal garden. My mom loves gardening, so starting an herbal garden has strengthened my relationship with my mother, which has not always been the case. This was a very pleasant surprise.

HA: What is the biggest challenge you face in your personal or clinical herbal practice? 

Haille Olimb: The biggest challenge I face with my herbal practice is drug-herb interactions. I personally don’t have this issue, but I have been trying to help my father who, after open heart surgery, started having hypothyroidism, peripheral neuropathy, joint and muscle pain, very low blood pressure, and “malignant cholesterol.” He takes medication for cholesterol, thyroid, muscle pain, muscle relaxation, heart rate regulation, etc. It’s a hefty mix, and while I can think of several preparations to help cholesterol, such as reishi, garlic, natto, berberine herbs, etc., many of these interact with his other meds. It’s scary when thinking about trying to facilitate a transition to herbs that can have such drastic repercussions.

HA: Which herbalism teachers, authors, or peers do you find most inspiring, and why?

Haille Olimb: I always find myself going back to Rosemary Gladstar, as I think most people do. She is such an icon and herbal activist, not to mention her motherly presence in her books and videos. She is the earth grandmother I wish I had. 

HA: What is your favorite herbalism resource (book, podcast, movie) and why?

Haille Olimb: Honestly, the Herbal Academy courses and resources. Everything is so well-cited that it’s a great launching pad for when I want to delve deeper into a particular subject. 

HA: Do you enjoy sharing your herbal knowledge with others in your life via recipes, products, photography, blog posts, community workshops, etc? 

Haille Olimb: It is such a rewarding and affirming feeling when I have a customer who comes to me with a skin or hair issue and, skeptical or not, they give my products a chance and come back later to tell me how much my products helped them. I have several customers who buy my products regularly for their dry skin, eczema, thinning hair, dry hair, etc. Being a solopreneur can be very stressful and lonely, and I often question myself, wondering if my products are as great as I think they are. Then I get a review or one of my regulars makes a purchase, and everything feels right again. 

HA: How has herbalism sparked your creativity? 

Haille Olimb: I’ve become more creative over the past two years since graduating college. I started the Botanical Drawing for Herbalists Course and it launched me into just doing landscape and herbal watercolors, and while I don’t do it as much as I would like, it’s rather monumental for me. I also started pottery last year, which has been a blast despite the fact that I’m just learning. The herbalism community and the adjacent topic of holistic living has taught me that you can just enjoy learning or doing something without the goal of mastery, but simply to enjoy the process of doing, which is rather foreign to me given my background in engineering, physics, cello, and ballet, which are all very structured and strict in form.

HA: If you could provide any tip or encouragement to those just starting their herbal studies, what would it be?

Haille Olimb: Learning herbalism is like learning the hidden language of nature. A simple walk around the block turns into a Pokemon game with plants. I don’t always have time to study, but a quick usage of a plant-identifying app while going for a walk keeps my brain engaged in the realm of herbalism in a fun way. But herbalism is more than just learning herbs and their usages. The more you delve deeper, the more you realize it’s a way of life. Once you start learning herbalism, you’re forced to notice the influence of seasons, habits, and mental states to figure out someone’s true issue, for which the answer is always more than taking an herb, and includes a shift in lifestyle. The earlier you incorporate holistic living, the easier it becomes to learn the energetics of herbs and see their full potential in your life. 

HA: Are there any elements of your herbal education where you’re still struggling to find trustworthy, well-researched information?

Haille Olimb: More than anything, I struggle with the confidence of utilizing herbs when it comes to heart and blood conditions. As I mentioned, my father has had several heart attacks due to his Factor V Leiden deficiency, open heart surgery (which was unsuccessful), newly developed hypothyroidism, and problems with cholesterol. I know It would take a licensed holistic doctor to actually make the changes towards a more integrative approach to his problems. However, I struggle to find much clinical research for herbs when it comes to Factor V Leiden deficiency, which may be the core problem and is something that affects approximately 5% of Caucasian Americans. Still, there is limited treatment beyond blood thinners, cholesterol meds, and heart surgery with stents. Obviously, this is a subject close to my heart as it greatly affects most of my father’s side of the family and can affect future generations since I carry a small part of the gene.

Amber Benge (@gracewalkfarm) – Gardener, homesteader, and graduate of The Foraging Course

Grace Jones (@gunkinthewoods) – Make of herbal products, director of neighborhood kids garden club, and graduate of the Advanced Herbal Course.

Natalya King (@bodylovebytal) – Maker of herbal skincare products and graduate of Tincture Making 101 Course

Jess Bergeron (@jkb.journal) – Home herbalist and graduate of Mastering Herbal Formulation Course

Dave Achula (@achula_) – Invites individuals to explore the healing power of nature, directly in nature; graduate of Intermediate Herbal Course

Dagny Kream (@thecottagepeach) – Slow-living inspiration: recipes, gardening, seasonal crafts, traditional skills, and more; graduate of the Botanical Skin Care Course

Laura Rubin (@nurtureforall) – Empowers others to live more joyfully through the amazing power of herbs, helping them to reconnect with your body and the Earth; graduate of Herbal Business Course

Serena Hartwell (@serenahartwell) – Forager, photographer, herbalist, and graduate of Intermediate Herbal Course and Emulsifiers and Preservatives in Botanical Products: 2 Part Intensive