Herbal Academy Student Feature: Victoria Buzzalini (@wisewitchherbs)

Victoria Buzzalini (@wisewitchherbs) is the owner of Wise Witch Herbs, where she shares daily insights and her own herbal recipes. She is a student of the Introductory Herbal Course, Botanical Skin Care Course, Becoming an Herbalist Mini Course, and the Herbal Bitters Mini Course. 

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

Victoria Buzzalini: I am an American, born and raised in Detroit, MI. I grew up loving the outdoors and being close to nature. The first degree I studied was in Environmental Science – learning to find ways to help the planet and understanding how ecosystems work. I then moved abroad a few times to countries like Costa Rica, Spain and South Korea to teach English and explore other countries and cultures. During my time in South Korea, my health took a turn for the worse. Unfortunately, the hospitals were unable to help me and I had to turn to myself to begin to heal. That’s when I found herbalism. I started researching what herbs would best suit my current state and experimented with what worked best for my body. I soon found it to be a passion of mine as the power of the plants revealed themselves to me.

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

Victoria Buzzalini: Before I found my current degree, I was finding other avenues to learn about herbalism. Herbalism wasn’t big in my house growing up, but my mom did love her daily herbal tea. I came across Herbal Academy and decided I would start there! There was a plethora of courses to choose from. I just couldn’t resist.

HA: Do you own an herbal business or brand?  

Victoria Buzzalini: Wise Witch Herbs began in 2022 when I was in the midst of still learning more about herbs. Since then, it has solely been an online platform where I share daily insight and recipes that I’ve learned myself. In the next few months, Wise Witch Herbs will finally begin expanding into physical products people can now enjoy at home.

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

Victoria Buzzalini: Herbal Academy showed me just how simple herbal creation can be and how beautiful it is. The courses are offered at your own pace and laid out beautifully so you can never get lost, and everything will be there waiting for you. 

HA: If yes, did your Herbal Academy courses help you avoid any potential mistakes while launching your business? 

Victoria Buzzalini: Herbal Academy was one of the first to show me what language we can and cannot use as an herbalist in the USA. Since my studies in the UK, I can see how variable the language can be from country to country.

HA: Tell us, what’s next for you in your herbal journey? 

Victoria Buzzalini: I graduate this summer with a BSc hons in Clinical Herbalism from England. I will be providing online herbal consultations to US and UK residents with a focus on women’s health. I will also begin my new release of a carefully thought out tincture line so that my audience can enjoy Wise Witch Herbs products from the comfort of their home. I hope to eventually offer a wider variety of products such as teas, beauty, and ceramic mugs made by me!

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

Victoria Buzzalini: I love how Herbal Academy lets you learn at your own pace. You feel less pressure and are able to still get on with the life around you. The courses are laid out thoughtfully and beautifully, making it easy to return to and process.

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

Victoria Buzzalini: I would recommend Herbal Academy to anyone who is starting out in herbalism. There are so many different course options, which means there is something for everyone! Whether you want to become a family herbalist or take it to the next level, Herbal Academy has your back and they don’t disappoint!

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

Victoria Buzzalini: Herbal Academy has such a wonderful presence online. Each herbalist they have working behind the scenes knows what they are doing and is very knowledgeable. It is also so wonderful how Herbal Academy brings in other well-known herbalists from around the US to share their wealth of knowledge. 

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

Victoria Buzzalini:

Studying herbalism has allowed me to come closer with nature. It has shown me how to live with the seasons and taught me how to bring seasonal living to the way I live my life as well. As nature slows down in the wintertime, so do I. When the sun is out and the days are longer in the summer, I am able to exert more energy and complete more on a daily basis. Watching the plants transform through the seasons has also made me pay closer attention – because sometimes there is only a 3 week span to catch a bloom and then they’re gone. But as long as you keep an eye out, you’ll see it transform into something else.

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

Victoria Buzzalini: My herbal education has taught me more about how the body functions. It has shown me how to listen when my body is speaking. Our bodies are so intelligent, and when you sit and listen, you can hear the whispers it’s trying to tell you. So often in society today, we push on with life and pop a pill to mask what’s going on internally. But herbalism helps to teach you to listen inward and slow down so you can understand where things are coming from.

HA: Do you feel empowered by your herbal practice?

Victoria Buzzalini: I feel very empowered from my herbal practice. Herbalism is a never-ending journey of knowledge. The plants continue to teach you throughout your life. This sort of knowledge puts me in my power. I am able to help myself and others by plucking a plant from the ground and hopefully getting to the root cause – rather than passing over a tablet and glazing over the issue.

HA: Is there a specific herb that you feel particularly drawn to? 

Victoria Buzzalini: One of my favorite herbs to work with is nettle. It is one of the most nutrient dense herbs and is readily available in most parts of the US. Each part of the plant offers different herbal actions and support for the body. The leaves, roots and seeds all offer unique energetics and usages. It is also a safe plant and can be used by most! Although it stings, I think that is an amazing mechanism the plant has come up with to keep critters away so that the plant can shine!

HA: What is your favorite recipe from the course(s) you’ve taken? 

Victoria Buzzalini: The recipes from the Botanical Skin Care Course are ones I return to almost every month. I am someone who loves all things beauty care, but wants to keep it as natural as possible. I love making my own body butters, lotions, and sprays. I feel better when I use them every day, and I enjoy the process of making them because I get to choose my own scents and color variations.

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

Victoria Buzzalini: My herbalism experience has definitely opened my eyes to broader things. I have always been the type of person that enjoys too many hobbies to handle. Once I have my own garden, I plan to get more into gardening and natural dyeing. I love being able to grow my own food and herbs. There is something so powerful in growing something from seed and then plucking it to create a beautiful meal for yourself and your family.

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

Victoria Buzzalini: I love sharing my herbal knowledge with my community. I believe herbalism is community wellness and it should be shared. It’s knowledge that has been forgotten and is now being remembered again. I enjoy sharing thoughts that come up through my studies, what’s in season, and recipes to help bring herbalism into everyone’s home.

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

Victoria Buzzalini: For those that are just starting their herbalism journey, I’d recommend taking it slow. It can be very overwhelming with the amount of knowledge out there and the variety of plants. I would suggest picking one herb per month to study. Plant it in your garden if you can, make a tea with it, try a tincture of it – just become very familiar with the plant. By the end of the year, you’ll be an expert on 12 plants and it just grows from there.

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

Victoria Buzzalini: My Clinical Herbalism degree is very scientific. British academia loves a good research paper! Through writing all of these different papers and finding upwards of twenty articles for sourcing per assignment, I have found that the science-backed research on herbalism is lacking. There is not enough funding for herbal clinical trials, and the animal and in-vitro studies don’t supply enough evidence to back up herbal claims. I would love to see more companies investing in researching the therapeutic actions of herbs.

Read past student interviews with:

Rae Bellows (@wildoriginsbotanicals) – Creator of hydrosols and seed-to-bottle herbal products, educator, and herbal consultation; student of the Botanical Skin Care Course

Ashley Ruiz (@herbal.ash) – Herbal product maker for stress management, hormone support, energy, mental clarity; student of the Clinical Herbalist Path Package

Haille Olimb (@theherbalistsassistant) – Herbalist, business owner; graduate of the Clinical Herbalist Path Package

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

Grace Jones (@gunkinthewoods) – Maker 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