Welcome to Desert Moon Botanicals

Desert Moon Botanicals is a community-rooted herbal education platform and apothecary based in Arizona’s Sonoran Desert. The work here centers on herbal medicine, nutrition, and practical ways of working with plants to support everyday health.

Desert Moon Botanicals exists to support a growing community of people who are curious about herbal medicine, committed to learning, and interested in living well in relationship with the natural world.

 Desert Moon Botanicals is both an apothecary and an educational platform. The apothecary offers small-batch herbal preparations made from fresh, desert-grown, and regionally sourced plants whenever possible. Educational offerings include Sonoran Desert plant walks, workshops, classes, and consultations focused on herbal literacy—safe preparation, realistic expectations, and personal skill-building. 

Our approach is hands-on and experience-based, drawing from field study, traditional plant knowledge, and real-world practice. We spend time observing local medicinal and edible plants, paying attention to seasonal rhythms, and understanding plants in relationship to the desert landscape where we live and work.

 Learning here is practical and grounded—focused on understanding methods and principles, alongside observation, preparation, and daily use. 

At Desert Moon, education is central to everything we offer. Through in-person and virtual classes, workshops, guided plant walks, and one-on-one herbal consultations, we help people learn how to work with medicinal plants in informed, accessible ways.

Alongside our education work, the Desert Moon apothecary offers a line of small-batch herbal preparations, including extracts, teas, body care, and seasonal remedies. These are crafted with attention to plant quality, ethical sourcing, and preparation methods rooted in traditional practice.

 The Desert Moon apothecary offers small-batch herbal preparations crafted to support everyday practice and learning. Our offerings include extracts, teas, infused oils, body care, aromatherapy blends, and seasonal remedies.

All products are made in small batches using ethically sourced herbs, with a focus on regional and desert-grown plants whenever possible. Preparation methods draw from traditional herbal practices and are informed by years of hands-on experience working with medicinal plants in the field.

Each remedy is created as an extension of our educational work — encouraging practical use, thoughtful self-care, and a deeper relationship with the plants that support us.

Jennifer is a clinical herbalist, educator, and founder of Desert Moon Botanicals. Her practice is rooted in Sonoran Desert bioregional herbalism, careful observation, intuitive relationship with plants, and years of field-based study.

From IT Leadership to Plant Medicine

After 30 years in Information Technology and service in the U.S. Army, Jennifer brings a systems-level perspective to herbalism—practical, structured, and grounded in real-world application. This analytical foundation is balanced by the intuitive, experiential nature of working with plants and paying attention over time.

Training & Ongoing Study

Jennifer completed the Western Herbalism program at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts under JoAnn Sanchez, RH, AHG, along with additional training in life coaching and Reiki. Her education continues through mentorships, fieldwork, and professional membership with the American Herbalists Guild, the American Botanical Council, and United Plant Savers.

A Wandering Herbalist, Desert-Rooted

Jennifer maintains a practice of travel-based learning, studying plants through direct observation and time spent in place. Her travels in Hawaiʻi and Australia have included studying local plants and learning through respectful conversation with community members about traditional plant practices still in use today. She brings that learning back and integrates it into her work while remaining deeply rooted in Arizona. With home bases in the Phoenix area and Northern Arizona, she works closely with native Sonoran Desert plants through ethical wild harvesting and regionally sourced herbs.

In Her Own Words

“When I’m not teaching or crafting, you’ll usually find me wild harvesting, camping, or traveling with my partner, Paul. My children are grown and live in different parts of the world, so I often travel to visit them—studying plants where they live and continuing my herbal education along the way. My work is shaped by long hours spent observing plants in the places they grow.”