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ABOUT US

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Jessica Darling

FOUNDER + HERBALIST

OUR FOUNDER + HERBALIST 

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My name is Jessica Darling (previously York). My friends call me Jess, smiley, bush-lady, the tea plug or Yooooork and I am the founder of The Healing Junkie Herbal Apothecary. I’m originally from New York but I currently reside in Miami, FL with my amazing husband, Shawn, our daughter, Ari and our two dogs, Zaaya and Laila. I love, love. My life motto is, "moderation is key".  I am 35 years old, my siblings are my whole world, and each one of us beat the statistics of children who were raised in foster care.

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I am a Cancer/Sun, Gemini/rising, Leo/Venus, Scorpio/Moon, and Aquarius/north node.

 

I love learning new things, cooking tasty, plant-based foods, playing in my garden, yoga and pretty much anything that presents the opportunity to connect with nature and express myself creatively. But mostly, I love being a mom. 

 

I have an affinity for animals, art/design, plants, biology, holistic living, herbalism and natural healing — the path that has led us to one another.

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If you were to ask me 8 years ago where I’d be today, I’d say, “running a luxury fashion brand with my brother” -- and we did! I designed luxury women’s ready-to-wear aside my brother, Jason whom designed the men’s garments. Jason still runs the business but my life took a turn in the other direction when I realized how mindless living and eating was affecting my life.

Once I made up my mind, I was determined to heal and was ready to let go of anything that didn’t align with my commitment to becoming a more vital version of myself. I went plant-based cold turkey -- it made the most sense to me at the time plus, it aligned with my core beliefs and my love for nature and animals.

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Going plant-based has opened my eyes more than I could have anticipated. It lead me down an awarding path of unlearning, relearning and remembering primordial ways of how to live a healthier, more holistic life. And so I feel it’s my duty to share what I’ve learned with those interested in reconnecting with the healer within. 

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Although I am a “certified” Vitalist Herbalist, there is no such thing as license or certification for herbalism in the United States. I believe to be an herbalist, it must be a calling, often shared by nature herself, to reduce harm to both people and plants.  I am and will always be a student of nature, a conduit, hoping to inspire others to heal themselves with Earth’ most natural means, plants.

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My humblest wish is to provoke a shift in consciousness and empower my community to take their health into their own hands with plant-based medicine.

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MY "STYLE"

I don’t profess to have all the answers. I profess to have opinions that are grounded in a lot of experience. 

 

With that being said, I don’t follow anyone or anything 100% and neither should you. 

 

I’ve read up on Morse's, Sebi's, Ehret's and Kloss’s teachings, Western Medicine, Native Medicine, Ayurveda, a touch of TCM, various therapies, fasts, other modalities, iridology, yoga and meditation. I take what resonates and file the rest. I believe everything has its significance and while it may not be relevant in the moment, at some point it may be. There’s so much we still don’t know about the body, our food and how they interact. Science still can't explain all of the benefits of phytonutrients -- let alone herbs which contain thousands of chemical compounds that interact with the body in extremely complex ways.

 

It’s important to keep an open mind...always.

 

I carry this mindset into every interaction -- I will always offer alternatives to my products as well as offer home remedies, recommendations/products I‘ve come across in my research...and I still recommend you do your own. 

 

No one herb, diet or modality works the same for everyone and contrary to popular belief...there is no perfect herb, diet or modality. The perfect herb, diet or modality is the one that what works for you.

 

How do you figure out what's best for you? Be patience with the process and trust yourself and remember that change starts in the mind, the body follows suit. This is why it is so important to access your lifestyle and the current state of the mind, body and spirit when choosing any modality/herb. 

 

Jumping on a fast may not be the best first step for you, and that’s ok. This doesn’t mean fasting isn’t effective or that you’re broken because it seems to work for everyone else, except you. The right modality/herb, at the the wrong time is the wrong modality/herb. There are levels to healing and not one supersedes the other -- it's all relevant. All of it. 

 

I’m here (once again) to remind you to be gentle with yourself and neva eva (eva eva) compare yourself to anyone else. Like herbs, we are very complex and each of our journeys are preciously unique. Healing is a very personal journey and what’s more beautiful than taking the time to rekindle a relationship with yourself?

 

My goal is to provide herbs and remedies that will help rejuvenate the mind, body, and spirit; alleviate suffering; clarify and inspire the mind; uplift and strengthen the heart; and detox and regenerate the body through plant energetics. 

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OTHER BENEFITS 

Jar recycling program

Free recipes   

Glass jar storage 

Samples included in each order

Sample size option for most herbal products

WHO ARE WE?

More people every day are realizing that there’s more to getting well than what pharmaceutical drugs can do for us and are seeking natural alternatives to healing. We believe herbs are the best natural alternative. They facilitate natural functions of the body and help strengthen from within.  

 

Our multi-benefit tisanes (teas), supplements, vegan capsules, home and beauty products are all formulated with 100% organic herbs and fruit from sustainable harvesters; all hand-crafted in small batches.  

 

It is our mission to be of service to the well-being of our members by empowering them to take their health into their own hands with plant-based medicine. 

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WHY THE HEALING JUNKIE?

Made-to-order, hand-crafted teas, supplements + capsules

Natural, holistic beauty

Raw sea moss gel, never cooked (and sourced from St. Lucia) 

100% organic/wild-harvested herbs + fruit 

100% vegan-friendly 

Gluten-free tinctures

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HEAL THYSELF? 

The main action of modern pharmaceuticals is to temporarily relieve symptoms. This is done by pushing aside the body’s natural warning signals -- (“killing the messenger”) instead of treating the problem. 

 

The naturopathic route does not work this way.

 

Experiencing these warning signals are important, they inform us of issues within the body that need attention. The naturopathic route is also a gentler, more gradual process that allows the body to heal itself naturally, ultimately making the body stronger and giving us the opportunity to learn what led to the imbalances in the first place. 

 

When you are in tune with your body, you can make better decisions for your health. Here are a couple of things to consider: 

  1. Understand the cause of our “sickness” on ALL levels - physical, emotional and spiritual. (i.e. bad diet, self-neglect, accidents, genetic weakness).

  2. Realize all sickness has a positive aspect - symptoms/pain informs us of our imbalances. 

  3. Pinpoint imbalances in the body -  to be properly aware of our health, we must know where our weak tissues are located. Analyzing the iris (iridology) is a great tool to help reveal organ/system imbalances.  

  4. Assess your diet - it is difficult to achieve success with herbal therapy without addressing the diet. Eliminating hard to digest food, frees up energy that is then diverted towards healing. It is important to continue dietary changes even after symptoms are gone.

  5. Cleanse the body - cleansing the body boosts systems functions. There are various ways to cleanse the body. Current health should be considered when determining the best option.

  6. Use herbs to aid in healing - herbs promote the natural functions of the body, they play an important part in the process of strengthening tissues and help to nourish the body.

  7. Have a good healing attitude - without a good attitude, no amount of herbs, vitamins, detoxing or dietary changes will help you. A bad attitude will hold us back from experiencing our awakening.

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COMMON MISCONCEPTION ABOUT HERBS

Herbs are not substitute pharmaceuticals, and they aren’t intended to be. 

 

A common misconception is this idea that an herb can be used instead of a pharmaceutical in exactly the same manner. There are some cases where this may work reasonably well, like taking valerian instead of Ambien (Zolpidem, but the vast majority of the time this is not the case.

 

Herbs often take longer to work, work more thoroughly, and work best as part of a formula or protocol. Pharmaceuticals are made up of one or several isolated, concentrated compounds, whereas herbs are made up of hundreds of complex, interacting, synergistic magical things and phytochemicals.

 

Also studies on pharmaceutical safety are usually short lived (only 6-8 weeks), and many side effects don’t show up until after months of use.

 

Half of all medications that are introduced into the marketplace are withdrawn within 10 years due to harmful side effects.

 

This is why whole plant remedies are safer than pharmaceuticals. They contain thousands of chemical compounds that buffers potential side effects while pharmaceuticals cause adverse affects to the body. 

 

For example, lavender essential oil is made by isolating/extracting the volatile oils from the lavender plant and is often used as a calming remedy. We know, that essential oils must be diluted in a carrier oil before applying it directly to the skin, as it can burn and cause severe irritation. While, if infuse the whole lavender plant in oil for an extended amount of time, you can achieve the same benefits with zero adverse affects. 

 

You have to look at how the whole interacts with the body, not just isolated compounds.

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We all hold this innate ability to heal ourselves. It’s in our DNA, passed down from our ancestors plus, everything we need is all around us, in nature. 

 

As we become more intune with ourselves and nature, we find that the answers have always been within.  

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heal thyself.

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How to reach me: 

Instagram: @jessica_york 

Email: info@thehealingjunkie.com

Call/Text: (305) 851 - 1920

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Published: August 4th, 2022

Revised: March 5th, 2024

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