the beginning

Thanks for taking the time to learn more about me and Bitter Roots Apothecary.

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I chose the name Bitter Roots as bitter is a flavour that is often overlooked. We tend to prefer sweet or salty flavours.  Bitter has its place in both the culinary and medicinal world.  Many commonly used herbs in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) have a bitter flavour.  

 

I have been practicing TCM for 13 years. Over the years my practice has changed. I started out with a general practice using acupuncture as the main treatment modality.

 

Herbal medicine became more integral to my practice after recieving my Doctor licence. After the birth of my first child in the spring of 2011 I took a hiatus from my Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) practice.  Once I returned to work it was with very reduced hours as I wanted to spend as much time with my daughter as possible. I was considering options of how I could work a bit more while spend time with my daughter.

 

Along the way she got sick and I turned to paediatric TCM tinctures for help.  They worked well plus she liked them which got me thinking.....why not make these myself?  So I began making simple formulas at home and handed them out to family and friends to test out.  It was a lot of fun using my herbal knowledge in a new way.

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Quality herbs, customer service and patient friendly products have always been the foundation of Bitter Roots (formerly Shanti Solutions) and it gives me great joy to know our products are helping people heal.  I have learned so much in these past years, most recently earning a diploma in TCM Dermatology which has allowed me to expand my offerings into topical skin solutions. As Bitter Roots expands I will continue to offer more products - including focusing on more traditional methods of preparation where possible.

 

It has been a pleasure sharing my knowledge of herbal medicine with patients, clients as well as students that intern with me.