Green Witches

The store's resident Wise Woman/Green Witch, Lata Chettri-Kennedy, is a knowledgeable and quality-driven herbalist who is loved and admired far and wide for her integrity as well as her loving positive energy and the empowering information she offers. Lata has been practicing astrology and herbalism in NYC for over three decades. In 1993, she established Flower Power Herbs & Roots, an herbal apothecary. Lata works with various schools and community groups and is also very active in supporting herbal relief work, from street medics at Occupy to partnering with larger efforts. She has been featured in the New York Times, New York magazine, and interviewed on ABC, NBC, Fox, MTV, Lifetime, and around the world. Lata is a visiting faculty member of Arborvitae School of Traditional Herbalism and also is an educator for Herb Pharm.

Amínata (Amíkolé) Maraesa has apprenticed at Flower Power since it opened in 1994. During this 30-year herbal journey, Amíkolé has created an international line of hand-crafted shea butter beauty products: Dr. Amíkolé's Shea Butter, received her PhD in Medical Anthropology, become a certified yoga instructor, and founded a non-profit holistic health institute: Mango Meditation Healing Arts Center, in Punta Gorda, Belize. Amíkolé has raised her three children on herbal remedies and successfully treated herself for a neurological disorder using her favorite plants: Oats and St. John’s Wort. Amíkolé splits her time between NYC and Belize where she is working on a tropical herb manual.

Alicia is a native New Yorker, urban hippie, and green witch. She grew up in the East Village and is happy to still be a resident of this beloved neighborhood. Alicia is a certified kids yoga teacher, health coach and herbalist. She pursued a health coach certification at The Academy of Healing Nutrition which specializes in using food as medicine. She completed the 1,000-hour herbalism apprenticeship at Flower Power in 2020 just after returning from a farming apprenticeship at Herb Pharm in Southern Oregon. Alicia is also a preschool teacher who is finishing her bachelor’s degree in Youth Studies at the School of Professional Studies. She is dedicated to sharing her love for plants and nature with her young students. She loves gardening in her community garden and is passionate about environmentalism and social activism. Alicia credits this beloved shop to introducing her to some of her closest friends and collaborators. Alicia’s favorite herbs are skullcap, rose and linden. Whenever Alicia sees a linden tree she stops to hug her!

Emma King (@thuja_bee) is a herbalist, nurse, poet and life-long New Yorker. She trained at Nicole Telkes’ Austin-based Wildflower School of Botanical Medicine and completed two years of Robin Rose Bennett’s Herbal Apprenticeship and a year of assisting with her Herbal Clinic. Under Robin’s guidance she is officially an initiated Green Witch! Emma started working at Flower Power in 2019, completing her 1000-hour apprenticeship in 2023. She is a death and birth doula and has taught a class at FP on using herbs to support grief

Ethan Dymond has been apprenticing at Flower Power since July 2023. His passion for herbal medicine began during the pandemic and he kicked off his herbal journey at Remedies Herb Shop before moving to Flower Power. The knowledge he gained while working here has helped him create Dymond Botanicals, an herbal company that makes products such as tinctures, tooth powder, and a pulling oil. He is also in the process of creating an herbal encyclopedia. His other interests include rock climbing, music, art, and animals. Right now, his favorite herbs are dandelion, nettle, tulsi, cacao, and neem.

Lydia started apprenticing at Flower Power in the spring of 2023. Lydia’s first sparks of interest in Herbalism began in her hometown Burlington Vermont where she participated in herb walks, made toners, tinctures, and salves for her family, and took classes from her local apothecary. Lydia’s love for herbalism comes from wandering the woods as a child, becoming curious about the mosses, mushrooms, and weeds she made friends with in the wild. In addition to herbalism, Lydia is studying design and creative writing at New York University. She loves dancing, reading, making art, and writing poems. Her favorite herb friend is ginger, which she carries everywhere in her pocket as a great stomach ally. Lydia also loves chamomile, lemon balm, tulsi, and skullcap!

Lyra Silverstein grew up in Rockland County, New York, and has spent time in Vermont and New Jersey before returning to her roots. In 2018, Lyra founded Spiral Moon Herbcraft, driven by her passion for creating magickal herbal products for self-care and wellness. Her dedication to herbalism has led to a fulfilling path in serving the community, and her products are available both online and in select botanical and metaphysical shops.

Madeleine has been an herbal apprentice with Flower Power since October of 2023. She became interested in herbalism while getting her Masters degree in Social Anthropology and Ethnobotany at Oxford in the UK, where she worked for herb farms and studied alongside herbalists in Southwestern England. Her passion for herbalism stems from her work in sustainable farming, food justice, and the relationship between nature and culture. Madeleine is from a big Midwestern family, and she loves to cold water swim, bind books, go on long runs, and forage in the city! Madeleine’s absolute favorite herb is nettle, as it keeps her from getting sick, supports her iron levels, and tastes delicious!

My name is Rachael, and I am a lover of all things nature- and health-related. I have been studying herbalism under the wise woman Robin Rose Bennett and am particularly passionate about women’s reproductive health. Some of my favorite herbs include artemisia, red raspberry, calendula, and red clover. I enjoy making my own herbal medicines and infusing herbal magic into my kitchen. I also love to cook, read, dance, take photos, and spend time outdoors.

Sophia has been an Herbal Apprentice at Flower Power since March 2023. Her journey into plant medicine began through her mother’s women’s circle, Triple Spiral of Dun na Sidhe, a cross-cultural spiritual community rooted in Celtic and Native American traditions. Sophia studied Dance and Environmental Studies at Oberlin College and deepened her herbalism practices during the pandemic. She is committed to exploring the diverse healing properties of plants and helping folks connect with their inner healer. Outside of her herbalist work, Sophia enjoys dancing, traveling, and creating dance and documentary films. Her favorite herbs right now are Ashwagandha and Maca, which support her in balancing cortisol levels, calming the nervous system, increasing vitality, balancing hormones, and boosting her overall mood.

YesSpiral is a devoted student of life, deeply immersed in tarot, astrology, and herbalism. With a degree in Communications and Media, certifications in project management, licenses in investments and insurance, and a 200-hour yoga teacher certification, they believe that life’s experiences shape us into more compassionate, courageous, and balanced individuals. Based in Manhattan, YesSpiral facilitates moon circles, creates lunar manifestation workbooks, crafts herbal preparations, and enjoys hiking. Their journey includes numerous deep dives into the magical and mystical realms, particularly through herbalism and tarot. YesSpiral's herbal allies are Tulsi, Rose, and Sage.