Ciao!
My name is LoLo Schaffer.
I’m an herbalist, ethnobotany researcher, and community medicine maker rooted in the wisdom of plants, people, and places. My healing journey began in the kitchen, the garden, and the wild. Over the last twenty years, I’ve crafted herbal formulas to support resilience, nourishment, and vitality. I am currently finishing a doctorate in acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, not to needle, but to strengthen the integrity of my herbal research. I am especially passionate about ancestral plant wisdom, and I am working toward field study in Italy to preserve traditional folk medicine through Ethnobotany.
Explore, discover, and step into your wellness journey with me! Dive into my blog, research, herbology, podcast (coming soon!), or work with me one-on-one. You can also find me on Instagram and Facebook.
All of my offerings integrate seasonal eating, sleep, movement, meditation, Qi Gong, and ritual practices that honor the cycles of nature. My work is for the ones remembering. For those who heal in rhythm with the seasons. And for those who know that the real medicine was never meant to be institutionalized.
A little more details about me…
19 years ago, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 26, which left me peripherally blind and left-sided paralyzed. With lesions on my brain + a one-year-old child with a new diagnosis of Celiac disease the same week, I went on a mission to fully heal. In my earlier years, I experienced multiple food intolerances, IBS, and unexplained illnesses. I migrated to an all-meat diet with an integration of Eastern medicine (including the philosophy woven throughout it), and I healed. And continue…
My past jobs as a senior editor of a magazine, podcast host + producer, dancer/dance teacher, health + wellness business owner, personal trainer/personal training director, social media marketer for businesses + nonprofits, etc, definitely support my knowledge. As you can see, I am not one to be put into a one-size-fits-all, but instead here to experience more joy + thriving, knowing full well that the darkness of life is also an integral part of the rich experience.
I am here to learn + experience + share it with others, helping as I can along the way. Everyone is their own best healer but it is through connection with others that we can fully experience the puzzles of life to help us put together our own.
The sidenotes but not so sidenotes…
I am a 45-year-old single mama of 5 adults/kiddos (20, 18, 16, 10, and 7). I am full-time with my two youngest children, and we are living in a renovated barn. I am also homeschooling the youngest two children. My love for ethnobotany is pulling me to the lands of my ancestors, and as I learn more, the more I want to go explore. Curiosity is one of my favorite words and has led me down many paths to experiencing life in its simplicity and grandiose.