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Chronicles of a Witch in Training
Herbalists and other autonomous women operating outside of the patriarchy were labeled "Witches" in the Middle Ages. It is thought that upwards of a million women were systematically killed, many of them were Herbalists. This ended the practice of Herbalism in Continental Europe. This is also when "Western" Medicine was born.
In Ireland, being an Herbalist, being educated, having a profession, owning land or property, speaking Irish, practicing your religion, and even playing the harp became illegal under British Colonization and the Penal Laws of 1695. That's when the Hereditary Herbalism practices of my ancestors ended.
Becoming an Herbalist is an act of resistance, a political statement, and a powerful feminist move. I descend from two Irish Hereditary Herbalism Families who practiced from 1100 to 1695. I have reclaimed my ancestral knowledge, my DNA. This is the story of how I went from Registered Nurse to Mom, Artist, and Herbalist, what I've learned and continue to learn along the way. In this blog, I share what I discover and remember — to help you heal yourself.
187. Fall Herbalism Classes Are Back, In Brooklyn — And There's Never Been a Better Time to Learn
Fall herbalism classes start September 23rd at Spiral Herbal Remedies in Brooklyn. Twelve weeks of hands-on clinical herbalism taught by a Clinical Herbalist and Registered Nurse with 13 years at a Harvard teaching hospital. Learn to identify medicinal plants, make teas, tinctures, and salves, and build a home apothecary for your family. We also explore the microbiome, nutrition, and how the metaphysical combines with the biological to create healing. Early bird pricing ends
Donna Cleary
Sep 34 min read
185. Five Research-Backed Reasons Why Spiral Herbal Remedies' Reishi Blends Outperform Other Mushroom Supplements
Not all reishi mushroom supplements are created equal. Most commercial products use mycelium grown on grain — diluting the botanical content with starch filler before it ever reaches you. At Spiral Herbal Remedies, we use fruiting bodies and spores only, dual-extracted to capture both water-soluble polysaccharides and alcohol-soluble triterpenes. Formulated by a Clinical Herbalist and RN with 13 years at a Harvard teaching hospital. Here are five research-backed reasons the d
Donna Troy Cleary
Aug 275 min read
183. 🌿 Natural Ways to Boost Libido and Sexual Health
Elevate your sexual wellness with Spiral Herbal Remedies. Clinical Herbalist Donna Troy Cleary shares how Ashwagandha root extract and our Benjamin Button Got His Groove Back tincture support libido and vitality for both men and women. By reducing stress-induced cortisol and optimizing hormones, these botanical remedies improve arousal, circulation, and performance. Discover the power of plant-based healing for a more vibrant, satisfying intimate life
Donna Troy Cleary
Jul 244 min read
177. Managing Anxiety with One Word: The Power of Affect Labeling
Manage your stress with one word a day.
Donna Troy Cleary
May 134 min read
174. Unlock Your Inner Youth and Vitality: How Benjamin Button Got His Groove Back
Unlock your inner youth! Age-related decline can start early, but specific herbs can help delay functional decline & improve vitality. Discover how at SpiralHerbalRemedies.com, where our proprietary blend addresses oxidative stress, cellular senescence, & mitochondrial dysfunction, supporting overall well-being. Learn more about telomere shortening, inflammation, & gut dysbiosis. Find out which blend was made specifically for this purpose and enhance your vitality today!
Donna Cleary
Apr 144 min read
173. Beyond the 3 AM Wake-Up: A Blueprint for Consistent, Restorative Sleep and Its Health Benefits
Sleep is vital for physical and mental well-being, influencing mood, cognitive function, and cardiovascular health, but modern factors often disrupt this essential process. Quality sleep supports bodily recovery, repair, and growth, optimizing nearly every essential function.
Donna Cleary
Apr 39 min read
92. Inflammation can be both Metaphysical and Physical
Inflammation is now considered the root cause of most disease — but Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist Donna Troy Cleary goes deeper, exploring the metaphysical roots of inflammation alongside the physical, and the organic herbal remedies that address both.
Donna Cleary
Sep 27, 20233 min read
89. What's the deal with Adaptogens?
Adaptogens are herbs that help the body resist physical and emotional stress — and Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist Donna Troy Cleary has spent years mastering their use. Discover how Ashwagandha, Reishi, and other powerful adaptogens can restore balance, boost energy, and build resilience naturally.
Donna Cleary
May 24, 20233 min read
71. What to look for with CBD and why people take it.
Not all CBD is equal — and most people are taking it wrong. Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist and former RN Donna Troy Cleary breaks down why concentration, sublingual absorption, and CO2 extraction make Spiral's organic CBD outperform the rest, and how to get the most out of every drop.
Donna Cleary
May 24, 20223 min read
70. Covid this week
NYC is at the center of a new Covid variant with nearly 20,000 infections in 14 days — and the real number is higher. Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist and former RN Donna Troy Cleary cuts through the conflicting information: what it means for vaccinated people, immune-compromised individuals, and what Long Covid looks like now.
Donna Cleary
Apr 7, 20223 min read
69. We could all use a little Leprechaun magic right about now.
What is magic? Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist Donna Troy Cleary connects Irish mythology — Leprechauns, the Tuatha de Danann, and the Otherworld — with Stanford neuroscience on mindset, positive thinking, and how what we believe shapes our health. A St. Patrick's Day post worth reading any day.
Donna Cleary
Mar 18, 20223 min read
61. Young Adults in Crisis. Feb 17, 2021
ovid hit young adults particularly hard — no jobs, no independence, no rites of passage. Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist and former RN Donna Troy Cleary offers 7 practical ways to cope, from a Buddhist monk's seconds-long anxiety technique to forest bathing, CBD, and Ashwagandha — and a reminder that none of us are in this alone.
Donna Cleary
Jan 21, 20223 min read
60. Crisis Competence Jan 30, 2021
Every crisis we survive makes the next one less frightening. Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist and former RN Donna Troy Cleary draws on her years as a nurse — witnessing people navigate the ultimate crisis — to explore why 2020, as brutal as it was, may have been exactly the kick we needed.
Donna Cleary
Jan 21, 20222 min read
59. Can Vaccines Genetically Modify Humans? Dec 11, 2020
Short answer: no. Viruses can, vaccines can't. Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist and former Registered Nurse Donna Troy Cleary breaks down the science of how mRNA vaccines actually work — and why the claim that they modify human genes is not supported by how our cells function.
Donna Cleary
Jan 21, 20221 min read
58. Thanks for what? Nov 23, 2020
Thanksgiving 2020 — the CDC asked us not to gather, Covid was rising, and the holiday felt different for everyone. Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist and former RN Donna Troy Cleary reflects on community, reciprocity, and what Covid asked us to confront about how we live with each other
Donna Cleary
Jan 21, 20223 min read
56. The History of Witches Oct 30, 2020
The women burned as witches in medieval Europe weren't practicing dark magic — they were herbalists, financially independent healers who organized resistance against land grabs and healed without the Church. Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist Donna Troy Cleary traces their story to her own Irish hereditary herbalism ancestry, and why teaching herbalism today is an act of defiance."
Donna Cleary
Jan 21, 20222 min read
55. Irish Shamanism - Sli an Croi Sept 20,2020
What did Irish Shamans know about the gut that science is only now confirming? Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist and former RN Donna Troy Cleary traces her ancestral herbalism roots into Irish Shamanism and Druidism — and finds Quantum Physics, the microbiome, and the Gundestrup Cauldron waiting at the bottom of the rabbit hole.
Donna Cleary
Jan 21, 20223 min read
54. Herd Immunity and Hurdles. August 20, 2020
NYC flattened the curve. But this post is really about what happened before recorded history. Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist Donna Troy Cleary discovers her parents carry more Neanderthal DNA than 68–88% of the world — and wonders whether her ancestors were healing people when Ireland's stone circles were built 5,000 years ago."
Donna Cleary
Jan 21, 20224 min read
53. We're OPEN!! Yay! Yippee!! Woohoo! Wow!!!We're OPEN!! Yay! Yippee!! Woohoo! Wow!!! June 20,2020
After months of Covid lockdown, Spiral Herbal Remedies reopened its doors in June 2020. Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist Donna Troy Cleary reflects on interconnection, Black Lives Matter, the planet healing itself when industry stopped, and why plants contain medicinal properties that work in human bodies.
Donna Cleary
Jan 21, 20224 min read
52. A Civil Rights Movement June 9, 2020
Spiral Herbal Remedies exists because a Black person chose to share knowledge. Brooklyn Clinical Herbalist Donna Troy Cleary traces her herbalism roots to Karen Rose of Sacred Vibes Apothecary, and reflects on what the Civil Rights Movement of 2020 asked of all of us — and what it still asks."
Donna Cleary
Jan 21, 20224 min read
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