Greetings, I’m Gita

Your herbalist & death doula

Dr. Gita R. Narayan PhD, RHT

Founder | Medical Herbalist| Death Doula | Ecologist | Educator

With over 25 years of experience in scientific research and teaching across biology, ecology, and the earth & ocean sciences, Gita weaves together the wisdom of her ecological background with traditional and modern knowledge of Western herbal medicine, holistic nutrition based on Ayurveda, end-of-life doula care, and additional plant medicine support through psilocybin (psychedelic)–assisted therapy. Her work bridges science and spirit, guiding you to feel empowered in your own healing journey and to return home to your vibrant, authentic Self.

My Path & Journey

From the ocean to the forest, my path through life has been one of exploration, curiosity and a search for possible answers to questions about nature, life, death, and mysteries of existence.

  • As a young girl, I loved to collect, shells, plant and seed catalogues, and was interested in the plants growing around me. I remember accompanying my mother and grandmother, while they collected plants in the meadows where I grew up (Edmonton, Alberta). Although, I was born in Suva, Fiji, my family immigrated to Canada in the late 70s, when I was 3 years old. My family are part of the Nepalese-Indian diaspora, and my great grandparents arrived in Fiji in the 1800s as indentured laborers to work in the sugar cane plantations of the former British Empire of the 18-1900s. My grandparents became farmers, teachers and merchants in Fiji.

    This ancestral background is important to me because it’s intertwined with plant and plant medicine. I’m interested in the journeys of (colonized) uprooted people around the world, and the legacy of the plants they carried with them. Many experienced the loss of land, intergenerational trauma, and ancestral wounding from migration(s) and displacement, which comes with a loss of a sense of self and belonging. Plants such as poppies, datura, tulsi, curcuma, kava kava, hibiscus, rose, and dandelion, tea, and sugar cane, for example, have been etched in the history of my family and community. These plants continue to support my own healing process, and are part of my deep-rooted identity.

    In my 20s, after graduating with a BSc from the University of Alberta, I found my love for herbal medicine, while working in a health food store in Edmonton. However, at the time, I was multi-passionate and decided to continue on a different path to pursue a career in marine ecology. While living and working abroad as an ecology researcher in Bremen, Germany, I faced health struggles like depression, inflammation, and chronic fatigue, which led me to focus more on her health and search for solutions. I also questioned my sense of place. On my evening walks in nature, I rediscovered familiar medicinal plants, and felt like they were communicating with me. I turned to herbal medicine, which is more commonly used in Germany (versus Canada), and from there my interest grew. When I returned to Canada, I decided to pursue studies in herbal medicine. Serendipitously, a part-time, in-person, herb school (Bloom Institute) had just opened in Halifax, and I studied there for one year. My passion was ignited, and I moved back to the west coast and continued studies at the Pacific Rim College in Victoria, BC during the pandemic.

    I feel very fortunate to have lived in five different countries, for the cultural experiences, and people (and plants) I’ve met along the way. As a marine ecologist, I am interested in conservation and healing of our ecosystems. I enjoy teaching in this field, and in my free time I like to explore the beautiful, natural land and seascapes of Vancouver Island, Canada.

  • I am enchanted by the beauty and knowledge that medicinal plants impart, their healing power, and the potential to support our own wellness journey. To me, herbal medicine is the intersection between science, art, and magic (intuition).

  • Healing journeys both inner and outer, are not easy to take. The path to balance, wholeness, and resilience may take years of clawing yourself out of darkness. Plant medicine can help by harmonizing and bringing into balance the dark and the light aspects of ourselves. When you’re ready, guidance to support your healing can be beneficial.

  • Practicing herbalism is an honour, and I’m excited to share its transformative benefits. I look forward to initiating others into the healing power of plant medicine.

Education & Credentials

“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think”
— Albert Einstein

It’s never too late to keep learning, try something new, follow your dreams, adapt, change, heal, & grow from your experiences.

  • Gita graduated with a Diploma of Phytotherapy with a summa cum laude in 2023 from the Pacific Rim College in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. She completed a total of 2,530 classroom and 548 clinical training hours, including 555 hours of biomedical, and 1,220 hours of western herbal medicine courses. This includes knowledge of over 200 herbs and their therapeutic application. Gita had the privilege of learning from mentors and elders of the herbal medicine community.

    She is also trained under the TheraPsil’s Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy program, and the End-of-life Doula program at Douglas College, BC.

    Gita has worked as an (marine) ecologist researcher and university lecturer. She currently works as a Sessional Lecturer in the Faculty of Science and Technology at the Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, BC.

    • Diploma of Phytotherapy, summa cum laude, 2023, School of Western Herbal Medicine, Pacific Rim College, Victoria, BC, Canada

    • Doctor of Philosophy, 2011, Earth-Marine Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    • Master of Science, 2003, Earth & Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada

    • Bachelor of Science, with Specialization in Zoology, 1998, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada

Philosophy & Approach

Our philosophy and approach combines traditional and scientific knowledge with the understanding of energetics, to find the root cause of dis-ease. Gita delivers simple, self-managed, protocols that connect you with the best plant medicine. She strives to help you feel empowered to self-direct the course of your physical, mental, and pscyho-spiritual recovery from illness or trauma back to reconnection with your true, vibrant Self. Healing takes time and patience, and as such, plant medicine is “slow medicine”. The beauty of this medicine can be found in its simplicity. While a single herb or formulation can support many ailments, it is not a panacea or “cure all”.

  • Our goals are to:

    • Support you (w)holistically and meet you wherever you happen to be in life or your wellness journey, with compassion, and without judgement.

    • Connect with our plant guides to help connect you with the right plant medicine.

    • Offer simple, self-managed herbal and nutritional solutions to help you prevent and manage your health conditions, based on sound knowledge, and best practices.

    • Strive to offer high quality, ethically-sourced, and local (when possible) medicinal remedies.

    • Follow a harms-reduction model.

    • Work with you and your team of healthcare professionals to meet your wellness goals. This means your active participation and compliance to herbal protocols is crucial.

    • Recognize your uniqueness and complexity, and the importance of building resilience, strengthening the life-force, and helping you feel empowered to self-direct the course of your own physical, emotional-psychological recovery from illness or trauma back to wholeness and vibrant well-being

    • Help facilitate a relationship between you and the plants, their medicine, and nature.

  • The landscape of healthcare is changing quickly. We live in an age of excess information at our fingertips, and it can be overwhelming to sift through bits and pieces of advice and (mis)information. We can support you in staying informed and answer your questions to demystify health and wellness information.

  • We endeavour to create a space and atmosphere that is safe, and built on trust. Our approach is to observe, listen, and tailor herbal protocols to your unique needs. Formulations will be supported using herbs selected for their gentle and nurturing energetic properties. Every effort will be taken to centre your voice and lived experience.

  • Healing of our ecosystems is initiated through the healing of individuals, communities, and our non-human relatives, through a strong connection to nature. We champion restoring wellness through balance and (w)holism by having the right physical, mental, cultural, and spiritual connection to the land, water, plants, all creatures, its indigenous keepers, and to lost ancestral knowledge, as a form of healing.

  • This is our home and we value interest and participation in the community where we live. We will strive to stay informed of the issues affecting our larger community. We will engage others through knowledge sharing and educational workshops. We will keep in touch with our network of mentors, teachers and elders of herbal medicine, as well as other holistic, integrative, and functional medicine practitioners in order to bring you up to date research and information. We will refer you to our network of practitioners if your health concerns are outside our scope and abilities. As holistic health practitioners, our goal is to bring radical shifts in how we care for ourselves and others. Lastly, we are conscientious about inclusivity and believe that plant medicine should be accessible to all people, regardless of age, race, gender, or socioeconomics.

Etymology

Gita (गीत) is a Sanskrit word meaning song. It’s from the ancient, epic hymn or poem Bhagavad Gita or Song of the Divine. Its philosophy forms the foundations of yogic principles. It is a love song to both darkness and light, to (the awakening of) our own true Self (Mitchell, 2000). Thus, Gita Botanicals offers ‘a song for healing, a song for passing’.