Terms, Policies, Disclaimer, Legalities

I understand that life happens, but when you book an appointment with me, that time is reserved just for you. A missed appointment means someone else misses a chance to book. To ensure fairness to everyone, except for emergencies, I request that you give no less than 48 hours notice in the event that you need to cancel an appointment. This is because I book and pay for in-person rooms that allow for 48-hour cancellations. I will allow 24 hours’ notice for virtual appointments.

Cancellations of less than the stated time are subject to a cancellation fee of $35 or 25%.

Please call or email the clinic to cancel an appointment, as soon as possible (ASAP), thank you.

If you are running late, please contact me ASAP. If I have not heard from you within 30 minutes from the start of your session, the remainder of the session may be forfeited and charged at 100% consultation fee. All no-shows/no-call will be charged at 100% of the consultation fee.

• Payment is due at the time services are rendered.

• Custom herbal remedies can be tailored to your budget.

• You may purchase custom formulations directly from the practitioner, but you are not obligated to do so, and may source and purchase herbal products elsewhere, if you wish. However, if you choose to, you should carefully follow the recommendations given regarding dosage and preparation instructions to avoid complications.

• Please let me know if the fee structure feels out of reach for you. A sliding-scale option is available.

• I offer a 15% discount on the initial session for seniors, students, or anyone who is unemployed.

• Currently, there are no taxes (GST or PST) charged on the consultation fees. This may be subject to change in the future. However, +GST is charged on custom herbal formulations, and +PST on topical remedies.

• Prices are subject to change without notice.

Consultation fees are non-refundable. Herbal remedy refunds will be considered on a case-by-case basis for first-time formulations (tinctures, teas, capsules, topicals), within 30 days of purchase. Please let me know of any issues or allergic reactions immediately.

Herbal medicine is currently not a regulated healthcare profession in Canada, and as such, it is not covered by provincial healthcare plans, such as MSP in British Columbia, nor by most employer sponsored Extended Health Benefit Plans.

However, costs may be eligible for reimbursement through a Health Care Spending Account (HCSA), Health Spending Account (HSA) or Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA). Please check with your employer or provider for more information on whether herbal consultations, herbal remedies, and/or wellness workshops are covered.

Our sessions will be private and confidential. Client files will not be reviewed by anyone else without your prior permission, unless required by law. Personal data collection will be compliant with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). If you wish to have the practitioner share information with another health care professional, you will be required to sign a ‘release of information form’.

Nature is diverse and so are we. All individuals regardless of race, colour, creed, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion or socioeconomic status are welcome in our clinic. You should expect no less than a respectful, courteous, and compassionate experience in line with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom. Discrimination towards the practitioner or other clients will not be tolerated, thank you.

If you are under the age of 16, I will require the signature of a parent or legal guardian before working together.

This Site is not intended for children. We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with Personal Information, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Information from anyone under the age of 18 without verification of parental consent, we take steps to remove that information.

If we need to rely on consent as a legal basis for processing your information and your country requires consent from a parent, we may require your parent's consent before we collect and use that information.

Squarespace collects personal information when you visit this Site, including:

• ‍Information about your browser, network and device

• Web pages you visited prior to coming to this website

• Web pages you view while on this website

• Your IP address

Squarespace needs the data to run this Site, and to protect and improve its platform and services. You can read more about how Squarespace uses your data (site usage information of end users) for its own purposes in their Privacy Policy.

We do not sell or rent your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

We may send you marketing emails, which you can unsubscribe from at any time by clicking the link at the bottom of the email. We provide your contact information to MailerLite, our email marketing provider, so they can send these emails on our behalf and help us manage our relationship with you. You can read more about how MailerLite uses your data (site usage information of end users) for its own purposes in their Privacy Policy.

Gita is a herbalist practitioner with a doctorate (PhD) degree in the biological sciences. She is not a licensed medical doctor. Please consult a doctor with any questions or concerns you might have regarding your health condition.

The information on this Website, including any statements, links to external sites, testimonials given by customers, or in emails composed by Gita Botanicals is designed for educational purposes only. Our offerings are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any diseases. It is not intended to replace any information, advice, or care of licensed, primary healthcare providers in the country, province or jurisdiction in which you reside. These statements have not been evaluated by Health Canada. 

Under certain circumstances, Gita Botanicals may be required to disclose Your Personal Data if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities (e.g. a court or a government agency).