Community Herbalist, Organizer, Earth Steward, and Storyteller
Mandana is an Iranian-American community herbalist, storyteller, gardener, and co-founder/educator at Wild Gather, Hudson Valley School of Herbal Studies. Mandana was raised in Newburgh, NY and continues to call the Mahicantuck (Hudson) Valley home. Her exploration of plant medicine and community care began in her childhood kitchen where she first heard stories of ancestors, as told to her by her mother, accompanied by the rhythm of the mortar and pestle.
Weaving her Iranian identity, culture, and plant tradition into all facets of her work as a community herbalist, Mandana is dedicated to re-centering the voices, stories, rituals, and histories of the BIPOC community, through organizing healing spaces and learning immersions. She finds her north star by supporting her community’s journey back to the land, empowering others in their re-connecting, re-membering, and re-claiming of intricate ancestral technologies. Through her shared wisdom and initiatives in the Mahicantuck Valley, she is helping her community gain access to equitable care, herbal medicine, and herbal education.