Hello! My Name is Kristine

I’m a medical herbalist, herbal educator, and founder of The Crafty Herbalist Academy.

My roots stretch back to the green countryside of Belgium, where I grew up with a grandmother who treated herbs as trusted companions. One of my earliest memories is standing beside her in the garden while she introduced me to the elder tree and its many gifts. I didn’t know it then, but that little moment shaped everything that came after.

I later trained at university level in the UK and have now spent more than twenty years working with patients, running my own dispensary, and teaching herbal medicine to people of all ages. My work sits at the place where science, tradition, and lived experience meet – and it’s always been grounded in community and connection.

Alongside my clinical work, I’m a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists, an ambassador for The Herb Society, and an Advanced Junior Herbalist Club Leader. Teaching has become a natural part of my life. Some days it’s helping a child recognise plantain on a footpath. Other days it’s supporting an adult who’s just beginning their herbal journey and wants to feel more confident in using herbs at home.

At the heart of it all is a simple belief: herbal knowledge is meant to be shared.
It’s not something reserved for specialists. It belongs to all of us.

I’ve watched many students grow from feeling overwhelmed and unsure to becoming confident, capable, and deeply connected to the plants around them. That transformation is why I built the Academy, a place where people can learn at their own pace, with guidance they can trust, and without the pressure or confusion that so often comes with learning alone.

I’m also a mum of two lively children, and much of my herbal work weaves through our everyday life, picking berries together, spotting herbs on walks, stirring pots in the kitchen. These ordinary moments matter just as much as the big ones.

So welcome. Whether you’re here to learn, to find inspiration, or to reconnect with the natural world, I’m glad our paths have crossed.

Kristine x

Where tradition, science, and lived practice meet

The Crafty Herbalist Academy is built on a simple but important idea: herbal medicine is both practical and deeply rooted in tradition. We bring together Western herbal medicine, modern research, and the old wisdom of energetics and humoral principles. Each offers something valuable, and together they give a fuller understanding of how plants support the body.

Learning through experience

Herbal medicine makes the most sense when it’s experienced, not just read about. That’s why the Academy focuses on hands-on learning, tasting plants, making remedies, and noticing how herbs feel in the body. It’s herbal knowledge that grows with the seasons and becomes part of everyday life.

A place for people, not perfection

Students join the Academy for many reasons: personal wellbeing, curiosity, further study, or simply the wish to feel more connected to nature again. Whatever brings you here, the Academy gives you room to learn in your own way, with support from a warm, friendly community.

Keeping herbal knowledge alive

Herbal medicine has always been passed down through stories, seasons, and shared practice. The Academy continues that tradition, helping students build skills that are useful, reliable, and rooted in real life. Together, we’re keeping this knowledge alive and passing it on to the next generation.