Facilitators

Fernanda Botelho

Nature

Born in rural Portugal in 1959, Fernanda lived in London for 17 years, where she studied herbal medicine with Christopher Hedley and at the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine. At the University of Lisbon, she completed courses in essential oils, aromatherapy, and botanical garden guiding. While in London, she worked at Neal’s Yard Remedies. She considers herself a herbalist, though not a practitioner. Since returning to village life in Portugal in 1998, Fernanda has been writing and travelling across the country, sharing plant stories with children and the elderly, and helping to create herb gardens in schools and care homes. Her work reconnects people with ancestral plant memories. Fernanda has published several books, including As Plantas e a Saúde (Plants and Health), Uma Mão Cheia de Plantas que Curam (A Handful of Healing Plants), O Meu Herbário de Plantas Medicinais, Ervas que se Comem, Flores que se Comem, and Árvores que se Comem (Edible Weeds, Flowers and Trees). She has also written a herb journal for over 12 years and authored three herb books for children. Fernanda hosted a radio program about medicinal plants and is often invited to radio and TV shows. She spends her days wandering among plants - contemplating, listening, tasting, smelling, and photographing them.

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