Christa Sinadinos

Christa Sinadinos is the founder and the director of The Northwest School for Botanical Studies.Christa has studied medicinal herbs for twenty years and has practiced clinical herbalism for fifteen years. She incorporates Western, Ayurvedic, and Chinese Constitutional energetics into her practice and her teachings.

Christa maintains an extensive herbal pharmacy, with many organic, locally cultivated herbs, as well as herbs she has carefully wildcrafted. She is the proprietor of the herbal extract business Alpine Meadow Botanicals.

Christa has written numerous articles on herbs and she is one of the herbalists featured in the book Herbal Teas by Kathleen Brown. Christa has lectured at the California Women's Herbal Symposium, Humboldt State University, Mad River Community Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, Moonrise Herbs, Redwood Roots Farm, and for the California Native Plant Society. She owned and operated an herbal shop called Hygeia Herbals. She is also one of the founding members of the Arcata Women's Business Group.

Christa loves to dance samba and salsa. She also enjoys gardening, taking long walks and cooking nourishing meals. She lives in Humboldt County with her husband Howie Kaufman and her son Jayden.

Christa's history, mentors, and teachers

Christa & Tulips

Christa was born and raised in East Lansing, Michigan. Her fascination with plants began with the many hours she spent playing and wandering in the woods. At the age of four, Christa remembers being enchanted by wild plants that she could gather and eat.

As a child, she was immersed in Greek culture and traditions. Her grandmother, Lefkothea Sinadinos maintained a garden filled with Mediterranean herbs and vegetables until she was 97 years old. She taught Christa the importance of maintaining radiant health by incorporating nutritious foods and herbs into her daily meals. Christa’s grandfather, Lefty Brown taught her to gather and prepare wild mushrooms. Christa was captivated by the plants at an early age and she desired to learn more about plant medicines and edible foods.

Christa studied with Michael Moore at The Southwest School for Botanical Medicine. Michael imparted his knowledge of numerous Western medicinal herbs and he sparked Christa’s interest in physiology and constitutional medicine. She continued her herbal studies with Adam Seller at The Pacific School of Herbal Medicine and she attended various herbal conferences and intensives. Christa learned valuable energetic practices and tools from her teacher Nancy Anagnost, which have helped her tremendously in her practice. Christa has learned perhaps the most from the quiet time that she spends in her garden and in nature.

Christa is thankful to all of her teachers, clients, and students, from whom she has learned so much on so many levels. She is also grateful to the plants which are her eternal inspiration.

Lefkothea Sinadinos

Christa & Mom

Juliette De Baricali Levy

A special thanks to the members of the Arcata Women's Business Group for inspiration and support! The members include the following: Janet Czarnecki (Redwood Roots Farm), Erin Derden-Little (Redwood Roots Educational Program and C.A.L.F.), Desiree Meinardi (Muddy Boots Landscaping & Samba na Chuva), Amy Bohner (Alchemy Construction Inc.), Suzy Haggerty (Suzy Haggerty Designs), Maria Levy (Ms. M's Catering and Samba na Chuva), and Amy Johnson (Footprint Biodiesel).

Guest Teachers

Janet Czarnecki

Janet Czarnecki is an organic farmer with twenty-five years of experience. She is the proprietor of Redwood Roots, a CSA Farm (Community Supported Agricultural Farm). She practices sustainable farming methods and teaches classes locally.

Linda Redfield

Linda Redfield, N.C. is a State Certified Nutritional Therapist, and Nutrition Response Testing (sm) practitioner and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry from UC Davis, and Diet Counselor and Nutrition Educator Certificates from Bauman College. She also has completed many hundreds of hours of clinical nutritional training seminars.

Linda has been counseling and teaching in the holistic health field for over 35 years. She was a staff member of the East West Center for Natural Health Education in Eureka California for 15 years, where she taught whole foods cooking and nutrition classes and catered weekly whole foods meals for up to 150 people.

She has also been gardening and farming for almost 40 years, managing the greenhouse for a 15 acre organic vegetable farm for over 10 years.

She currently is a local chapter leader for the Weston A. Price Foundation, whose mission is to restore nutrient dense food to the American diet through education, research and activism, and is also a professional member of the International Foundation for Nutrition and Health which is dedicated to the philosophies and laws of nature advocated by such nutritional pioneers as Dr’s. Royal Lee, Melvin Page, Francis Pottenger, and Weston A. Price.

She can be contacted for more information at 707 834-2501 or linda@holisticselfhealing.org

Rose Madrone

Rose Madrone is a botanist, educator, and herbalist. A graduate of the California School of Herbal Studies and Humboldt State University, she teaches both plant identification and about the intricate lives of plants. She has been working with the world of plants for over twenty years.

Kevin Cunningham

Kevin Cunningham has been farming in Humboldt County for seven years. He is dedicated to sustainable and organic agriculture and has learned from many local mentors including Paul Giuntoli, Bert Walker, and Jennifer Greene. He runs Shakefork Community Farm the county’s first grain share farm. He has a BA in Sustainable Community Development from Prescott College. He has also studied Biodynamic Agriculture with Harald Hoven at the Rudolf Steiner College and Permaculture with Penny Livingston-Stark. He has been home brewing for over five years and specializes in herbal meads, beers and fruit wines. Being a beekeeper his focus is on honey as a fermentable sugar and a collector of potent herbal medicine.