Acupuncture and herbal medicine are rooted in natural models that do not suppress the true nature of the body, enhancing connection to the microcosm of the body and the macrocosm of the earth. I aim to keep these medicines sacred and accessible, to offer a communion with your body in an approachable environment. I celebrate bodies in all manifestations, and serve patients of all races, genders, ages, ethnicities, and economic backgrounds. I treat the full spectrum of gender identities and expressions in a body positive, sex positive environment. A quarter of my practice has always been reserved for sliding-scale patients with financial need, please inquire to be enrolled in this program (and don’t be shy about it!).
As a poet first and a doctor second, I have always been interested in arresting the senses, in using verbal and physical forms to awaken others to the sensorial splendors of being in a body, the resplendent banquet of life upon this earth. A better poet than I (Yeats, if you’re asking) once said that ‘the world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper,’ which is the guiding principal around the design of the Botanarchy AcuTemple.
The Botanarchy AcuTemple was designed to invoke the Five Elements and sharpen the senses, showing us that magic can be languishing casually behind any corner, even an alleyway in Hollywood. The dank, earthen plaster on the walls hearkens to the fecundity of Earth. The flow of the space from archway to archway makes you feel like you are water flowing through an underground cave. Occasionally, a rogue sunbeam will waltz into the room and liberate all the brilliance from a hunk of amethyst or a Metal surface. Flickering candle light and wafting incense invoke the Fire elementals, and the tendrils of the infamous Botanarchy pothos plants often find their way into my patient’s hair with a Woody salute. Then there are the treatment room names. I have two treatment rooms in the space with distinct personalities that I named after my favorite acupuncture points. The front treatment room has been christened Cloud Gate after a beloved Metal element point, because it feels like you are being lulled out of the depths of sorrow in the bosom of an amethyst cloud. I named the second treatment room after my most cherished Earth element point, Abundant Splendor, because something about the cavernous vibes and dried plants makes me feel like I am living inside of a gourd, exalting in security, stability, satiety, and serenity.
The temple within and the temple throughout are inextricably linked in all ways. This is a core tenant of Traditional East Asian Medicine, and of course, alchemy.
Botanarchy is nestled in the bungalow
behind the Midhaven Salon at 712 1/2 N Van Ness Ave. Walk down the driveway to the right, and you will find the AcuTemple all the way in the back. Botanarchy acknowledges our presence on the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Gabrielino/Tongva peoples.
There is free two hour parking on Van Ness, as well as metered parking before 3 pm on Melrose. There are usually ample spots across the Melrose intersection on Van Ness directly in front of Raleigh Studios, as well as on Raleigh St. Parking in LA can be capricious - we recommend arriving 15 minutes early so that you don’t feel hurried or stressed.
If you arrive early to your appointment, please keep a meditative vibe, as there may be a patient finishing their session in the treatment room. Feel free to make yourself some tea, and relax in waiting room with a zine from our zine library on natural medicine + radical self care.
