My Story
Mabuhay! My name is Cecilia Belmonte​. I am a physician- herbalist, medicinal herb gardener and medicine maker.
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​ For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. As a child, I was fascinated by how the human body worked. I remember spending my summer vacations casually reading about the human body systems and all kinds of diseases. My prized childhood possessions were a toy microscope and a chemistry set. I remember on many occasions taking samples of all the lotions, powders, creams and perfumes from my parents’ bathroom, mixing them up in bottles and being awed by the gooey solutions they made! Looking back now, I believe this was the natural medicine maker and healer in me showing up in all its authenticity at such a young age.
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After graduating from medical school in the Philippines, I practiced as a primary care physician for several years before migrating to the United States where I quickly got immersed in the pharmaceutical drug and biotech industry working in oncology clinical trials as a global clinical project manager, clinical operations manager and currently as a drug safety physician. Over my twenty plus year career, I am able to witness cancer patients live to see another birthday, anniversary or holiday by benefiting from drugs developed by drug companies. This is always a touching reminder that the work I do make a difference in many people's lives.
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​​ It was in 2021 when my dance with the plants really began. Looking for a way to make time for myself while juggling a busy career and home life, I picked up a copy of Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner’s Guide and the rest was herstory. I discovered that I have an undeniable passion for growing medicinal herbs from seeds. Before long, my yard started to transform into a medicinal garden. I realized then that I needed to learn more about medicinal plants and found Land of Verse’s School of Herbal Medicine to jumpstart my formal education in herbalism. During my Apprenticeship Year, my passion for the plants deepened when I discovered my love for medicine making.
As a medicinal herb gardener and medicine maker, I feel a profound bond with medicinal herbs when I grow them from seed, see them bloom into beautiful plants and make them into herbal medicine – it is the ultimate Seed to Bottle connection. I am equally passionate about sharing the healing power of herbs and nature and how it has personally transformed my life. As a physician herbalist, I serve as a bridge for both the world of herbalism and the pharmaceutical industry to bring a unifying perspective.
I founded Jacaranda Botanicals to help me remember and to help others remember that the plants have always been a part of us. My hope is to inspire and awaken a nurturing and cyclical relationship with nature by helping people create an interconnective and reciprocal relationship with medicinal plants. I offer classes and consultations on growing medicinal herbs and gardens, medicine making and herb-drug interactions. If you need starter plants, dried/fresh herbs, or infused oils to make your own herbal medicine, I also offer my own small batch product line made from the medicinal herbs grown from my garden.
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Stay tuned for upcoming gardening and medicine making classes!