About Us
Christiane began her herbal journey in 2008. Her teachers have included Lata Chettri-Kennedy of Flower Power Herbs & Roots, where she worked for 2 years, Phyllis Light of the Appalachian School of Natural Health, where she studied formally for 3 years, Darrell Martin of Blue Boy Herbs, who is a beloved mentor and friend of nearly 10 years, and most recently Rachelle Garcia Seliga of Innate Traditions Postpartum Care. She is also grateful for her Argentinian stepmother who first introduced her to the world of herbs and natural health as a child, growing an herb garden every year, drying and saving herbs for the coming year, and making soaps and natural products in the kitchen.
Born in the Mile-High city of Denver, Christiane grew up on Long Island with her mother. During her college years, she spent time in Nairobi, Kenya where her father was the Director of the Peace Corps for 4 years. She earned a Bachelors of Arts in Environmental Science from Wesleyan University in 2007. She came to New Orleans in 2010 as a volunteer rebuilding homes.
Opened in the Fall of 2014, Rosalie Botanicals (formerly Rosalie Apothecary) came into existence 6 months before the birth of Christiane's first daughter, and her initiation into motherhood of a baby coincided with her motherhood of a business. Seven years into managing a small business and welcoming another beautiful daughter, she is in awe of all mothers everywhere who balance with so much grace the unique challenges of modern parenting without the traditional support of a village community, coupled with the necessity and expectation to work outside of the home. She has found it to be a hidden yet common struggle among mothers and parents, and hopes to bring more healing and awareness to postpartum care and support.
C. Gypsi Lewis (she/they) is a Black and Brown queer femme born in New Orleans, Louisiana (Bulbancha) of the Lewis, Thomas, Miller, (de)Leon, Ruiz, and Baham families.
Their praxis include installation art, small batch botanical goods, full spectrum birth support, reiki, folk herbal alchemy, urban gardening, and educational workshops. A nightlife and entertainment aficionado, Gypsi also produces events Ascendance, COUCHES, and most recently Live In America.
Describing her work as necessary, expansive, and sacred, Gypsi’s growth is rooted in reverence for her Ancestors, Elders, and Community. Gypsi came to know plant work intuitively through her late maternal grandmother who she affectionately called "Grami." Since their Grami's death in 2013, Gypsi has committed to leaning into herbalism(s) for support, healing, and nourishment through the loving guidance of other plant medicine enthusiasts and believers.
In 2019, they were a chosen visual artist to partner with Ashe’ Cultural Center and the University of Cincinnati to participate in an art exhibit entitled (Inter)SEX/SHUN/ALL. The works in this exhibit centered the experiences of LGBTQIA+ communities of Color and the New Orleans Police Department. In the Spring of 2020, they were invited back to Ashe’ to participate in the exhibit “Black Feminist: The Future Is Now” in honor of Women’s History Month.
Currently operating in her birthplace, a large part of Gypsi's vision is to reshape the self-care, healing, food and reproductive justice climates in communities of BIPOC, queer, and undocumented folx. On her own or in solidarity with several grassroots and healing justice organizations like The NOLA Herb Gathering, Samara Herb School, Women with A Vision, LLC , Rosalie Botanicals, New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic, and Black Trans Circles she's able to offer accessible and cathartic resources, support, and education.
GypsiJars skincare+alchemy was birthed in 2013 and its energy has been an active governing presence in all of Gypsi’s projects since.
Lou Carrig (she/her) is a clinical herbalist, educator, and musician based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her formal studies in Traditional Western Herbalism began in 2005 under the direction of Mimi Hernandez at the North Carolina School of Natural Healing, followed by a 900-hour apprenticeship with Juliet Blankespoor at the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine in 2007 and the completion of a 2-year field and clinical program through Howie Brounstein's Columbines School of Botanical Medicine in 2010. Formerly an EMT and street medic, Lou approaches herbalism through a holistic yet scientific lens. Her herbal path has focused on embodying herbal and medicinal knowledge through a systematic study of patterns: patterns within the plant world, patterns within the human body, and patterns within society and self.
In addition to running the tincture department at Rosalie, Lou is also the primary instructor of our Beginning and Intermediate herbal education programs: The Heart of Herbal Medicine, HOHM: Going Deeper, and our new Materia Medica Series. Approaching herbalism from a holistic and vitalist tradition, Lou incorporates tools offered by Western science, including botany and identification, phytochemistry and extraction, and human anatomy and physiology with the aim to empower the student with methods to approach and begin to organize the vast amount of information available in the field of Western herbalism. She also offers one-on-one private consultations through the shop's sliding-scale clinic.
In addition to her herbal practice, Lou holds a B.A in Music from the University of New Orleans, specializing in Accordion Performance and Choral Conducting. When not at Rosalie, she can be found performing and touring with various New Orleans-based world music ensembles, including Blato Zlato, polyphonic choir Trendafilka, Wit's End Brass Band, and many others.