THE STORE: The Herbal Clinic and Dispensary, nestled in the heart of Roncy (409 Roncesvalles), a tiny shop set up like an ancient apothecary’s with walls lined with herbs, powders and tinctures, teas, salves, creams, soaps and aromatherapy blends.
THE GOODS: The shop specializes in custom remedies, and many of the products are handmade on the premises. In the summer, the store hosts natural healing and herbal medicine workshops as well as herb identification walks in the city’s green spaces.
THE PROPRIETOR: Herbalist Celina Ainsworth, a grad of BC’s Dominion Herbal College trained in dispensaries in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow before opening up her own dispensary in T.O. over a decade ago.
THE QUOTE: Says Ainsworth, “I love that simple herbs like mint, camomile, lemon balm, boneset and valerian have been used for hundreds of years in much the same way we use them here in the dispensary. People love to come in just to be close to the herbs, to experience the wonderful aromas of our shop and watch the staff preparing formulae. It’s like stepping back in time.”
