Hi I’m Verna, Herbalist, Medicine Maker, and the Woman Behind Jardin de Vern
I was born in the mystical island of Siquijor, now tending to my garden sanctuary in the southern mountains of Mindanao. I am the heart and hands behind Jardin de Vern — a quiet, intentional space where plant medicine, ancestral wisdom, and women’s wellness meet.
My path to herbalism began not in a classroom, but within my own body as I transitioned from perimenopause into menopause. Like many women in their 50s, I faced a tide of unfamiliar symptoms, sensations, and questions. Rather than turning to pharmaceutical solutions, I chose to listen inward believing that menopause is not an illness to fix, but a rite of passage, a sacred return to self.
I studied herbal medicine at the Da Vinci Institute of Holistic Medicine, but much of my knowledge was birthed through direct communion with the plants, the land, and the ancient ways. I began experimenting with herbs growing them in my garden, wildcrafting in the mountains of Sultan Kudarat, and listening deeply to what my body needed. Slowly, I built my apothecary with roots in lived experience, earth medicine, and feminine wisdom.
Today, Jardin de Vern is both a garden and a prayer offering handcrafted remedies made with herbs I grow, forage, or ethically source from organic farmers, wildcrafters, and indigenous communities. I believe in preserving ancient botanical traditions and honoring the sacred energy of every plant I work with.
Each bottle, balm, or tincture is made with care not just to relieve symptoms, but to restore connection. Connection to self, to the earth, and to the ancestral ways that remind us: healing is slow, sacred, and already within us.
Hello, thank you for what you do… dropping by to say, I bless you!