ForestWatch Faces

Get to know the folks who make it happen

This web feature spotlights some of the special folks behind the scenes of Georgia ForestWatch. If you'd like to nominate someone for ForestWatch Faces, please contact our office by clicking the e-mail link below.

Meet Patricia Kyritsi Howell, medicinal herbalist

Patricia Kyritsi Howell fell in love with a national forest for the first time in 1980 while working as a fire fighter at the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in Washington State. Her budding career in fire suppression came to an abrupt halt in May of that year when Mount Saint Helens erupted just 10 miles away. She was drafted to help with emergency efforts following the eruption and was awarded a Volcano Award for her service.

Many years later, after a successful career in the music business, she began to study medicinal herbs. Her interest in native herbs eventually brought her to the botanically diverse Southern Appalachian Mountains and she has been here ever since.

A clinical herbalist with a practice in both Rabun County and Atlanta, she is the founder and director of BotanoLogos School of Herbal Studies in Mountain City, Georgia. Patricia’s book Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians (2006) is an essential reference for anyone interested in the medicinal use of regional plants.

An avid supporter of the ForestWatch mission, Patricia volunteers to lead ForestWatch hikes in Chattahoochee National Forest near her home each year. "I think of what I offer on my hikes as 'amnesia recovery' because I help people remember that there is a living apothecary deep within our forests."

"We are lucky to count her as one of our ForestWatch members and dedicated volunteers," said Wayne Jenkins, the organization’s executive director.

She’s also co-owner of Wild Crete Travel Seminars, a company that offers trips about herbs and traditional cuisine on the Greek island of Crete. For more information about Patricia and her work, visit www.wildhealingherbs.com.

Thanks to Patricia, ForestWatch members learn more about the plants growing in our woods, and recover forgotten knowledge of how they can heal us.

ForestWatch Faces archive:

Want to give us feedback or suggestions? Call our office at 706-635-8733, or send an e-mail to