Bio — Jenny Q's

Jenny Q was born in California to Palestinian immigrant parents. She delved into plant medicine in her 20’s, studying with many of the greats, including completing the comprehensive Therapeutic Herbalism program with Master Herbalist David Hoffman. She earned a BA from Sonoma State University in environmental education and feminist studies.

While working at Rosemary's Garden, the apothecary established by Rosemary Gladstar, Jenny began creating her own formulations, founding Jenny Q‘s Herbals in 1995.

A decade later, after moving to the desert town of Joshua Tree and joyfully becoming a mother, Jenny sold almost all of her herbal manufacturing business, including her tea recipes, aromatherapeutic body care products, and the popular Joshua Tree Climbing Salve. She kept Jenny Q’s Herbals, her beloved tincture line.

Jenny fell deeper in love with the intricacies of the human body after taking pre-med science coursework, and pursued a degree in Nursing. She is a Registered Nurse, and holds a current RN license from the state of California.

In 2011, with the nest egg she had saved from the business sale, she rented a storefront in sleepy downtown Joshua Tree, and opened Grateful Desert. Beginning with tinctures and chocolates spread out over many empty shelves, Jenny spent every day behind the counter with her young daughter, slowly filling the shop and becoming the small community's go-to source for herbs and information. Grateful Desert also featured Jenny's brain-child, a one of a kind bespoke essential oil formulating bar, along with a growing line of beloved oil blends.

In her lab, via percolation, Jenny tinctured almost 100 single herbs, creating a popular formula line of twenty grab-n-go blends. The library of single herb tinctures available at Grateful Desert was unrivaled in scope. She also created blends for her own clients, and acted as a compounding pharmacy for naturopathic physicians.

When Jenny contracted sepsis in 2014 and nearly died, becoming a double amputee, the community held her, her family, and the shop with tender support, welcoming her back in her recovery. The shop continues to be a vital community healing, arts and eco-goods center, and a home base for the aromatherapy bar and herbal line.

Held Together, Jenny's experimental memoir about her journey surviving sepsis and thriving in her new body, was released in 2018. She co-created Trust.Together, a collaborative performance piece based on the book and her wife Myshkin Warbler's record, Trust and the High Wire. The couple toured this piece up the west coast, bringing it to venues as diverse as theatres and medical conferences.

After this tour, Jenny and her family left the desert for the rainforest, and two years later expanded Grateful Desert to Oregon with the opening of Grateful Rain, in downtown Astoria.

Surprising them all, Jenny and her family experienced a calling after a trip abroad, and sold everything to move to Scotland in January 2023, on an arts visa. Jenny now spends a lot of time playing cello with Myshkin in their band Ruby Warblers. She is creating a new line of essential oil products inspired by her Highlands home, and continues to consult with clients in person and long distance.