Through Indigo Elixirs apothecary offerings, wellness education and clinical work, my intention is to help strengthen our connection with the rhythms and resources of the natural world around us. By continuing to practice the traditions of our ancestors and bringing the principles of herbalism into our daily lives, we can benefit from nature's ability to balance and heal the body, mind & spirit.

~ Deanna Rose Ahigian, L.Ac & Dipl. | Founder & Formulator

I grew up with my hands in the dirt, by the side of my second-generation Armenian parents as they turned grass into gardens at our Massachusetts home. From an early age I developed a love for all plants around me, and even moonlit as an herbal apprentice at my eighth grade Renaissance faire.

When I was 19, I began brewing botanical body care in a quest to find healthy products that actually worked for my thick Armenian hair and perpetually dry skin. I was quickly enamored by the vast palette of ingredients that the natural world had to offer, and by the time I was 21 I had created a small line of natural skincare under the name Indigo Elixirs.

I have since spent the past 15+ years crafting botanical formulations for the world while immersed in the lifelong study of herbalism, holistic wellness and health sciences. I've been fortunate to study with many wonderful teachers through various herbal programs, including as an apprentice for Wendi Snow Fogg at the Misty Meadow Herbals Center in New Hampshire, as a coordinator of the Earth Medicine Institute Wildcrafter Certification with David Bruce Leonard on O‘ahu, and as a student of Keoki Baclayon in his classes on La'au Lapa'au (traditional Hawaiian medicine) at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. 

Having been awestruck by the complexity & depth of Traditional Chinese herbal formulations, I went on to obtain my Master's in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the World Medicine Institute (formerly in Honolulu). Under the clinics of Dr. Lilian Chang & Dr. Gayle Todoki, we prescribed formulas for patients using as many local herbs as possible, and learned how Hawai'i plants could be used in place of and alongside imported ones. I have taken this bioregional approach to heart both in my private herbal practice and across all of Indigo Elixirs.

After exploring a variety of healing traditions, I am currently on a quest to illuminate those of my own Armenian ancestors who were displaced a century ago. I believe that all cultures possess a wealth of unique wisdom on living in harmony with nature, and we must actively work to preserve it. As I deepen my awareness of ancient medicines, I will continue to craft my own out of appreciation of the flora within my reach.