Widow
Italian Folk Herbalism & Grief-Informed Care in Philly
Widow is a Philadelphia-based clinical herbal practice rooted in Italian folk medicine and shaped by grief as a lived, initiatory experience.
This work grew from personal loss and ancestral remembrance, guided by the understanding that grief is not something to be fixed, but something to be held with skill, care, and respect for the body’s rhythms. Drawing from traditional Italian folk practices alongside contemporary clinical herbalism, Widow offers grounded, relationship-centered herbal care that honors both lineage and lived experience. This is medicine for those moving through thresholds, tending the nervous system, the heart, and the long arc of healing with steadiness, integrity, and reverence.
my offerings
"Jenna’s products and workshops have meant so much to my practice and helped me so much. She inspires my own work with plant allies and is a trusted source for knowledge about Italian folk magick practices. Some of my favorite products of hers are the hekate tea tokes and the saint Michael archangel anointing oil. Everything she creates is crafted with deep wisdom and intention and I always look forward to a new product of hers or an upcoming workshop."
Anima Readings
hello, i'm jenna
I came to herbalism through heartbreak.
After losing someone very close to me to suicide, and emerging from an abusive relationship before that, I found myself searching for something — anything — that could hold the weight of my grief. I didn’t linearly arrive at plant medicine. I arrived at it the way many of us do: instinctively, with shaking hands, guided only by the quiet pull of wanting to feel whole again.
Herbs became a way back to myself. I started tending to my nervous system, learning what supported me emotionally and spiritually, and found that plants offered the kind of care I didn’t know I was allowed to receive. As I followed the thread, it led me deeper, not just into the plant allies, but into the lives of my ancestors.
I started Widow as a place to process, create, connect and try and make sense of everything I was experiencing. 5 years later, it has become so much more and I am so grateful to be able to share it with you all.
upcoming workshops
October 24th, 2026
Seasonal Sovereignty Fall Workshop
As the growing season turns toward Autumn, we turn our attention to the medicines that help carry us through the darker months. In this one-day Seasonal Sovereignty workshop, we’ll explore immune health and grief care through the plants and folk practices traditionally called upon during this time of year. Together, we’ll make fire cider and a heart cordial while learning the plants within their larger human stories; their traditional uses, folklore, and place within seasonal and ancestral practices.
Register now
November 1, 2026
Piazza Party: Giorno Dei Morti
Did you know Sicilians celebrate Day of the Dead? It’s referred to as Giorno dei Morti or Festa dei Morti in Italian, and Jornu ri Morti in Sicilian. Traditionally, and especially in the days of our nonni and bisnonni, families would gather in cemeteries for picnics alongside the graves of their loved ones, sharing stories, playing card games and music, and decorating entire cemeteries with flowers, such as chrysanthemums, bringing life, color and celebration to accompany the spirits of those departed. Gather with us for our own diasporic twist on this beautiful, meaningful, bittersweet time.
Register now
November 11, 2026
Plant Communion Tea Ritual
Plant Communion is a monthly exploration of the plants that grow within our bioregion, guided by clinical herbalists Jenna Faccenda and Brooke Johnson.
Each gathering centers around a single plant ally, creating space to learn its story, traditional uses, and medicine while developing a more personal relationship with the plant itself. Through tea, ritual, sensory exploration, and conversation, you’ll practice noticing how a plant communicates through the body and begin to explore the energetic and relational dimensions of herbal medicine.
Register now
