Carolyn Zinober, clinical herbalist, massage therapist and aromatherapist, opened the doors to Six Oaks Wellness Apothecary, in Largo, three years ago. She, along with Debi Castonguay, a licensed massage therapist and clinical herbalist, are the heartbeat of the apothecary, a unique world class herbal dispensary that prides itself on a standard to quality “lost in time”.

Trained in both Western and Chinese Medicine, Zinober and the apothecary offer visitors an opportunity to indulge in self-care products that allow the body, mind and spirit to heal. When someone has a complaint, Six Oaks applies their two-pronged approach: address the immediate concern while concurrently finding the root or underlying cause of the concern. A typical consultation takes up to 90 minutes.

Zinober is also an educator offering workshops and classes on herbal medicine making. Guided medicinal plant walks are held regularly. Hugging the oak trees (especially Moses) is encouraged. Clients are invited to stroll through the garden, home to more than 80 medicinal herbs and 50 orchids among the 11 oaks trees that grow at the apothecary.

Zinober’s holistic journey as a complementary health and mind-body practitioner began more than 25 years ago. Her formal studies include Trichology, Massage Therapy, Aromatherapy, Chinese and Western Herbal Medicine. Her keen interest in natural healing stems from her upbringing with her Italian mother and grandmother as guides. Growing up on a two-hundred-acre farm in the Midwest, she was encouraged to use common sense along with common herbs for common illnesses. For that reason, she is able to see the world with a can-do approach to whatever crosses her path; she uses this same approach at her practice at Six Oaks Wellness.

Zinober shares how she long held a vision of where and how her wellness business would appear, and how it took more than three years of searching and planning to find the right property to buy and restore. “I was afraid this was never going to come to fruition, but because I think an herbal wellness apothecary is so needed in this area, my dream came through.”

When queried as to her intestinal fortitude, Zinober shares, “My inner strength after all these years I would have to say is my passion because I still love the job and all of its complications. And I feel it is the position of “service” that has made me feel most like I am in some small way giving back.”

When queried as to a major challenge, she responds, “Surprisingly, it is the name of my business—Apothecary. It means an old-fashioned pharmacy (before allopathic medicine came along) and so many people do not know how to pronounce it or what it means. I find it interesting that people between 25 to 35 years of age are the ones most familiar with the term. So, in a way, it helps me because I get to explain to the unfamiliar what I am doing!”

Six Oaks Wellness Apothecary’s mission is upgrading the quality of people’s lives by providing a place of relaxation, peace and well-being through the healing power of complementary medicine. Their goal is to design a specific treatment protocol specific to each client seeking wellness and a better quality of life.

Wisely, Zinober is not about growing more and bigger but rather continuing to concentrate on individualized, dedicated service to each client. “I don’t want to expand at this point of my career—just continue to give one-on-one service to anyone who walks through my doors. It’s a simple business model…so much of what we really need is less not more.