Hi, I’m Riana Martinez, herbalist, artist, and the owner and creator behind Green Omen Apothecary. I’m also a mom, a wife, a gardener, a maker, an adventurer, and a perpetually curious human.
I've spent most of my life in Ventura County and I’ve always felt most at home when I’m creating something or spending time outdoors. I’m passionate about plant medicine, gardening, photography, crafting, painting, traveling, and learning just about anything that catches my interest.
If you asked my husband, he’d probably tell you that no dream is ever too big once I’ve set my mind to it, and thankfully, he’s always been there encouraging the next one.
I’m endlessly curious and always looking for ways to grow, create, and make things a little more beautiful. I’ll read as many pages of as many completely unrelated books as I can get my hands on (thanks, ADHD), start a new project before the last one is finished, and probably have another idea brewing somewhere in the background.
More than anything, I’m trying to soak up as much of this life as I can. To keep learning, keep making things with my hands, spend more time outside, and find a little more peace, simplicity, beauty, and connection along the way.
About
The Green Omen
Apothecary
Who am I?

Herbalism was always a part of me, I just didn't recognize it until I was in my early 30's. I always had this unexplainable intuition when it came to plants. I could identify many visually and could tell you which plants to use for teas to create your desired outcome - all without having any real reason for knowing. I found myself constantly creating new teas for the people in my life. "Headache? Try this. Stomach issues? Try that. Liver disease? How about this." My family and friends started to question how I knew these things. I thought - I don't know... but I should probably get some real education on the subject!
So, in 2018, I began formally studying herbalism. I’ve since learned from many herbalists, wise women, teachers, and mentors, while continuing my studies through The Herbal Academy. Herbalism is a lifelong practice, and one I know I’ll never truly be finished learning.
Before Green Omen, I spent nearly 20 years working in the corporate financial world. I managed, trained, wrote guidelines, and built a career that paid the bills but never felt like where I belonged. I never imagined I would actually take the plunge and leave it behind... until I did.
Green Omen Apothecary began as a tiny herb “closet” tucked inside a local crystal shop. One opportunity led to another, and before long, that little closet grew into a full apothecary and tea lounge in downtown Atascadero.
What began as a wild idea became something much bigger than I anticipated- a gathering place for people seeking community, a place to learn about herbalism and the plant path, and, of course, a place to sit down with some yummy sips. That chapter shaped Green Omen into what it is today, and while the physical shop has since closed its doors, the work, community, and connection to the plants very much continue.
How did I get here?

At the heart of Green Omen is a love of creating, learning, and sharing. Whether I’m blending a new tea, growing herbs in the garden, developing a remedy, or teaching someone how to work with plants, creating something useful and meaningful brings me an immeasurable amount of joy.
My hope is to make herbalism feel approachable and woven into everyday life. To share what I’ve learned, encourage curiosity, and help people build their own relationship with the plants growing around them and sitting on their shelves.
Green Omen is also about connection. Connection to plants, to ourselves, and to one another. Whether that happens through a cup of tea, a class, a gathering, a thoughtfully made herbal product, or something I haven’t dreamed up yet, I want what I create here to leave people feeling a little more grounded, inspired, capable, and cared for.
If Green Omen can help someone discover an herb they come to love, learn something they carry with them, find a little comfort, or feel more connected to the natural world, then it is doing exactly what I hoped it would.
My Mission

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