Our Herbalists

A Broad Spectrum of Herbal Talent

Ed Smith, Co-founder of Herb Pharm. Ed, popularly known as "Herbal Ed," has worked as a medical herbalist for over 30 years and is a founding member of the American Herbalist Guild. He designs and formulates Herb Pharm's herbal extracts and compounds, and is an internationally respected teacher and lecturer on medicinal herbs and herbal healthcare. He has traveled to over 60 countries in search of medicinal herbs and knowledge of their traditional and modern uses.

Sara Katz, Co-founder of Herb Pharm. Sara has been actively working with medicinal herbs for over 30 years. She supports many aspects of Herb Pharm, focusing on team-building and supporting employees, customers, and relationships with the local community. She also serves as President of United Plant Savers, an organization dedicated to the conservation of North American medicinal plants, is on the board of the American Herbal Products Association, and she works with a number of local, state and national environmental groups.

Kevin Spelman, PhD, Principal Scientist at Herb Pharm, comes to Herb Pharm from the National Institutes of Health. Past work on the bioactivity of medicinal plants has included analytical, clinical and international research, including the analysis of nutrient levels in women of early childbearing age in West Africa, working with children with neurological disorders in Central America and malaria research in Paris, France. Dr. Spelman has also practiced western phytotherapy, informed by the Ayurvedic system and the biosciences, since 1989. He was a founding faculty member of the first B.S. in botanical medicine in the U.S. and of the first M.S. degree in clinical herbal medicine (Tai Sophia Institute). He is also a member of the College of Practitioners of Phytotherapy in the United Kingdom.

David Bunting, Herbal Affairs Manager, has been dedicated to herbal medicine and quality herbal pharmacy for over 25 years. He is a founding member of the American Herbalists Guild, and has served on the Board of the American Herbal Products Association. He attended and later taught at the California School of Herbal Studies. David has worked with leading companies in the herbal industry where he has had responsibility for herbal extract production, product and botanical quality assurance, product development, and regulatory affairs.

Julie Plunkett is a Clinical Herbalist and Health Educator. Julie has worked in the herb and natural foods industry for over 25 years, and has practiced as a clinical herbalist and nutritionist for 15 years specializing in women's health and healing chronic illness. Julie frequently lectures and writes about the use of herbs and natural foods to establish and maintain optimal health. Julie is also the author and voice of Herb Pharm's Tele-Training Series, which is designed to train retail store personnel on recommending to their customers the safe and effective use of health promoting herbs.