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, and she works with a number of local, state and national
environmental groups.
David Bunting, Director of Botanical Affairs, 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 & Health Educator. Julie has worked in the herb and natural foods industry for over 30 years, and has practiced as a clinical herbalist and nutritionist for over 20 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.
Autumn Summers, Herbalist & Educator, has been involved in the herbal medicine field for over two decades. Besides a degree in anthropology specializing in ethnobotany, she trained with Christopher Hobbs and at the California School of Herbal Studies where she has been core faculty for 15 years. Her hands-on experience includes herbal medicine production for clinicians, herbal clinic practice, and work in retail settings. Autumn has, over the years, also taught at Sonoma State University, Santa Rosa Junior College, Ohlone Herbal Center and at various herbal conferences.
