Zoë Gardner, M.S., Ph.D.(c)

Fascinated by the connection between people and plants, Zoë Gardner has been studying, researching, and teaching on the production, conservation, quality, safety, and appropriate use of medicinal plants since 1998.

After completing her undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies at the Audubon Expedition Institute, Zoë helped to establish the Medicinal Plant Program at the University of Massachusetts, earning her master's degree there in Plant & Soil Sciences.

More recently, Zoë joined the Research & Development Department at Traditional Medicinals, a leading producer of botanical dietary supplements. A self-proclaimed "herb nerd," Zoë is currently completing her Ph.D. on medicinal plant quality and safety.

Michael McGuffin

Michael's introduction to herbs dates to the sassafras he gathered in his youth. His interest in plant toxicology began when he misidentified the toxic Nicotiana glauca in a Venice, California alley as a Western cousin of poke weed.

Michael has been active in the herbal industry since 1974, having managed retail and manufacturing businesses in this field. Elected to the board of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) in 1990, he was hired as AHPA's president in 1999. He is the managing editor of both editions of AHPA's Botanical Safety Handbook (1997; 2013) and of Herbs of Commerce, 2nd Edition (2000).

Michael serves on the boards of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and United Plant Savers and in various advisory positions. He has lived in the same Venice house since 1980, and keeps a large garden and an active kitchen.