Western Herbal Traditions with Lanny Kaufer

Western herbalism aims to prevent disease, strengthen the internal systems, and support the ability to heal by working as an ally to the inherent wisdom of the human body. It encompasses a diverse range of traditions rooted in European, Native American, and other Indigenous cultures. It emphasizes using local plants and botanical remedies to support health and healing. Western herbalists often employs a combination of folk remedies, plant identification, energetics, and modern scientific research to formulate herbal preparations such as tinctures, teas, salves, and poultices.

Lanny Kaufer of HerbWalks.com has been leading herb walks, nature hikes, and workshops in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties since 1976, educating hundreds of residents and visitors on the edible and medicinal flora of the area. He holds a biology degree from UC Santa Cruz and is the author of Medicinal Herbs of California: A Field Guide to Common Healing Plants (Falcon Guides, 2021). Lanny hosts the Ojai Herbal Symposium, most recently held in Krotona Hall in November, 2023, and returning on May 31, 2025. Lanny is on the faculty of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at California State University, Channel Islands. He serves as chief consultant on medicinal plants for the Swimmer Medicinal Garden in Playa Vista, CA. Lanny specializes in making learning about edible and medicinal plants accessible and fun for people of all ages. He acquired much of his plant knowledge in field study with well-known herbalists and ethnobotanists, including in the 1970s with the late William LeSassier and the late Chumash plant expert Juanita Centeno. He has co-led workshops, field classes, and expeditions with noted experts such as the late herbalist and author Michael Moore, author-herbalist Michael Tierra, author-herbalist Amanda McQuade Crawford, Professor Emeritus James Adams of USC School of Ph*rm*cy, Chumash educators and siblings Julie Tumamait-Stenslie and Patrick Tumamait, author-survivalist Christopher Nyerges, and others. 

Host or Publisher Ema's Herbs