Dr. Zoë Gardner is a self-proclaimed herb nerd with over 20 years of experience working with medicinal plants. A specialist in the quality and safety of medicinal plants, she is the editor of the 2nd edition of the American Herbal Products Association Botanical Safety Handbook, a reference text on the safety of over 500 medicinal plants. She earned a Ph.D. in plant science from the University of Massachusetts and helped found the Medicinal Plant Program there.

Zoë went on to oversee product development and product safety at Traditional Medicinals, leading R&D and working closely with the Marketing, Quality Control, Sourcing, and Legal departments. She now splits her time between working as a research consultant to herbal companies, teaching with Emblossom, and creating botanical pottery.