Thomas Avery Garran, PhD, is an herbalist, author, translator, scholar, and educator who has been studying botanical medicine for over 30 years. He holds a PhD in Chinese Materia Medica Studies from the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing, China. Dr. Garran is widely published, and is the author and/or translator of four books including Western Herbs in Chinese Medicine, Western Herbs According to Chinese Medicine: A Practitioner’s Guide, and Chinese Herb Cultivation: Daodi Practices for Growing and Processing Chinese Herbs. His recent work focuses on daodi (local) herbs and agriculture, and bringing his nearly 16 years of living, farming, and studying in China back to the U.S. as the president of Herb Whisperer, Inc. (www.herb-whisperer.com) and executive director of the East West School of Herbology with his wife, Holly, building their botanical sanctuary and learning center in Western Massachusetts.