Sage LaPena, a medical herbalist, ethnobotanist, teacher, and gardener specializing in both Native American and Western herbal traditions, started her herbal education at age seven, working with local medicine people from her tribe, the Northern Wintu (California) and others from neighboring tribes and has been a life-long participant in their ceremonial and cultural activities. She has been teaching the ethnobotany of California native plants for over twenty years, leading plant walks throughout the state.
