Welcome

Herb Walks with Lanny Kaufer are interpretive walks and hikes with an emphasis on edible and medicinal plants, those classified as “herbs” for their culinary and medicinal properties. Lanny discusses and demonstrate the plants’ indigenous and modern uses for food, home remedies, botanical medicine, survival, landscaping, camping, crafts, ceremony and more. This type of learning cannot be done accurately with books, photos and web images alone. You must engage with the plants in their home environment with all your senses to learn the “language of the plants.”

Lanny offers CEUs for selected events as Continuing Education Provider #1526 under the California Acupuncture Board. Join the Herb Walks email list to receive updates and a monthly schedule of events.

Lanny is the author of “Medicinal Herbs of California: A Field Guide to Common Healing Plants“ (Falcon Guides, 2021).

The Ojai Herbal Retreat: Roots of Renewal on Saturday, May 30, 2026, will be an all-outdoors, hands-on retreat designed to include the beautiful historic grounds of the Krotona Institute on Krotona Hill. Lunch options will be available to allow attendees to remain in this special meditative environment for the entire day. 

Registration opens on March 1. Attendance will be limited. Please join the email list to receive updates and early-bird registration info.

The Ojai Herbal Symposium takes place in Krotona Hall and on the surrounding grounds. It features a diverse faculty of presenters exploring how cultures and individuals are using medicinal herbs for better health and well-being. Herbalists, acupuncturists, naturopaths, medical doctors, chiropractors,  and health practitioners of all types, are represented on our faculty. Their  colleagues and anyone simply interested in learning more about medicinal herbs will find our presenters educational and enlightening.

The most recent Ojai Herbal Symposium was held November 11-12, 2023. Click here to see what it looked like.

In 2026, instead of a formal symposium, we are offering an all-outdoor, hands-on Ojai Herbal Retreat. Please click on the box in the center of this page to learn more and register.

The Ojai Herbal Symposium is Continuing Education Provider #1526 under the California Acupuncture Board.