Robyn Klein (phytosleuth)

I work for the Biomimicry Guild researching and writing. My expertise is in medical botany, plant sciences, herbal medicine and teaching.

I am particularly curious about the mechanism of action behind the bioactivity of plants used as medicines throughout the world. I want to know how the chemical compounds interact in the human body.

Discovery can result from digging the plant up and holding it. Smelling it. Tasting it (knowing that it is not one of the very poisonous plants that are found in that ecosystem). One would never know that this Ambrosia artemisifolia contains a very red fluid in its roots...unless you first dug it up and looked.

I am also an adjunct instructor in the Department of Plant Sciences & Plant Pathology at Montana State University. I teach plant identification, ethnobotany, and biomimicry through the Masters of Science in Science Education Program (MSSE). I have taught many undergraduate courses in medical botany and herbal medicine.