Roy Upton has been trained in traditional Ayurvedic, Chinese and Western herbal traditions, has studied Native American and Caribbean ethnobotanical traditions, and is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. He is the Executive Director and Editor of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia and a member of the Standards Committee of the American Herbal Products Association and advisory committees for the American Botanical Council, AOAC International, and NSF International. Along with being an author and lecturer, Roy was co-founder and past president of the American Herbalists Guild and is the herbalist and director of the California-based herbal company Planetary Herbals.