Mimi Prunella Hernandez, M.S., R.H. (AHG) is a clinical herbalist, educator, and author of National Geographic Herbal and The Backyard Guide to Edible Wild Plants.

Her herbal roots stretch deep into the soil of family tradition, inspired by her Colombian and Mexican grandmothers and nurtured by the rich folk healing lineage of Latin American Curanderismo. This legacy continues to shape her life’s work, blending the ancestral with the practical, the scientific with the soulful.

Mimi’s lineage is grounded not only in folk traditions, but also shaped by herbal medicine teachers along the way. She studied clinical herbalism under Simon Mills, whose guidance helped refine her approach to patient-centered care. From Dr. Kevin Spelman, she gained a deep appreciation for herbal energetics and a lasting love for herbal medicine research. Dr. James Snow instilled in her a respect for history and the Eclectic tradition, while the late Dr. James Duke, witty, wise, and rooted in the garden, sparked her initial passion for ethnobotany and opened the door to herbal medicine.

Mimi  holds a master’s degree in herbal medicine and is a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild. She has mentored countless students in clinical and community herbalism, offering teachings that are as grounded as they are expansive. With a strong foundation in science and traditional healing, she bridges herbal wisdom with evidence-based practice. As the Herbal Therpay Liaison at Standard Process, Mimi brings this unique perspective into clinical education, teaching healthcare professionals how to integrate functional herbal medicine into modern therapeutic models. Known for her warmth, clarity, and storytelling spirit, she translates complex scientific concepts into accessible, meaningful guidance, bringing heart to every lecture, keynote, and kitchen table conversation.

For more than a decade, Mimi served as Executive Director of the American Herbalists Guild, where she worked to ensure that herbalists have strong and inclusive professional pathways. In 2023, she was honored with the Botanical Excellence Award from the American Botanical Council, recognized as a Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder.

Her homesteading passion comes to life through Herbal and Home, a living and evolving expression of her values rooted in herbal science, gardening, kitchen herbalism, apothecary, and sanctuary. Alongside her husband Terry, she stewards The PonderLand Native Plant Sanctuary, a place devoted to native plant conservation, education, and inspiration. Together, they encourage others to create sanctuaries in their own communities.

Mimi finds joy in crafting remedies by hand, making herbal house calls with a full heart, and delivering baskets filled with nourishing gifts from the land. Her greatest joy of all is tending to her three children, Anaïs, Evan, and Talan, and the many beloved animals she shares a home with, alongside her partner in life and land, Terry.