Angela Paine absorbed her plant knowledge from her botanist father on the farm in Kent where she grew up. She has a BSc in Human Physiology and a PhD in medicinal plant chemistry from the School of Pharmacy, London University. She has been on research trips to Europe, Africa and South America to collect plant material used as medicine, and collaborated with scientists around the world, publishing internationally in scientific journals.
After she left the world of academia, she went to live on the borders of Wales, where she became steeped in ancient Celtic myth and began researching the plants indigenous to the area, teaching and holding workshops. This eventually led to her writing The Healing Power of Celtic Plants. Years later, new archaeological discoveries threw interesting light on the provenance of the Celts, which prompted her to write Healing Plants of the Celtic Druids.
Her latest book, Healing Plants of Greek Myth, covers the origins of western medicine and its original plant remedies derived from Greek myth. Her books look at the plants that were used as medicine in ancient times, the myths and symbolism surrounding them, and investigate their healing properties in the light of modern scientific research.
Angela Paine now lives in Stroud and has always been interested in the spiritual aspect of healing, whether through plant medicine, visualisation or ceremony. She believes that ancient peoples were connected to every aspect of their environment, for they believed that plants, animals, rivers and stones were all imbued with spirit and had to be treated with respect.