Who is April Graham?

April Graham is not your typical herbalist.

Raised among the towering pines of the Blue Mountains in Northeast Oregon, April grew up immersed in plant knowledge that was lived rather than studied. Growing up culturally as an American Pavee on her father’s side and on the Umatilla Reservation on her mother’s side, she developed a practical relationship with herbalism from the beginning—shaped by necessity, observation, and respect for the land. She learned from her grandmothers, Ruby and Audry, women who passed down generations of plant wisdom rooted in survival and discernment, not credentials or ego.

April’s journey into herbalism was never romantic. It was forged through hardship, resilience, and an intimate understanding of what it means to rely on plants to stay alive.

By the age of 13, April found herself homeless, surviving on the streets for nearly a decade into her early twenties. During those years, herbs were far more than medicine—they were food, stability, and often the only thing standing between functioning and falling apart. Herbalism wasn’t something she turned to later in life; it was something she depended on when there were no safety nets.

As a young mother, April faced another defining moment when she was diagnosed with cervical cancer while five months pregnant with her daughter. She declined the recommended chemotherapy and hysterectomy, instead turning to what she already knew: safe, simple herbs, deep nutrition, land-based connection, and a LEEP procedure she now regrets agreeing to. She gave birth, healed, and today has been cancer-free for nearly 19 years. That experience permanently shaped her approach to health—intentional, cautious, and rooted in respect for the body rather than fear.

This story of survival is not separate from April’s work—it is the foundation of it.

During one of the most difficult seasons of her life—living in a remote mountain cabin that was more like a shack, deep in benzodiazepine withdrawal, and trying to provide for her children—April did what she had always known how to do. She made medicine. She began with a single jar of elderberry tincture and a few empty bottles, labeling them by hand and hitchhiking miles just to upload a photo online using free McDonald’s Wi-Fi.

Those first six sales weren’t a business launch. They were survival—and proof that her lived knowledge could still carry her forward.

In the years that followed, she continued making medicine and sharing what she knew freely. As her life stabilized and her teaching reached more people, that small, necessity-born work slowly grew into something others sought out as well—not as a replacement for learning, but as a practical option when time, health, or access made making everything themselves unrealistic.

Over time, that work became what was known as Wild Wood Apothecary.

For more than 11 years, Wild Wood served hundreds of thousands of customers and supported farmers, the land, and April’s mission to teach freely—while maintaining uncompromising standards not often seen in the industry as a whole. Every formula reflected her approach to herbalism: simple, whole, safe, and intentional. It was never about trends or excess; it was about practicing herbalism at scale without abandoning its ethics.

As the apothecary grew, so did April’s teaching and following.

Her strong stance against keeping herbal knowledge held hostage for profit made her controversial within the industry, but deeply trusted by the hundreds of thousands of people who learned from her worldwide. Through more than 550 YouTube videos and hundreds of live Q&As, April has taught herbalism freely for over a decade—and continues to do so—always emphasizing whole plants, safety, and simplicity.

In 2025, April made the deliberate and brave decision to close Wild Wood Apothecary.

Not because it wasn’t thriving—but because it had fulfilled its purpose.

After more than a decade of running a demanding physical-product business, April chose to step away from production so she could heal, grow, and return her full focus to teaching, writing, and preserving herbal knowledge in its most accessible form. Closing Wild Wood marked the completion of a chapter, not the loss of one.

Outside of her work, April is a mother to two grown children, now 19 and 22, and has been with her husband, Kent, for over 20 years. Her life—like her work—has been shaped by commitment, endurance, and long seasons of showing up.

Today, April continues to teach, write, and share herbal knowledge without gatekeeping or intimidation. She remains grounded in the belief that herbalism was never meant to be complicated, expensive, or exclusive—and that real learning happens when people are trusted with knowledge rather than made dependent. In the end, she hopes you no longer need her—and that you feel confident enough to do this yourself. That, to her, is real empowerment.

She is down-to-earth, kind, and firm in her boundaries, unafraid to speak plainly or stand alone when needed. Not everyone agrees with her—and she’s okay with that. But for those who have felt overwhelmed, priced out, or talked down to in herbal spaces, April is often the teacher they’ve been searching for.

Her work has never been about building followers.
It has always been about building capable people.

And after a lifetime of lived experience, more than a decade of teaching freely, and hundreds of thousands of students learning alongside her, April still believes—without a doubt:

You are smart enough to do this.