On the blogs: Summer health tips, a visit to the BRIT herbarium in Fort Worth, and the difference between herbalism and herbology Five good herb links for June Summer herb class series with East West grad Ben Zappin Having trouble viewing this newsletter? See it online here! Meet Our New  Students of the Month Mara Ribbin   Holly Nielsen June special: Herbal consults by phone with Michael or Lesley Tierra Until June 30, 2009, the Tierras are offering phone herbal wellness consultations for only $100 (33% off)! The first consult takes about 45 minutes and includes personal herbal, nutrition and supplement recommendations. Book a follow-up appointment a month later for only $65. Or book both appointments for $150! Click here for more info and to fill out an intake form. Featured Products ON SALE until 6/30/09: Arjuna CardioComfort, 25% off Calm Child Herbal Syrup, 25% off Hawthorn Heart, 25% off Salvia with MSV-60, 25% off

Tempering that summer blaze "Summer is the essence of life, growth, heat and activity," East West School dean, acupuncturist and herbalist Lesley Tierra writes. "Our energy is expansive now, flowing outward to act on the plans and seeds sowed in spring. Similarly, the body's heat, or 'inner fire,' starts rising close to the surface, cooling us inside." The long days and mild nights of summer tempt us to go the distance in work and play. But increased heat and increased activity can lead to some serious burn-out. You won't want to miss Lesley's blog on summertime diet, lifestyle and herbal tips here: The Fire Without and the Fire Within: Herbal and Health Tips for Summer.   Michael Tierra blogs Michael has offered up a fasinating blend of botanical journalism, philosophy and mysticism on his online journal in the past few weeks, taking us on a trip through a Fort Worth herbarium in one blog post and then back through time to understand humankind's utter dependence on the plant kingdom in another. Check them out: Pressed for Time: Piano and Plants (and Pests) in Fort Worth, Texas Herbology and Herbalism: Two Sides of the Same Coin Five good herb links for June Juliette de Bairacli Levy, one of our greatest herbal elders, passed away peacefully on May 28, 2009. Read more about her life here. The inimitable Dr. Jim Duke just re-launched his website! Visit theGreen Pharmacy online for tons of top-quality herbal information. June means peak blooming time for delicious summertime-only flowers. Click here for recipes using beautiful blue borage flowers and their cucumber-flavored leaves. Delicately-scented elderflower is used in many traditional recipes, but check out this one for elderflower sorbet! Numen, a documentary about herbalism in the United States by filmmakers Ann Ambrecht and Terrence Youk, is in its final stages of production. View the preview of this important film here and donate to help its completion if you can. Summer herb class series with East West graduate Benjamin Zappin If you're a health care practitioner, health food store employee, or just interested in herbs, join herbalist and acupuncturist Ben Zappin for the following herb classes in San Francisco this summer:   The energetic language of plants: understanding flavors, natures, temperature, directions and tropisms Herbs for harmonizing mind, mood and emotions Adaptogens, tonics and supplementing herbs: strengthening the body and enhancing specific organ and tissue structure and function Herbs for topical use: treating injury, infection, bites and burns with an emphasis on first-aid herbal preparations Common culinary herbs and their medicinal uses When: Tuesday evenings, July 7-August 4, 6-9 p.m. Where: Magnolia Wellness Center in the Marina, San Francisco, CA Cost: $250 for the entire series if paid in full by July 1; or $60 per class To register: e-mail Ben Zappin or call 831.239.6900 Benjamin Zappin, L.Ac., Herbalist, has worked with herbs for 15 years. He has been on the faculty of Five Branches University of TCM, the American School of Herbalism, and the East West School of Planetary Herbology. He currently maintains a private practice in San Francisco and Berkeley, CA, and runs the herbal extract company Five Flavors Herbs with his wife Ingrid and son Sylvan. Interested in learning more about herbs? Compare and enroll in one of our East West School of Planetary Herbology Herb Courses here! Got a question about healing with herbs?  Discuss herbal therapies, identification, diet and related topics on ourPublic Discussion Boards.

Van Cliburn competitor Chetan Tierra to perform
with the Santa Cruz County Symphony on March 28

About Michael and Lesley Tierra's son, Chetan:

The Way of Ayurveda by Michael Tierra and K.P. Khalsa Published June 2008 by Lotus Press

KP Khalsa and Michael Tierra's new book, The Way of Ayurvedic Herbs, has just been published by Lotus Press! This third book in Tierra's original "The Way' series joins the classics The Way of Herbs and The Way of Chinese Herbs (both published by Pocket, revised 1998). 

The Way of Ayurvedic Herbs features treatments and remedies conveyed personally to the authors by their respective spiritual teachers, who were the first to unofficially introduce Ayurveda to the West.

Tierra's teacher, Hari Das, is the spiritual mentor behind the Mt. Madonna Center in Watsonville, Calif. Hari Das is a a 'mouna" and is committed a lifetime austerity practice which includes a vow of silence.

"What you see in The Way of Ayurvedic Herbs from Hari Das is the result of years of my transcribing what he wrote on a little chalkboard while sitting at the foot of his bed or at various yoga gatherings," Tierra said. "It is his only mode of communication."

The late Yogi Bhajan, Khalsa's teacher, was a world-renowned master of Sikh yoga. KP similarly worked closely with him for years, collecting his many Ayurvedic healing recommendations. Because these come from an orally handed down Ayurvedic folk tradition, many of these are not to be found in any other book.

From the back cover:

"Ashwaganda for stamina and vitality... arjuna for heart health... dandelion for breast wellness... gokshura to reach a sexual peak... Traditional Ayurveda, using the principles of the three doshas, constitutional body typing and highly individualized therapies, is the oldest continously practiced healing system on Earth. Over those many centuries, generations of Ayurvedic scholars and physicians have reviewed, inspected, dissected and refined the system to perfect a highly effective form of health, balance and healing. Now, two of the world's leading Ayurvedic herbalists, both leaders of the holistic health renaissance, and who, together, bring a total of over 75 years of practice to this work, have crafted a manual for making Ayurveda understandable and eminently, practically useful. THE WAY OF AYURVEDIC HERBS is more than an herb manual. It is a life path to well-being."

Buy your copy from Lotus Press here!