Natural Healing: Q and A with Herbalist Lesley Tierra
By Marci Jackson
May/June 2002
Name: Lesley Tierra
Age: 50
Hometown: Born and raised in Michigan. Now living in Santa Cruz, California, with husband Michael Tierra, an acupuncturist.
Education and training: Came to acupuncture through an apprenticeship; started out as a massage practitioner using herbs and went into acupuncture from there. Completed formal apprenticeship in Santa Cruz with Michael.
Occupation: This is Tierra’s fourth career. She was first a manager for Ohio Bell, then taught children photography and sold her nature photographs to artists in Montana and Wyoming. Then she took women vision questing in the California desert outside of Death Valley. Tierra is now an acupuncturist and herbalist, both as a practitioner and an educator, and shares her clinic with Michael, where she uses “whatever is needed for healing—acupuncture, herbs, dietary therapy, lifestyle counseling, and adjunct therapies.” She’s the author of several books, including The Herbs of Life (Crossing Press, 1992), Healing with Chinese Herbs (Crossing Press, 1997), A Kid’s Herb Book (R. D. Reid Publishers, 2000), and Traditional Chinese Herbal Diagnosis with Michael (Lotus Press, 2000). Tierra is currently working on a revision of The Herbs of Life that will include a 120-page chapter on treating specific ailments based on her twenty years of clinical experience. She also has an herbal correspondence school (with Michael) called the East West Herb Course that covers Oriental and Western herbalism. For more information, visit www.planetherbs.com.
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HBC: Tell us about your kids’ herb book.
Tierra: My kids’ herb book was a lot of fun to put together, and I did so with the help of children. It’s quite unique because there are really no books available that teach children about herbs and how to use them. It covers eighteen main herbs that are particularly good for children and is filled with herbal lore, tons of projects and activities, and general information about plants and ecology. I also wrote a story for every herb and Michael wrote songs for half of them. Older children can make their own first-aid kits, grow gardens, and have a tea party, while younger ones can find a little hidden character, Mr. Greenleaf, throughout the book. Visually, it’s amazing, as the women who created the artwork and layout design did incredible jobs.
HBC: How did you become interested in alternative medicine?
Tierra: I was living in Wyoming doing photography and learned about herbs through friends. From there, I came to California to learn shiatsu and herbs in Santa Cruz. Then I met Michael, and it was a natural progression to acupuncture and what I do now.