About the Columnist

David Bruce Leonard is a practitioner and teacher of all five branches of traditional Chinese medicine: acupuncture, herbal medicine, massage, dietary therapy and martial arts exercises. He has studied with traditional medicines with healers in Asia, North and South America, Europe and Hawaii. With a master's degree in traditional Chinese medicine, he has a working knowledge of more than 400 traditional Hawaiian, Chinese and Western plants.

David is the Director of Herbal Studies at the Traditional Chinese Medical College of Hawaii. He is also co-director of Awapuhi Health Sanctuary, a residential treatment facility on the big island of Hawaii. A deep ecologist and Hawaiian native plant specialist, he has been a student of Hawaiian medicine under Kahu Kawika Ka'alakea, Na Kupuna 'O Maui, and Kaipo Kaneakua since 1992. He studies, lectures and teaches widely on herb-drug interactions; cross-cultural uses of plant medicines; environmental concerns; traditional plant gathering practices; and pragmatic approaches to health care. He is currently writing two books.