NEWS RELEASE

Contact:
Jon Slavet, Founder & CEO
Secara
1-888-SECARA-1
jon@secara.com
www.secara.com

FIVE BRANCHES INSTITUTE CHOOSES SECARA CONCENTRATED TABLET LINE FOR TEACHING CLINIC

San Francisco (October 11, 2004) - Secara, the healing professional's choice™, announced today that The Five Branches Institute in Santa Cruz, CA, has chosen Secara to be a primary concentrated tablet line for its teaching clinic. Secara's (www.secara.com) professional Chinese herbal line was formulated by Christopher Hobbs, L.Ac., Co-Founder of the American Herbalists Guild and the company's Chief Herbalist.

Five Branches Institute Chooses Secara for its Potency, Organics & Transparency
"As the Director of FBI for many years, I've seen every herb company in the market," said Joanna Zhao, L.Ac. "I chose Secara because I'm impressed with their attention to potency, their focus on organic ingredients, and their full disclosure of everything in the bottle. Secara is a great teaching tool, because students need to understand what's in the products they are using. Secara discloses everything and is setting a new standard here."

"Secara is proud to be working with FBI, one of the foremost TCM schools in the U.S. We're confident that Secara's superior quality tablet line will be a mainstay at FBI as well as a great teaching tool," said Meghan Conroy, Secara's Consulting Manager.

The First Organically Focused Professional Chinese Herbal Line
"Through its commitment to organic farming and organic herbs, Secara is creating new possibilities in holistic healing," said Chris Hobbs , Secara's Chief Herbalist and Co-Founder of the American Herbalists Guild. "I'm proud that Secara is committed to organic farming and organic herbs, and is taking this leadership position within the industry. Our professional TCM herbal line honors the classic Chinese formulas, and makes subtle modifications with Western herbs where efficacy, freshness, and quality can be improved. We believe that integrating the best of East and West is the future of herbal medicine."

A Company Borne of CEO's Personal Experience
"I founded Secara because traditional Chinese medicine had a profound impact on the quality of my life," said Secara Founder and CEO, Jon Slavet. "With our focus on organics, potency and transparency, the Secara brand will make the world of holistic healing more accessible and more meaningful for practitioner and health seeker alike."

Team, Board and Investors Include Industry Leaders
Secara Chief Herbalist, Christopher Hobbs, L.Ac., AHG, is Co-Founder of the American Herbalists Guild and Founder of the Rainbow Light herbal line. A fourth-generation herbalist with over 30 years of experience, Hobbs studied TCM at the Hangzhou School of TCM in China . Secara's Medical Advisors include Dr. Bruce Robinson, President of the National Board of Internal Medicine for Acupuncture. Secara's board of directors and investors include current and former CEOs, founders and board members from leading companies such as Aveda, Odwalla, Whole Foods, Peet's Coffee & Tea, 24 Hour Fitness, and HealthNet.

About Secara
Secara, the healing professional's choice™, partners with recognized experts to create holistic healing products combining ancient traditions and modern thinking. Secara is the first professional traditional Chinese herbal line with a focus on organic ingredients. Secara's Board of Directors and investors include executives from companies such as Aveda, Odwalla, The Body Shop, Peet's Coffee & Tea, Whole Foods, 24 Hour Fitness, and HealthNet. Secara is based in San Francisco.

The healing professional's choice is a trademark of Secara.