3 Herbs To Heal Your Gut (And Recipes!)
Did you know that there are more neurons in your Enteric Nervous System (Gut Brain) as there are in your spinal cord? Amazingly, we didn’t hear a lot about our gut (and the millions of microorganisms that live inside it) until about 2000. Now we’re seeing articles on it everywhere, often stating that the state of our gut health is one of the most critical factors in our overall wellbeing. There are many ways you can help your gut flora flourish. Simple things like foregoing antibiotics ... [Read more...]
The Extraordinary Link Between Your Microbiome & Immune Health [Video!]
Today I have a special video that we’ve created for you. It dives into the startling healing power of your microbiome – a vital part of you that scientists are only just beginning to understand. Your microbiome is, quite simply, the community of microorganisms – bacteria, viruses, fungi — that live all over you and within you. They’re in your gut, on your skin, in your tissues, glands, blood, bodily fluids… everywhere. The human body actually hosts ten times as many ... [Read more...]
A Powerful Mushroom Medicine
During these summer months, my family and I love foraging for medicinal plants to stash at home for whenever we need a little boost. But it’s not just the green stuff that can help us heal — there’s another category of forest dwellers that are packed with mood-lifting and immune-supporting nutrients that can transform your health. Mushrooms! Now, before we dive into this mysterious realm of natural medicine, I want to first make it very clear that foraging for mushrooms is dangerous and ... [Read more...]
3 Daily Rituals to Dissolve Inflammation and Pain
At the core of natural medicine is one fundamental belief — our bodies are powerful, and if given the proper support they usually know how to heal themselves. Your body is so wise, in fact, that at the first indication that anything is wrong it calls in the cavalry! The warrior that keeps you safe is your immune system – which is made up of white blood cells, beneficial microbes, and antibodies that can correct any imbalance that may be occurring. But sometimes the body’s natural ... [Read more...]
Backyard Medicine
One recent summer, I was helping my mom garden some of the beds in the back of her house when we stumbled upon something that looked too amazing to be true. A gorgeous Reishi mushroom was growing on the stump of a hemlock tree underneath the fence between her and her neighbor’s yard! You know, Reishi, the “king of herbs” in Chinese medicine? Scientifically known as Ganoderma and believed by ancient Taoists to be a core ingredient in the elixir of everlasting life? Yup, right there... [Read more...]
A Powerhouse Energy Herb From Ancient India [Video!]
I’ve got a special treat for you today – a cool new video that my friends Doug and Genna Wolkon at Kauai Farmacy have put together about a special herb that grows abundant in their lush Hawaiian gardens… Ashwagandha. Ashwagandha is a powerful herb that is widely used to support endurance and longevity. Also known as “Indian ginseng,” Ashwagandha helps to strengthen, restore, & rejuvenate the body. It’s famous for its ability to reduce inflammation, promote clarity & ... [Read more...]
Gotu Kola – The Brain Herb
In a number of our interviews with different natural health gurus, there is one herb that keeps coming up again and again. It’s revered for enhancing brain function and has been used in India and China for thousands of years for its positive effect on memory, clarity and focus... The crazy part? It grows all over the place and most of us westerners look at it as a weed when it grows in our yards… The herb is called Gotu Kola and there is one woman who knows it like the back of her hand. On ... [Read more...]
3 Delicious Summer Recipes to Boost Your Vitality
As the summer settles in up here in the northern hemisphere, a lot of us are hankering for mouth-watering meals and the nourishing presence of friends and family. There’s just something about gathering (socially-distanced right now, of course!) with loved ones over a plethora of food – sharing laughter, merriment, and one another’s company – that warms the soul. Today I want to share 3 super nutritious meals that are delicious, and guaranteed to crowd-please. Because we’re... [Read more...]
2 Essential Oils For Better Zzzs
We usually think of sight and hearing as our main senses. But what we smell has the strongest impact on our emotions. The olfactory receptors in our brain connect directly to the limbic system, where emotions begin. That may be why essential oils — the distilled essence of various plants and flowers — are so potent. There are over 90 types of essential oils, all with unique impacts on the body and mind. And they are extremely concentrated. For example, it’s estimated that it takes... [Read more...]
2 Surprisingly Powerful Ways To Calm Your Mind
We are living through tumultuous times. Between the global pandemic and the worldwide outcry for social change, it is easy to become overwhelmed. I know I do. Alarming footage is everywhere, there’s a hodgepodge of different ideas, and it seems like everyone is on edge. That’s why it is incredibly important to cultivate a few practices that will calm and center you – within minutes. If you’re in a constant state of fight-or-flight, your body’s vital processes slowly shut ... [Read more...]
This Calming Flower Medicine United Ancient Cultures
What is the first herb you ever learned was actually medicine? It’s easy to get caught up in all the articles and new studies on promising natural remedies, but what about that first piece of herbal knowledge you came across? Maybe in your grandma’s kitchen… or in a novel you read as a teenager? For me, it was chamomile. When I was little, this bittersweet herb was given to me as a bedtime tea when I was exhausted or had a stomach ache. I didn’t think about it much as a kid.... [Read more...]
Can Walking Barefoot Heal Your Heart?
Why do so many people equate relaxation and pleasure with walking barefoot along the beach as the waves roll in? How come my son River’s first instinct is to take his shoes off when he sees a field of green grass? Is it kooky human behavior that is simply hard-wired into our genetic makeup, or is there something more to this urge to remove footwear? The Unshod, or Shoe-Less, Revolution Historically speaking, it seems like we’re right in step with our forebearers. Long before we had ... [Read more...]