This past winter I had the extreme pleasure of finally meeting in person (ie: growing in its native environment) a plant ally I have benefited from for many years now. Damiana. (Turnera diffusa) Classified in Mexico as a national treasure and used by the Aztecs, Maya and other indigenous people of Mexico, this fragrant plant is famous for its aphrodisiac properties. Damiana grows wild on the mesas above the little town of Santiago in southern Baja near my winter domicile of El Chorro. A local friend offered to show me a plentiful cache of this herb that has fencing around it, so it is relatively undisturbed by the cows. Cows LOVE damiana! Interesting that it just so aligned to go harvesti
The fungus is among us and it is a hot item these days. BUT.... Are you throwing away your resources on expensive mushroom powders? Medicinal mushrooms are a trendy item on the market these days popping up in all kinds of eye catching hip packaging, selling us the idea of mushroom powders in our morning latte or smoothie. I’ve even seen well meaning nutrition/healthy living people and clinical herbalists plugging these products. BUT there is something you need to know. If the product you are using is a raw mushroom powder and not an extract you aren’t really getting anything from this and in fact, for some, may cause digestive upset. Many companies are selling exactly this. Mushroom pow
When science and love come together. Dog medicine. Gut flora. The canines are our loyal allies and friends. They have protected us, hunted with us, and add to our overall heath with their symbiotic companionship and we often feel they are a part of us. The Norse mythology of Garmr describes a dog that stands at the gates of the underworld and will only howl if the end of the world is near. And as in Rudyard Kiplings stories and evidenced by history, it seems Dog made an agreement with humans at one point to protect and hunt in exchange for food and a place by the fire. The friendly bacteria of our gut offer similar qualities. They are the “gatekeepers” of our digestive tract. Working in part
