In the last week, I've been doing some serious soul-searching. Well, truth be told, I live in a near-constant state of restating my assumptions and priorities in life. But recently, thoughts of "this stuff" have been weighing heavily on my mind.

The serendipitous nature of the universe manifested about an hour ago, when I received a call from a naturopath 2,000 miles away from me in New England. The parent of a patient of his was doing some research and discovered my post about Lobelia's usefulness with seizures. She passed the article along to the doc, who picked up the phone and called me to discuss it more.

You can't see it, but I have very large and cheesy grin on my face which will probably stay there for the rest of the day. While I'm not a big believer in waiting for signs from above, I'm not so stupid as to refuse to follow the well-lighted path when it emerges from the shadows.

To that end-- I'm back. I'm not exactly sure where the path heads. I'd like to write more and eventually author some books on naturalism, botanical medicine, marine life... whatever. In order to get there, I have to start writing things. So I'm betting that this site will develop in that direction over time. Wish me luck!

Well as you probably have figured out, I've not been very active in herbal circles as of late. I've not abandonded the craft, just pulled back my involvement as other things in life require more of my attention.

You'll see some big changes to this site in the future. I hope. If I can convince someone to help me with some web-stuff.

So bear with me, bail on me, or transition with me. It's all good.

E.

The News and Observer is reporting that uber-giant Kraft Foods just might be growing a conscience. Rather than tout the wonderful taste of their sugar-ladden products to kids, they're shifting their focus which are "reduced", "low", or "free" of calories, fat, sodium and sugar.

As part of the new marketing program, Kraft said it would quit advertising products that don't qualify for the nutrition label on cartoon shows and other broadcast and print media that are viewed primarily by children aged 6 to 11.

It said those products include regular Kool-Aid beverages, Oreo and Chips Ahoy cookies, several Post children's cereals and some varieties of its Lunchables lunch combinations.

Call me crazy, but I was quite interested to read this story published on the Hindustan Times website:

Curcumin, the yellow pigment in curry spice may be a potential agent to fight against Alzheimer's, according to researchers at the University of California at Irvine.

The new UCLA-Veterans Affairs study involving genetically altered mice suggests that curcumin, the yellow pigment in curry spice, inhibits the accumulation of destructive beta amyloids in the brains of Alzheimer's patients and also breaks up existing plaques.

Surfing the web for information is easy. Filtering out the junk is hard. Google just made it easier-- sort of.

Google Scholar performs serches on peer-reviewed journals, scientific papers, thesis and other "scholarly" documents. No, I'm sure they don't count my site, but if you're looking for some solid information on Larrea tridentata, it's a place to start.

Read a great article at the NY Times on the absurdity of antibacterial products. A choice excerpt:

The makers of antibacterial products are fond of the word "germs." It is purposefully vague. Do they mean bacteria? Viruses? Both? Neither? Because the idea is simply to connote contamination. These products are as much about cooties as they are about viruses or bacteria.

Contamination is in many ways a psychological construct. It is the notion that our belongings or our loved ones can become unclean by the mere touch of a stranger. Nothing is actually transferred by the touch. The contamination is symbolic, magical, irrational. It makes sense that the extravagantly rich - Howard Hughes or Donald Trump, for instance - are our most notorious germphobics, people made uncomfortable by the thought of shaking a stranger's hand.

The higher you rise and the better sequestered you are from the "unwashed masses," the smaller and dirtier the average Joe must begin to seem. Other human beings become our germs.

A plea, then, for a little calm, a little rationality. Try to look upon bacteria as did their discoverer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, "For me, this was among all the marvels that I discovered in nature the most marvelous of all, and I must say, that for my part, no more pleasant sight has met my eye than this of so many thousand living creatures in one small drop of water."

Today I noticed a story which seemed interesting. It had to do with the recent archaeological finding of a vial of face cream from Roman times. Laboratory scientists analyized and were successful in recreating the compound.

Naturally, I assumed some interesting herbs might have been found, but then realized that scientists would be looking at the chemical fingerprint of the creme which might not provide much info about the species of plants used.

Reading the article, it turned out to be a moot point: the only interesting plant-based ingredient was starch, which could come from a variety of plant sources. The other two ingredients were refined animal fat and tin. Not very exciting from an herbal point of view, but as I was near the end I opted to finish reading the article.

As the researchers point out, tin has no medicinal value so they conclude that its function must have been as a pigment. The non-toxic properties of tin would have been a plus, because the health risks of lead were becoming recognized by the second century AD.

Oh wait, strike that question.

I figure that most of the folks who read this blog are sitting in some sort of stunned disbelief, with their worlds completely rocked at the realization that all their efforts were all for naught.

What a perfect time for me to post a political rant. :)

You see, I didn't vote for Kerry. I didn't think his policies on important issues were markedly different from those of Gee Dubbya. He was so concerned about getting the neo-ultra-conservative-fundamentalist vote that he said some amazingly stupid things. No, his morals are not my morals. His vision for the country is not my vision for the country. His idea of our place as members of the greater citizen community of earth looks significantly different than mine.

So no vote.

Did I vote for Bush? Please. You must be out of your frigging mind. See all the things I just said about Kerry, multiply them by Avagadro's Number. Not to mention he has an IQ of somewhere around room temperature.

Another no vote.

But I did vote. Just not for either of the (cough) candidates listed above.

Now I know what you're saying. "A vote for anybody other than Kerry is a vote for Bush." Sorry for the frank talk, but that's just bullshit. In my opinion, a vote for ANY Republican or Democrat is a vote for the broken establishment which keeps us locked in this crappy cycle. Those, to me, are wasted votes.

Things gotta change people. But first they need to get a whole lot worse. I heard that 60% of the eligible voters turned out yesterday. Great. That's up from 6% for years ago. But what about the other 40% of apathetic voters out there? They obviously aren't excited about what politics as usuall offers. Maybe someone will come along and speak to them. Maybe he (or she) is already here. Maybe if enough of you who call yourself Democrats bail on your crippled party and vote your principles and not your fears... maybe they'll come out and play.

If it wasn't so sad it would be funny:

California prosecutors are cracking down on kava-drinking motorists who are driving under the intoxicating influence of the herbal tea.

Following their first successful conviction in June, San Mateo County prosecutors have filed three other cases, after about a dozen motorists had been pulled over in recent years, said San Mateo Deputy District Attorney Chris Feasel.

Motorists under the influence of Kava had a "thousand-yard stare", Feasel said. "They're drooling on themselves sometimes, their motor function is so bad," he added.

He said that police had pulled over kava-addled motorists who were swerving, veering into other lanes and drifting onto the road's shoulder.

"Kava basically has the opposite effect of alcohol," Feasel said. "Kava affects your motor skills before it affects your mental abilities."

Kava is traditionally used to quite a chatty mind, sharpen focus and help with centering. In large doses, it can be soporific (helps you go to sleep). But this nonsense about the motor system affects before the mental is just goofy. Moron...

Story from New Zealand, of all strange places.

I'm always skeptical of clinical trials on herbal medicines, but this one features leading medical herbalist Kerry Bone.

The researchers are seeking women aged between 40 and 60. The study focuses on women currently undergoing menopause, those approaching it and those in their early post-menopausal stage. Participants must be experiencing flushing and/or night sweats in conjunction with other menopausal symptoms such as anxiety, nervous tension, depression, mood changes or sleep disturbances.

Volunteers will be required to take either St John's Wort and Chaste Tree herbal tablets or identical dummy tablets for a period of 16 weeks, and complete short monthly questionnaires. Both herbs have a long tradition for treating menopausal symptoms and are widely prescribed by herbalists and naturopaths.

From the Say It Isn't So Department, researchers for the UCSF School of Nursing have uncovered secret (no more) document which show how Phillip Morris used what can only be compared to extortion on research schools and universities. The researchers said:

PM wanted to be seen to contribute to medical research to counter the image of harm caused by its cigarettes. It used a combination of carrots and sticks -- alternately offering or threatening the loss of research funding -- to avoid a public rejection by the medical schools. Johns Hopkins divested; Yale did not.

Yet another great bit of news from the Science Blog, and seasonal, too!:

While parents and youngsters are busy carving jack-o-lanterns in preparation for Halloween, Canadian scientists are hard at work on another way to use the popular yellow-orange plant. New research shows that pumpkins can clean up soil contaminated with DDT and other pollutants.

In a greenhouse study, members of the Cucurbita pepo species -- including pumpkin and zucchini -- demonstrated the ability to remove DDT from soil, suggesting a potential ''green'' technique for cleaning up sites contaminated with DDT, PCBs and other harmful compounds.

It's official. I'm in love with the Science Blog, if for no other reason than reporting on the painfully obvious.

Soda, Halloween candy and other food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners could one day get a fresh makeover using honey, one of the most ancient sweeteners, researchers say.

Scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign say that honey may be a healthier alternative than corn syrup due to its higher level of antioxidants, compounds which are believed to fight cancer, heart disease and other diseases.

Honey, which contains a number of antioxidant components that act as preservatives, also shows promise as a replacement for some synthetic antioxidants widely used as preservatives in salad dressings and other foods, according to Nicki Engeseth, Ph.D., associate professor of food chemistry at the university.

Dark-colored honey, such as buckwheat honey, is generally thought to contain higher levels of antioxidants than the light-colored varieties, according to the scientists. Previous studies by the researchers suggest that honey may have the same level of disease-fighting antioxidants as that of some common fruits.

I love stories in the main-stream press that support what us wacky-hippy-herbalists have been saying for years:

Researchers at Cornell University have found, in preliminary lab studies, that members of the onion family with the strongest flavor -- particularly New York Bold, Western Yellow and shallots -- are the best varieties for inhibiting the growth of liver and colon cancer cells.

Researchers have known for some time that onions may help fight cancer, but the current study is believed to be the first to compare cancer-fighting abilities among commonly consumed onion varieties.

While popular as fried ''rings,'' onions are known mostly for their ability to add flavor to a variety of food dishes, including meats, pizza, soups and salads. But they are increasingly becoming known for their potential health benefits. Onions are rich in a flavor compound known as quercetin, a potent antioxidant that has been linked to protection against cataracts and heart disease as well as cancer. They are also sodium, fat and cholesterol free.

(Oh yeah, this website needs some attention...)

A BOTANIST'S relentless search of north Queensland's rainforests has paid off with the rediscovery of a fern species that could help in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

On a rainy day in January this year, James Cook University researcher Ashley Field fell over in amazement when he looked up into the rainforest canopy to see the fern that was believed to be extinct.

In China, another member of the species is cultivated to extract the compound Huperzine, believed to help in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

One of the smartest herbalists I know, Jim McDonald, finally has put up his own website! He's just getting started, but will soon be adding tons and tons of great information on a variety of herbs.

Jim is one of the more active and interesting voices in our herbal community. If you haven't had the pleasure of reading his posts or his other works, do so now!

Sometimes, you just don't know who to believe.

Nettles (Urtica dioica) are quite helpful to those suffering from allergies. They seem to work by stablizing mast cells in the blood stream so they don't release their histimines as easily. I like to think of them as "desensitizing" the "skin" of these defense cells so they aren't as touchy during allergy season.

I was taught to always use Nettles for allergies fresh or freeze dried, as it's the compounds in the little stiniging hairs that provide the protection. Drying the plant or introducing boiling water would render these compounds inactive.

However, many herbalists I trust implicitly, like Henriette Kress and Paul Bergner, are on the other side of the fence, using dried nettles for teas and the like, reporting great success with allergies. Here's what Paul has to say:

"... freeze drying is a terrible for for most herbs, because, after
extraction of the water it leaves a porous, highly oxidizable product, more
likely to be oxidized after say 3 months on the shelf than regulagly dired
material. That why in laboratories FD material is kept in amber bottles with
nitrogen atmosphere and in the refrigerator.

I find dried nettles as a beverage, started before allergy season, can make
for a better season. Best to be working on food allergies and nutritional
status at the same time. Nettles can be too drying for many, possibly
depending on climate, and addition of some licorice to the tea can
neutralize this effect."

All this leads me to one conclusion: gonna have to try it myself. Mairi has a great stand of Nettles growing near her place. Time to make a little beer and dry some for my own version of a clinical trial.

Image courtesy of University of Hawai`i at Manoa Botany Dept.

Pictures of plants are cool. Micrographs of specific plant parts are simply alien. Herbalgram has posted serveral on their website and printed them in their magazine. Incredible.

Clary sage (Salvia sclarea L., Lamiaceae) showing stalked and sessile secretory glands on the calyx trichomes (Cryo-SEM, magnified 752 times actual size).

from the book "Secretory Structures Of Aromatic And Medicinal Plants: A Review And Atlas Of Micrographs" by Katerina Svoboda and Tomas Svoboda, micrographs by Andrew Syred.

Jim McDonald has been practicing the Art of Herbcraft for over ten years, and offers a knowledge of herbalism that blends western folk and indigenous views of healing with the Eclectic & Physiomedical approaches of 19th century western herbalism. Jim is a community herbalist, a manic wildcrafter and medicine maker, and has been an ardent student of the most learned teachers of herbcraft...the plants themselves.

Recently he made the following comments in reference to "dry vs. damp" tissues. I'm reposting those comments here with Jim's permission:

"...makes me think about the general protocol for addressing dryness and atrophy in tissues, which is really importnat when people are talking about what to do about, say, sinusitis. You just HAVE to differentiate between dry and damp, otherwise you might do something silly, like give goldenseal for dry tissues.

Figure this: tissues need moisture from two sources: waters and oils. This is not only important in addressing structural concerns like hydration and pliancy, but it should be remembered that hormones need fluids to travel in as well. Deficiency in moisture inpeeds the ability of nutrition, hormones and neurotransmitters to get to and fro.

Anyways, if tissues are dried out, they need to get moistened back up, and there should be some assessment made as to whether waters, oils or both need to be supplied

Water can be supplied by the "wet" herbs, chickweed, cleavers & self heal come to mind. If lubrication needs to be supplied as well, mucilages are indicated. Plantian, Mullein, & Cornsilk are nice and possess other virtues that give indications as to when they should be used, and herbs like Slippery Elm and Marshmallow are almost wholy mucilaginous.

Oils should come from the diet, including both vegetable sources like flax and sesame (or ghee), and animal sources like salmon and fish oils and even (EEK!) butter and animal fats. Vegetable sources of oils and not substitues for animal sources of oils, so getting your EFAs from Flax or Hemp or Borage or Evening Primrose won't do the same that fish oils do. We need both (sorry, vegetarians). Also, my humble opinion is that wild salmon for dinner is far better than capsules of cod liver oil.

Sometimes, though, we may be getting oils, but our bodies are having a hard time distributing them. Burdock roots and seeds are excellent for balancing out the functions of the sebascious glands, be the skin too oil, to dry, or really dry here and really oily there. I've heard Sage is also good here, but don't know its niche and so can't really say how or when to use it.

Anyways, just things to keep in mind when considering dryness issues."

... might turn your lungs black, but you're less likely to get Alzheimer's. But don't rush our to grab a couple of cartons of smokes just yet. The idea here is to show an illustration of the classic phrase "All things in moderation."