TRE In Conversation with Dr Josie & Rita Hogan (S1-115)

Sam. Hi.

So good to see you. Yeah. You're looking good.

Good.

How are you guys doing?

We're doing. We're doing. We were talking about not being able to get enough sleep or just all I want to do since this eclipse is sleep, you know?

Right. I just woke up this morning. I woke up. I woke up this morning, and the first thing I said was, that was too short. I wanted to sleep more. I'm like. I know.

I wish there were, like, more hours somewhere that we could, you know, slide into our pockets or something, because I just think there's not enough hours somehow. Like, my days are full, but it's, like, still not enough somehow.

I don't know. Oh, there's no never.

But it's true. All I wanted to do since the eclipse, even coming up to the eclipse, is sleep.

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. It's hitting me in my 12th house, but I just. Wow. You know, it's hard to be out there and get motivated right now, but I think after these last few years, it's been. Been so. It's been rough, you know, and everybody's. I feel like there's this huge collective grief thing going on because everybody's lost so many people, and.

Oh, my God, I know. So many people have died. It's just of. You know, I'm not talking about COVID either. I'm talking about, you know, just so many people have passed on and I know of, and it's. It's. It's very overwhelming for people.

Yeah. Yeah. But you plant woman.

Wait, hold on. Oh, wow. Wait, wait. Oh, did you make. I bought two new bumper stickers on my. On my food poisoning vacation.

What happened.

What happened with you?

I got hired to go to Nashville to assess Doug the Pug. I've been working with him for about six years. And, you know, people think. I don't know if you know who he is, but he has, like, millions and millions and millions and millions of followers. And people think that they have a body double because Doug is 10, you know, and people, you know, this baseline theory of your dog is old at eight, Right. They're. They. They accused them of having a body double. Right. And. And I'm like. Because Doug looks so good, and I'm like, he's only 10.

Yeah.

Like, what is. He's only 10. Anyways, they're like, he's 10 years old. You know, could you come? And, you know, we've never met you. We've been working with each other, you know, for six years, every year. And I said, sure. And I got there, I did my work because I was only working for two days, the weekend, and Sunday night they brought me out to dinner and, well, I ordered the vegan pho and the fresh rolls, and I didn't see these little shrimp in the fresh roll. I mean, they were really. Facebook posts about being sick. Greg mentioned something that saved him from E. Coli twice. Like, everyone got. Helped him get over it really quickly. So I'm going to write that down, probably mix it up and keep. Put that in my kit, too.

Wow. I mean, even like. Like, I have some of the Chinese formulas, but I just didn't. When I. When you're so sick and nauseous, you just don't. That's why I like the homeopathics better for it, because you can just dissolve those little tablets in your mouth and you don't have.

You really don't have to do much. You just. Just shove it. That's basically all I had the energy to do was turn the cap and.

Exactly. Oh, my God. Taking bitters or taking coptas or something. I think I'd probably just throw it right back up. Yeah.

And what's really funny is when I was sick, so from my childhood, you know how we do these things from our childhood that we, you know, so whenever I get super, super sick to the point where, you know, you're kind of delirious, you're a mess, you think, oh, God. Or if I'm on my way to the hospital, whatever, for some reason, I start singing Kenny Rogers the Gambler. Okay. I've done it ever since I was a kid. And my friends like, rita, are you okay? I'm like, yeah. She's like, you've been singing the Gambler for, like, for, like, hours, and I don't even know.

We revert back to when we're like.

Yeah, my mom used to play that album all the time, and we used to sing that together. And whenever I'm super sick, I sit there and I'm like, summer's evening, a tree out of nowhere. I start singing it, and I don't even know I'm singing it. Oh, my God. It's hilarious. And my. My late partner who passed on, she. She. If she ever heard me singing it, she used to panic, like, oh, God, what's the matter? I'm like, very good. I don't feel very good. Oh, my God. Hilarious. It's all I can say because I don't even know I'm doing it, but my friend's like, you've been singing the Gamble for, like, two days. I don't know. It must soothe me or something.

Oh, my goodness.

Yeah. What are we talking about today?

What are we talking about? I thought we'd talk about, like, all the different ways, like, a lot of people think herbal medicine, and they only think of, like, certain things, you know, like maybe echinacea or dandelion. But there's all so many different ways we can use plants, because I tend to use. I've been going back and doing a lot of herbal infusions for myself, like, these past couple years. I'm kind of going back to my beginnings and my roots, but. And then I use all the Chinese herbs, but you use the gemo therapies, and, you know, I use all.

I use a lot of different methods and. Hold on. What is happening? Oh, I'm sorry. Something's happened. My computer's taking over. Okay, now we're. Okay, hold on. What is that? Okay, where can you see me?

Yeah, you can see and hear you.

Hold on.

Mercury back.

Evernote took over. Let me shut that down. I don't know what was happening. Something to do with Evernote. I thought I lost you guys. Okay, I'm back now. So, yeah, we were. Is this being recorded? Oh, yes, it is. So we were. We were talking about what. Say, do you know Sage Poppin?

No.

Okay, so he's a mentor of mine. Anyways, I was listening to one of his Q and A's yesterday while I was working, and he made a really cool point about all the different. All the different methods in which to take in plants into your body. Right? And he was talking about scientific evidence versus anecdotal evidence. And what was weird about it is that's what I was writing about when I turned on his Q and A. So it was like, hey, we are on the same gel. And. But he was talking about how, you know, like, a lot of scientific evidence is based on isolates of plants, and then that body of evidence is blanketed on to the whole plant itself, when it actually has hardly anything to do with it, you know?

Exactly. There's so many things of that. Like, somebody will say, well, you can't give them this herb because it does this specific thing. And I'm like, well, no, it doesn't. It really kind of modulates it and does this and this and this, too, you know?

Yeah.

I run into that a lot.

Like milk thistle, right?

Yeah.

Some milk thistle in here. This one. This one's got yellow Doc. Milk thistle, celery, carrot. I. I always try to start out with something in the morning. But like milk thistle. Had this conversation yesterday with someone on Facebook. They said, I told them, you know, you should probably add like powdered milk thistle or a tincture of milk thistle to your dog's regimen for a while and make sure it's milk thistle seed and not. Not the isolate. And because a lot of milk thistle is just the isolate of. Of silmarin. Right. So they said they were denimarin.

That denimarin isolated. Yeah.

They were using Adored Beast liver tonic. Right. Which is very popular. But I explained to them, I said, you know, that's a water based extraction of milk thistle, which does not extract that well in water. You know, you're just getting those water based constituents of the milk thistle. And I said, so you could give that. I said, kind of think of it as a costar of that formula. The stars of that formula are the water based infusions of barberry and greater celadon. So they're like, but why would you give extra milk this? I said, because it's completely different than what's in that formula. So I mean, it depends on infusions and decoctions. And like, you know, scientific evidence is barely ever going to be based on infusions or decocting something, you know, because you can't, you can't depend on the potency of that over and over again, you know. So scientific evidence has a really hard time relating to what we do as traditional herbalists. So, yeah, it's fascinating.

Well, and then you get into the. And then, you know, I take it a step further and this is kind of what I'm doing, Rita. I like to push the envelope. And that's why I just want to have these open conversations where, where you have the scientific and the isolates and they're doing this with cbd. But then you get onto the opposite end of the spectrum where you're actually dealing with the spirit of that plant and developing a relationship with that plant. So I've been doing like a lot of plant dietas where I do know Jen Costa, she's up in. She's up in upstate New York, but she does this really great programs where we're just taking for like four weeks one plant and taking it in a lot of different forms and literally working around the medicine wheel with that plant with all the directions and then going in and doing journeys with the plant. So you're like developing an actual relation, you know, And I know Matthew Wood is very much into this. But like, you're developing such a close personal Relationship with that plant.

Well, and you, you.

Oh, it opens up into this whole other world as well.

You really get to know the plant. Like you. You can take like a couple plants a month by taking it in in like all fashions, like as an infusion, as. As a tincture, as sitting with the plant and just being with the plant for hours, you know, as the essential oil.

Just aromatherapy, the whole thing.

And then you'll really, really, really, really know that plant. Even if like someone recently took in. They did a. Like an entire dropper full of blue flag iris and. Which is not advised ever. Yeah. And they were violently ill and they got over, you know, but it will take your tincture of the iris higher. Tincture a dropper of blue flag iris, which is insane. They thought, well, you know, how can three drops actually work? It was a person, not a dog. I'm really grateful for that. But like they learned. But they. But through that experience, this conversation yesterday with someone on Facebook, they said, I told them it's.

They really got journey.

I'm sure does. Right. Because it was like a proving it did what it helps in small doses, in a large dose. It caused all that. And yeah. I mean, I think that going through the medicine wheel and going through the elements with the plant is a really excellent way to get to know it and. And to be with it and. And understand it. You know, my favorite. They.

They have so much to give us, you know, and it's like the more I go and I've been working with plants, I mean, 30 years, but it's like the more it's like you just keep going and going and going. That's what's so amazing about it, you know? Yeah.

You'll never be finished ever.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no. What's your favorite you were thinking to say.

Oh, I don't know. I can't remember what I was going to say. I lost it. I'm a goldfish. I lost it.

That's the way it is. So. Yeah. So listing just for people that might be listening that don't understand all the different ways of working with plant of like different plants. Why don't we go through them like infusions which are like teas and decoctions where you cook it down. But then you have tinctures.

Yeah. So you have infusions. Is which is like a tea. But it depends on the herb itself if it's good for an infusion or if it needs cold water. Like an herb like cleavers that's sensitive to Heat or marshmallow root. Like marshmallow root. You could do an infusion or a decoction. Decoctions are really good for roots and seeds and berries, things like that. And the cool thing about decoctions is usually you can decoction it about, you know, two to three times and still get a very, you know, a good brew.

And then there's the traditional Chinese medicines. They use decoctions and they're like. Yeah. And so a lot of times some formulas I'll get from my, my practitioner that I go see will cook down the first one and they'll have me pour that out and then drink the second and the third. You know, sometimes you want to drink the first one and the second and third, but they've got all these different. But just comes out really sick, like mud. Almost like essay.

SCF is really thick.

Yeah.

And then you have tinctures, you know, and in the dog world, some people don't like tinctures. But I've been using alcoholic based tinctures on dogs for over 20 years. But I don't use a lot of medicine. That's the thing. Like I, you know, I don't think in all the years that I've been practicing, I don't think I've ever used more than 30 drops on a dog for anything. And that was a very large dog. But I usually use between 1 and 8 drops, so probably twice a day. So. And that's, you know, that's less alcohol than it's found in a ripe banana. So. And then if people are freaky about using tinctures, then really all you have to do is add powdered milk thistle to the diet while you're using the tincture as milk thistle helps.

Yeah, that's a good idea.

Yeah, it helps protect the liver.

You know, they worry so much about that and yet stuff that might be in their food or might be in that treat that they just gave them is so much worse.

What I found interesting is. Well, another. And we can talk about this in a minute. But you know, people worry about alcohol in tinctures, even small amounts. But they will pour an essential oil on their dog meat or put it in their body and have no, just against it. So it just depends on how we're, I think the framework in which we conduct ourselves in, you know, how, like I don't know what resonates with us because, you know, there's certain constituents in alcohol based tinctures that you can't get in a glycerin or in an infusion.

Oh yeah.

And you need to use such small amount of medicine for an alcoholic tincture and that. I do like them. And then there's glycerins, which is a glycerin based tincture and that can be actually extracted in glycerin or extracted in water and preserved in glycerin. It just depends how people are doing it. There's a lot of herbs that don't extract well in glycerin whatsoever. There are a lot of them. Like, you know, like cleavers is really good at extracting glycerin because it has so much moisture. Yeah.

I'm playing around with. I'm making my first glycerin because, you.

Know there's certain constituents in, in alcohol based tinctures that you can't get in a glycerin or in an infusion.

Oh yeah.

And you, you need to use such small amount of medicine for an alcoholic tincture and that. I do like them. And then there's glycerins, which is a glycerin based tincture and that can be.

An extract because I'm growing all this tulsi and I had all these tulsi leaf flowers, flowering top. So I just shoved, stuffed a jar full of those and I had some glycerin here. So I'm going to try it out. But I've always been. I started out using alcoholic tinctures primarily and, and that's. I agree with you in terms of the medical potency and content.

Yeah. Alcoholic tinctures are not for nutrition. They're not nutritional. They're not. Yeah. They're not nourishing. They're strictly medicinal. Maybe, maybe milky oats. Milky oats might be, you know, that might be an exception. But then there's, there's glycerin glycerates which are very popular with dogs. But too much of it can cause. Can actually extracted in glycerin or extracted in water and preserved in glycerin. It just depends how people are doing it. There's a lot of herbs that don't extract well in glycerin whatsoever. There are a lot of them. Like, you know, like cleavers is really good at extracting glycerin because it has so much moisture.

I'm playing around with. I'm making my first glycerin cause nausea.

And it's in a lot of treats now. So you have to be careful with how much glycerin you're giving your dog treats.

And it's like, it's sugar. So I'll get these dogs with like the, the scabby, scaly yeast all around their lips and I'm like, get out all your treats. And they'll be giving. Between molasses and glycerin.

They're loaded, you know, glycerin in treats now to make them more pliable and stuff. And it. No. So you have to be careful how much glycerin you're giving your dog. And then there are flower essences which are absolutely lovely. I love them so much. I use them just every day. I love the vibrational plant medicine. Absolutely love it.

Making scotch extract because I'm growing all this tulsi and I had all these tulsi leaves, flowers, flowering top. So I just shoved, stuffed a jar full of those and I had some glycerin here so I'm going to try it out. But I've always been. I started out using alcoholic tinctures primarily and, and that's. I, I agree with you in terms of the medical potency and content.

Yeah. Alcoholic tinctures are not for nutrition, they're not neutral. And flower essence today and leading.

I mean it's, it's part of my. Yeah, I have a huge cabinet full of my flower essences.

Me too.

I've always got, I've always got one going. You know, it's. Yeah, yeah.

Just absolutely love them. Then we have, we have gemotherapy, which is a homeopathic version of what I would refer to as phytoembryonic therapy, even though it's kind of a part of it. Gemotherapy are. It's a. Basically a 1 to 200 nutritional. They're not, they're not. Yeah, they're not nourishing. They're strictly medicinal. Maybe milky oats. Milky oats might be, you know, that might be an exception. But then there's, there's glycerin dilution of plant stems, tissues, young tissues, buds, germinating seeds, embryonic barks. I absolutely adore glycerins which are very popular with dogs. But too much of it can cause. Can these types of remedies. I'm coming out with a. Training in a couple of months for them and then I use a lot of mother tinctures of bud medicine. So those I refer to as phytoembryonics. They're of course a lot less, a lot less medicine but they have so many trace nutrients, they have lots of vitamins and minerals cause nausea and it's in a lot of treats now, so you have to be careful with how much glycerin you're giving your dog. Lots of flavonoids and carotenoids and antioxidants benefits. And the one thing I love about a plant bud medicine and the young tissues and seeds and things like that is that they can be used long term. Like for instance, horsetail.

And it's like, it's sugar. So I'll get these dogs with like the, the scabby scaly yeast all around their lips and I'm like, get out all your treats. And they'll be giving between molasses.

Yeah, you can't, yeah, you can't use regular horsetail for a long time but you can use the phyto glycerin.

They're loaded, you know, glycerin in treats.

Now to make them more pliable and stuff and embryonic for a long time. Yeah. And they, they complement each other. So I mix them with mature plants.

You know, my, my Taoist, my Taoist teacher always said that the most, that if you want like the best, the strongest, most potent energy and she is in that like embryo state.

No. So you have to be careful how much glycerin you're giving your dog. And then there are flower essences which are absolutely lovely. I love them so much. I use them just every day.

I love or in like the sprouting seed when the seed is just starting to sprout and so.

And it has everything for the mature plant, you know, but it also has all those stem cells and growth factors that are not found in the mature plant. And here's a cool thing about these remedies is because we are living in such a polluted environment, they don't have a chance. I love the vibrational plant medicine. Absolutely love it. Making scotch tube become polluted, which is another thing that I absolutely love. And what's crazy about the remedies is they don't have a chance to become polluted. But they are so good at getting rid of pollutants in your body. Yeah. From flower essence today and leading to.

Why? I mean it's, it's part of my. Yeah, I have a huge cabinet full of my flower essences.

Me too.

I've always got, I've always got one going. You know, it's. Yeah, yeah.

Just absolutely love them. Then we have, we have general therapy which is a. Lots of estrogen.

We need that.

Estrogens. Yeah. Car exhaust, diesel. I was just going over some information with my students that I put together a while back and I was just like, oh my God. Like, oh, of course I don't. The homeopathic version of what I would refer to as phytoembryonic therapy. Even though it's kind of artistic.

Yeah. Like sometimes you forget all the details and you go back and you're like, wow, but that's awesome.

I mean they're so good at detoxification.

And yet, and yet they're nourishing like you. That's what I worry. Like there's so much. Detox can be so stripping of the body. But I like things that can remove that stuff but then nourish the body at the same time.

Yeah. And detoxification needs to go slow. People are part of it. General therapy are. It's basically a 1 to 200. I think people, people try to detox their dogs way too quickly and they do it without binders. You know, they do it without binders. So you get a lot. You get circulating toxins and then you get lipomas. And so I think that, you know, people need to be careful when they're detoxing their dog. It's slow and steady wins the race. It didn't happen over. Dilution of plant stems, tissues, young tissues, buds, germinating seeds, embryonic barks. I absolutely adore these types of remedies. I'm coming out with a training in a couple of months for them. And then, you know, it's not going to detox overnight. And. And we want to be careful that we're not stimulating that phase one detoxification to produce even more free radicals, you know.

Exactly. Well, it's like. Yeah, it's. It's interesting because we're. I'm finding a lot of discussion now and I'm actually, I'm just starting to look into mistletoe. But it's so funny because mistletoe part.

And then I use a lot of mother tinctures of. Of bud medicine. So those I refer to as phytoembryonics, they're of course a lot less. A lot less medicine.

Part of it is to. You want to stimulate the inflammatory response and the cytokine response, but you don't want to do it too much or you're going to go the opposite way and kill the body. It's like with COVID with the cytokine storm, filling up the lungs with all that inflammatory cells. But it's the same thing with detoxing. You can detox much. You get all these free radicals. Then that's when you see the like healing crises issues and things like that.

But they have so many trace nutrients. They have lots of vitamins and minerals.

Come up where the dogs are actually really sick.

Yeah, yeah. And lots of flavonoids and carotenoids and antioxidants benefits. And the one thing I love about plant bud medicine and the young tissues and seeds and things like that, it's just too much too soon, you know what I mean? And so I think that, I think that it's really important to know your different forms of medicine. And there's some things that people just aren't even aware of that is that they can be used long term. Like for instance, horsetail that can help detox the body. Like here. An interesting one that I've been working with lately is organic corn seeds, germinating seeds. Oh, really? Yeah, they're filled with trace minerals. They're filled with like vitamin A, B1, B2, like all the, all the B vitamins, Calcium, choline, it.

Yeah, you can't.

Yeah, you can't use regular horsetail for a long time, but you can use the phytoembryonic for a long time.

Yeah.

And they, they complement each other well.

There's a reason corn was. Corn was. Corn was a sacred plant. It's a sacred plant for the Hopi. And it's kind of like corn, rice and wheat are these like humanities lived on those, you know, before they got genetically screwed up, you know.

Well, and what's interesting is the. So I mix them with mature plants.

You know, my, my Taoist, My Taoist teacher always said that the most, that if you want like the best germinating.

Seeds, when you make a, A, a phytoembryonic out of them, they help detox like xenoestrogens. They help get rid of pesticides and fertilizers. But they work with, it works with the musculoskeletal system. It helps bring down inflammation in the gastrointestinal system. It can help get rid of H. Pylori. It really helps dogs and people that are kind of low in vitamin D.

It helps your body the strongest, most potent energy. And she is in that embryo state or in the cell sprouting seed when the seed is just starting to sprout. And so, and it has every.

Absorb vitamin D better. It's really great. And you mentioned mistletoe. The thing for the mature plant, you know, but it also has all those stem cells and gem or therapy of the mistletoe is fantastic, Josie, Just fantastic.

I've got it. Maybe I'm. I need to take your course. That's coming up on that because I just. I just really don't know anything about them.

That's why growth factors that are not found in the mature plant. And here's a cool thing about these.

I haven't delved into them yet but.

Well that'll come out probably by August and it's a work at your own pace course on all of the remedies.

Check them out. Yeah, that's so that.

Yeah.

That germinated corn seed that fascinates me because there's a lot.

Yeah. I mean and there's, there's a lot of re. I mean there's a lot of research coming out. Remedies is because we are living in such a polluted environment they don't have a chance of Italy on the phytoembryonics much more so than research to become polluted. Which is another thing that I absolutely love. And what's crazy about the remedies is they don't have it done on regular plants. Yeah, I mean there, that's a pure.

Form of the plant like you said too. It's before it's been exposed to a lot of stuff and it's that chance to become polluted.

But they are so good at getting rid of.

You're almost.

Yeah, it's lovely. And then there's a company that I, I work with called Nature Provides and they make phytoembryonics but they're all spagyrics so.

Well that's what as you were talking about having these vitamins and minerals. I'm thinking like that sounds like a spagyric, you know.

Yeah, they're all spagyric. They're spagyrically made which I love. Like I can make my own phytoembryonics but they're not going to be spagyrically made because pollutants in your body. Yeah. Heavy metals. I don't have. I don't have what that takes. Laboratory.

Newbie, newbie question. What's spagyrics? Could you explain that sir?

So a spagyric is an alchemical lots of estrogen.

We need that.

Estrogens. Yeah, car exhaust, diesel there. I was just going over some information with my student. Preparation of a plant. It's. It's burned down alchemically until you get the plants salts which they believe is the spirit of the plant. And so basically on a regular tincture okay, you have the mark which is what you're say let's just use nettles. So you got, you got your jar full of nettle leaf. And then you've got your menstruum, which is your. Whatever type of alcohol you want to use. And normally you're going to decant that. You're going to. That I put together a while back, and I was just like, oh, my God. Like, of course I don't take the. The leaves out. And you're going to press out the alcohol and save the alcohol as your remedy. Well, in spagyrics, they take the plant matter and they put it in a. In a pot, basically, sort of. Curtis.

Yeah. Like, sometimes you forget all the little details and you go back and you're like, wow, but that's awesome.

I mean, they're so good at detoxification. Yeah.

And yet. And yet they're nourishing. Like you. That. That's what I worry. Like, there's so much. Detox can be so stripping of the body. But I like things that can kind of.

I don't know, it's. It's a special pot. And then they. You put it in a fire and you burn that down and they do it like, probably two to three times until you get what is the salts of. Of that material. And then those. They're put back. Yeah. The ash. They put. They're put back into the tincture. So it's an entire embodiment of the plant. And it's an alchemical preparation. It's. Has its.

The CBD I've been using for a long time is a spagyric extract of CBD from the small company Radical Roots. And I really, like, remove that stuff but then nourish the body at the same time.

Yeah. And detoxification needs to go slow, people.

But. Yeah.

Yeah, that's Radical roots.

Yeah, Radical roots. This woman, she's an acupuncturist. She started it. But yeah, it's a spirit spagyric extract.

I think people. People try to detox their dogs way too quickly.

But she also. They grow the. They grow their plants biodynamically on a biodynamic farm in Colorado. Yeah. Which is also really nice.

The guy like, so that's enough. And they do it without binders. You know, they do it without binders. So you get a lot. You get circulating toxins, and then you get lipomas. And so biodynamics is another layer of plant medicine that, you know, there's. It's like beyond. Way beyond organic biodynamic. And I did want to mention that if you don't know who SAJA is, it's evolutionary herbalism but he has an entire line of tinctures that are all spagyrics. Yeah. So he. He has it. I think that, you know, people need to be careful when they're detoxing their dog. It's slow and steady wins the race. It didn't happen over an entire plant medicine company.

How do you spell his name?

S, A J, A H. He's for people that I'm to dogs.

Okay, cool.

Yeah, pop them. But they. He has an entire spagyric line. That is just lovely.

Awesome. Oh, nice.

And then, you know, it's not going to detox overnight. And. And we want to be careful that we're not stimulating that phase one detoxification to produce even more free radicals. You know?

Exactly. Well, it's like. Yeah, it's. It's interesting because we're. I'm finding.

He teaches. He teaches. You know, he teaches spagyric plant medicine.

Oh, cool. Cool.

Yeah.

Just come out then. Yeah.

I wish I had more time in the world. I would totally dive into that, but I. I just don't. Not right now.

I know. And then there's the. The essential oil. And there's a lot of discussion now. And I'm actually. I'm just starting to look into mistletoe. But it's so funny because mistletoe, part of it is to. You want to steal. Stimulate the inflammatory response and the cytokine response.

Mutual oil realm, which is a complicated subject.

And you don't want to do it too much or you're going to go the opposite way and kill the body. It's like with COVID with this side.

There's so many different opinions on it. For me, I mean, a lot of people I've, you know, have gotten mad at me about my opinion on a lot of essential oils.

I be kind of storm filling up the lungs with all that inflammatory cells. But it's the same thing with detoxing.

You can detox, but they're just misunderstanding. I think sometimes they want everything to be so black and white and exactly what. The exact answer of what should happen. But things are not black and white. And for herbal medicine, as an herbalist.

Definitely not black and white.

And it's the strongest form of herbal medicine. And a lot of people who practice with essential oils, they don't talk so much.

You get all these free radicals. Then that's when you see the, like, healing crises issues and things like that.

Really understand just how many plants went into that little bottle of oil. And if they sat with that come.

Up where the dogs are actually really sick.

Yeah. And it's, it's just too much too soon. You know what I mean? And so I think that that amount of plants, they freak out. They'd be like what? Like. Yeah. I mean, you know, to make, let's just say, I don't know, 4 ounces of peppermint essential oil could fill my office.

Yeah. In a room.

I think that it's really important to know your, like, I wouldn't be able to breathe, like.

Yeah.

You know, so it's, it's interesting. I mean, you know, there's sustainability issues with, with essential oils and there's also. Let me show you this.

Yeah. The essential oils I've as I've worked with more and more vibrational essence, different forms of medicine.

And there's some things that people just aren't even aware of that and as.

If you work with all the. These others. I found that my, my sensitivity to.

Essential oil that can help detox the body. Like here. An interesting one that I've been working with lately is organic corn seeds. Germinating seeds.

Oh, Wells. It's like I can just, I just want to open that bottle and just like waft it a little bit and then I'm good.

Yeah. And that's what I'm saying.

Like I had a case and, and this just proved to me because I've done a lot of work with Carolyn and after I worked with Carolyn Ingraham, especially nowadays, I'm just. Yeah.

They were filled with trace minerals. They're filled with like vitamin A.

Like when I come across a patient doused in essential oils, I tell people, I say, you can't put, you can't put them on like this if I'm going to come do acupuncture. Because if I'm sitting there with that dog in my lap and my nose is burning from the amount of oils on that dog.

Imagine that the dog.

Think about that poor dog. I mean, I've sat there and my, my eyes will start running from all of the essential oils.

One B2, like all the, all the B vitamins, calcium, choline it.

But I had a case, I had a case of a golden doodle. Well, there's a reason corn was. Corn was. Corn was a sacred plant. It's a sacred plant for the Hopi. And it's kind of like corn, rice and wheat. Are these like humanities lived on those, you know, before they got genetically screwed up, you know.

Well, and what's interesting is the jury.

Who came, he's a very special dog. He's this woman's soul dog. She's part of my group. Reverence. Jackie has seen dog, but he came down with anal adenocarcinoma. And I found it because he'd been scooting. And I sent her right into a regular vet. Well, they did surgery to debulk it, but that scooter, that's. That it's just a really aggressive form of cancer. And it's around the anus.

She did eliminating seeds. When you make a phytoembryonic out of them, they help.

Didn't want to put the dog through chemo. It was just. He's a very sensitive soul. She just didn't even want to go that route. And the dog wouldn't let me put needles in them. And it was almost nearly impossible to get any kind of capsules or any detox like xenoestrogens.

They help get rid of pesticides and fertilizers, but they work with. It works with the musculoskeletal system.

It helps kind of anything downhill. And so I was like, you know, let me try. We tried all these different things. And I'm like, let me just go get my. My zoom applied zoo pharmacog. My oil kit.

Yeah, let me just bring down inflammation in the gastrointestinal system. It can help get rid of H. Pylori.

Cheating him with that. I treated that dog for a year, letting himself select oils. At the end, he let me do a little bit of moxa on him. I would take him out in the yard and I would just use moxa very little because he'd respond really quickly. A year later, she went back to her oncologist for a checkup, and the oncologist came into the room a second time.

It really helps dogs and people that are kind of low in vitamin D. It helps your body.

And it was like, I think we have the wrong dog here. Because they couldn't find it. And the dog had lived for 12 months past their due date.

So the oncologist absorbed vitamin D better. It's really great. And you mentioned mistletoe. The gemotherapy of the mistletoe is fantastic.

Josie just literally didn't. Didn't believe.

I thought it was the wrong dog. And, you know, and I tell people, you know, essential oils are wonderful when you need.

I've got it. But maybe I'm. I need to take your course that's coming up on that. Because I just. I just really don't know anything about them. That's why.

Eat a hammer.

And it's And I mean that the only thing this dog received was self selecting essential oils and some moxa, you know. Yeah. And I mean both of us, but she was the type of person, she was like really wanted to honor his wishes and there's something about that too is honoring that animal. And he knew what he wanted. Haven't delved into him yet but.

Well, that'll come out probably by August and it's a work at your own pace course on all of the revenues.

Check them out. Yeah, that. So that, yeah, that germinated corn seed that fascinates me because there's a lot.

And there's, there's a lot of re. I mean there's a lot of research coming out of Italy on the phytoembryonics. Much more so than research done on regular plants. Yeah, I mean there, that's a pure.

Form of the plant like you said too. It's before, before it's been exposed to a lot of stuff and it's that pure almost.

Yeah, it's lovely. And then there's a company that I work with called Nature Provides and they make phytoembryonics but they're all spagyrics.

So I. Well that's what as you were talking about having these vitamins and minerals. I'm thinking like that sounds like a spagyric, you know.

Yeah, they're all spagyric. They're spagyrically made, which I love. Like I can make my own phytoembryonics but they're not going to be spagyrically made because I don't have what that takes. Laboratory, I don't have what that takes.

Newbie question, what's spagyrics? Could you explain that, sir?

So a spagyric is an alchemical preparation of a plant. It's burned down alchemically until you get the plant's salts, which they believe is the spirit of the plant. And so basically on a regular tincture, okay, you have the mark which is what you're say, let's just use nettles. So you got, you got your jar full of nettle leaf and then you've got your menstruum, which is your whatever type of alcohol you want to use. And normally you're going to decant that, you're going to take the, the leaves out and you're going to press out the alcohol and save the alcohol as your remedy. Well, in spagyrics they take the plant matter and they put it in a, in a pot basically sort of kind of. I don't know. It's. It's a special pot. And then they. You put it in a fire and you burn that down, and they do it, like, probably two to three times until you get what is the salts of. Of that material. And then those salts will put. They're. They're put back. Yeah. The ash. They put. They're put back into the tincture. So it's an entire embodiment of the plant. And it's an alchemical preparation. It's.

It has CBD I've been using for a long time, is a spagyric extract of CBD from the small company Radical Roots. And I really like it, but. Yeah.

Yeah, that's Radical roots.

Yeah, Radical roots. This woman, she's an acupuncturist. She started it. But yeah, it's a spagyric extract. But she also. They grow the. They grow their plants biodynamically on a biodynamic farm in Colorado. Yeah. Which is also really nice. The guy, like.

So that's another. That biodynamics is another layer of plant medicine that, you know, there's. It's like, beyond. Way beyond organic biodynamic. And I did want to mention that if you don't know who sage it is, it's evolutionary herbalism. But he has an entire line of tinctures that are all spagyrics. Yeah. So he. He has a higher plant medicine company.

How do you spell his name?

S, A, J. He's for people that I'm. To dogs.

Okay, cool.

Yeah, they should pop them, but they. He has an entire spagyric line. That is just lovely.

Awesome. Oh, nice.

He teaches. He teaches, you know, he teaches spagyric plant medicine.

Oh, cool.

Cool. Yeah.

I'll just come out then. Yeah.

I wish I had more time in the world. I would totally dive into that, but I. I just don't. Not right now.

I know. And then there's the. The essential oil.

And there's the essential oil realm, which is a complicated subject, and there's so many different opinions on it for me. I mean, a lot of people I've, you know, have gotten mad at me about my opinion on a lot of essential oils, but they're just misunderstanding. I think sometimes they want everything to be so black and white. Exactly the exact answer of what should happen. But things are not black and white. And for herbal medicine, as an herbalist.

Definitely not black and white.

And it's the strongest form of herbal medicine. And a lot of people who practice with essential oils they don't really understand just how many plants went into that little bottle of oil. And if they sat with that amount of plants, they freak out. They'd be like, what? Like. Yeah. I mean, you know, to make, let's just say, I don't know, 4 ounces of peppermint essential oil could fill my outfit.

Yeah. In a room, filled my office.

Like, I wouldn't be able to breathe. Like. Yeah. You know, so it's, it's interesting. I mean, you know, there's sustainability issues with, with essential oils and there's also. Let me show you this.

Yeah. The essential oils. I, as I've worked with more and more vibrational essences and as if you work with all the these others. I found that my sensitivity to essential oils, it's like I can just. I just want to open that bottle and just like waft it a little bit and then I'm good.

Yeah. And that's what I'm saying.

Like, I had a case and this just proved to me because I've done a lot of work with Carolyn. And after I worked with Carolyn Ingraham, especially nowadays, I'm just like. When I come across a patient doused in essential oils, I tell people, I say, you can't put, you can't put them on like this if I'm going to come do acupuncture. Because if I'm sitting there with that dog in my lap and my nose is burning from the amount of oils on that dog, Imagine that, the dog. Think about that poor dog. I mean, I've sat there and my, my eyes will start running from all of the essential oils. But I had a case, I had a case of a goldendoodle who came. He's a very special dog. He's this woman's soul dog. She's part of my group reverence. Jackie has seen his dog, but he came down with anal adenocarcinoma. And I found it because he'd been scooting and I sent her right into a regular vet. Well, they did surgery to debulk it, but that's that. It's just a really aggressive form of cancer and it's around the anus. She didn't want to put the dog through chemo. It was just. He's a very sensitive soul. She just didn't even want to go that route. And the dog wouldn't let me put needles in him. And it was almost nearly impossible to get any kind of capsules or any kind of anything down him. And so I was like, you know, let Me try. We tried all these different things and I'm like, let me just go get my, my zoom applied zoo pharmacog. My oil kit. Yeah, let me just try treating him with that. I cheated that dog for a year letting himself select oils. He at the end he let me do a little bit of moxa on him. I would take him out in the yard and I would just use moxa very little because he'd respond really quickly. And a year later she went back to her oncologist for a checkup and the oncologist came into the room a second time and was like, I think we have the wrong dog here. Because they couldn't find it. And the dog had lived for 12 months past their due date. So the oncologist literally didn't, didn't believe.

I did thought it was the wrong dog. And you know, and I tell people, you know, essential oils are wonderful when you need a hammer.

And it's. And I mean that the only thing this dog received was self selecting essential oils and some moxa, you know. Yeah. And I mean both of us, but she was the type of person, she was like really wanted to honor his wishes and there's something about that too is honoring that animal. And he knew what he wanted and needed and so. Yeah, yeah. But that's how powerful they are, the oils.

They're super powerful and and the thing is, is that, I mean they're super powerful and, and they. I definitely have used them in cancer cases successfully. I've used them for breathing issues successfully. In fact, I made an essential oil blend for my late partner. It was the only thing that would let her breathe. I put just a little drop on her feet and within seconds she could breathe. She had cancer in her lungs, so she could breathe. But they can be a hammer. But do you need a hammer on a daily basis? You know, and also they're so strong and they're that type of medicine that yes, they are so strong that your, your animals can self select them. And you know, if you have, if you're using an essential oil that your dog gets up and runs from the room consistently do not put that oil on them.

Yeah, yeah.

You know what I'm saying? And also I tell people, you know, and this is the same with herbs. So. And I have a problem with like certain formulas that are. Let's just say they're internal flea and tick power. Right. Well, you can't say to an herb, okay, herb, I want you to go into that body and I only want you deter to Deter fleas and ticks. I don't want you to affect the body in any way. I don't want you to affect the liver. You know, you're just there for fleas and ticks. You can't do that. And you can't do that with essential oils. If you want to diffuse essential oils every day, you're giving your entire family a medicinal treatment.

Yes.

They're not to make the air smell better. Well, I'm cleaning the air. I'm cleaning the air. You're doing more than cleaning the air.

Yeah. So, yeah.

You know, like this little, you know, here's some helichrysum. Okay. Do you see how tiny that is?

Yeah. Hey.

I've had this for years, and every now and then I smell it because it really helps me. But this is how much I purchased and I have never used. I mean, it is almost completely full. And, you know, there's sustainability issues with a lot of the plants. No, there's no. There's no issue with rosemary or peppermint or lavender. These are. These are aromatic plants that are plentiful. We can grow them. I don't know if you know who Jade Shoots is.

Yeah, yeah.

She runs the New York Institute of Aromatherapy, and she just bought this huge piece of land to preserve it and make essential oils. She makes a lot of her own essential oils. I really love her work. And then there's David Crow. Copia.

Yeah.

Amazing. Kathy Skipper and her husband Florian. If you don't know who they are, they are magical people. Just magical people. They work with. And this is how powerful these remedies are. They work with ancestral DNA. They work with trauma healing, are fantastic for rescue dogs. They're fantastic for trauma. They can release trauma. They can go back generations and release trauma in.

Maybe that's part of why there's.

They.

Their popularity has become so big because I always think, like. Like, why are these planets, certain things, stepping forward so strongly now? You know, like invasive medicine as well. Yeah, the invasive. Exactly. Exactly. Because we are. I think we're the ancestral stuff. And the trauma is just kind of piling up. It's like the dam is breaking.

It's a good way to look at. I mean, it's a good way to look at it. It's just that people. Here's the thing. So using essential oils is learning an entire form of medicine, and a lot of people that are learning that form of medicine. And weekend. Yeah, you know, like in a weekend class. And now there are master aromatherapists and most aromatherapists true aromatherapists have, you know, two to 800 hours of training and at least 200 hours of chemistry training.

Because the chemistry is insane around it. You know, I just sitting through Carolyn Ingraham's class, the chemistry. Her son is a biochemist and he was the one who kind of delves into the biochemistry behind all these things. But you get into that and it's like, you know, I loved biochemistry, but it's a whole nother. Most people can't even go there. They don't even know what they're.

And the reason why the chemistry is so important is because essential oils are an isolate of the plant. You don't have all the other stuff that mitigates their. Yes, they can have side effects. They can, they're super powerful. They can hurt your kidneys. You know, they can hurt your kidneys when you take them. Like people who put essential oils in their water and stuff and just drink it. Water.

Oh, and taking it orally. And I had a vet, I was, I was with a group of TCM practitioners and this vet was like, oh, I just want to be able to put them ID in. And I'm like, do you want to burn out the walls of your vein? You know, like burn holes in it? What are you talking.

No, no. So, yeah, I mean, I got up.

At this banquet table. Like there was maybe. Well, there's a long conference table and I, when I heard that, I stood up. I'm like, what are you talking about? You know, I just couldn't. There's a certain line that's drawn and I'm like, don't do no harm. First, do no harm.

And that's. And you know, that makes a huge point, Josie. Do no harm, right? Like, yeah, I always talk about safety, you know, and like these are vulnerable beings. They're vulnerable beings and we're putting all of these things all over them or diffusing and diffusing every day. I just had a client that I had to tell, you have to stop diffusing daily. I don't want. And she was diffusing, you know, citrus non organic cold pressed citrus oil. Like, wow, you are burning pesticides in your house because, you know, you shouldn't use non organic essential oils ever.

No, no, no, no.

The. Because they're, they're cold. Most of them are cold pressed.

Well, we would never think of, you know, and like we go back to the tinctures where people are so concerned about the alcohol. We would never think of using the tinctures at the Concentration that we're using those essential oils ever, you know.

Yeah, and yeah, and I just don't think people understand the concentration. Back to your dog with the anal carcinoma. Cancer is an excellent way to use essential oils when you know, lots. I mean I've used them for bronchitis, I've used it for kennel cough. Things that need concentrated medicine that you can self select because they are so powerful and because you know, you, you could open this little helichrysum, right. Two, you know, two, three buildings over. Your dog knows that you opened that container and that that's, that's how powerful they are. So when they get up and leave the room, oh, they don't know what they're talking about. I'm going to give it to them anyways. Don't do that. These are for, I mean these if anything is going to be self selected because our dogs are so domesticated. So you know, other self selections I take, I, I don't know, you know, I, it depends on the dog but like you know, my pugs will literally eat anything. I don't care what they'll do. You know, maybe not the wolf hybrid down the road, but my pug or my boss carrier or my bulldog, they're so domesticated and so overbred that you know, I don't.

And even their sensory, I think we taught, I talked about that with Carolyn because of their smashed in noses and like you say a wolf hybrid with their longer nose, even their sensory smell, it's like it's almost closer to their brain but they don't maybe have the same. And the domestication, it does change things. It really, it does.

I mean we've really, you know, dog breeding has been the biggest experiment we've ever done and I don't think it's worked out that well.

But you've seen the more recent things about pugs. I think Rodney had something up about the short lifespan with pugs.

Well, you know I have to say that one of the things I have, I take issue with not with Rodney but with those types of research is a lot of the research is done on dogs that were completely kibble fed and kibble fed, absolutely absolute crap, you.

Know, like and vaccinated and.

Boot wormed and doxy doxied and steroid and you know, and the thing is, is like when I was in, when I was in Nashville we met another pug along the way and the pug was seven and it was just completely white faced. It looked like it was 16, 17 years old. Maybe 18. Oh, my God. I almost put my foot in my mouth because I love elderly dogs. I love elderly dogs. And I almost. Oh, God, look at. He's a little senior. But I. Something told me to shut up. And. And I'm like, how old? You know how, like, when your gut tells you to shut up, I'm like, how old is your dog? And he's like, oh, she's seven. And I thought, you know, and had.

A long conversation with them.

Turns out he was eating benefit, which, you know, has plastic and propylene glycol in it.

I'm like, is that even food?

It's not, you know, and, you know, turns out, you know, yeah, he's, you know, we go like, oh, you know, we're just sitting there talking. And what vet do you see in town? And, you know, fully vaccinated, you know, every year goes to daycare. So we know that it has the parvo distemper. It's got everything going on, and God.

Knows what it's taking for. That's what it looks like, too, you.

Know, like, so, you know, I'd love to see research done on dogs that are naturally reared from, you know, from birth, even if it's just even one. One.

Well, I've got my own dog. You know, she said she's. She's 12 years old now. She's 50% German Shepherd Shepherd. The rest husky with a little bit of chow. But when I finally. She came up lame, like, four years ago. And so I took her in and got her X ray. She came out of a shelter at 3 years old, but her hips are atrocious. The vet I took her to came out with tears in her eyes as how bad this dog's hips are. Rita, she's still jumping in the back of my forerunner. I mean, I knock wood every day, but I've got her on pure, raw. I've got her. She is. No, but when I finally. She came up lame, like, four years ago, and so I took her in and got her X ray. She came out of a shelter at 3 years old, but her hips are atrocious. The vet I took her to came out with tears. Not had a single vaccine or anything since I've had her. And I've got her on collagen, I've got her on Chinese herbs and a joint supplement, and that's pretty much it. And walking and exercising. I keep her moving, you know, but it's. There's. They can have these issues and even have genetic issues, but if you're given the right nourishment and support, you can get them through a lot longer. A whole lot longer.

Well, yeah. And you know, it really is true that you are what you eat, you know, like the microbiome, like, if you. And, you know, this, like, bacteria. Bacteria are some of the most amazing things on the planet because you can take. You can take a petri dish of bacteria and you can change its environment, its food source. And the bacteria will go from commensal, which is, you know, good bacteria, to pathogenic bacteria if it is fed processed crap, you know, and so. And sugar.

Just throw some sugar in there.

Just throw sugar in there. Benefil's got sugar. I think it's like the third ingredient. But like, so, you know, you give your dogs milk, bones and benefit, you're going to have a bacterium that reflects what they're eating, and it's going to cause excessive aging and free radicals. And the dog's not getting any really healthy antioxidants to combat that. Free radicals. And can you imagine what the liver's doing all day long? Process benefits.

Oh, yeah.

I mean, phase one is going to be going super fast while phase two is going. I can't keep up. I can't keep up.

You get just sludge. That's where you get like I. In my. In my. Like, intuitively, I just see these livers. It's like a car that hasn't had its oil changed in decades. And the liver is just sludge. You can't even move. And that's the. You know, in Chinese medicine, the liver is the seed of the soul. So what it does, it just slogs the whole being down.

You know, the liver is everything.

Yeah.

I mean, literally everything. It's circle. You know, it. It messes with. I mean, it. It governs circulatory. You know, it's definitely the seat of the lymphatic system. It's. It is the gi.

Like that smooth. Like the smooth flow of qi throughout the whole body, you know, so you're talking your tendons and ligaments and the whole musculoskeletal as well.

Yeah. And it's. So.

This is why I loved it. That's why I love to talk to you. Because I think people need to see. See, I. We need to get away from this black and white world because there's so.

Much black and white.

There's so much in between the black and the way.

You know, but people want black and white. They want it to be black and white, and it's not. It's not well, it's like they, they want.

That goes back to the whole thing of like, just take a pill and make everything better, you know, here, here's your prescription. And just take this pill and go home and everything's going to be okay. And we know it's not. So.

No, dogs are individuals. I say it 24, seven, seven days a week. You know, you're an ecosystem, they're individuals. And with individual. Individual care takes a little more thinking and a little more work, but it is truly where, where healing takes place. You know, getting to know your dog as an individual, getting to know yourself as an individual, you know, what works for one, you know, one person. I love this smoothie. I feel very healthy when I eat it. But, you know, if I give it to my partner.

It'S not going to work.

Right. It's good for my partner. You know, it's. They're an individual. This is not for them.

Well, and that's why I love like going through the seasons too, because I think we need to, we need to come back and figure out what we as an individual are in our ecosystem. But that then inner ecosystem is a reflection of the outer ecosystem. So just by paying attention to our own inner world and the inner world of our animals going to start reflecting to the outer. You're going to start making different choices in, in what you eat, what farmers you support, what, where your energy is going. And that's going to, it's going to go out in waves to change everything.

Absolutely. And you know, seasonal care and seasonal healing is another conversation. But, you know, going the seasons and getting back into the natural rhythm of our biodiversity is a super great way to heal ourselves consistently. Like, I'm writing this dog, this book called the Seasonal Dog. So it just, you know, in the spring, you deal with the liver. You know, you deal with the liver, you deal with your tendons, your ligaments, you wake up the kidding.

You got to get the body lubricated.

You got to get it going. And then you go into the heart and circulatory system in the summer, and then you go into the large intestine and the lungs, and then you go into winter for the kidneys, you know, and basically what I've been doing with my dogs is I literally relate to them like they are ill in those, those seasonal moments. And then we have seasonal foods, we have seasonal herbs, we support the liver. We, you know, in the spring, right now we're supporting the liver. We're going into June, we're going to start supporting heat and system and heart with Hawthorne.

And so it's a wonderful thing to do. That's what I did with my online group. And we use vibrational essences, but I combined gemstone elixirs with herbs as well, which was really nice. But, yeah, it's so important. And you start getting what was on. Going, cool to see. Some people, they'll. They'll actually be like, wow, I'm, like, realizing this and this and this, and it just starts opening up this whole other world to people.

It does. And it also helps you, like helping our dogs. But we're. Because I think that.

That you do it alongside your dog.

Yeah. And as people, we want to be back in nature, whether we. We know it or not. Even if you're one of those people that loves the city so much, you're like, oh, I guess your being needs that cyclical health and that attention seasonally. And it gets you back in that natural rhythm that we have been lacking, and it shows that we've been lacking it. You know, you're better very far.

You know, and then. And again, it's like when you start living like that, you start realizing your body becomes more sensitive to the toxins and stuff. So you're like, instead of going for that donut or that whatever, or pulling through the drive through, you're like. Like, I. You look at it and you're like, I can't even eat that. You know?

No, I can't eat that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, totally. So, yeah. Could talk about this all day.

I know, I know. So I'm.

I'm curious, Rita. Like, you know, you say we're in, like, spring now. So what are you having in your smoothie? Do you change it with seasonal.

Yes, yes.

So what do you.

This is my liver smoothie. This is my liver smoothie. So it has yellow doc, which is really good for the liver and gastrointestinal system. For someone who's warm. I'm warm. You know, I have to regulate the heat in my body. And we're coming into summer, and I definitely can feel it. You know, I'm very sensitive to heat. This has yellow dock and milk thistle in. Has carrot and celery. Celery is very cooling. Sometimes I put cucumber in it. I also buy, like, concentrated organic cucumber powder, so I have a little more. It's bad.

I'd love. Because I've been doing a lot of, like, cucumber celery smoothies, because I was so. I was. You know, I'm on the tail end of coming through the menopause tunnel. But I was just like need that yin moistening cooling of the cucumber and the celery. But yeah, cucumber powder.

Yeah, organic cucumber powder.

I've got.

I have it downstairs. But that way I can get more cucumber in my smoothie. Yeah, I'm just trying to. I definitely will make smoothies and try to get more nutrition in my. My system versus how much I can eat, you know, or how much I can chew a smoothie. You know, this is no sugar in it. I mean, I don't. It has. It has a cup of organic blueberries. So that has natural sugar. I don't put any honey or maple syrup or anything like that. And it has just like a teaspoon. No, no, not teaspoon. Two teaspoons of almond butter. Organic almond butter. And that makes me. I really love.

I found is dates. Like to throw a date or two in there. That kind of sweetens it.

Yeah, that can sweeten it too. So I don't like. Some people smoothies are full of sugar. I. I don't do that. I try not to eat any processed.

I never add sugar. I never add sugar to my smoothies, actually.

Using like, like, like actual herbal plants when you blend them or, you.

Know.

The milk thistle is a tincture.

Oh, okay.

Milk thistle tincture is awful. Okay. It is terrible. Yeah, it's so. It can make me like, drool. Just even think about yellow docket.

Yellow doc too. Yellow dock's pretty rough.

So yellow doc is the powder in my smoothie and it's a powdered root. And then I use a liquid milk thistle that I blend in there because I can't taste it. And I try to take some every morning.

What. What? Do you have a brand of milk thistle you like? Because I'm still like, looking.

Or organic organs. Wild harvest.

Oregon's wild harvest.

But if it's a liquid. You mean like liquid, the liquid Herb farm. I like herb farms. I've been to herb farm. They are. They just do a wonderful job. That farm is amazing. Well, I've been to their Oregon farm. I think they have one more, but I don't know if they have any. They have some outside of the United States, but their milk thistle is grown in Oregon. I also make my own. And then. But no matter what, it's still gross. I mean, it's rough that milk. This tincture is rough. So I put it in my smoothie in the morning and I love it. So But. And I can't taste it which is even better.

You could also do dandy Doc is.

Pretty harsh too and that's why I put it in here. But I put a lot of carrot powder, organic carrot powder in my smoothie. I have a texture thing so like when I make like fresh carrot I do the carrot juice but I, I can't eat the, the fiber and this way I'm getting the fiber as well. So I really like the couple powders and stuff. And then you just have to drink it fast, faster you don't, you can't take hours to drink it otherwise it gets a little sludgy. Yeah, I go back and zip it up again. But it's really great way to get nutrition into your body that's pre digested and just up in that nutrient panel, you know like.

And then like I figure with a smoothie in the morning you can have a couple servings of fruit and your servings of vegetable and your herbs and you're good to go for the day.

And you're good to go. And I take my supplements with my smoothie. So like I have some supplements I take and I take them with my smoothie that it's so a way to get nutrition into your body that's pre digested and just up in that nutrient panel, you know like.

And then like I figure with a smoothie in the morning you can have a couple servings of fruit and your servings of vegetable and your herbs and you're good to go for the day.

And you're good to go. And I take my supplements with easy to take a pill when you're taking it with some for me for something a little thicker.

Right, right.

So this, this is for, this is like your spring summer.

This is my liver.

Your liver smoothie?

Yeah, definitely my liver smoothie. And then so at the middle dandelion in there too.

I've been putting dandelion greens in mine.

For, so when we move into the next season, what, what, what would you, what would you be putting in?

Well, I'm definitely going to be putting in hawthorn and I definitely would putting in watermelon seeds. I love water.

Why, why?

They're super nutritional and cooling. They're a refrigerant so they're super cold and I am super hot as far as when in the summer I, you know, I sweat and it's like I'm uncomfortable. I'm not into anything over 80 degrees at all. And celery and cucumber, I really like it.

Something for the, for the humidity. We've Got the humidity just rolled into town down here.

Yeah, I. I live in Singapore, I live in tropics.

It's.

It's human.

I get so bogged down with that dampness. And I see it in the animals, too. I mean, it's so heavy, you almost feel like you can't. You can't breathe the air in, you know?

I like yarrow.

Yarrow, Yeah.

I love yaro.

I'm growing some yarrow in a pot.

Yeah. For. Remember not to use the pink yarrow because it's not medicinal, which is weird, but it's true. White yarrow helps balance everything. It helps balance dampness. I love, love, love yarrow. The good thing is that a lot of herbs are drying in the long term, so a lot of them work with dampness. But dampness is such a problem with dogs now. Nine out of ten dogs are damp. And it's because, you know, steroids, antibiotics, different pharmaceuticals, flea and tick medicines, they all cause dampness, all of them. So a lot of dogs are. Are damp. Even dogs that are dry, a lot of it will come from dampness, even though they look dry, but they're really damp. But yarrow is very balancing. It's cooling and warming. I mean, it really is one of those. It's a warrior plant, you know, Josie, you're into plant spirit medicine. Yarrow is one of the plants that other plants use to communicate. It's just an amazing.

It.

It kind of goes into the body and knows what you need and does and does it.

That's probably why I. I just got a yarrow plant, like, about. About six weeks ago, and I've been growing it out here, so I haven't worked with yarrow much, but that's.

Oh, well, you know, I highly recommend. I highly recommend working with yarrow. It is just. God, it blows me away at the diversity of the plant and what it does. Because it can be warming to someone that is cool, but it can be cooling to someone who is warm. And, you know, and I think, you know, sometimes I think hawthorn's a lot like that.

Hawthorne is balancing. Yeah. With the blood pressure and things. It can. Yeah, I find it that way.

Let's see some other herbs for dampness. So, well, I'm just thinking, well, it depends on, you know, you want cool and dry or warm and dry, but like blue vervain, a very, very small amount is needed. I use it as a tincture. Like one to three drops is pretty much, you know, that's nice.

And that grows down here.

That grows down, you know, Blue vervain, the hastata or the officinalis. Either one is cold and dry, so slightly drying. Again, I use a tincture. You can use a glycerin. Dandelions are very drying so, you know, they can help dampness. Amazing. And then they're, they're bitter. Right. So it's going to help with the liver. They're only slightly cooling. So I think dandelions, a lot of people can use them. Different types of dogs can use them. Of course. Yarrow. We talked about yarrow.

Nettles. Yeah. I love nettles.

Nettles are also another balancing plant because they give you a lot of nourishment and moisture in the spring. But as you use them throughout the season. I stop using nettles in the summer.

Because I found that my body, I was using them last spring. I felt like I really needed that tonifying and that blood thing. And then I stopped, I tapered off. It was like, I don't want any more of them for a while.

Right? Yeah. I don't use them in summer. I use them in winter and spring. I love them for winter and spring. I love using the seed in winter and, you know, there's again seasonal healing. Okay. So the seed comes out right at the, towards the end of fall. Perfect for that kidney season. Nettle seed is the, in my opinion, the most perfect kidney remedy there is. It's neutral, it's a troporestorative. It can help restore the kidney. I think it can help if you give nettle seed during the winter. It really helps to avoid CCL tears.

Oh, yeah, yeah. Because it's also like just nourishing too.

It is so nourishing. And you can use it as a tincture and just, just, you know, nettle seed, one to four drops is your max. You don't need any more than that. Or you can use it as just the, the dried seed. You know, we dry a big bucket of seed every year and it takes, it's labor intensive, but it doesn't matter. It's just absolutely beautiful. And then you can make the gemo or the phytotherapy out of the nettle flower before it turns into seed. And that's a really.

We don't grow. I don't have any nettles. Nettles don't grow down here. Dandelions don't grow down here. So I'm like, so jealous.

You should grow one in a pot. You should grow it in a pot. All you have to do.

Well, I have a dandelion growing. But I need. I do have some nettle seed and maybe I'll try planting it this. But it'll have to go over the dinner.

I'll send you a little nettle plant in the mail. Yeah, little baby. Next year I'll send you a baby nettle plant. We have. We have an entire forest of nettles here.

I'm sure you do.

Remedy that. I absolutely love is the Sculateria latiflora, the kind of like western skull cap. You know, there's. Which is. Is not interchangeable. But the Latiflora, it's cooling to neutral and it's bitter and it's drying. It's wonderful for dampness. But what the. You know, the things that are endemic in our dogs right now is a. They're taking on our stressed out vibration from the pandemic.

Oh yeah.

It helps nourish the nurse, the nervous system. So here you again have that kind of yarrow paradigm where you have a plant that is drying but it's nourishing to the nervous system, you know. And scutellaria.

Which one is it?

Scutellaria floria, catafloria latifloria. L A T. So it's just, you know, regular skull cap. And then there's the Chinese spellcap, which is, you know, the black backlodensis or lensis.

Okay, so this is. Okay, I get. Now I understand what you're saying. Okay.

I think that skullcap is a really underused herb that just is fantastic and does work like yarrow and like burdock root. Burdock root can be drying, but focuses on how the body uses fats and oils. So it's burdock nourishing.

So powerful. It was one of my very first herbal allies. When I. Way back when I was like 20 years old, I was out digging these burdock roots on my grandfather's ranch and huge suckers. Oh my God. They go all the way down, man. You want to talk about a taproot? Yeah.

I grow them in. In garden bags so that I can actually get the root will grow it like.

Oh, around the bag. Yeah.

So I can actually get them out of the bag versus. Oh, wow.

Yeah. Digging them is so it's like you dig into China when you try to dig them up. I'm gonna try growing some bird eyes.

Grow them in the felt bag.

Okay. Okay. I do have a comfrey plant out here too. Growing. There's the farm that I.

They're so beautiful. Oh, yeah.

The farm I go to. They've got these huge. And the flowers on them are gorgeous.

So beautiful. And they. The bees love them so much.

And then they're a good composting plant because they. They. They concentrate the minerals in the leaves. They're using them down at the farm for their compost bins, which I thought was interesting.

I didn't know that.

Yeah, I didn't know that either. And they're like, oh, yeah, we just take. They're all. They're too scared to use it as an herb because of the whole thing with the liver that came out, you know, and so they're like, yeah, we put them in the compost bin. I'm like, this is all this good medicine. But okay, well.

And I love the flower essence so much.

Oh, yeah. That's why I wanted.

It's so good for trauma. Oh, my God.

Trauma, really? Okay.

It is a journey. Plant a flower essence.

Okay.

It is so good for trauma. I like to make it with borage.

With borage.

With borage flower essence. It is so good for trauma. Helps that trauma. Like, I had a client that lost a dog. Huh. There was trauma about the dog, but the dog brought up her childhood trauma. Right. And comfrey was such an ally on that one. It just. It took about three to four months, and it just moved through that trauma. And what I love about flower essences is so, you know, sometimes it will bring up so that you physically feel it, but other times it will help you move through it without such an earthquake in your body. You know, it will help much, that trauma.

Like, gentler. Yeah, it might bring it up, but in a really gentle way. Well, when I kept. Kept seeing these coffee plants blooming, and I was going to ask him, the first thing in my head was like, I have to make a flower essence out of these flowers. I was going to ask him to do that, and then I'm like, I'm. I'm just growing my own here, you know, so. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, I tell you, the comfrey flower essence is just lovely. And I love comfrey as an ointment. I love it as an infused oil. I don't use. I use the leaf a little. I don't use it a ton on dogs unless we need a hammer, because it's good for pain and inflammation. I just don't tend to use it all that much because I. There's so many other things that I don't have to worry about the alkaloids with. But if you make a nice water infusion with comfrey, you're safe. You Know, I tell people alkaloids love alcohol. You know, they don't love water. Yes, it'll be low in alkaloids, but you'll have some of the alkaloids. But they love alcohol. And that's where you get in trouble with comfrey, is when you put it in alcohol.

Well, and it's good for bones.

Newbie, question here. What are alkaloids?

They're a constituent that can harm the liver, and they're very healing. They're wonderful.

Alkaloids are one. It's like they. They divide up the different chemicals, the phytochemicals in plants. And alkaloids are one, like, type of phytochemical that's in a plant. But they're very potent, and they extract out in alcohol versus you'll get, like she said, a little bit in water, but you'll get a lot of alkaloids out in the plant. But like, if the water infusion will.

Be quite, quite safe, then in that.

A lot safer.

Yeah.

But like, you know, Oregon grape root, wonderful alcoholic tincture, high in alkaloids. You just don't use it for more than, like, 14 days at a time. But in 14 days, Oregon grape root can. Oh, my God. It can transform. So, you know, it just depends. Has a much higher level of alkaloids than Oregon grape. But again, if you're using with dogs, I just use a leaf water extraction. But again. And also, I don't know. I mean, I love the homeopathic symphytum. I mean, I love the.

Yeah, symphytum. Yeah, exactly.

I love the homeopathic comfrey. I think it works fantastic. So I just don't use the plant internally that much because I'll just use like a 200 or a 30C comfrey, even a 6X. So like, good for healing bones immensely, huh?

It'll heal bones together, fractures. That's why it's called.

They have to be in the right spot.

Well, yeah.

What's cool is. What's cool is, Josie, is what you use bone set. Okay. So you use bone set to help bring the bones together in the right spot.

And then.

And then later on when they've knitted together, then you use the comfrey to just to, you know, to make it 100. And then I. I just use the homeopathic for that.

So there is a reason it's called boneset, then. I mean, that's so funny because they. They did name these plants for a specific reason.

Yeah.

Yeah. I have this old. This came up yesterday, but I have this old 1863 Pharmacopoeia, United States pharmacopoeia. And it's so awesome because it's all herbs. It's before the drug companies and before pharmaceuticals. So you can go back and see like what they were, you know, how they were using them and stuff. It's fascinating. But yeah, bone sets in there. Yeah.

I love boneset.

So.

Yeah. No, love comfrey. Love, love, love the flowers. I love borage. Borage is such a pretty plant. Like lobelia is such a beautiful plant.

Oh, yeah.

I don't use a lot of lobelia with animals, but with people I do. But what a beautiful ground cover and beautiful plant. It's so.

Yeah, it is.

So. I mean, there's so many plants.

Wow.

So when we say seasonally, we. When we go into like autumn and winter, you know, what would you switch out? Like, what would you change in terms of.

So I really love, for my, you know, for myself, I really love plantain. I love mullein for my lungs and plantain for my large intestine, also for my lungs, depending on how my lungs are feeling. I love marshmallow root. And you know, it's. Nature depicts on what you should be using. Like, you know, the mullein root where the spine starts to dry out in the, in the, in the fall and then you get, you know, you get all crickety in the wintertime. You know, you support the bones and the kidneys in the winter. I use a lot of nettle seed in the wintertime as additives to my smoothie or to my dog's food. But I love marshmallow root. Right now I have unfortunately. Well, it's not forage, unfortunately, but my dogs that I have right now are all cool.

So I use warming.

I like ginger. Ginger root, they love ginger. It makes them feel good. I use moringa for those moringa grows down here.

Now like we get. I'll go to some of my clients houses and they'll just go off to the moringa tree and cut me, hand me a branch to take home a fresh moringa.

So that's cool.

Yeah.

I love moringa for my cool dogs. I also love reishi. Reishi mushroom. That's a really great fall mushroom. I mean, it's just beautiful. It's slightly warming, it's nourishing. It's a grandma mushroom. It's a foundational immunity mushroom. I don't think it can be beat. And then for those really cold dogs, I love cordyceps steps because it's so warming and it, it just is so better.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We journeyed with Reishi last. Last winter. So last fall.

Really, it's an amazing plant.

It was cool too. Everybody started Reishi started showing up and everybody's gardens here, everybody. It was so. It's so cool because you call in the plant and then everybody starts seeing it all over the place. Maria, one of my Maria, a little boy and she. And he. He's still collecting reishi, finding reishi mushrooms all over the place. So yeah, that's cool. It's fun.

But I love, I love reishi in the, in the, in the fall. I mean it's just. And you know, if you go with seasonal, there's so many things like in the fall that are available that do exactly what you want. They nourish the large intestine. Like the squashes that are available. They're all nourishing to the large intestine. The pumpkin, you know, helps nourish the hormones and, and get things prepared for winter. It's just. There's all those things that depict what you're supposed to be doing. And that's why I love seasonal healing. Because it, it takes the brains out of it. It takes the work out of it.

Exactly. It's like how many. Everybody goes to the pumpkin patch to make jack o lanterns. But it's like eat it. Make pumpkin. Eat your pumpkin pie.

And that's another thing is that. But doing seasonal work and seasonal healing keeps you from sensitivities as well. Because you know, blueberries aren't really supposed to be eaten all year long. Yes, they're nourishing, but when you eat something all year long, you're much more susceptible to become sensitive to it because your body's used to. Your body's been pre programmed to eat seasonally. That's what we've always done. And now we have more access to food than we ever have in our entire lives. Of course, that's not globally. I get that. But I'm talking about in western civilization. In industrial societies, we have more access to food than we've ever had in our life. And that of course is leading to overeating. It's leading to an epidemic of liver depletion. Because we, you know, we eat too much, we eat too much, people get offended. Sugar, you eat too much too often.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Eating this much, your. Your organs need to rest. You know, people eat like at 10 o' clock before they go to bed. They'll eat a full dinner and then go to bed. And it. That's not how we used to live. And so we're. Our bodies are not as much. That's all I can say. We get exhausted.

It's funny you. You're talking about seasonal. Because I was just talking about this to a friend of mine and because I actually believe in seasonal eating for humans as well, you know, because traditionally rice. Because I'm in Asia, right. So, you know, rice is like a staple. But the thing is, if we were to really go to like China and they. We did the, the agricultural, the old way of growing things, you know, like Korea, that they only eat rice in.

Autumn when they harvest it, right?

Yes, yes.

Yes.

But of big, you know, like big, big, big agricultural, you know, farming, you get rice 24, 7, 3, 6, 5. You know, like you were saying, like blueberries and all that.

It, It's.

We shouldn't be doing that. And you know, I like. It really resonates with me because I'm trying to eat season seasonally, even though I live in the tropics where it's.

Hot and humid all year round.

But I'm actually trying to also like, even like my vegetables. I pause. Like my smoothies. I actually will not take smoothies. Like my raw vegetable blends like every day because I'll take it. And then I stop, stop. Because I realized, like, I can't. I think my body will also, like. No, I can't take too much. I need to rest, you know. But it's, it's interesting you said that, you know.

Yeah.

Eating rice and fall. What does like, what does brown rice do? It nourishes the kidney. So you're going into winter and with a nourished kidney, you know, they're eating it in fall and probably early winter. And so you have that brown rice as a staple and it is nourishing the kidney. I mean, I'm sure, Josie, you've used. I've used brown rice as an additive in the winter for some dogs that have really low kidney chi and.

Or just making like congee. That's why I have them like overcooked. And making congee in Chinese medicine is a medicinal to just help them and.

Use it for a short period of time and then.

Yeah, it's not all the time. No. But.

No. And so, yeah, I mean, I think we can learn. We can learn a lot from nature. If we start paying attention again, start paying attention to it. It. It will tell us what to do. I love it. I love that.

Well, it's kind of. It's screaming at us now. It's just. Yeah.

I love the fact, I love the fact that you talk about the seeds and sprouts and the life force within the seeds, you know, because I'm actually doing some urban farming in my, you know, I'm trying to be less black thumb and more. A little bit more like light green. And, you know, so I'm learning, like, you know, growing my own edibles. So I'm actually growing, like microgreens because where I stay, it's. Microgreens are easier for me because I don't get direct sunlight. But I actually harvest them and I put them into my spoody blend. I eat them raw, you know, salads. But I actually also, like, mix them up and it tastes wonderful. My dog eats it as well, you know.

Well, I mean, you look at, you look at broccoli sprouts, you know, they have more sulfurane than mature broccoli. You know, sprouts are amazing. I love sprouts. I love alfalfa sprouts. And here's the thing about alfalfa sprouts. Interesting fact. Alfalfa sprouts, you can eat a lot of. Whereas if you eat a lot of mature organic alfalfa, it will upset your stomach and it will give dogs diarrhea and people. So you can have a lot of greens and get all of those amino acids and B vitamins that alfalfa gives you without the tummy upset when you do the sprouts. Whereas if you take it into your body as a full fledged herb, you should only, you know, you have to find your dosage, otherwise it will cause. It can cause really bad stomach ups.

Yeah, alfalfa's rich. I mean, just from horses, you know.

It is very rich.

It's a very rich green. Yeah, yeah.

But a lot of people don't, like. I get people that my dog has chronic diarrhea and I'm like, okay, let's look at your supplements. I'll tell you right now, dogs that have this weird. Can't figure out chronic diarrhea, they're eating something with alfalfa in it. And usually it's like the second ingredient and you take that out of the diet and the diarrhea is gone.

What are they using it in dog supplements or something?

Alfalfa. Yeah, alfalfa. And remember, most alfalfa is genetically modified. Unless it's organic. Clinic. Yeah, a lot of people don't know that one either. But, yeah, people, yeah, people need to understand that herbs can have side effects. They're not benign, definitely. No, they're not benign. And you know don't underestimate them. Like, you know, they're. I think they're powerful. And you, you know, if your dog's having an issue, the first thing to always look at is their food and what you're putting in them first, you know, and then go to diagnostics and things like that, but always rule out what they're eating or putting in their body.

So, you know, like, I'm, I must say, like a newbie parent, pet parent, for instance, like, you know, and I want to learn more about herbs, you know, and what you've mentioned today, because it's like, whoa, that's a lot of. I have to replay this and write down, you know, like, and probably get a dictionary as well to spell out the words. But what, what, what, what's. What's a good, like, intro book, you know, like on, on herbs that you.

Would recommend an intro book? Well, you know, that's a weird question. So, like, there's a, like a hundred of them, but, like, what. What angle are you looking for?

So say, okay, maybe not, but say dogs. Okay, what's for? What's good for dogs and then what's good for. For, for, like, humans, you know, Because I'm, I'm interested in the human side as well.

What angle are you looking for?

So say okay, but say dogs. Okay, what's for? What's good for dogs and then for, like, humans, you know, Because I'm interested in the human side as well.

Well, I'm in bookshelf. So what's your favorite? Well, I'm a bookshelf, so what's your favorite?

But when my book comes out, it'll be my favorite. But number two, Greg Tilford's book. Book.

The.

What is it? I have both versions.

Oh, yeah. Greg Tilford from Animal Apothecary.

Pets for pets.

Right? That's for pets.

Yeah, yeah. Herbs for pets. I've got the big sucker down here. And then, yeah, Herbs for Pets. He's got a little one and then a big one. But there isn't much on starter books for pets. And my issue with the ones that are on the market right now is that it. They don't give you that specifics on how to use it and when to use it and why, but for people, I, I definitely would start. I'd start with Matt Wood's book, the Two Earth would Earth Wise Herbals. They're.

Matthew Wood is awesome. He was one of my teachers, too.

Yeah, he's great. His two books, the Earth Wise Herbal One and Two, they, you know, they combine science, they combine story. It helps you understand the plant as a being, which I. You know, I. I definitely love. So I. I mean, I think I would start there. I can't. Oh, another book that I. I really love. Where is it? I mean, I love the Four paws. Five Directions.

Five directions. I was gonna say show Schwartz.

She.

She taught with Matthew Wood. I got to go on these, like, hang out on the farm with the two of them, and they teach together. Yeah, they. They bounced off of each other so much.

But that's a great book. It's a great book about, you know, herbs and TCM and acupuncture points. Acupressure points. That. It. I just absolutely love that book. I've had it for, you know, since it came out, and it's. It's really great.

I'm just thinking, what, four points?

Four. Four pause. Five directions. Four, pause.

Oh, and this one.

Five directions. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. I mean, it's a classic. It should be on everything.

This is a new book. Oh, I just got that.

I've got that on my desk.

Yeah, it's good. It's not really anything I didn't know. However, it. It's. It's all the things that I kind of love about herbalism in one book. Yeah, it's energetic herbalism. I really do like the part. It's not really anything I didn't know. However, it. It's. It's all the things that I kind of love about herbalism in one book. Exactly. Yeah. It's. I. In this book where she talks about how when you purchase a property. I don't know if you've read it so far, but when she talks about when you purchase a property to pay attention to the plants that are there and their spiritual implications and that they're. They're there to heal that piece of land. I really love that part. She goes through seasonal healing, so it might be good for you. She touches on Ayurvedic principles. She does. This is my shtick right here. Our inner terrain. You know, I don't believe in terrain theory. I think of it as complete fact.

What is that? Can you just explain briefly for a newbie?

Oh, a terrain theory is that instead of, like, killing germs and killing bacteria and kill, kill and eradicate you. How shall I say it? You mitigate your. Your bacteria in your body so that your inner tissues are not conducive for pathogenic overgrowth. They're conducive to basically healing your. Your ecosystem.

It's like looking at it's like. And this is something I'm doing, like a short thing on Instagram. But it's like taking the soil. In order to have good plants, in order to have a healthy ecosystem, you have to have healthy soil and everything in that. But it's like that's the outer reflection of our inner terrain where we need healthy soil in our body and a healthy. So that if you have a good, healthy garden, the weeds don't even want to come into it because you have a good, you have all this good bacteria, you have the earthworms going, you have the, the plants good and healthy. And so the bugs and the pests and all that are just going to go away. You know, I'm going to put, that's, that's my whole foundation behind dealing with fleas and ticks. If you have a healthy terrain, the bugs aren't even going to want to be there, you know, so in very short numbers. Exactly. It has to do with, so your microbiome, your biochemistry, everything.

And also, also the thing with, if you have a healthy soil, right? And then you do companion planting and help the environment work towards the better good of everything. Right. That's the same thing as terrain theory. So you are what you eat. You have to nourish your microbiome and you do that all naturally so that the inside of your body. Because the thing is that the gastrointestinal tract back, it's just like your skin on the outside.

This is like. Your skin is like a jungle.

Yeah, it's inside skin and the surface.

Of your skin is like, like going down into like the tropical jungle. You know, you've got all these things living on here. We better have something living on here, otherwise we're going to be when we're dead. We've got earthworms living on there. But so it's just like when you, how you set up your microgreens and how you started saying, oh, now I've got lizards coming in and now I've got birds coming in.

It's.

You start setting that up and all these other life forms come in. Like, I have my little herbal container garden outside my screen door because the rest of my. It's actually flooded now because we're in rainy season. But I watched 25 different species of birds march past my. Come up there to my herb garden and mess around and eat, eat stuff every day. And you know, and we have the compost bin next door as well. So that's bringing in a lot of insects. But it builds up into this whole Life system, like more life comes in. So yeah, it builds.

So, so where does biodynamics come into.

This is this biodynamic is from Rudolph Steiner. That's, that's Rudolph Steiner's version of farming. So that, that has like is based on anthroposophical theory, which is a whole nother system.

Yeah, it would be a whole nother talk. But it's, it's another university. Yeah, yeah, it's a, it's highly complicated. It's very nourishing. There's, you know, biodynamics includes lunar and solar cycles, astrology, some kind of borderline magical processes.

No, I learned it.

Herbicides. It's like a completely self generating farm.

I learned it in the, in the Waldorf school. We would sit, we had gardening class in the afternoon and we planted our garden. But we would sit and draw the life cycle, the, the cycles, the phases of the moon. So like you plant the seeds. If you want something to grow underground and have a big root structure, you plan it during the new moon or the dark of the moon because the etheric forces of the earth are being pulled down into the earth. Whereas if you want something that's going to be flowering and blooming and have more life force above ground, you plant it on the waxing moon as the moon is getting stronger and there's more light and more force pulling up upwards.

Yeah. And like you would, you would harvest if, like if you're going to harvest something that's full rich of water and nourishment, you harbor it, harvest it during up to the full moon into, under the full moon because you're going to have all of that water and nourishment in the plant, just like worm.

Wow.

So I mean it's a complete biological system that Rudolf Steiner had developed. And, and.

I mean my, my grandmother planted according to the moon. This is not, this is all, this is, this is knowledge that has become lost and is coming back.

Yeah, my grandma did all that stuff. Yeah, she didn't do anything. She didn't have a doctor and she had 16 kids. Right? Yeah, she didn't have a doctor at all. She had a midwife and that was it. Never went to the doctor. You know, all the kids lined up and got their castor oil in the spring, you know.

Oh yeah. No, and cod liver oil. Oh my God.

It just makes me wince making my face go.

Burp it all day.

Yeah. Ew. But yeah, no, I mean, but yeah, Biodynamics is an entire like system of Rudolph Steiner and then but he doesn't. I mean, as Josie said, planting via the moon cycles and stuff have been going on for a millennia.

Yeah.

Astrology is one of the. Is the oldest science, so. And I love astrological herbalism. It's my. One of my favorites, my passion project.

Yeah, we should do something with.

Wow, I've never heard. What is astrological herbalism?

What's that? Very quickly.

It just blows my mind. Yeah. So all plants are ruled by certain astrology signs, and also you plant those plants under that astrology sign.