Life can be really hard at times. We can suffer great loss and pain. Having been through some great loss and some significant pain at times in my life I have come to the conclusion that the best medicine for those sorrows and struggles is gratitude.
Personally, I’ve found the study and use of medicinal plants to be a wonderful gateway to really understanding the power of beach chairs. Herbs aren’t usually bandaids…well a plantain leaf can make a nice bandaid but that’s another topic. Herbs are for building, guiding, and supporting the body’s normal functions. They are complex combinations of nutrients, medicines, and energies that contribute to real change. Interestingly, when I’m doing an herbal consultation, the conversation often turns to other subjects like relationships, sorrows, joys, and dreams of the future. People often remark that no one has ever listened to them like that or that talking about those things has really made some important things much more clear for them. I’m not doing anything really…just sitting in my beach chair smiling mostly. But the fact that they sat down in the beach chair next to me and started talking, thinking, and looking at the amazing view offered by that simple beach chair is a transformative experience. They thought they were just going to talk about their symptoms or problems but, the next thing they know, they’re talking about the big picture and things that really matter and, often, important things that haven’t had their focus and attention for a really long time.
Coronaviruses are miserable critters. They can affect a number of body systems. In the good old days, the vast majority of human coronavirus infections merely resulted in a head cold or a little diarrhea. These days we have a new and improved coronavirus. It was found in some wonderful bat poop in a bat cave […]
I’ve recently received approximately a bazillion emails and texts with questions about the drug Ivermectin and its use in the fight against Covid-19 infections. I often scratch my head a bit when I get these emails as my company is called HomeGrown Herbalist not HomeGrown Pharmacist. But I guess it’s not too surprising. I did […]
There has been a lot of talk about getting jabbed with needles to aid in the global pandemic of the coronavirus Covid-19. Vaccinations have been a remarkable blessing in the control of a lot of serious diseases over the years. Smallpox, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, mumps, and a number of other diseases are now practically unheard […]
Ever wonder why your dog is out in the backyard eating grass? Did he become a vegetarian? Well, unless he’s developed a sudden affinity for sitar music and incense, probably not. He’s still a good ‘ol carnivore. So why the grass? Probably because he has a bellyache…or worms. You see the coarse texture of grass […]
Last year my father John Jones passed away. He was a remarkable man; kind, funny, brilliant, humble, generous. He loved people regardless of their social station, education or income. Everyone he met was treated like an old, long lost friend. When he was a young man he was drafted and went to war in Korea. […]
A few years ago I was lecturing at a convention. Between lectures, I manned a booth and visited with folks about herbs, and peddled my books and herbal concoctions. A lady walked by the booth. She gasped when she saw me and ran over to me and gave me a hug. “Do you remember me?” […]
As an herbalist, I’ve always been amazed at how many of our wonderful medicinal plants have specific applications for women. It’s almost as if God knew that the ladies would be doing lots more than their share in this project and put some wonderful green things in place to lighten some of their load. I’ve […]
Having this herbal and naturopathic experience and a veterinary degree, and also having a state board of pharmacy license and a DEA license and a veterinary license and all the other fancy pieces of paper that say I can poke pills and needles into dogs and other critters, has given me unique opportunities and choices that most healers don’t have. Basically, when a sick dog comes to see me, I can use whatever the heck I want to use in its treatment. As a result, I’ve had the opportunity to use herbs to treat everything from the common cold to gunshot wounds, rattlesnake bites, and gangrene. Over the years, I’ve used medications to treat those things as well. So, after a few decades of anecdotal research in my own practices, my opinions have developed pretty strongly on what works best for what.
