Have you ever come across a tree that captivates your attention? A tree that is both mystical and glorious? Ever visited the Redwood Forest that borders northern coastal California? Did you happen to drive through the giant sequoia trees? (If… Continue Reading →
Tea Tree Oil, composed of over 100 terpenes, is most widely recognized for its antimicrobial effects. Which of these terpenes can this property me attributed to?
Prickly devil’s club growing in the Pacific Northwest holds amazing medicinal compounds.
Poison-tipped arrows. Royal assassinations. European witchcraft. Ritual suicide. Throughout humanity’s history, the aptly named Deadly Nightshade, also known scientifically as Atropa belladonna, has had a reputation as a natural killer. The name “Atropa” in Atropa belladonna derives from the Greek… Continue Reading →
When a wild indigenous food all-of-a-sudden becomes internationally desired we are quick to overlook the hefty price tag but what else are we overlooking?
Deep in the jungle, a man is stripping the bark of a thick, climbing vine. An old pot boils over open fire and the steam hangs low in the humid rainforest. He is preparing for a sacred ceremony.
Ergot, a parasitic fungus responsible for hundreds of deaths throughout human history, is now one the most common drugs in modern medicine. How did we turn these deadly alkaloids into a cure all pharmaceutical?
“Solo sylvan-hued
Oregon Grape postures firmly;
Spring kisses blossoms golden.” Anthony O. Mitchell Jr.
There is a low lingering shrub that brightens the forested hills of the Pacific Northwest with its yellow flowers in the early summer. People local to Washington know it as the Dull Oregon Grape but this plant bears many names. It has been called Mountain Grape or Cascade Barberry and the scientific community recognizes it as Mahonia nervosa.
For having a relatively short evolutionary history, the common sunflower has found a place in many aspects of everyday life. From food, cosmetics, and even fuel, the sunflower is as versatile as they come.
Thujone is a terpene compound present in an infamous and well-used plant, Artemisia absinthium, or Wormwood, a source of medicine, drunkenness, and psychedelic experiences for centuries.
