Journal
Milky Oats Plant Profile

Reishi Mushroom Benefits, History, and Ways to Use Our Favorite Fungi

Reishi is a beautiful mushroom and a multifaceted herb. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Reishi is regarded as a primary âsuperior herbâ, an âherb for the immortalsâ (and emperors), and is used to nourish the shen - a personâs mind / consciousness and emotional balance. The fungus is regarded as an immune modulator in Western Herbalism, with a special affinity for the lungs, found to both strengthen the immune system and also balance it if it is overactive. In the eastern US, we have a native species of Reishi that grows specifically on the trunk of dying Eastern Hemlocks. Hemlock is a majestic...
Jiaogulan

Strawberry and Elderberry Syrup Granita

Digestive Bitters: Benefits and the Fascinating Evolution of Bitter Taste Receptors

The Evolutionary Role of Bitters Did you know that the bitter taste and liver function are intimately tied and rooted in our evolutionary process? Research shows that roughly 200 million years ago our capacity to sense bitterness became embedded in our gene coding. This was likely due to the fact that many poisonous plant toxins are bitter. Humans and other animals that developed bitter taste receptors were better able to discern whether something was safe to eat or not and therefore had an evolutionary advantage over those that did not. As some of you may already know from personal experience...