Got Milk? Please?!

So today, my man and I went to the farmer’s market in my hometown. I’ve been missing farm-fresh veggies, and have been FIENDING for the creamy, nutritious, delicious, and (surprise!) illegal substance called…milk.

Not the fake, processed, calcium-depleting crap sold in stores. No, I want the REAL stuff! The stuff that comes right out of the cow!

[photos not mine]

yum! yum! yum!

you can SEE the delicious cream on top! how could you not want that in yo’ mouth?

The funny thing is, the powers that be have decided that this wonderful substance is unsafe, and should be made illegal. Considering all the poisonous crap that’s flying off the shelves of grocery stores everywhere, I really don’t get why. People have been drinking raw milk for ages, and suddenly it’s dangerous? The only reason people say milk isn’t healthy is BECAUSE of the processing it goes through. Pasteurization and homogenization both make milk harder to digest, and homogenization alters the very size and placement of the milk molecules. Creepy? I think so.

Here’s some info:

“Pasteurization compromises your milk. It destroys vitamins and interferes with calcium absorption. When you boil a liquid, you kill any bacteria and make that food sterile. In the process, you can’t help but affect the taste and nutritional value of that food. Pasteurization is the process of heating a liquid to a high enough temperature to kill certain bacteria and disable certain enzymes.”

“Homogenization is a more recently invented process and it has been called “the worst thing that dairymen did to milk.” When milk is homogenized, it is pushed through a fine filter at pressures of 4,000 pounds per square inch. In this process, the fat globules are made smaller by a factor of ten times or more. These fat molecules then become evenly dispersed throughout the milk.

Milk is a hormonal delivery system. When homogenized, milk becomes very powerful and efficient at bypassing normal digestive processes and delivering steroid and protein hormones to the human body (both your hormones and the cow’s natural hormones and the ones they may have been injected with to produce more milk).”

http://www.naturalnews.com/022967_milk_pasteurization_dairy.html##ixzz3219reI6n

There’s a lot to be said on both sides of this story – I’m sure there are plenty of studies that “prove” pasteurization and homogenization are harmless. And of course they do, because otherwise people wouldn’t buy the product. It doesn’t really convince me, though – especially considering it’s legal to lie on the news. I have decided I am weaning myself off of store-bought milk. It’s really difficult, especially on the road, but luckily there’s help! The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund and A Campaign For Real Milk are two organizations that are fighting the good fight to free raw milk everywhere! I know I’ve jumped on board with the cause :) and, in my humble opinion, so should everyone!

http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/

Home

http://www.realmilk.com/real-milk-finder/north-carolina/

Don’t Forget the Fringe!

Though life is always slow-paced here in Mississippi, my head has been whirling the past few days with question, doubts, hopes, and realizations about the next phase of my journey. It’s almost too much for me to write creatively, but I can’t help making a quick post about more lovely medicinal fauna =)

Meet the Fringe tree, aka Chionanthus virginicus. The roots of this delicate-looking tree have been used for centuries to cure diseases of the liver. In addition, they have properties that help stabilize blood sugar. The thin, vine-like roots are easily dug up by hand with a shovel, and are best prepared in a tincture. Blue Boy Herbs uses Fringe root in multiple formulas, including the Bugleweed Fringe (used for diabetes) and Liver tonics. Click the pic above for an informational website!

Don’t you worry – I’ll be posting some pretty exciting information within the next few days =) be blessed, and enjoy this bountiful spring!

<3 Sug’

 

Passionate About Herbs

In light of yesterday’s holiday, which (before Christians took over) historically celebrates love and fertility, I chose to highlight the passionflower! This amazing climbing vine grows abundantly in many different climates – I’ve found it in both Tennessee and Mississippi, and is a wonderful medicinal aid.
First, the plant is a known relaxant; the leaves can be eaten raw or made into a tea, giving an effect similar to valerian or kava. Passionflower is pretty commonly blended with lemon balm, catnip, or other calming herbs. The leaves taste pretty sweet, too – nice to munch on for a mild “high”! In addition, passionflower is used in herbal medicine to treat anxiety, insomnia, neck/back pain, and other ailments.
Blue Boy Herbs uses it in their Tranquility tincture, combined with lemon balm, oats, and willow blossoms. It works like a charm – trust me!

here are some links for more info:

http://www.medicinenet.com/passion_flower_passiflora_incarnata-oral/article.htm
https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/passionflower
http://www.anniesremedy.com/herb_detail293.php

enjoy!

That Stank

Of all of the senses in a human body, smell has proven time and again to be one of the most powerful. That being said, it makes sense that marketing companies target our sense of smell so friggen much, especially when it comes to smelling each other.

Case in point:

(photos obviously not mine)

The truth of the matter is, however, that all these smells people are “supposed” to be attracted to are completely artificial. You may say “yeah, well duh”, but think about it for a second. Why are we being trained to hate smells that are completely natural? What’s so wrong with a little B.O.? People’s smells are supposed to attract each other naturally, without any sort of toxic chemical cover-up. Though studies on the existence of human pheromones report inconclusive results, evidence suggests that our natural smell is sexually attractive. And it makes sense, because a lot of other animals work the exact same way!

Personally, I think it’s all a marketing ploy. If they get you to hate your smell, you’ll be convinced you need to change it. And all you need to do is turn on the good ole telly to figure out how you’re supposed to do that. As always, the answer is to CONSUME!! Buy more products because you’re not good enough as it is!

Don’t get me wrong – I enjoy being clean, and I have nothing against a spritz of smell-good every now and then to spice things up. But I think it’s ridiculous that people shower, smear, and smother themselves with all sorts of overbearing scents just to “smell nice”. In addition, all that crap is SO toxic to your body…I mean hello, aluminum?! There’s enough of that in the chemical trails, thank you.

The reason I bring this up, dear readers, is because I, hitchhiking gypsy extraordinaire, can get extremely smelly while on the road. With no way to regularly get clean, it just happens! I wash up in public bathrooms as much as I can, but there’s only so much that face and pit-washing can do. Let’s face it – a lot of other travel kids are the same way, to no fault of their own. In all honesty, I’ve met a lot of travelers who are proud of their smell! And from what I’ve experienced on the road, I really have to agree. Smelling like YOU isn’t smelling “bad” – toss those toxic products and embrace your stank!

 

<3

Tincture-a-day

Today’s herb: Plaintain!

Don’t be fooled, we’re not talking about the fruit here (though I thought so at first too!). The plaintain herb is considered a weed by many, but is a wonderful healing agent. The tincture is used most commonly for toothaches, and is also good for keeping the urinary tract in line. The leaves are also edible, and can be eaten raw or cooked. click the pic for more info!

Down With The Sickness

Oh No! The “common cold” has struck again! I don’t get sick often, but when I do I’m almost always caught with a nasty lingering cough that lasts for a couple of weeks. But this time, I’m prepared! Living and working at Blue Boy Herbs certainly has its perks, one of which is full access to their wonderfully healing tinctures. The taste may be bitter, but the effects are extraordinary – so I’m going all in! 5x a day, baby!

Left: Immunex, combination of Boneset Pivet, Blue Vervain and Elder Flower
Right: Lung Tonic, combination of Boneset flowering tops, Fireweed, Bugleweed, Button Snake Root, Mullein, Wild Cherry, Sundew, and Agrimony.

To Health!