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The Herbalism Thread

^ Spirulina does not agree with a lot of people. Bottom line, I don't think humans are meant to eat pond scum, no matter how refined it is. People will disagree with me though. Anyway... I have tried it myself, on an empty stomach, with food, in shakes, etc... it never agrees with me. Always gives me the shits, bloating, upset stomach. In terms of properties, it's cold in nature which means it's hard to process for people who have weak digestion.

As for ashwaganda and crohns... it comes from the solanaceae family of plant (also known as the "nightshades"). It's a huge family, tomatoes and potatoes are part of it too. This family of plants contains varying levels of oxalates, and other minute toxins that some people might be sensitive to. Generally, people with crohns, IBS, etc. are advised to avoid the solanaceae family because with any kind of inflammatory bowel disease, the toxins can seep into the gut more easily and cause irritation.

That's all I know about it... if there's some other reasoning you might have to do more digging :)
 
Foreigner said:
^ Spirulina does not agree with a lot of people. Bottom line, I don't think humans are meant to eat pond scum, no matter how refined it is. People will disagree with me though. Anyway... I have tried it myself, on an empty stomach, with food, in shakes, etc... it never agrees with me. Always gives me the shits, bloating, upset stomach. In terms of properties, it's cold in nature which means it's hard to process for people who have weak digestion.
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Are you kidding? I've never gotten any kind of reaction from spirulina. Humans weren't "meant" to eat greens either (they require excessive chewing and I've gotten stomach cramps from eating greens, but never from fruit, which is the primary food that humans evolved on). Algaes like spirulina are a nutritional godsend in that they are extraordinarily dense and cosequently economical sources of nutrition. They have all the nutrients greens have, as well as some very significant nutrients that greens don't have, like protein, essential fatty acids, and fat soluble vitamins (technically I think greens have all this stuff, but much less than algaes).

Humans aren't "meant" to consume herbal decoctions and tinctures either.
 
Foreigner said:
^ Spirulina does not agree with a lot of people. Bottom line, I don't think humans are meant to eat pond scum, no matter how refined it is. People will disagree with me though. Anyway... I have tried it myself, on an empty stomach, with food, in shakes, etc... it never agrees with me. Always gives me the shits, bloating, upset stomach. In terms of properties, it's cold in nature which means it's hard to process for people who have weak digestion.

As for ashwaganda and crohns... it comes from the solanaceae family of plant (also known as the "nightshades"). It's a huge family, tomatoes and potatoes are part of it too. This family of plants contains varying levels of oxalates, and other minute toxins that some people might be sensitive to. Generally, people with crohns, IBS, etc. are advised to avoid the solanaceae family because with any kind of inflammatory bowel disease, the toxins can seep into the gut more easily and cause irritation.

That's all I know about it... if there's some other reasoning you might have to do more digging :)
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I'm up on the nightshade family,thank you. I avoid both as well as raw spinach which is high in oxalates as well- for anyone who's not a foodie geek

To the guy above- many people get bad spirulina or are simply intolerant- I SO wish I wasn't cause its such an easy source of high quality protein amongst it's many other constituents. Seems to make me feel...buzzy- mellowed my mood.

Kale is the most nutritionally dense vegetable according to the ANDI ( nutrient density chart). It's get plenty on spirulina. Combine it with hemp chia and eggs (yea not a meal, I imagine that would be gross, ill report back if i find out) and you will be a lean green free lovin machine : D
 
red22 said:
Are you kidding? I've never gotten any kind of reaction from spirulina. Humans weren't "meant" to eat greens either (they require excessive chewing and I've gotten stomach cramps from eating greens, but never from fruit, which is the primary food that humans evolved on). Algaes like spirulina are a nutritional godsend in that they are extraordinarily dense and cosequently economical sources of nutrition. They have all the nutrients greens have, as well as some very significant nutrients that greens don't have, like protein, essential fatty acids, and fat soluble vitamins (technically I think greens have all this stuff, but much less than algaes).

Humans aren't "meant" to consume herbal decoctions and tinctures either.
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Agreed. Good post. Spirulina is awesome!
 
I absolutely love rhodiola rosea, the other day i combined it with panax ginseng, ginkgo biloba, green tea extract and guarana, and got a really nice amfetamine like stimulating effect.
 
Tried ginkgo in the past for bodybuilding.. not too much of an affect.
Cordyceps was pretty useful. Although I am currently taking rhodiala rosea 2x a day first time i took it was with gaba and I had a huge rush followed by me wanting to laugh at everything haha
 
My daily herb regimen consists of ginkgo, rhodiola rosea, cannabis, peppermint, licorice root, yerba mate (it counts as an herb in my mind), and green tea (also an herb in my mind). Mostly brewed into tea, with the exceptions of cannabis and rhodiola.

Need that cocktail to keep me functional and happy.
 
Mr. Mayor said:
Tried ginkgo in the past for bodybuilding.. not too much of an affect.
Cordyceps was pretty useful. Although I am currently taking rhodiala rosea 2x a day first time i took it was with gaba and I had a huge rush followed by me wanting to laugh at everything haha
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Twice a day? And you're able to sleep at night? I can only take it in the morning. Any later and I'm like a mad scientist come 11pm :)

red22 said:
Are you kidding? I've never gotten any kind of reaction from spirulina. Humans weren't "meant" to eat greens either (they require excessive chewing and I've gotten stomach cramps from eating greens, but never from fruit, which is the primary food that humans evolved on). Algaes like spirulina are a nutritional godsend in that they are extraordinarily dense and cosequently economical sources of nutrition. They have all the nutrients greens have, as well as some very significant nutrients that greens don't have, like protein, essential fatty acids, and fat soluble vitamins (technically I think greens have all this stuff, but much less than algaes).

Humans aren't "meant" to consume herbal decoctions and tinctures either.
Click to expand...

Humans are omnivores so of course they're meant to eat vegetation. In fact, most studies demonstrate that the paleo diet did (and still does) consist mainly of vegetation, with some meat added. Humans have also been consuming wild medicines and processing them into different forms (i.e. decoctions) for all of recorded history. Tinctures contain alcohol, and alcohol is a natural byproduct of fermentation. Natural ferments are great for digestion, and most advanced civilizations took it to the next natural step and made alcohol.

There's virtually no ancestral data on the consumption of algae, or other fads like raw cacao. I'm aware that some people can digest spirulina... most people can't and aren't recognizing the signs because they're letting ideology overrule their bodies. Myself, my friends, and the people I see who take it all show signs of not being able to process it. If you don't have loose stool from taking it, then congrats, you are like 1% of the population.
 
Foreigner said:
There's virtually no ancestral data on the consumption of algae, or other fads like raw cacao.
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It doesn't matter. There's no distinction between natural and artificial. I embrace processed foods.

Spirulina powder is so much more compatible with the body than tough leafy greens!
 
Yeah, I'm not just gonna go by one person claiming that he knows loads of people who have had issues with spirulina. Sounds like a combination of Foreigner exaggerating and misinterpretation by the people he spoke to. It's hard to attribute loose stools to one partivular thing, since stool consists of everything we eat. And I doubt that these people are basing their opinions on super controlled conditions: observing this with and without spirulina in multiple instances. The other day I ate like 12 tablespoons of spirulina because their was nothing else in the house. No issues and it was a great decision.

If in fact people are getting reactions from spirulina, I would look to two things:

Enzymes in diet:

perhaps the addition of such a concentrated source of nutrients requires more enzymes. High enzyme diets are more natural anyway, as humans used to have access to multiple types of fruit that was tree ripe. Take an enzyme supplement whether you're taking spirulina or not.

Quality of spirulina.

I seem to recall the spirulina I bought from Longevity Warehouse being richer in smell and taste and darker in color than this stuff I got from Whole Foods. Although I didn't get an digestive issues with the whole Foods stuff, perhaps the quality variation with spirulina is significant.
 
red22 said:
It doesn't matter. There's no distinction between natural and artificial. I embrace processed foods.

Spirulina powder is so much more compatible with the body than tough leafy greens!
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Not so tough once once a gear juicer tears em up! ; )

Red22
Yeah, I'm not just gonna go by one person claiming that he knows loads of people who have had issues with spirulina. Sounds like a combination of Foreigner exaggerating and misinterpretation by the people he spoke to. It's hard to attribute loose stools to one partivular thing, since stool consists of everything we eat. And I doubt that these people are basing their opinions on super controlled conditions: observing this with and without spirulina in multiple instances. The other day I ate like 12 tablespoons of spirulina because their was nothing else in the house. No issues and it was a great decision.

If in fact people are getting reactions from spirulina, I would look to two things:

Enzymes in diet:

perhaps the addition of such a concentrated source of nutrients requires more enzymes. High enzyme diets are more natural anyway, as humans used to have access to multiple types of fruit that was tree ripe. Take an enzyme supplement whether you're taking spirulina or not.

Quality of spirulina.

I seem to recall the spirulina I bought from Longevity Warehouse being richer in smell and taste and darker in color than this stuff I got from Whole Foods. Although I didn't get an digestive issues with the whole Foods stuff, perhaps the quality variation with spirulina is significant."

TH BE ME-

Crohns and and a general Leaky Gut syndrome may also be problems (mine, tho juicing and cbd seems to be working well). The dark green stuff was takin with enzymes when I was drinking it daily. I'm gonna try it again.

Whole foods seems like it would charge more. Soons enough I shall be blowing too much money on organic food- for now I can only dream of their buffets and other tasty treats.
 
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Bigfanofthemdrugs said:
My daily herb regimen consists of ginkgo, rhodiola rosea, cannabis, peppermint, licorice root, yerba mate (it counts as an herb in my mind), and green tea (also an herb in my mind). Mostly brewed into tea, with the exceptions of cannabis and rhodiola.

Need that cocktail to keep me functional and happy.
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Nice combo Big man. How much icorice do u take daily? Have youlooked into de-glycherrized licorice?
 
It's possible that I just got blue-green from a bad source, but I doubt E3Live qualifies. Something about it felt toxic in my body, and my GI rejected it. Tried taking it with food or without; tried adding ginger, and different digestive herbs to offset spirulina's cold nature. Nothing stopped the volcano at the other end. I'm aware of the issue of digestive enzymes, I've got that covered. I don't think spirulina is for everyone. If it works for you, great. I'm still highly skeptical based on everything I've seen in my clients who've used it while coming to see me (so I could observe changes) and in my friends who report similar things. Not exactly a scientific anecdote I know, but I still have to err on the side of personal experience.

I think people should take it and see if it works for them, but don't let ideology get in the way of what's actually happening in your body. If you start having loose stool / diarrhea, bloating, cramps, or you start feeling run down from taking it every day, then stop. Spirulina, to me, falls more under the category of an herbal medicine than a food, because it has specific actions and properties which work in some people and not in others. It should therefore be treated as a supplement.
 
I'm envious of you guys and all your herbs and tings.


All I got is a moderate selection of teas. Had some earl grey dragonfly tea earlier (whatever that even is). Now time for green tea.
 
How does everyone prefer to take their Kava? I'm a 12 days out of a 3 year Bupe habit and finding ways to medicate with something less harmful and consuming. I use Kratom for the PAWs from time to time (not daily) and am looking for a little help with the insomnia. So any suggestions about other useful sleep herbs, or how to take my Kava (30% ) would be amazing!
 
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plmar said:
I'm envious of you guys and all your herbs and tings.


All I got is a moderate selection of teas. Had some earl grey dragonfly tea earlier (whatever that even is). Now time for green tea.
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Green tea is one of the superheroes of the herb world brother ; ) Make sure your water is 175 degrees ( dipping yout finger in the water for 3 seconds, that's your optimal temp)

Go grab some cheap herbs and join us, Join Us, JOIN US : D buzzzzzzzzing! Cannabidiol, Kava, Cannabis, aniracetam, Phew!
 
Picking up a cold it seems. That familiar tickle -- and denial -- in the back of the throat is only worsening.

Herbal solutions? Tried oil of oregano a few months ago during the apex of my cold and it worked like a charm. But v expensive.
 
^ Oil of oregano should be used as a throat gargle in a bit of warm water, and it's usually indicated for bacterial infections (bacterial = hot/feverish, oregano = very cold in nature). It would not be my first go-to because it can be kind of harsh on the liver if taken often.

Honestly, fresh ginger and fresh garlic are the way to go. You can cut them into small enough pieces that they can be swallowed with water, without chewing, if you care about the taste or garlic breath. Echinacea is also really useful, but you have to get it from an herbalist otherwise you will be dealing with dubious quality.
 
I started taking bee pollen recently and WOW, I can't believe I never tried this stuff. Instant energy boost and mood lift to tackle all the day's issues. It has also gotten rid of my seasonal allergies, some recent gut inflammation, and really helps with sleep.

The problem is that I can't find anything consistent about it online. It's all marketing which is fanatical, or private industry research which claims it contains nothing important and does nothing (so typical). I know from how I feel that it contains something powerful. It's suggested all over the place that it's a 'complete food', containing all essential amino acids, crucial enzymes, and even neurotransmitter pre-cursors, but the research is what I can't track down. I suspect it has immuno-modulating properties but I want more details!

Does anyone know about this?
 
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