The Pacific yew and other species in the genus Taxus are slow growing conifers, often found in older mixed forests.
It was discovered in the 1960s that the leaves and the bark contain potent anti-cancer alkaloids.
In the 80s and early 90s the trees were harvested to make the drug and especially was used in breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and esophageal cancer treatment. It has saved lives. But the harvest of the bark placed heavy pressure on the slow growing trees, so harvesting was a problem. Fortunately, it was found that it was actually Endophytic fungi that produce most of the alkaloid. This enabled manufactures to grow the fungus in big tanks and extract the alkaloid without harming the trees.
One of the alkaloids paclitaxol and others are still widely used in standard cancer care programs as chemotherapy.
I have seen patients use the tincture of yew leaves, with the idea that the full range of alkaloids and other compounds in the leaves might be more effective, produce less chemotherapeutic resistance, and have less side effects. Although this idea has not been proven in clinical studies.
The wood is extremely hard and was widely used by Native Americans to make weapons and other implements .
Check my website www.christopherhobbs.com for many handouts, videos, and other information. You can also sign up for my newsletter and announcements of upcoming webinars that I will be offering in the coming months.
in gratitude, Dr. Christopher Hobbs. ...

California poppy is the California state flower. It’s so easy to grow in your garden it spreads so rapidly by seed. In the spring it gives you glorious golden flowers, and in the summer and fall you can harvest the roots and the long, slender fruits.
You can either blend them up in a 80% ethanolic menstruum and make a tincture, or simmer the plant parts for 20 minutes, then blend up the herb with the water and simmer down until it’s fairly thick. Then spread that in the fruit leather trays of a food dehydrator and dehydrate until you get a crispy wafer And crumble that up and grind into a fine powder in a coffee grinder.
Store this powder in jars and you can add a half teaspoon to a little warm water and drink anytime you need it. The tea powder is stable for up to three years. It’s good to add flavoring, herbs or sweet herbs, like licorice to counteract the slightly bitter flavor of the herb.
The tea powder is very potent, especially if you only include the roots in the fruits.
It is such a fantastic remedy for calming, for promoting good sleep, and to help relieve spasms, such as menstrual cramps or intestinal spasms.
I dispensed it for years in my clinic and had so much positive feedback. It’s also useful for pain.
See my website www.christopherhobbs.com for handouts, videos, and more.
www.christopherhobbs.com
I’m so happy and grateful to connect with you! ...

Nature finds a way.
Each habitat or ecological niche has its own challenges and rewards.
For the cranesbill of the geranium family, Genus Erodium, the challenges are getting their seeds into the hard packed ground to protect them in grasslands where many browsers occur.
In the picture, you can see a complete fruit of the cranesbill. The upper curved tip sticks in a little irregularity in the ground. the column that arises from the seed as it dries will twist and turn creating a hard coil. The very tip of the seed at the bottom is incredibly sharp and hard. As the coil forms, the seed is literally drilled into the ground.
Vast acres of cranesbill with its pink flowers fills vast fields and meadows. It is so successful because it found a better way over millions of years.

Check my website for lots of handouts, videos, and much more. www.christopherhobbs.com. ...

from Flora herb gardens.

Onions of any kind are incredibly healthy. I try to add wine to my diet. Most days they are abundant in quercetin and sulfur compounds, both of which are anti-inflammatory and highly protective.
They also add so much flavor to our meals !
Check out my website christopherhobbs.com for lots of freely-accessible handouts, articles, and videos!
Thanks for watching ...

There are several species of wild oats in the genus Avena. This one is Avena fatua, despite the caption in the real that says Avena Batua. I fixed it when I was making the real, but it keeps reverting. The editing tools are not always perfect!
Doesn’t matter which species you use. Domesticated oats will also work, but I always felt that the wild ones like the one you’re seeing in the reel are stronger. iIn the milky stage, the seeds do contain several alkaloids, including hordenine which have been shown to affect the nervous system.
Some herbalist feel that it has an invigorating effect, and others, a calming effect. Likely it depends on the person, how much you’re using, and the stage in which they are picked is often used for people who have been through a lot of stress. It’s important to use daily in a little water for an extended time, even several months to get the full affects so it is used along with other herbs like California poppy, or a skullcap for anxiety, but also is used in other countries to help people break addictions, like tobacco.
Very safe to use even during pregnancy.
No need to worry about overharvesting! In many places, the wild oats are growing tickly as far as you can see.
They are originally from Europe, but the slender, wild out is actually a native.
Thanks for watching, and don’t forget to check out my website where there are many handouts, articles, books, and other resources for Herbalists. ...

A classic and highly revered herbal remedy, especially for nervous system and respiratory tract problems.
So easy to grow and beautiful to have in the garden. This is a rather low-dose herb so growing one plant can make a half a pint of the tincture and experiment with it. In line.
thanks for watching, sending out green herbal blessings the day after herb day.
I hope your spring will be full of beauty and magic. More time in the garden whether it’s small or large, or even in pots. We are caring on an ancient tradition of healing through connectedness with nature or source of all blessings..
Christopher Hobbs
#herb
#selfcare ...

Sometimes, an old way is still a good way!
I had 80 sheep in my backyard yesterday and they truly are like lawnmowers. They trim the weeds and grass down to the nub.
They also left behind some fertilizer, and only took them about four or five hours to trim an acre. ...

Poison hemlock was known from antiquity because the juice of the plant was often used as a way to carry out a death sentence in Greek culture.
It was Socrates, who was a real pain to the government because he was a truth teller (couldn’t we use more of that today?).
Socrates was told the judgment after his so-called trial was to either drink the poison, hemlock juice, or be banished. He chose to drink the juice, and with all his students around him he reported how he felt after drinking it. He said his mind was completely clear, but eventually his heart stopped, and he stopped breathing , the active alkaloid shuts down the nerve impulses to some of the internal organs, causing death eventually.
It is the fruits and the roots that have the highest quantity of the alkaloids. The young green foliage was actually eaten as a green and I have seen people do it without harm. Still, I don’t recommend it. The alkaloid contact could vary with the population.
Early American physicians used a tincture of poison hemlock to treat pain. Today that use has fallen out of favor for obvious reasons. Well now we have cannabis.@
poison hemlock is the plant used by the hemlock society to help with conscious dying. Likely it is one of the most painless and green ways to die when we are truly ready.
Thanks for watching. I appreciate you let’s create a green world together where Medicine is truly from the earth and healing medicines that are not based on greed.
#herbal
#poisonousplants ...

With monumental rains throughout the California winter, comes abundant wildflowers. We went to the Carrizo plain and we’re overwhelmed by the beauty. To sit quietly with the baby blue eyes and watch them move in the wind for 20 minutes was surprisingly consciousness shifting. In the wider view, we were surrounded by unsurpassable beauty. When quieting the mind, and really seeing a pollinators view, we were taken back to our young childhood, where everything was so beautiful and simple, where friends and family surrounded us by love.
It brought to our awareness that connecting with wild nature, the forest and the fields, the birds and the gentle wind, moving amongst the flowers is available always as a gift from our mother. If we can only remember to consciously return the live by caring for her throughout our days.

inspiring quote by Wordsworth . ...

Springtime Amanita comes from a section of this genus that contain some very toxic species. However, some of the amanitas are edible and choice.
The grisettes, coccora group, prized Caesar mushroom of Europe, and others.
However, this genus also contains the death cap and destroying angel. These are little Mushrooms.
How many to also contains the famous fly agaric?, Amanita muscaria.
The bottom line for this Geneious is be very very careful about what you’re picking and eating.
Experienced mushroom lovers can slowly try some of the choice edibles and become familiar and comfortable with eating them.
It’s worth the effort because they are some of the most delicious edibles.
Thanks for watching!

#mushroom
#Fungi ...

Witch hazel has been in the pharmacist shops for over 150 years, and likely much longer than that.
It was discovered that distilling witch hazel, and making a water, or sometimes a tincture added to water, and then applied to the face and the skin can reduce inflammation, irritation, and help remove itching from bites,stings, and burns. What a beautiful old fashion, and yet thoroughly modern, herbal ally!
I recommend Thayer’s alcohol, free, witch hazel water.
This preparation has been on the market since the mid-19th century!
Full disclosure I have no financial connection to Thayer. ...

Giant fluffy flakes. I know to quite a few of you. Snow is no big deal, but here it is a huge rarity! ...

Gilled turkey tail is often found on dead logs nearby true turkey tail or false turkey tail.
They can be used the same way as true, turkey tail. They have a lot of immune activating, beta glucans, immune, activating, chitin, and good nutrition. All it takes is boiling it down in a pot or a pressure cooker, blending with the cooking water, and dehydrating to it a driveway for in a food dehydrator finally pottering that and storing in a jar for up to three years add a half teaspoon or a teaspoon to soups or other dishes for a nice mushroom flavor, immune support, and many other benefits.
See my book medicinal Mushrooms the essential guide for more information. ...

True turkey tail and false turkey tail often grow together on dead logs in many parts of the world, in a forest near you even. Maybe even in your backyard, or in your fruit orchard. Based on their clinical trials and long history of use, they are likely the most valuable of all medicinal mushrooms.
Of all species of mushrooms, they contain the highest amount of immunomodulating, beta glucans, as well as prebiotic fiber that will help diversify your gut microflora, benefiting your mood, immunity, and cognition.
Either species works, both are non-toxic. But use true turkey tail over the false turkey tail because of its long history of use; still in a pinch you can use false turkey tail.
Check my book, medicinal mushrooms, the essential guide for more information. It’s fantastic to make a concentrated water-based powder for long-term storage to add too many types of dishes. Really the best kind of food medicine from the forest.

www.christopherhobbs@gmail.com ...

I recently northern California had a series of major, atmospheric rivers, one after another, where we were getting perhaps, 3 or 4 inches of rain per day.
Since I couldn’t stay out of the Woods, because mushrooms were popping up everywhere and I was speaking of various mushroom gatherings, I ended up getting a throat infection, and laryngitis.
After that, I guess you’re being with around so many people, I caught a cold too.
I was in pretty miserable shape until I really started hitting the garliq syrup, as well as Andro Graffis tablets and lots of elderberry juice.
I blended up the garlic, added one drop of mint toil and one drop of oregano oil, and then poured it into a narrow mouthed syrup jar , that makes it easy to sip. If you’re the only one using it and carry it with you you can also just added to a one or 2 ounce dropper bottle.
Over the years, I have been so impressed with the simple remedy that never fails to clear sinus infections, help with ear infections, sore throat, strep throat, and just general inflammation and pain in the throat and upper bronchial area.
I recommend having it on hand all winter.
#garlic
#respiratorycare
#cold
#flu ...

I’d rather enjoy my medicine!
Mushrooms, greens and garlic, major medicine, food.
Lots of super high-quality prebiotic, fiber, high protein, and nutrients that rival animal products because of all the mushrooms. Here I used a combination of Maitake, shiitake, and wood ear mushrooms.

#fungal
#mushroom
#greenmed ...

I taught a class on the health benefits of mushrooms to start the conference, and about 60 to 70% of the audience raised their hand, when I said how many of us would consider ourselves newbies?
It’s so exciting to see so many people being called by the mushrooms! ...

Mushrooms from the genus Agaricus are among the best edibles. Of course, in the store, you can get portobellos and button mushrooms.
In the wild there are the meadow mushroom, the prince, and almond scented red staining Agarics.
So yummy.
However, they are also tricksters.!
Some look perfectly harmless and delicious but after eating you can wake up in the middle of the night feeling incredibly nauseous and have to throw up.
I learned my lesson early on so now I look very closely.
However, I don’t avoid them by any means.
Make sure you have a reliable field guide, or attend a Foray or workshop from a local Mushroom club.
One of the very best first pass signs are nicking the very base of the mushroom, and seeing if it turns immediately yellow. If it does, don’t eat it.
Smell the very base after nicking. If it smells even faintly like chemicals or library paste, don’t eat it.
Still, a few of the common Agarics don’t stain yellow or smell bad at the base, maybe only a very faint chemical smell.
This could be Agaricus californicus, which, unfortunately, is nauseating to many people.
Again, make sure you know what you’re picking and eating. The first time you try a new species, cook some, and then eat only a spoonful the first time. Work your way up to higher amounts. If you have an edible species that others have tried, and you know you’re not sensitive..
Some mushrooms from this genus are highly medicinal as well. The so-called sun agaric is highly sought after, and found in most Chinese herb shops. Its uses are for boosting immunity, counteracting cancer, and protecting the internal organs.
Please see my new book, medicinal, mushrooms, the essential guide for lots more information.
Or check out my new seven week course on medicinal mushrooms on the Shift Network that just started.
#mushroom
#fungus
#ChristopherHobbs ...