Enjoy the article and let us know what you think!

~D

Food Medicine Life

by Morgan Maher

“As we begin (once again) to naturalize ourselves – both nutritionally and medicinally – we may begin to discover that there is far more to a plant than just its chemical composition, more than just its list of constituent phyto-nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Rather, and more vital to our personal healing – as well as to the continuation of life as we know it – is our becoming acquainted with the organism producing the food or medicine itself. With the life-form, the being.”

-Daniel Vitalis

~

Visionary Nutrition. This is a path of uniting stories. An open source invitation into deeper relation with the many things that fuel, heal, and energize us; that which is alive all around us, co-creates with us. This a path of dissolving separation. A path of connectivity.

It is the strengthened engagement with the harmony of humanity – the beautiful songs we’ve sung and are singing, our peak performance, the best of the best – that boils down to our collective necessities – food, medicine, life – from which can be drawn ever-expanding analogies, inter-elated metaphor, and metamorphosis.

It is here all around us; Eden, Heaven – find it in an apple. Got Demons? Join forces with a vine. Eat garbage conjured and sold by the darkest magicians – become “Stay Puft Marshmallow Man”; your ill-conceived nightmares. Invite the forces of nature, say an orange or a mushroom, and with the right kind of eyes – grow further infused with infinite ecologies of everlasting spirits.

“What ayahuasca teaches is that right now, at every moment, we already live in the magic forest.”

-Steve Beyer

Dig around a bit, and you might observe the root of our crisis as being humankind’s long, drunken lust for separation – mind/body, human/nature, food/medicine, physical/spiritual. Simultaneously, it is these elements which unite our species, and always have. We all participate, we all dance with these elements – and it is these elements that, by and large, make up our world. We create worlds, as worlds creates us.

But we are new here – sometimes awesome, but ultimately amateur, and we’ve been grasping. We simply cannot believe it. Timelapse the situation and it’s like we appeared only yesterday – instantaneously – in ever-changing form, on a particular planet.

Growing in size, staring at our hands, finding our feet, rubbing our eyeballs, mind boggled – immersed, surrounded, and face to face with an overwhelming presence perceived, at times, as threatening.

We dash for the door, or some way out. We invoke separation, like children covering their ears – convinced it’s not happening. Running in circles, making mirages, chasing dragons, ouroborically awestruck, deaf, blind and dumbfounded by this life, the afterlife, reality and its alternatives, ghosts, dreams, philosophy, the powers that be, the secret life of plants – all this raging intricacy.

Yet we appear now to see eye to eye with the storm. This quiet, ripping whorl, where time is in question, and of its essence. Where the consensus amongst the conscious is that we are indeed all one, we are nature, there is no separation, and it’s all changing dramatically. Be it homo nexus, homo luminous, neo aboriginalis, or Sylvapolitans – it’s on, and it’s your choice. Merge with the Maelstrom, let Gaia absorb you. Produce solutions – dissolve.

“The fiction that supports the culture-nature separation is rapidly failing under the weight of its own inconsistencies. It is becoming obvious that what we do to nature we do to ourselves, what we do to ourselves we do to nature.”

-Morgan Brent

All plants are psychoactive. Everything has a spirit. You can learn a lot from Arugula – even more from Cacao, or from an elder like Maize. What we place inside ourselves, transforms us. Eating and drinking is intimate communication. Daily comm-union, even telepathy, most often one-way, where a plant invited into the human body as food or medicine can “see what you mean”. From it nothing is hidden and it knows what’s what – so it provides certain answers in the form of nourishment – literally; “bringing (you) up, raising, fostering, supporting, preserving”.

Be it food or information – we become what we consume, and we produce from the inside out. When we eat and drink – we practice relationship with different forces, with spirits and sentience. We are what we eat, and what we eat runs the show.

Plants, fungi and bacteria are significantly adept at piloting humans. Michael Pollan, for example, explores this extensively and convincingly in his work, posing the question: “What if we are all just pawns in corn’s clever strategy game to rule the Earth?”. Further, Pollan suggests, in his “Plants-eye view” Ted Talk, that “Looking at the world from other species’ points of view is a cure for the disease of human self-importance.”

If plants – specifically Teacher Plants – convey anything, it is that they have the upper hand, the higher branch. They can throw you down, clean you up, send you out to space, thrust you on a new paths, make you change your ways, whisper advice, keep you warm, dry, sheltered, alive, and in some cases, even kill you.

Essentially, plants can do whatever they want with humans, and with near-absolute impunity. Our species’ “ultimate verdict” is the concept of death. But to a plant, death is laughable. A sentiment reinforced in a recent New York Times Magazine article describing the plant take-over of New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward, where “For six and a half years, the neighborhood has undergone a reverse colonization — nature reclaiming civilization.”

Have you ever seen plants happen? Plants, and plant-time, are like crop circles (which of course are made of plants in most cases) – like magic, they appear, leave traces, clues, fruit, messages. In the New Orleans “Jungleland” – behind climates of chaos and the media newsfeed, burnt cars and dead bodies are consumed by tall grass.

Side with the plants, learn plants, eat plants, become plants – let food be your medicine, let medicine be your food – and begin to synthesize entirely different dimensions of time, technology, communication, and potential.

“In order to live a magical life, you have to eat magical food”
-David Wolfe

Several years ago, during dieta with Ayahuasca, the plants suggested to me that “ayahuasca would go best with raw food”. Plants, I’ve found, often speak in terms of one’s present perception – in shapeshifting symbols that change as you follow them, conversations to discern and decipher. With this in mind, I set forth exploring a raw food diet – with sharp eyes and a healthy aversion to dogma and definitions. However, the heart of this guidance was clear: Ayahuasca, once drank, prefers to live in, and works better with; clean bodies.

I eventually engaged and evolved my raw food/living diet path as a kind of inverted version of a Plant Dieta. Something I could practice daily as a way to learn from, and build relations with numerous “common” plants like Kale, Chard, Chia, Blueberries, Tomatoes, Pears, for example. As though I was, or have been, turning myself into some kind of garden. Into which, ayahuasca digs deep, purging junk, transforming thoughts, composting things, creating soil from soul, turning the stomach into a womb, encouraging conditions right, good, and fertile – so it can root, grow, and flower.

Raw, living diets take many forms. From my perspective it’s a kind of plant artistry. Plant-based edible living sculpture with vibrant living beings who in return sculpt you. Essentially though, it is process of healing and strengthening. Significantly, it’s a cleanse – of body, of mind – and by extension, environment.

From yet another direction, the “higher reflection” in a sense the Mother of raw, living diets, can be seen in the traditions and disciplines of Plant Dietas. Commonly referred to and often mistaken as “the ayahuasca diet” - Plant Dietas are, in very general terms; a discipline and process of cleansing, purging, healing, learning, and building right-relationship. During Plant Dietas, one is isolated, eats very little, and/or very simply, in order to remove distractions, sensitize one’s body/mind/spirit to the subtleties of the spirit world, to become transparent, lucid and focused in it. A student-teacher relationship emerges as one sits with a plant, drinking it exclusively over a period of time.

Working safely and respectfully with Ayahuasca and other Teacher Plants, alongside raw food/garden-variety plants, the Teacher’s Assistants so to speak, leads, of course, to many physical and spiritual benefits. The plants led me out of concrete jungles, cured any concrete ideologies and crumbling health I might carry – hold my gaze and engage my commitment to unfolding endeavors of evolutionary advantage – wild foods, living water, permaculture, forest gardening, medicinal mushrooms, herbalism, synaesthesia…

Yet perhaps most importantly, the process has opened, and continues to expand, a certain grand permeability – pathways and bridges between common ground and the sky – between day-to-day and ceremonial nights.

~

“I think that once a person is aware of the life in everything, they can begin to access the spirit of everything. And once they can do that they can interact with those spirits. I’m talking about the spirit of the creek, the bricks in your house, the hundreds of spirits roaming your kitchen.

This universe is full full full of life and life force. The roll of shamanic knowledge for us westerners introduced to those spirits is to spread that knowledge, make communication easier. And if we can do that–a big task, no doubt–then the way people interact with the world and the spirits of the world and universe will change, automatically, from one of dominance to one of cooperation. And when we, mankind, begin interacting with the world, rather than trying to dominate it, well, I think mankind will be better off. The world and its spirits don’t really care if we do, for the most part. Trees will be here long after we’re gone, and so will stones and bricks and clouds and the moon. So it’s really up to us to take an interest if we are to make the friendship of those spirits.

And thus far, for most of us throughout mankind’s short history on this planet, that effort has not been made. Which has left us losing out on so much we might have learned. Who knows what we have missed simply by not asking a plant what benefit it might have for mankind, rather than saying “tree, chop it and burn it for fire.”

I think the universe has all the secrets of the universe. And our arrogance in trying to continually conquer the universe rather than communicate with it, has kept us from being taught those secrets. And how delicious they might be!”

-Peter Gorman

It was a tremendous honor to be a part of the new documentary film “Hungry For Change”.   Click here to see the full length film for FREE between now and March 31st! The film exposes the myths and mistruths that the diet-fad and processed food industries have perpetrated on a mis-educated populace for so many years.  We are now awakening from the last few decades of over-fed / under-nourished slumber and collectively reclaiming our Sovereign Health! This film is a beautiful depiction of how that is happening.  I really feel that this movie has the potential to make some real change in the lives of people you know, so please turn your friends and loved ones onto it as well!

Join me on my upcoming radio show with Patrick Timpone on March 29th at 10 am EST.  I will be talking about everything from the “best foods available in the super-market” to the “worst food that people are eating today“.  We will also be talking about footwear, and why I am such a fan of five-toed shoes!  This will be a fun call, and Patrick is never shy about taking me into edgy and interesting territory!  You can check out lots of my past interviews with him (as well as hundreds of other amazing guests) in his extensive audio archives.

Also, special thanks to my friends at Evolver for inviting me to be a part of the Visionary Nutrition project, beginning on April 8th with my interview, where I will be teaching about the role of psychoactive plants in the human ecological and dietary niche. Homo sapiens have a long and rich history with psychoactive plant medicines, and they have always been a part of our traditional diets.  What role do psychoactive’s play today, and if they are no longer represented in our food supply, is it possible that we can become “alkaloid deficient”?  This online workshop will delve deeply into human domestication and the affects of an alkaloid-poor diet.  Click here to learn more about this upcoming online event.

I will be speaking in Washington, DC at the Take Back Your Health Conference on April 14th and 15th! Please come visit me and the SurThrival team, and support this important East Coast event!  I will be talking about ReWilding and Transcending Human Domestication, and how we can stay strong, healthy, and actively-fit for a lifetime in a world that constantly pushing us towards a deeper state of domestication.  Come learn how this April!

Please take a few minutes to check out the “ReWild Yourself” skills event that I am hosting in Maine in the late summer of 2012!  This is going to be a very special weekend, featuring talks by both Arthur Haines and myself, as well as introductions to several earth based SurThrival skills.  My close friend Frank Giglio will be creating all of our meals throughout the weekend using the freshest local, organic, and wild-crafted ingredients.

The last two weekend events we hosted in Maine turned out to be game-changers for nearly everyone involved.  Not just for the participants, but also for the facilitators.  After years of hosting events and retreats, we have learned what powerful transformational tools these kinds of workshops can be.  We strive to put on events that can nourish the body, inform the mind, and touch the spirit.  I really hope you make the commitment to join us there!

Because we will be teaching actual skills on the land, we must limit the class size in order to ensure that each student experiences an attentive learning environment.  If you are thinking of coming, secure your space soon because this workshop will fill! You can find all the details and register here.

But Wait…  Theres More!

Check out my coming events page to see more of what I am up to in 2012, and how you can come be a part of it!

If you know anyone who might be interested in these events, please share this post with them!

Thanks for taking a moment in your day to read this.  You are appreciated!

~Daniel

I am really excited to announce the release of the new book  “Pine Pollen, Ancient Medicine for A New Millennium”,  by Stephen Harrod Buhner.  I had the privilege of both publishing this book as well as writing the foreword, and am very excited to see it added  to the existing herbal literature.

This project began a few years back when I read Stephen’s outstanding book “The Natural Testosterone Plan”.  Actually, I was reading a few of his books and found myself particularly spellbound by the section on Pine Pollen and its incredible androgenic effects.  My company, SurThrival, became the first to bring a fully developed Pine Pollen product line to the natural foods market place in North America.  I had met Stephen at a workshop he gave in British Columbia (here is an interview I did with him) and having become friends, asked if he would be willing to collaborate with myself and the SurThrival team on a Pine Pollen herbal-monograph. Stephen, having studied Pine Pollen extensively, had much to share on the subject.  The results are his latest book which you can find here.

Stephen was sure to include extensive sections on the historical use of Pine Pollen in various traditional medicine systems, its chemistry, as well as its androgen profile, dosages for use, and yes…  Even how you can harvest your own!  The entire book is extensively footnoted so that you can access the scientific literature from which so much of this information has been compiled.

The following is a short excerpt from the opening pages of the book:

“Although the Western world has been undergoing its greatest herbal renaissance in over a century the medicinal actions of trees are often overlooked, perhaps none more so than pine. Given the drive for new plant medicines and the continual search for a new herb-of-the-day that will simulate excitement in the general populace (e.g. rhodiola, maca), it is astonishing that pine has been unrecognized for so long. This is particularly perplexing since the pollen of pine trees has been used for millennia in China and Korea as both food and a particularly powerful tonic and adaptogen, especially for the elderly.

Thousands of Chinese herbs have entered the Western pharmacopoeia; the earliest and best known is perhaps ginseng. Pine pollen, given its potency, its similarity to ginseng in some of its actions, and its status as, perhaps, the premier phytoandrogen on the planet, should have been recognized long before now as the powerful medicinal it is. This monograph is intended to remedy that oversight and help establish it as one of the most important medicinals in the herbalist’s repertory.”  - Stephen Harrod Buhner

I suspect you will all enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed being a part of it.  Stephen, in addition to being a prolific writer on herbal craft and lore, is a poet and word-smith par excellence.

To your health and prosperity,

~D

This past autumn was a really exciting time for my team and I, with so many of our projects coming to fruition and our message of ReWilding, Spring Water, and Indigenous Nutrition spreading around our community and beyond, faster than we ever imagined.

I want to extend a big thanks to the Longevity Now Conference for all they have done to make this happen. Check out this 12 minute video clip (click on the image below) of the talk I delivered in Costa Mesa last October titled, “Developing Sovereign Health: The Path of  Rewilding Ourselves”. If you would like to see the rest of the talk, as well as those presented by the rest of the Longevity Now speakers, it is available here.

"Rewild Yourself: Tips & Tricks for Strengthening Your Epigenetic Health"

I also want to share this quick video clip of my good friend Shailene Woodley’s appearance on the Late Night With Jimmy Fallon Show (check out that clip right here)!  She was so kind as to mention my name and the work I have been doing the last several years!  Shailene has become a tremendous ally, helping to share the message of ReWilding, Spring Water, and Indigenous Nutrition with the world.  Recently, she also appeared on the Ellen Degeneres Show carrying a mason jar of spring water which she promptly shared with Ellen!

Here is a recent interview with her in Black Book Magazine titled “Eating Clay and Super Humans”! She talks about foraging, spring water and her daily clay consumption!

If you don’t know Shailene’s work, check out her latest film, The Descendants, where she co-stars alongside George Clooney.  Shailene, from all of us, Thank You for all that you are doing!

Lastly I want to share the link to the newly rebuilt SurThrival website!  It’s a great place to stock up on great winter immune system supplements, such as Medicinal Mushroom Extracts and Colostrum.  I am so proud of SurThrival as a project, as a company, and as a team!  Thanks to all of you who have supported us! We are constantly working to serve you better!

Thats all for now!

Keep on ReWilding Yourself!

~Daniel

After 14 years of using a neti pot on a regular, almost daily basis – I must admit, I am amazed how overlooked this basic bit of personal hygiene is.

Most of us brush our teeth and we usually expect the same of others.  In fact, when someone neglects this important bit of personal cleanliness, the rest of us can be easily turned off.

How about bathing?  What if you knew someone hadn’t showered or bathed in months, years, or worse still, never at all…  How would you feel about getting… um, close to them?

Well, how about our sinuses? Each day we are all breathing the many stow-away particles (read: pollutants) that free float amongst what was once, some pretty fresh air here on planet earth. Today our air is loaded with everything from dust (which is mostly dead skin cells) to heavy metals, from car exhaust to radioactive isoptopes.  These particles are constantly lodging in and congesting our upper respiratory tract, creating an environment for infection and/or being drawn still deeper into our lower respiratory tract (our lungs).  The neti pot gives us the ability to clean our upper respiratory tract, in much the same way that a toothbrush cleans our mouth or a shower washes our skin, before these particles can accumulate or be drawn deeper.

Otherwise, we simply carry this debris around, haphazardly sneezing or blowing it out, or letting it drain back into our throats…  Blah!

Want to see what a truly clean upper respiratory tract feels like?  Try using a neti pot!

After a few days, to a few weeks, of implementing this practice it will become immediately clear why I am recommending it.  My experience has been that you can only truly feel the chronic congestion after you have cleared it.  It is the open, clear, and relaxed sense of breathing; the ability to fully utilize your respiration that makes you conscious of its importance.  In other words, once you have tried it and felt what clean and clear sinus cavities feel like, you won’t want to go back.

As for the technique and specifics, I will let this video explain the rest.

My company SurThrival recently started carrying what we feel are the most beautiful and durable ceramic neti pots available anywhere, and you can get one for yourself right here on our newly designed website (we are pretty excited about this)!  We were sure to get them in several different colors so that you can choose one thats right for you.  These are made right here in the State of Maine (where we are based out of) and I have personally tested them now for almost a decade and a half, so I can honestly tell you they are the best around.  Watch the video above where I compare some of the features against other design-styles.

If your looking to smog proof your sinuses, help to prevent sinus issues in general, and improve your respiratory health, give the neti pot a try.  Better yet, take some time to develop mastery of this skill by making it a regular practice!

My hope is that our community will immediately see the value of this handy little device and add it to the tool-belt of practices and skills that are helping us to thrive in, and adapt to our modern environment.  I promise if you give it just one week of consistent practice, not only will you easily master this skill, but you will have a life long practice that will contribute to your health and personal detoxification strategy.

I have used this strategy, along side others, such as regular sauna use (check out Clearlight Saunas, it is the brand of infrared sauna that I have in my home), a clean whole food diet containing lots of wild foods and herbs, drinking natural spring water, implimenting regular functional exercise, all combined with and tied together with time spent in nature.  The goal is to create a kind of Invincible Health that allows us to thrive in this mad, mad, world!

To your health and adaptation!

ReWild Yourself!

~D

P.S. Though saline water is what people usually put in their neti pots, I have heard of many other solutions.  Quick question:  What is the most exotic thing you have ever put in a neti pot?  Go ahead and leave a comment below, and please…  Don’t be shy