Chaga Knowledge

The Wild Chaga Mushroom ... The Secret of the Forest

Chaga is a wild growth of immense powers. Everyone needs more power, so everyone benefits from chaga. Real chaga is truly wild. It grows in the far northern forests, where the ecosystem is intact. This is crucial, because there is a vast difference between wild plants which grow in pure nature and farm-raised plants. Chaga thrives in the remote wilderness, growing on wild birch trees. It consumes and then concentrates the natural power of these trees. A polypore fungus taking up to twenty years to mature, chaga is a true force of wild nature. There is now man-made chaga grown in vats and labs. Do not accept cheap imitations.

The “Gift from God”

Rather than soft like a mushroom, chaga is hard, almost as hard as wood. It is unique, nothing like common mushrooms. In fact, chaga is the most nutritionally dense of all tree growths. Known by the Siberians as the “Gift from God” and the “Mushroom of Immortality,” this vibrant growth has been used by humans to support health for thousands of years. The Japanese call it “The Diamond of the Forest,” while the Chinese deem it “King of Plants.” For the Chinese that is saying a lot, since they have an immense history with countless plants. Now, you can get the great powerful secret of the Orient through North American Herb & Spice’s wild chaga supplements. Despite this exceptional status, most Americans are unaware of it.
         
To survive in harsh climates, chaga concentrates natural compounds for its protection, and that is why it is so powerful. To strengthen the tree, as well as heal, it makes potent phytochemicals, including sterols, phenols, and enzymes. Researchers have inoculated sick trees with chaga to strengthen them. People benefit by consuming these forest-source phytochemicals and nutrients.

Green Housekeeping

Spring cleaning is here and it’s a great time to think about switching from conventional cleaning products to the more environmentally friendly versions.

It’s a well-known fact that conventional cleaners contain hundreds of chemicals that unleash harmful toxins and contaminate our waterways once discarded. What you may not know is just how harmful these chemicals can be. They can act as respiratory irritants, potential carcinogens, neurotoxins, mutagens, teratogens, and endocrine and hormone disrupters. Certain ingredients call Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are added to most cleaners to enhance their performance, but can impair neurological functions. Manufacturers of conventional cleaning products are not held to any labeling requirements, making it difficult for even the savviest consumer to tell what they are being exposed to.

The good news is that some of the most
environmentally friendly cleaning products can be found right in your own home or store.

Spring cleaning the natural way:

Soap, water, baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and a coarse scrubbing sponge can take care of most household cleaning needs
To Clean glass, use a mixture of half white vinegar and half water
Baking soda and cornstarch are both good carpet deodorizers
To clean mold and mildew, use a mixture of lemon juice and white vinegar and salt.
A paste of baking soda, salt and hot water makes a good oven cleaner


Taken from Green Housekeeping by Lisa Madsen.

Joel Salatin: Life Lessons from a Farmer

Joel Salatin: Life Lessons from a Farmer (via Organic Connections Magazine)

by Bruce Boyers Joel Salatin—farmer, author, featured speaker, and the subject of several documentaries—has spent his life learning from nature how a food system is supposed to function, and putting it into practice at his Polyface Farm. Then, raising…

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