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Sex Hormones and the Importance of Understanding (or Misunderstanding!) Them Despite that which some sources might suggest, androgenic hormones, and sex hormones in general, are complicated things that we see over-simplified all too often. The misleading information on sex hormones can often cause those researching the subject to waste considerable time, energy and money trying to accomplish something they simply can’t or trying to achieve it the wrong way. Because we’re big on transparen …

Unveiling Astragalus: Immune Strength from Ancient Roots Astragalus (also known as Huáng Qí or Milkvetch) is considered one of the most important adaptogenic herbs on the planet, commonly used to strengthen the body’s immune system. It boasts a long history of use in herbal medicine and has undergone significant study within modern scientific medical research.Exploring Astragalus Varieties: The Root of Health Benefits The Astragalus used for medicinal properties comes from the root of a legu …

Eating for Jing In the historical context of Chinese medicine, diet gave birth to herbalism. And within the overall context of Chinese medicine, diet is considered a stand-alone therapy—not an adjust therapy. Any disease or disorder that can be treated through acupuncture or herbs can be treated through diet. Understanding that herbalism is really just a type of dietary therapy aids in the understanding of the five pillars of Chinese medicine: Acupressure (Tui Na), acupuncture, dietary th …

Discover Our Elevated Pine Pollen TincturesCrafted by Master Herbalists, Now with Refined Formulas, Extraction, and Product Artwork We’re proud to introduce the most significant evolution in our tincture collection since we first began our journey. This latest release is not merely about aesthetics—although the new artwork elegantly captures the elevated essence of our products. More importantly, it reflects a commitment to superior craftsmanship and our continuous pursuit of …

It's Time to Talk about Mental Health And About How We Know Nothing About It It's a curious conundrum of how many people are affected by depression yet real conversations about and surrounding mental health are largely lacking. Is it shame? General uncomfortableness regarding vulnerability? A lack of vocabulary about mental health which stifles dialog? Something else altogether? In the immediate wake of the suicides of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain we saw some much-needed dialog, in m …

AM Energy Booster & Pre-Workout Formula Developed Exclusively and in Collaboration with Pine Pollen Superfoods This has been a long time coming and I am so very excited to be able to announce the release of our first collaboration with Michael over at Pine Pollen Superfoods. With a ton of experience in the fitness industry—and a ton of experience with Pine Pollen—Michael wanted something unique for himself and his customers that supplied the nutrients, the foundation, and the energ …

Restore the Yang While for the most part I agree with the Wen Bing Warm Disease Theory, where the school of thought roots the cause of all disease in heat. This is similar to the inflammation theory of disease in the West. And we certainly live in a hot culture and many of us are suffering from true excess heat in the body.  But what about those times when we need heat, where the cause of our illness isn't excess heat but the cause of our illness is cold. This is  …

When Science Meets (Meditation) Practice While it's of no surprise to the gurus, the Buddhas, the Dharma Punks, the mystics, sages, and hermits of time past (and anyone else with a mindfulness or meditation practice), it is nice to have science to confirm what many of us already know: Meditation has vast rewards for brain and mental health. An eight week study conducted by Harvard researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) determined that meditation literally rebuilds the brain’s …

Sleep for the Yin,  Sleep for the Win. I’ve written previously about the importance of sleep. If our health were a barrel, sleep would be one of the staves (the long, vertical pieces of wood that construct the sides) of the barrel If one stave is missing, even if there are 50 staves in the barrel, if one is missing than it will absolutely hold nothing (well, I suppose it would still hold, if you're being pedantic). If one of the 50 staves extends just 50% of the way to t …

Stress: The Locked Door to Wellness As children, we were taught that boogeymen lurked in the shadows, just beyond our sight. While these stories were ethereal, their impact on our young minds was tangible. As adults, stress has become that boogeyman—interwoven throughout our lives, both expectedly and unexpectedly. And like our childhood fears, stress manifests in very real ways, particularly affecting our health. According to the American Psychological Association, there are three main type …