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Relearning the Five Love Languages

No WiFi. No Bluetooth. The more time we’re spending behind the screen, and the more our relationships are mediated by technology, it seems that we are becoming poorer and poorer at real—in real life—interpersonal communication and interactions. Yes, we’re always connected. But maybe it’s time to (relearn) how to connect. Without cords. Without WIFI. Without Bluetooth. You know, in the flesh. This isn’t a judgment call. And it isn’t to say that one way of connecting is greater …

Aug 11, 2015 Ryan Wade

Nature and our Mental Health

Humans: (Mental Health) Connected to a Natural Landscape I love it when researchers confirm what we all inherently know. When we present our ruminations—our worries and our anxieties—to our natural eco-systems those systems take care of those problems for us. Writing for the National Academy of Sciences, researchers have found that taking a 90 minute walk through a “natural environment reported lower levels of rumination and showed reduced neural activity in an area of the br …

Jul 01, 2015 Ryan Wade

Epitalon for Lengthening Telomeres

Telomeres, Aging, and EpitalonUnderstanding Telomeres and Cellular Aging Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that facilitate cell replication. Each time a cell divides, its telomeres shorten. Once telomeres are fully depleted, the cell enters senescence, ceasing replication and beginning to excrete toxins. This phenomenon is known as the Hayflick limit, named after Leonard Hayflick, who discovered in 1961 that normal human cells can divide approximately 40 to 60 times befo …

Jun 25, 2015 Ryan Wade

Drinking in the Mystical Sleep

Embracing Our Ancestral Sleep: A Journey Back to Our Ancestral Sleep At RAW Forest Foods, we hold a deep and profound reverence for the sanctity of sleep—and we have previously written about the critical role sleep plays in maintaining the delicate equilibrium of our physical, mental, and spiritual faculties. This is particularly pertinent to those dedicated to optimizing their physical fitness and nurturing a healthy, strong, and youthfullendocrine system. Sleep, too often marginalized …

May 26, 2015 Ryan Wade

Product Highlight: Endocrine Strengthening Formula

Improved; Emboldened; Strengthened; Balanced We launched our Endocrine Strengthening Formula back in the fall of 2010—over five years ago. Rapidly it became a customer favorite for a balanced, yet potent formula for raising testosterone levels. First this formula was available as a 1:2 extraction ratio, and then we quadrupled the strength with a 2:1 extraction ratio. The formula has always contained professional grade hydro-e …

May 17, 2015 Ryan Wade

Kava Root: A Natural Aphrodisiac and Empathogen

Kava Root: Empathogen; Aphrodisiac Kava Root is a vital, robust evergreen shrub. It grows thick, stout rhizomes and fleshy stems, which upon sit rounded, heart-shaped leaves and small, delicate, spiked flowers. In Latin, Kava Root is called Piper methysticum, translating to the intoxicating pepper. This intoxicating pepper is native to the Pacific Islands, where indigenous people prepared and consumed a medicinal drink made from those aforementioned thick, stout rhizomes. Is it Kava Kav …

May 14, 2015 Ryan Wade

Twelve Rivers MycoMedic Elixir

Nourishing and Tonifying the Twelve Rivers Medicinal mushrooms, also known as medicinal fungi, are one of the most important categories of natural medicine, and allopathic medicine is just beginning to recognize their potential. Fungi share more DNA with humans than plants do, and it's no surprise that the mysterious world of mushrooms holds such wisdom and potential for wellness. Indigenous cultures have long known about and utilized the healing properties of mushrooms, and now post-industr …

Mar 28, 2015 Ryan Wade

Need for Sleep

Sleep Cannot be Substituted Our collective relationship with sleep is rather amusing. On one hand, we have access to this free, effortless, and abundant resource that has been empirically proven to be incredibly beneficial for our health. Yet, on the other hand, we seem to have an ongoing obsession with trying to minimize or eliminate it.Sleep Is Imperative As a society, we maintain a complex and mostly negative relationship with sleep. Products like Five Hour Energy ra …

Feb 18, 2015 Ryan Wade

Massala Chai Recipe for Lovers

Spiced Chai with Cupid's ElixirI love tea, especially a big mug full of spicy hot chai tea during the dead of winter in the middle of February. This time of year is perfect for creating a batch of spicy, warming goodness to melt the snow and ignite the heart for Valentine’s Day—whether shared with a lover, friends, or simply by yourself with a good book or movie. Chai tea is easy to make and can be prepared with many spices you already have in your cupboard, or are available in bulk at your loca …

Feb 09, 2015 Ryan Wade

Coffee as a Medicinal Herb

Coffee: A Health Food or a Health Risk? Over the past year, I've noticed a growing trend of embracing coffee as a health food. Some even promote coffee alongside medicinal herbs. While this initially seemed frustrating and concerning, the use of coffee as a therapeutic substance has become so pervasive that it must be addressed. Don’t buy—literally and figuratively—into the coffee hype. For a detailed exploration of the harmful effects of coffee from a Classical Chinese Medicine perspective, s …

Feb 04, 2015 Ryan Wade

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