On Saturday, May 25th, I got to spend two hours with a group of Fantastic Foragers in the Hubbard Valley Park in Seville, Ohio exploring some of the amazing plants in the woods and along the margins surrounding them.

The next exploration will be a Prairie Prowl on June 8th, where we will be learning about the different kinds of plants that can be found in undisturbed open fields in Ohio. You can learn more about this event and register to participate (space is limited) by going to the Fantastic Foragers calendar page at this link.

During our exploration of Hubbard Valley, we found numerous edible and medicinal plants and a few mushrooms as well. While most of these plants are native to the old-growth woods in this park, there were a few introduced species and some invasive ones as well. It is fascinating to see how quickly the dominant plant species change in matter of only a few weeks as the leaves on the trees unfold and begin to provide shade to the understory.

Are the bugs are bugging you, the ticks ticking you off, the yellow jackets being a pain, and you don't want your ant to come visit? Tired of the toxins, the smell, and the stickiness of commercial sprays? Want one solution that works for everything and everybody? Then I have a solution for you!

Some plants have developed the ability to repel pests in order to protect themselves. While it is nice to have a garden full of these plants surrounding your patio to keep the little buggers away, you can't take your garden with you. You can, however take some of those plant materials with you in an easy-to-use spray that will do the same thing.

Spring is here in northeast Ohio, which means it is only about four more weeks until we can start to see the sun!

In the meantime, this is a good time to get things in order so that we can spend the maximum amount of time in nature doing the things we love to do. Spring cleaning is the time for getting all of the accumulated dirt, dust, and bugs out of the house. It is also the perfect time to get all the accumulated dirt, dust, and bugs out of our bodies so that we can be at optimal performance when we get outside!

You probably know how to clean your house, but do you know how to clean your bodies? Amazingly, our bodies have been created to be self-cleaning, but the more dirt, dust, and bugs we put into them, the harder it is for our bodies to get rid of it.

What kind of dirt, dust, and bugs are we talking about?

Do you have good bones?

What are "good" bones? Let's explore this idea, because it may have an impact on your long-term physical health.

Your bones are living tissue; it is the most rigid tissue in the human body. Yet, it is the most dynamic and ever-changing tissue apart from blood. ^{(1, 4,)}. In fact, bone is the second most active tissue development process in the human body before the age of 20 ⁽⁸⁾. Osteoblasts ⁽²⁾ are the cells that build up bones, and Osteoclasts ⁽³⁾ are cells that break down bones.

As you age, the balance between the bone-building process and the bone-breakdown process becomes unbalanced, resulting in conditions like Osteopenia ⁽⁵⁾ or Osteoporosis ⁽⁶⁾.

Is there anything you can do to be able to continue to have "good bones" in a healthy way? Yes, there is!

Most people use deodorants of one type or another. After all, who wants to smell bad? Commercial deodorants are generally accepted by most people with little questioning about what they are made of, or how they work. It is what it is…or is it? Let us explore deodorants and how they work.

Our bodies perspire as a natural function of our skin. In general, our perspiration does not have much odor (some foods can cause odor). In the areas of our bodies like armpits where perspiration cannot escape or evaporate, bacteria can grow in the moisture there. It is the bacteria that causes body odor to occur.

Most deodorants are designed to stop bacteria from growing and producing the "stink". They are also designed to be cheap to make. The majority of deodorants are mostly water with a bunch of chemicals added to it. We will list some of those chemicals later.

People have often asked me about how well herbal products work. Those people are generally familiar with the effects of pharmaceutical medicines, and are not sure that herbal products will work in the same way. The short answer is that they do and they don’t.  Hopefully, this article may help you gain a better understanding of what to expect from an herbal product, and why.

I want to use the example of osteoarthritis of the hand as an illustration. If you have experienced the frustration and discomfort of trying to grasp or lift something when your hands are hurting, you know what I mean. Even ordinary tasks become difficult. A common response is to take an anti-inflammatory medication like aspirin, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, or similar. Within 20 minutes, the pain is reduced, and you can carry on with what you want to do. Sadly, after a while, the pain returns, and you have to take some more pills. The fact is that the pain pills did not solve the problem, they only masked the symptoms. If that is what you choose to do, then continue on, but make sure that you understand that your body is being damaged by these medications, from stomach irritation to kidney or liver damage.