Newsletter #32

If a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded as a loafer...

But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen.

~Henry David Thoreau… meet Antoine Moses, Canadian environmentalist and professional tree planter extraordinaire.

Hello Friends,

There are many sources of news and information swirling daily in our midst and I’m grateful that you have chosen mine to spend your precious time with. Feeling hope for the future isn’t always easy, but it’s essential. I hope that this newsletter provides nourishment for your spirit.

In the fall of 2021, I received a Medicinal Plant Certification from Cornell University. I took the course so that I could learn the best practices for integrating plant based medicines into my own life, including which ones I can grow myself, what they could effectively be used to treat and how to best use them. In upcoming newsletters, I will share the same valuable information that I learned and by which I live by from the best medicinal plants to grow yourself and the best and safest products available on the market.

I wasted no time in this issue and launched right into it with the spice Turmeric, sharing the most important information you should know, including which brand is the best to buy (I was surprised by this one!). I found the other stories featured fascinating and hope you do as well. Wait, one is about me! Enjoy and Happy Earth Day!

#1-Turmeric-Curcumin

-supports a strong immunity system and more-

Turmeric-Curcumin is a spice that I did not eat when I was growing up in France or in the United States, and only started using it in recipes twenty+ years ago when living in Los Angeles, California, by learning from friends who made delicious and healthy meals. I primarily add it to soups, curries and stews.

Turmeric is the spice used for its flavor and orange-yellow color and Curcumin is one of the several curcuminoid compounds found in turmeric that give turmeric its color and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The health benefits of curcumin from turmeric are that it is packed with anti-oxidants, and aids indigestion, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, seasonal allergies and depression.

Did you know that turmeric/curcumin is not well absorbed on its own and is most effective when taken with a fatty meal (cook with olive oil or coconut oil) to further absorption. If only taken with water, only a limited percentage of curcumin taken orally will be absorbed into the blood. As curcumin is lipophilic (it binds to fats), taking curcumin with foods containing fats or oils will enhance absorption as they stimulate the product of bile, which in turn, aids the absorption of fats and lipophilic compounds like curcumin.

In spice form, McCormick Ground Turmeric is the best choice because it provides a much higher concentration of curcuminoids and contains less filth. In terms of filth, which is measured under a microscope, McCormick had less insect parts than other brands.

As an softgel/pill form, the best choice is A1 Vitality Turmeric Curcumin.

When shopping for a turmeric supplement, check that the label shows that the turmeric used in curcuma longa and that the plant part used is the root or rhizome.

**Turmeric/Curcumin safety and side effects: they are generally safe but higher doses can cause problems for people with gallbladder disease, kidney stones or those taking blood-thinning or blood-sugar-lowering medications.

The trusted resource I learned from Cornell and which I refer to frequently when researching the best products on the market is Consumerlab.com. You can get a subscription to it as well, and look up your supplements, spices and vitamins.

You can purchase the Turmerics I recommend from my new store on amazon. I do receive a commission from each sale.

Learn what the FDA is doing to improve the safety of spices

#2-Beauty Products are Finally Getting a Little Safer

-but I would still choose products that are organic and use natural ingredients-

First of all, just because a beauty product is sold at a supermarket, or drugstore or department store cosmetics counter, doesn’t mean it’s safe. The truth is that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has no authority to require safety testing on these products. Nor can it mandate recalls of cosmetics that are harmful. In fact, the manufacturers themselves are not required to report cosmetics-related injuries to the FDA. Hundreds of products sold in the U.S. include ingredients banned in cosmetics in Japan, Canada, and the European Union; and dozens contain substances considered unsafe by the International Fragrance Association.

image by Irving Penn

One of those harmful groups of chemicals are finally getting attention.

A growing number of state legislatures are considering bans on cosmetics and other consumer products that contain a group of synthetic, potentially harmful chemicals known as PFAS.

In Vermont, the state Senate gave final approval this week to legislation that would prohibit manufacturers and suppliers from selling or distributing any cosmetics or menstrual products in the state that have perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, as well as a number of other chemicals.

The products include shampoo, makeup, deodorant, sunscreen, hair dyes and more, said state Sen. Terry Williams, a Republican, and member of the Senate Committee on Health and Welfare.

“Many known toxic chemicals are used in or found as contaminants in personal care products, including PFAS, lead and formaldehyde,” Williams said in reporting the bill to Senate colleagues. 

image by Irving Penn

California, Colorado and Maryland passed similar restrictions on cosmetics that go into effect in 2025. Other proposals are under consideration in Washington and Oregon while bills have also been introduced in Illinois, Rhode Island and Georgia. 

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, studies have linked PFAS exposure to increased cancer risk, developmental delays in children, damage to organs such as the liver and thyroid, increased cholesterol levels and reduced immune functions, especially among young children.

Source: Apnews.com

#3-Innovative Design

-Air-Ink: turning air pollution into an ink solution

I love pens.

Honestly, it’s not 100% clear how they do this, but I love that they are doing it, as air pollution is responsible for more than 5 million deaths every year. It’s a drop in the bucket but at least someone is trying to think out of the box in a creative way. Every effort makes a difference.

With Air-Ink, air pollution waste is sequestered as useable pigments and ink. The brand states that the more Air-Ink on your page, the less pollution in your lungs. Their discovery was made back in 2013 at the MIT Media Lab, when they used soot from a printer cartridge. It worked as an ink and Air-Ink was born. They state that their recycling technology has created a business model that has never before been implemented at an industrial scale.

The Air-Ink is featured in the work of more than a thousand artists like Doodle Man, Christian Furr, Karatoes, Imagine and others.

More info here

#4-My Tick Control Tips

-learning to adapt to a foe in nature-

A few days ago, I posted Tick Information on my River’s Edge Farm NY page on Instagram. In case you missed it, here are all the tick tricks I use to avoid ticks, find ticks before they get on my skin and the natural tick control methods I use around my garden; only one method isn’t completely chemical free.

Since I am an outdoors, walk in the middle of the field, forage off the trail kind of person, I do encounter ticks on occasion and have been able to reduce the incidents of skin contact by stopping them before they can harm me.

1- Wear all white clothes from your shirt to pants and socks. Tuck your white socks into the boots. Short boots are fine.

2- On the days when the temperature is under 70 degrees, I wear a white Hazmat suit that is comfortable, roomy, and washable (not disposable like so many on the market). I wouldn’t recommend wearing it when it’s over 80 because it gets very warm. The one I use is in my store on Amazon. Here is another Cotton Coverall choice, which is a bit more form fitting.

3- Dab rose geranium or lavender organic essential oil on your wrists and ankles. Ticks avoid those scents.

4- Take a shower as soon as you get home, if you have been outdoors walking through grasses or raking leaves, two favorite tick hang outs.

5- Add tick tubes in wood piles and rock walls, or other areas that are sturdy and where mice could be. The mice love the cotton wool inside the tick tubes! This is how it works: Ticks feed on mice; the tubes contain cotton treated with permethrin insecticide; the mice collect the treated cotton and use it to line their nests and the ticks feeding on the mice die.

Happiness is an empty tick tube

6- I rescue possoms. They are a harmless and a misunderstood creature and they eat a lot of ticks. They are welcome to roam around the gardens and I rarely see them.

7- I encourage praying mantids to settle in every where near my garden, including the biodiversity meadow nearby. Mantids eat a lot of ticks

I had chickens a few years ago, and they are known to eat ticks. I have heard that Guinea hens spend their days tick hunting and Wild turkeys are steady tick hunters too.

My new store on Amazon, where you will find the Hazmat suit, Essential oils and Tic tubes. I earn a commission from each sale.

#5-Earth Day Film

-I highly recommend watching this film-

The movie 2040, directed by Damon Gameau, asks in an inspirational tone, “What might the future look like if we implemented the climate solutions we have available today?” Gameau made the film in an effort to change the way we talk about climate change, citing the biggest risk in addressing it can be a daunting sense of helplessness. The film poses the idea that there is still much to be hopeful about and take action on. From empowering women and girls, to regenerative agriculture, to sea kelp permaculture, the film explores the diverse ways communities across the globe are working to reduce their impact and prepare for a different future.

"2040" points a practical, achievable path toward solutions, but its most important contribution is a sense that change is possible. "

Watch the Trailer:

2040 is streaming on AppleTV and Prime

#6-Secrets of The Elephants

-a film in honor of Earth Day 2023-

-Premiers on April 21st-

Secrets of the Elephants, directed by James Cameron, is narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman and will feature famous National Geographic Explorer and elephant specialist Dr.Paula Kahumbu.

Elephants have long been a source of wonder and mystery with their rich emotional lives and almost supernatural ways of navigating the world.

Premiers April 21^st on National Geographic Channel

Watch the trailer:

Thank you to all new Subscribers and a special Thank you to all paid Subscribers!

May Earth Day be every day in your lives!

See you in May, and until then, wishing you and your loved ones well.

Priscilla