Wild Water Botanicals

08/23/2025

Here are 10 key lessons from Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard:

Forests are deeply interconnected – Trees communicate through underground fungal networks (mycorrhizae), sharing resources and information rather than competing alone.

Mother trees nurture young trees – Older, larger “mother trees” act as central hubs, providing nutrients, water, and carbon to seedlings, especially those of their own kin.

Collaboration is as important as competition – Forests thrive because of cooperation among species, showing that ecosystems depend on balance rather than pure survival-of-the-fittest.

Trees share wisdom across generations – Mother trees help guide the survival of future generations, passing on resilience much like human elders do in families and communities.

Diversity strengthens ecosystems – A forest with a variety of species is more adaptable and resilient to disease, climate change, and environmental stress.

Disturbing the network harms the whole system – Practices like clear-cutting damage not only individual trees but the invisible fungal highways that sustain forest life.

Resilience comes from connection – Just as trees rely on underground networks, humans rely on relationships and communities for strength in times of challenge.

Listening to nature reveals hidden truths – By paying attention to subtle signals and patterns in the natural world, we can uncover wisdom about survival and cooperation.

Science and storytelling are powerful together – Simard blends personal story, Indigenous knowledge, and scientific discovery to show that knowledge grows richer when disciplines connect.

What we do to forests, we do to ourselves – Healthy forests support the planet’s health, reminding us that our survival is intertwined with the well-being of trees and ecosystems.

08/21/2025

A new and rather alarming study has found that many drug medications targeting various systems in the human body might also change our microbiome so that pathogens can colonise the gut more easily and cause infections. The study, directed by Professor Lisa Maier of the Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine Tübingen (IMIT) and the Cluster of Excellence ‘Controlling Microbes to Fight Infections’ (CMFI) at the University of Tübingen, has been published in the elite journal Nature.

The researchers studied 53 common non-antibiotics, including allergy remedies, antidepressants and hormone drugs. Their effects were tested in the laboratory in synthetic and real human gut microbial communities. About one-third of these medications promoted the growth of Salmonella, bacteria that can cause severe diarrhoea. Lisa Maier, senior author of the study, says, “The scale of it was utterly unexpected. Many of these non-antibiotics inhibit useful gut bacteria, while pathogenic microbes such as Salmonella are impervious. This gives rise to an imbalance in the microbiome, which gives an advantage to the pathogens.”

The researchers observed a similar effect in mice, where certain medications led to greater growth of Salmonella. The consequence was severe disease progression of salmonellosis, marked by rapid onset and severe inflammation. This involved many layers of molecular and ecological interactions, such as reduced total biomass of the gut microbiota, harmed biodiversity or the specific elimination of microbes that normally compete for nutrients with the pathogens.

“Our results show that when taking medications we need to observe not only the desired therapeutic effect but also the influence on the microbiome,” says lead author Anne Grießhammer.

The researchers recommend that the effect of new medications on the microbiome should be systematically included in research during development – especially for drug classes such as antihistamines, antipsychotics or selective oestrogen-receptor modulators. These findings call for pharmaceutical research to be rethought: in the future, medications should be assessed not only pharmacologically, but also microbiologically. “If you disrupt the microbiome, you open the door to pathogens – it is an integral component of our health and must be considered as such in medicine,” stresses Maier.

However, it is important to emphasise that this research is preliminary and needs to be confirmed, and its impact in humans has still not been clearly established. These findings contrast with the growing insight from herbal research indicating that many phytochemicals in medicinal plants have the opposite effect, acting as prebiotics and thereby enhancing the growth of beneficial bacteria.

For more information see: http://bit.ly/3VcNRK0

08/20/2025

Right now, the Liberal government is proposing changes to Canada’s Plant Breeders’ Rights Regulations. These changes would tip the balance of power even further toward giant multinational corporations like Bayer and Syngenta—at the expense of family farmers across our country.

Here’s what’s at stake:
• Big companies can already patent the seeds they develop, forcing farmers into an endless cycle of buying new seed every year instead of saving and replanting from their own crop.
• Some seeds even come with so-called “terminator” genetic modification—engineered so that they won’t grow a second generation if replanted.
• While breeders and innovators deserve fair compensation for developing drought, flood, and pest-resistant crops, the farmers who put in the work to grow and harvest the food Canadians eat shouldn’t be starved out by big corporations choking off their seed supply.

This is also about timing. The government has scheduled the public consultation to end on October 18th—right in the middle of harvest season. Farmers are working around the clock in the fields, not sitting at a desk drafting submissions. Once again, Ottawa is holding consultations in a way that shuts out the very people most affected.
Canada’s farmers help feed our country and contribute billions of dollars to our GDP through exports. They deserve respect, a real voice in shaping the rules, and protection from corporate overreach.

That’s why I’m calling for parliamentary hearings so MPs can properly scrutinize these changes and ensure food security stays in Canadian hands—not in the hands of a few multinationals.

08/03/2025

Nature is so cool

Nature’s Early Warning System: Trees Can Sense Volcanoes!

In an incredible fusion of biology and space tech, scientists have discovered that trees growing near volcanoes may serve as silent messengers of impending eruptions. As magma releases extra carbon dioxide underground, trees absorb it — ramping up photosynthesis and subtly shifting the way their leaves reflect light.

These changes aren’t visible to us, but satellites like NASA’s Landsat 8 and ESA’s Sentinel-2 can spot them from orbit. Recent research in Chile and Costa Rica shows that even before an eruption, forests start to “signal” distress.

With millions living near volcanoes — many without on-site monitoring — this breakthrough could give us earlier, life-saving alerts. It’s not perfect (bare volcanic zones don’t help), but combining tree data with satellite eyes offers a powerful new way to track volcanic unrest… from space.

AI Image Credit: Hashem Al Ghaili / Science Nature Page

07/24/2025

Glycerites available! Made with fresh flowers. Contact me directly or source

A glycerite is similar to a tincture, but uses vegetable glycerine instead of alcohol for extraction.
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I love making glycerites out of “heart herbs” (herbs that have an affinity for the emotional heart), as the sweetness of the glycerine adds a very nourishing and uplifting quality to an already uplifting plant.
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The flavour of “sweet” is considered a nourishing flavour. The body will often crave sweet things when it is needing nourishment, whether it be physical, mental, or emotional nourishment.
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How to use:

Use whenever you need an emotional “pick-me-up”, when feeling blue, sad, anxious, etc.

1. take a couple of drops on the tongue throughout the day
2. add to beverages (hot or cold) as a unique sweetener

07/01/2025

Today, we honour the enduring presence, leadership, strength, and spirit of Indigenous communities, the original stewards of this land, and pause to reflect on the deep wounds of history that still echo today.

We acknowledge the truths of the past and the work yet to be done: a call not only to remember but also to stand together, to listen, and to act in solidarity.

In doing so, we also pay tribute to the legacy of Mervin Windsor, Haisla, Heiltsuk. His timeless design, Indigenous Canada, featured today with the words “Our Home on Native Land,” inspires us to contemplate the significance of reconciliation and acknowledge that this is Our Home on Native Land.

This moment is a responsibility to support, uplift, and create space for Indigenous voices to lead and flourish, for cultures to thrive, and for futures to be reclaimed with strength and dignity.

May we carry this forward, beyond words, as a sustained commitment to meaningful action, because the journey toward a more just and equal present and future is ours to walk together.

06/01/2025

Spider and rose medicine 💕