“Some of the best advice you’ll ever get will come from your gut instinct”.
We’ve all heard expressions about trusting our gut and following our instincts, but now, science is finally giving us the evidence to support it.
Dubbed “The Second Brain” by Michael Gershon, Chairman of the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at New York–Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. The network of neurons that line our guts are filled with (over 100 million) neurotransmitters which to put it simply, do a lot more than simply digest our food.
What Gershon found is that the enteric nervous system directly connects to the larger central system at the base of the skull, that assists in feeding information to our brains through the hypothalamus and pituitary, known as the Gut Brain Axis. This information exchange than helps to determine our mental state, as well as “playing a crucial role when it comes to disease in the body.”
While this second brain has not been proven to formulate its own conscious thought, nor play any major role in our decision-making process, “The system is way too complicated to have evolved only to make sure things move out of your colon,” says Emeran Mayer, professor of physiology, psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (U.C.L.A.).
This second brain plays a large role in our emotional well-being and instinctual motives as it is now being discovered that “a big part of our emotions are probably influenced by the nerves in our gut,”Mayer adds.
Butterflies in the stomach are a sign of physiological distress felt by this system, and sensed by the huge amount of neurotransmitters (more than the number found in the spinal cord or the peripheral nervous systems).
Since this amazing discovery, it is becoming more clear that our emotional well-being has a direct relation to our physiology. When we are stressed, anxious or nervous, there is a concurrent exchange of information being translated between our minds and our guts, which can be speculated as a probable cause in diabetes, obesity and stubborn belly fat.
This incredible research comes pursuant of one of the most well-known scientists in his field Mark Lyte, of Texas Tech University Health Sciences. 30 years ago Lyte began his career long journey seeking to prove that “gut microbes communicate with the nervous system using some of the same neurochemicals that relay messages in the brain”. Lyte proposed that there was a connection between our mental state or mood and the bacteria found in the gut.
In 2007, it was announced that the scientific community would be launching a “Human Microbiome project, that would catalog all micro-organisms living in the body through a series of testing and since then biologist are understanding more and more that much of what makes us human, depends largely on the microbial activity within our bodies.
There are over two million unique bacterial genes found in each human microbiome that make the mere 23,000 genes in our cells seem insignificant by comparison ‘‘It has enormous implications for the sense of self,’’ Tom Insel, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, told The New York Times. ‘‘We are, at least from the standpoint of DNA, more microbial than human. ”
These microbial in our gut, secrete chemicals and Lyte has found that “among those chemicals are the same substances used by our neurons to communicate and regulate mood, like dopamine, serotonin and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA).”
In conclusion, the sayings are true.
You are what you eat, and always listen to your gut.
Cannabis, a word which still gets you in trouble if you speak it around police officers except in specific places on planet earth, is a plant that has been around for longer than we have. There are depictions of ancient people with it, and even more writings supporting its use throughout recorded history. It’s about time things changed, this plant has been described as a powerful healing agent for centuries, and it should be used as such.
Lets look at all of the Ancients with Cannabis, shall we?
The Ancient Egyptians
It was upon seeing these pictures of Shesat below that inspired this article. just have a look at the images. It says everything, I shouldn’t even have to write anymore.
That’s right, by far the very vast majority of modern day Egyptologists agree that Medical Cannabis was used by the ancient Egyptians in their medicines. This viewpoint was highly fought by egyptologists up until the 1930’s, when the evidence was no longer refutable, and historians had no choice but to agree – Yep, it’s weed.
“The papyri contain an extremely rich material medica of which only a fraction has hitherto been identified. This has been done through the patient work of Egyptologists who, by studying finds in graves, hieroglyphic inscriptions where plants figure near their names, and late Coptic texts, have helped considerable in this still unfinished work of identification.”
What they used it for:Uterine Contraction, Sore toe-nail, Irrigating the Rectum (no joke), and general Fevers and Illness.
The Ancient Japanese
The Japanese (among other asian cultures) were into the cultivation of Cannabis, in fact, its said that they were (potentially) doing it before civilization even existed – as far back as 10,000 BC! This time period is called the “Neolithic Jomon Period”, (10k – 300 BC) – Jomon itself actually means “Pattern of Rope”, which was a common rope made from Cannabis Hemp.
These ancient asians lived a civilized, comfortable existence, and used the Marijuana plant in many of their creations – weaving clothing, baskets, and eating the seeds as food. What isn’t clear however, is how the seeds first got to Japan. It is believed that they were imported and adapted from the Chinese, or Korea.
To the left is a Korean pot painting, which shows Korean traders bringing Cannabis to Japan. I know, it’s a little difficult to make out with our modern symbolism, but historians agree – this is what is being depicted.
Surrounding the Cannabis at the top of the staves is a sun-like aura, which is a depiction of the connection between the sun and cannabis in Shinto. It is very similar to hieroglyphic carvings from Mediterranean cultures – which also describe the connection between the plants, and the sun.
Shinto, as we just mentioned, is actually an ancient spiritual practice of the Japanese, about reverence to the “Way of the Gods”, an expression of profound respect to Nature, and through Nature – God. Plants, animals, rocks, trees all possess a spirit or reverence which can be terrifying or peaceful. Purity and fertility are very important to those who practice Shinto, and Cannabis is an essential symbol of both.
In Japan, Cannabis wasn’t just used for basket weaving, it is through the Shinto practice that they would in fact smoke it as well. Here is a painting of a Geisha smoking a bowl with their customers.
At Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, certain objects are symbolically made from hemp. For example, the thick bell-ropes must be hempen, as is the noren, a short curtain which acts as a symbolic purification “veil”, meant to cause evil spirits to flee from the body as the head brushes lightly beneath it.
Cannabis was outlawed in Japan after World War 2, when allied-forces occupied Japan to help rebuild and reshape the nation after all of the destruction of the war…. Wow. In a time when they’d need it more than ever, am I right?
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The Ancient Chinese
Of course, if the Japanese got it from the Chinese, then we need to cover this next!
To be completely truthful: The first recorded use of Marijuana as a medical drug occurred in 2737 BC by the Chinese emperor Shen Nug, who documented the effectiveness of the plant in treating Gout, and Rheumatism. Both Hemp and Marijuana were widely used across ancient China probably long before the Emperor wrote his notes.
They used virtually every part of the Cannabis plant, the Root for medicine, the stem for textiles, rope, and paper making; and of course, the leaves and flowers for getting high, as well as a medicine. They also used the seeds for oil, as well as food.
There is a lot more to learn about the Chinese use of Marijuana! You can read much more about it on Ancient-Origins.net!
Christ
There is ample evidence to suggest that Christ himself used Cannabis in his healing practices. Not necessarily that he “relied” on it, but used it in his practices. Here is a painting called “Jesus Healing the Blind” from the 12th Century, Painted by Basilica Catedrale di Santa Maria Nouva di Monreale in Sicily. (Isn’t that quite a name?)
According to a study of scriptural texts published in 2003, Jesus was almost certainly a cannabis user and an early proponent of the medicinal properties of the plant.
The study suggests that Christ and his disciples used the drug to carry out miraculous healings. The anointing oil used by Jesus and his disciples contained an ingredient called Kaneh-Bosem, which today has been identified as Cannabis extract. You can read about that here, in an article by Chris Bennet.
Christ also used an incense during his ceremonies which also contained this cannabis extract. The scholar who did a lot of this research, Mr. Bennet quotes many scholars, such as Carl Ruck, who writes:
There can be little doubt about a role for cannabis in Judaic religion. […] Obviously the easy availability and long-established tradition of cannabis in early Judaism would inevitably have included it in the [Christian] mixtures.”
-Carl Ruck
But this wasn’t the first, nor the last time that Cannabis was used in these times. In fact, the bible is filled with references to Cannabis! Check this out:
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I have a feeling you’re starting to get the point, so for the sake of brevity, we’re going to go over a bulleted list of a bunch more!
India
Bhang – a drink made from Cannabis and Milk is used as an Anesthetic
The Middle East
In the Venidad, one of the volumes of the Zend-Avesta the ancient Persian texts, describe Bhang from India, as well as lists Cannabis as THE MOST IMPORTANT of 10,000 medicinal plants.
Ancient Greece
In ancient Greece, Cannabis is used as a remedy for earache, edema, and inflammation.
Rome
A Greek Psysician who was a Roman army doctor and travelled on many campaigns throughout the Empire at the time, studied many plants, and published a book called De Materia Medica (On Medical Matters). This book became one of the most important medical tomes for the next 1500 years.
It basically said bluntly, that Cannabis was incredible in treating earaches, and suppress sexual longing. If you were a soldier in the army who left his wife at home, then you need some cannabis while your away!
Shakespeare
In the South African Journal of Science, they published the results of a chemical analysis of the plant residue in many tobacco pipes from the time period of William Shakespeare, including several pipes that came from Shakespeares garden itself.
Results of this study (including 24 pipe fragments) indicated Cannabis in EIGHT samples. It was suggested that Shakespeare liked Cannabis because of its mind expanding properties!
Britain
In 1621 a book was published “The Anatomy of Melancholy”, which suggested Cannabis as a treatment for depression.
It is then used by Queen Victoria for her menstrual cramps.
America
There is nobody more “American” in the modern “United States” sense of the word, than George Washington. Who himself, grew Hemp for about 30 years on his plantation. He has a particular interest in Medical Cannabis, and several of his journal entries describe that he was purposefully growing Cannabis with high levels of THC.
As you can see, Marijuana only really became illegal globally in the last 100 years or so, as the World Wars forced countries into positions of submission to other powers, we saw the global shut-down of Marijuana as any sort of beneficial thing, and it became a cursed plant in the eyes of the masses.
Today, with the powers of information, we can break through that veil and once again open up the world to the curiosity that comes from a stimulated mind on Marijuana, and the healing powers that comes from such a plant when used purposefully as a medicine.
There is no better time for change!
Thank you for reading,
Jordan Pearce
~
For those interested in learning and reading more, here are some of the sites that I referenced in creating this article.
The Inuit are an indigenous people, one of those only who’s lifestyle has not been completely and entirely affected by the modern machinery of today. While they still have adopted many modern technologies, their world has not been overrun by skyscrapers and smog.
Today, they live in frozen isolation up north, and it is from their vantage point of the world that they have noticed something very peculiar happen, or happening rather! The Sky has Changed!
The elders maintain that the Sun no longer rises where it used to, and they now have longer hunting times because the Sun is both higher than it used to be, and subsequently warms up quicker than it did previously.
There is not a single Inuit who is in disagreement on this. The Sky has changed.
The connection between the natural world and medicine is profound. The potential to yield new natural medicinal properties is obvious when many modern pharmacological findings are derived from nature.
As big pharma increase synthetic drug production and the destruction of Earth’s biosphere continues, there’s a fundamental truth that’s being tragically overlooked. The human race depends on a thriving biodiversity that yields variety of all natural compounds.
1. The Madagascar Periwinkle makes pediatric leukemia and Hodgkin’s Lymphoma curable today.
2. A Caribbean Sponge slows down HIV, stopping new growth to form.
3. A Philippine Reef-dwelling Cone Snail produces a non-addictive venom that treats patients with severe pain refractory to narcotics.
4. The Pacific Yew Tree bark yields a chemotherapeutic agent that enhances the lives of women with breast and ovarian cancer.
5. On the Island of Borneo, within the ancient Sarawak forest, grew a tree with potential to save HIV patients. The massive discovery became a frantic search when the National Cancer Institute realized the tree has been demolished.
The island of Borneo isn’t an isolated issue. In tropical rain forests, less than 1% of plant species has been screened for medical potential.
This isn’t a moment to feel helpless, there’s ways you can save rain forests from home. Ditch brand new! Buy antique, reclaimed, or restored furniture, cabinets, and other household items. Billions of consumers always buying new has a negative global impact. When shopping, use money as a vote for the future you want to see. Conscious buying is a powerful tool that will shut down unethical logging, mills, and farms.
Obscure areas of the rain forests and oceans receive public attention for their natural medicine, however, we can find the value of earth in every inch. No matter where you are and how you live, there’s an opportunity to improve the environment. Make a conscious choice to use less chemicals, reuse, upcycle, and with the remains recycle. Reduce your carbon footprint by choosing reusable beverage containers, bring reusable bags to the grocery store, eat sustainably caught seafood. Be proactive and pick up trash on the ground. Even creating a healthy wildlife habitat in your backyard is mutually beneficial.
Every person has an opportunity to stand for change and that includes you. We have the power to make the world better every day with conscious actions. When you look upon a flower, a beetle, and the beautiful nature earth blesses us with, remember there’s unlimited knowledge that can be discovered. As a whole, we can use our intelligence to unlock the potential surrounding us and within. Comment below ways you make conscious actions a daily practice.
A 39 year old Frenchman beekeeper has made a break through in bee training. He has been training his bees for the last 20 years, to make honey out of anything.
“I have trained bees to do several things, such as collect sugar from fruits, instead of using flowers,” he explains.
Not just fruits and flowers though, medical grade cannabis as well! He calls himself, Nicolas Trainerbees, and he has gotten a lot publicity on the web since figuring how to get the bees to collect this ‘canna-honey’. His passion for nature and and her remedies is fairly impressive. He trains the bees to collect the resin of the plant, since their enzymes turn nectar of sugar into honey.
The result is a unique honey with properties of wild honey, and cannabis. The cannahoney is very floral in scent, and doesn’t need to be smoked. The bees will copy the results to any strain, the process will look the same.
The bees sadly don’t get high as they lack the endocannabinoid system to process the cannabis. They see it as another food source.
Minimizing your carbon foot, is a tall order. It’s not only good for the environment, but a lot of the steps in cutting out clutter, also improve your health and grade of life. One of the major contributors in everyone’s carbon footprint is plastic. It’s cheap and easy to manufacture, making it a prime ingredient for many packaging solutions. While most plastics are recyclable, reclaiming the substance is not cheap and has an impact on the environment.
The most consistent way to lower plastic’s presence in the planet is to use less of it. While people are recycling more now than ever the sum of recycled plastic comes to a sad nine percent.
Make Your Own Daily Hygiene Products
Deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo’s, conditioners, and lotions are used every day, sometimes multiple times a day. Think about all those containers we blow through! Also many of the ingredients in products are just terrible for you (aluminum chlorohydrate, parabens, propylene glycol, fluoride and triclosan to name a few). You can get essential oils to spice up and personalize your smell. It’s great for the environment, your health and your pocketbook!
Replace The Common, Go-To Cleaning Products With One Simple Solution
If you look at under your sink spaces, how many different cleaners and bottles are there? Don’t you think that’s a little crazy, seeing how they all simply clean? I break necessary cleaners into two categories: everyday and heavy duty. For everyday cleaning you’ll want to play around with different ratios of water, any vinegar, rubbing alcohol (70% or higher) and an essential oil to spruce it all up. You’ll want to change the ratios for a ‘deeper’ clean. Throw it in a spray bottle and go crazy!
If Given A Choice Choose Glass
Try to buy as much glass and cardboard containers as you can. If something you drink often comes in a glass bottle, spring the extra buck to get the glass. Super easy to re purpose. You can use the glass container for storage at home or a water bottle you won’t have to cry about if you miss place it. I get a kambucha bottle to use as my water bottles. I’m always losing my water bottles, and I hope who ever finds them recycles it!
Use Alternatives To Commercial Air Fresheners
There are many alternatives to Febreeze or Glade or other air fresheners. The commercial variety are full of toxins that can cause lung cancer or other respiratory diseases. Many people enjoy the convenience of candles but please my article on the dangers of certain candles. Some of them can be just as bad or worse than the commercial alternatives! Essential oil diffusers are a pretty safe bet, and depending on the kind of oil you use the aroma can have therapeutic properties.
Use Reusable Containers To Replace Plastic Wrap And Ziploc Bags
This solution involves you preparing and cooking your food with the future in mind. Try to cook only what is going to be consumed immediately. Plan ahead so that if you do have left overs, they aren’t just little scraps, but a meal. This way what you have saved is nutritionally, and economically it’s worth saving. There are plastic wrap alternatives that are pretty cool, they are made of bees wax or cotton. These materials break down much easier.
Use Soap Nuts and Baking Soda Instead of Laundry Detergent
Soap nuts are all natural alternatives that work the same as store bought detergents. Ancient peoples in Asia and Native Americans were big supporters of Sapindus (tree soap). For even more whitening power and freshness you can toss in a half cup of baking soda.
I’m a big fan of making your own laundry soap. Its super easy to make and store, saves so much money and works better than store bought toxin filled concoctions. The three ingredients necessary to make the detergent can be found in ANY grocery store. Take bar soap (we recommend Fels Naptha bar soap) washing soda, borax and a 5 gallon bucket to begin. This recipe for laundry detergent has been thoroughly tested by Spirit Science employees and found to be the best on the internet!!
Boil half a gallon of water
Grate half a 5.5 oz bar of Fels Naptha soap and add to boiling water
After it reaches boiling, reduce heat
Fill the bucket with 4 1/2 gallons of hot water
Stir in 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda
Once the mixture in the bucket is one homogeneous solution, pour in the soap water solution
Stir periodically for eight hours
Buy In Bulk, At Establishments That Let You Bring Your Own Containers
The best way to ensure a smaller carbon foot print is to simply eliminate anything that isn’t necessary. A lot in our consumer driven lives aren’t necessary but convenient. If you are buying is bulk write down the base weight of the container (its weight without contents). It’ll make it easier during check out.
Make Your Own Juices And Other Beverages
All store bought juices have been pasteurized which means the contents were heated up to kill and bacteria. This heating process destroys a lot of those great vitamins and enzymes your always hearing about. There are also so many preservatives and artificial nonsense that serves no good purpose for you. A juicer is one of the best kitchen appliances you can purchase but the flavor and benefits are unmatched. Keep in mind that anything freshly juiced will have to be drank immediately. The nutritional contents break down quickly (hence all the preservatives). If your drinking soda’s….. Just stop it.
Prepare And Freeze Your Own Veggies, Legumes And Meats
All of those frozen preserved food options can be replicated by yourself with out the plastics or preservatives. Cook the veggies or meat most of the way through then freeze. If you can avoid cooking it all the way through, do so. This way you don’t over cook the food and thus breakdown the nutrients.
What Gershon found is that the enteric nervous system directly connects to the larger central system at the base of the skull, that assists in feeding information to our brains through the hypothalamus and pituitary, known as the Gut Brain Axis. This information exchange than helps to determine our mental state, as well as “playing a crucial role when it comes to disease in the body.”
This incredible research comes pursuant of one of the most well-known scientists in his field Mark Lyte, of Texas Tech University Health Sciences. 30 years ago Lyte began his career long journey seeking to prove that “gut microbes communicate with the nervous system using some of the same neurochemicals that relay messages in the brain”. Lyte proposed that there was a connection between our mental state or mood and the bacteria found in the gut.
