I was born in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains between Clay City and the rolling fields of central Kentucky. I grew up on the farm, went to small town schools, learned to drive on winding country roads with lots of blind spots. I went away, like a lot of people, and came back. “Away” took me to Dartmouth College, to Philadelphia, and then six or so years in Houston. I studied the way that economies and social agreements and hard physical realities interplay in real actual places (not models). I worked at a delivery business and at a refugee resettlement agency. I ran a handyman business and for a short while a grain elevator. I thought for a while that 'the climate movement' might generate political will for a massive transformation in the way that humans relate to the natural world, and I worked on that. Now, I think it's time to focus on regenerative agriculture in our Ohio River Valley to ride through whatever comes our way.

goldenseal contains berberine

Does berberine work for weight loss?

A recently published comparison of many randomized controlled trials testing berberine, not directly focused on weight loss, showed a strong benefit in the body’s ability to process sugars— the A1C number that you may have seen on commercials. Their data also showed it improves insulin resistance, reduces inflammation and improves lipid metabolism. Improving the body’s…

Yellow color indicates berberine in goldenseal

Health Benefits of Berberine in Goldenseal

Berberine sounds about like a miracle compound (!) – protects your liver, fights tumors, regulates blood sugar, kills aggressive germs, reduces inflammation and other damage to cells. This is why the plants which contain this compound-of-many-uses have been honored by plant-medicine traditions for centuries, including Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine and others.

How does CBD improve autoimmune conditions like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis?

CBD seems to have three modes of action for reducing the severity of autoimmune conditions. First the anti-inflammatory nature of CBD reduces the triggers for the over-sensitive immune system and can also counteract the inflammation that has been caused by the misdirected autoimmune response. Second, cannabinoids have antioxidant properties and autoimmune diseases are at least…

USDA ‘Climate Smart Commodities’ Grant Recipient

Last summer, we applied for funding under the USDA and Natural Resource Conservation Service’s ‘Climate Smart Commodities’ grant program. We proposed “Building whole-farm designs and market infrastructure to provide premiums for Climate Smart Farming among mid-sized agricultural enterprises in the Ohio River valley” (a mouthful I know). In December, USDA gave us a great Christmas…