Psilocybin, garden working out benefits, depression drugs side effects, polyphenol, brain function, glyphosate

A study from Ohio State University has found out why some mushrooms (fungi) have brain-altering chemicals like psilocybin in them. These psychedelic compounds prevent damage from fungus eating insects and possibly small mammals. Journal Evolution Letters, 2018. 

I was reading an article the other day on the benefits of going to a gym and working out and then taking a hot sauna so we sweat. The studies have shown that the results are very good for our health. Why pay expensive health club fees when any gardener working out in the sun and sweating gets the same benefits for free. 

There has been a lot of media coverage recently on depression and the side effects of many drugs to treat the condition. Over 350 million people suffer from depression worldwide. Many of the drugs used cause irrational behavior and violent behavior. Many researcher believe that this problem is linked to the extremely poor quality of our food supply. Additionally, most pesticides are neuro-toxins and the brain is composed of neurons hence when we eat these poisons, why do we wonder why these things happen. Gardening and growing our own food from vegetables to fruits and berries is a great way to avoid most of these issues. For example: 

– Researchers have found that a polyphenol found in grape juice, grape seed extract and trans-resveratrol along with some other phytochemicals from grapes improve blood flow to the brain and enhance several aspects of brain function. 

– exposure to the sun helps our bodies produce vitamin-D which helps stabilize our brain function.   

– from our study of the elements last year, several trace minerals in our diets can make huge improvements in our mental function. 

– many herbs, both smelling them and eating them help with our brain function 

– bacteria in the soil produce chemicals (scents) that promote brain function and well being when we inhale them. Other bacteria in the soil are probiotic in nature and help with our overall immune system when we ingest them or just inhale them. 

– physical activity and sweating helps the body remove toxic chemicals that effect our mental function. 

The glyphosate poisoning of America continues to get worse. The organization “Moms Across America” commissioned a recent study in 2017 that found glyphosate in almond milk, breads, Skippy’s Natural peanut butter, and Lipton’s natural teas. They also found glyphosate in orange juice like Tropicana and Minute Maid. If you want to learn more about the issue of glyphosate poisoning (the active ingredient in the herbicide Round-Up), Carey Gillam the author of the book White Wash on how Monsanto falsified safety data on glyphosate, will speaking in Houston on May 15 at the Museum of Fine Arts in the evening. See www.ohbaonline.org for more information. 

We have talked about the benefits of cinnamon for human health before. Now research has found a new use for this spice, Fire Ant control. In the Journal for the Society for Neuroscience (February 2018) researchers found that cinnamon activated an ion channel in the ants antenna and legs that repelled them. They hope this leads to new biological pesticide products