Abundant Heaven

In my regular scouring of the journals for new research on tea, I discovered one particular study that interests me, in large part because it is a high quality, peer-reviewed study done with randomization and blind, placebo controls.  It is also of interest to me because it is on Puerh tea extract, and I love Puerh tea.  I drink it every day and find myself sharing it with as many friends and clients as I can.

The study is now hosted on our site's research page, in full, for you to read yourself, but I wanted to highli...

What is Tea?

Camellia sinensis, the tea plant, has been brewed into a healthy, flavorful, refreshing, and timeless beverage for thousands of years by everyone from emperors to farmers.  From this one plant come the many varietals and styles of tea – white, green, yellow, red/black, purple, oolong, fermented brick tea, and the literally infinite blends or flavored teas.  

It isn’t any wonder tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world considering the satisfying and palate cleansing taste, the healthfulness, and...

The human body is very complex and is made even more complex when you include the symbiotic and interrelated exchanges between our bodies and the living body of life that is called the 'microbiome' in our intestines. Recent research continues to point to a bi-directional relationship between our gut (and the organisms that inhabit it) and our mental health, among other things, such as foods we prefer.

Research is repeatedly showing that psychological stress can alter and negatively affect the health of the microbiome and th...

In following the 24 Solar Terms calendar, a more agriculturally-focused and surprisingly accurate 2,200 year old calendar, we are arrived in the phase of the cycles known as "Summer Begins" today - May 5, 2017.

With the sudden heat wave a few days ago that hit record highs reminding us that Yang is indeed rising and expanding influence, we are encouraged to look for ways to harmonize and balance our experience through adjusting our behavior and habits.

Shifting from more hot drinks to more room temperature or cool drinks i...

An article popped up today that inspired me to go on a dig into the latest research into artificial sweeteners and what we know about their effects on the body over time.

The VICE article focuses more on the strange history of how, then CEO of a pharmaceutical company, Donald Rumsfeld (yes, this Donald Rumsfeld), got the FDA to approve aspartame despite questionable safety.   The long and short of it: it was a "controversial" approval.

Repeated, third-party assessed research has more recently been accumulating, drawing new s...

Due to the unregulated supplement market, and concerns that the the quality of store-bought supplements is highly suspect, we typically will not recommend our patients take glucosamine/chondroitin supplements, unless it is from a third-party certified lab (such as Thorne Research), and even then, the research doesn't support benefit.  Ultimately, you must check the source of your supplements - do they have 3rd party assessment?

Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Faculty Editor, from Harvard Health Publications, discussed this topic a...

This we know:  All things are connected

like the blood that unites us. 

We did not weave the web of life,

We are merely a strand in it.

Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

-Chief Seattle

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Here you will find information about our services, teas, and research we find that may provide you with insight, inspiration, and assistance in living a healthier, more holistic, and happy life.

It is our hope that we enrich the lives of those we serve.