Botanical Biohacking

Mucus and Inflammation

In Sichuan I would go to a special clinic whenever I had a cold and this special mixture fixed restored me right away. They also used it to treat chronic pain and had many patients who swore by this formula. Then as I was about to return to the US, the owner let me in on his secret recipe.

Sichuan Peppercorns

In 1347 Chinese physician Zhu Dan Xi described the pathogenesis of Bipolar disorder as originating from mucus accumulation in his book "Heart Method". Modern research on gasotransmitters and the mucosal biofilm seems to support his theory. Can his botanical formula help those suffering from bipolar disorder today?

Plastic permeates our water and air making us fat, infertile, and susceptible to hidden pathogens. It is producing strange disease patterns that leave many clinicians at a loss. If we are to protect ourselves we must learn to leverage plant based medicines to adapt to these increasing environmental pressures.

Lyme disease causes far more than pain and fatigue, it can also lead to adhesions and reduce joint mobility. Discover how Fabrice Piche and Dr. Clayton Shiu worked to improve mobility with a patient suffering from chronic Lyme disease.

Gegen, (radix pueraria) Seriously, how do you pronounce that in latin? is an important herb in Chinese medicine. Here we discuss the folktale, pharmacology, clinical use and why we included it in our most popular formula "Microgard Plus".

Cultivating Community

Where does Biohacking come from? Silicon valley entrepreneurs didn't invent it in the last decade. Its actually thousands of years old and many of the coolest "new" ideas are in fact very old and based on East Asian methods of nourishing life (Yang sheng). We go strait to the source by looking at the life of Pengzu, the Grandfather of biohacking to see what he and his contemporaries can teach us about living a wonderful life.

Eucommia ulmoides known in Chinese as Du Zhong 杜仲. It is a powerful herb said to help with back pain and is even used to guide the effects of other herbs directly to the lower back. To find out more we traveled to Sichuan province to see it growing wild. Join us as we explore the traditional folktales and pharmacology of this powerful plant.

Want to beat jet lag, side step culture shock, and travel effortlessly? After ten years and over twenty flights I got it down to an art. 

Finding the Myserious in China: Taoist Acupuncture

Pulse diagnosis has been credited with helping clinicians discover incredible details about patient physiology for the past two thousand years. Can advances in science and technology help us better understand this diagnostic art?

Biology of Tongue Diagnosis Pt 5: Under the Tongue

Can recent developments in hedgehog signaling help us better understand the five neurotransmitters, five flavors, and five phases of Chinese medicine?