Natural Beer!

What's new people?

Well, I just got back to Dawson City from Whitehorse. Its was an awesome day trip. We visited the Aroma Borealis Herb Shop, and tour the Yukon Brewing company. The Aroma Borealis shop was very cute. A small one room shop shelves stacked high with all natural healing products, bulk herbs, teas, shampoos and conditioners, and essential oils. I made the point of buying a bag of dried wildcraft Chaga(I havent had the best luck in finding any). I have some brewing in the pot and should be ready when I'm done telling you about the beer that's worth freezing for.

The Yukon Brewery is a small facility with big turnout. In all of Canada the most beer drank is in the Yukon, 60% in fact. Out of that 40% is Yukon Brewery's Yukon Gold English Pale Ale. This is one I actually drink a lot of up here. They have 8 different beers all year round and bring out specialties with each season change. Yukon Brewery uses no chemicals and no preservative in any of their beers.

From left to right: Chilkoot Lager, Deadman Creek:Cranberry Wheat Ale(Steeped with whole cranberries), Yukon Gold English Pale Ale, Discovery:Honey ESB(their first beer which was discontinued until recent popular demand), Ice Fog IPA, Yukon Red Amber Ale, Lead Dog(best to put away and let age), Midnight Sun Espresso Stout(steeped with 8 pounds of espresso beans in each batch).

In this picture you can see the whiskey they are aging. In Canada, Liquor companies are allowed to reuse oak casks, these ones previously held bourbon, so they are very excited to see how it turns out. The launch date has not been announced because they don't even know when it will be ready.  It gets better with age!

These new innovative packages for the 6 and 12 pack cans are so much better than the old! They are much more environmentally safe and also recyclable. 

Empty cans getting sorted on the line. The cans get a shot of CO2 and are then filled with beer and sealed.

Mash getting brewed. The send the unused split grain to local farmers for feed.

This was such a cool experience getting to see this small business work such a huge operation. Just goes to show how passion for your hobbies can make dreams a reality. 

Right as we were leaving Whitehorse, a huge lightening storm rolled over us. It was 10:30 p.m. at night, the sun was still lighting the sky and within 5 mins the sky was black. Never have I seen more lightening in my life! It crawled across the sky every 10-20 seconds and bucketed rain for the first hour we were driving. It was such a beautiful sight. 

For more info on Yukon Brewery check out their website: http://yukonbeer.com/

Feel free to leave comments below. Tell me about your local craft or microbrewery! Love Yukon Beer? Let the world know!

Happy hour is almost over! 

 - Zinn

Spruces Best Friend

While my article on Spruce medicinal values is taking longer than expected, I thought I would talk about a common lichen found on spruce. Commonly called Old Man's Beard(Usnea), this hair like lichen grows all over the northern hemisphere. You've probably noticed it out on your hikes.

http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/Resources/Vegetation/N.Wet_N.Wet_Mesic/Old_mans_beard_lichen_VK.jpg.html

Other names for this medicinal are Wild Clematis, woodbine, traveler's joy. This lichen is most commonly used for migranes and hypertension. It is also known to be effective against, pneumococcus, TB, staph and strep. Usnea has anti-inflammatory and analgesic qualities, it is also an immune system enhancer. Usnic acid fights bacteria by entering and destroying the metabolism in that bacterium, and therefore effective against fungi and viruses. It can be used against colds and lung infections. A spray can be used for a sore throat.

You can use Old Man's Beard in a tea(1 tsp per mug boiled water) or as a alcohol tincture (dried: half jar Usnea, fill jar with alcohol. Fresh: full jar Usnea, top up with alcohol). However, it is more effective to extract the medicinal qualities with alcohol. A method of tincture making is found here. Any spirit can be used. Do not use rubbing alcohol.

Be sure to test yourself for allergies. rub a small amount on your inner elbow and wait 48 hours before harvesting. Some people are very allergic and swallowing can be harmful.  When collecting medicinal plants from the wild, make sure you are able to accurately identify the plants. Consult a knowledgeable herbalist when wild-crafting  Usnea has a tendency to absorb pollutants such as heavy metals from the air, so it is inadvisable to collect it from areas with a lot of air pollution. Usnea is known for enhancing the immune system, it is contraindicated for use by those suffering from autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

Have you used Usnea and have something to share? Leave a comment or email me @ zinnalynx@gmail.com

Happy Trails!
 - Zinn

Just Browsin'

Hey Everyone!


My next article is running a little behind. So here's some pics and links to check out!

How To Make A Herbal Sleep Aid...
http://www.herbsandoilsworld.com/herbal-sleep-aid/


The Health Benefits of Tumeric:
http://www.undergroundhealth.com/health-benefits-of-turmeric/

http://www.naturalcuresnotmedicine.com/2013/07/5-reasons-why-gmos-are-recipe-for.html


"Let food be thy medicine,
And medicine be thy food."
      - Hippocrates


My next article should be out soon, providing I don't have any setbacks.

Hope you enjoy!
       - Zinn

Just Browsin'

Hey everyone! Just surfing the web and came across some interesting links and pics.

http://www.facebook.com/happyeating.in


http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/soursop-the-cancer-killer-we-never-knew-about/ - This is a great article about Soursop. A fruit that is known to be 10,000 times stronger than chemotherapy. Why is this not a mainstream treatment?

Here is one of my favorite facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/HerbsAndOilsWorld?hc_location=stream These guys have soooooo many recipes on making your own soaps and lotions, beverage and some food recipes, as well as general information on everyday foods and what makes them so important in your life.

http://www.undergroundhealth.com/symptoms-of-aspartame-poisoning/ - A good article on the dangers of aspartame. Some of the people I know truly believe that it is a myth that aspartame is not good for you. I'm not one to push the topic, but I believe that the dangers are real and people should be informed. So if you are interested, click away!

Well, its not much but dinner is getting cold on my lap...

Omnomnom....nom....
 - Zinn

King of the Medicinal Mushrooms: Chaga

Have you heard of Chaga? This mushroom has been used as a medicine for centuries dating back as far as 4600 years. It is best known for its cancer fighting properties, however it is also a very powerful strengthener of the immune system. It is known as an adaptogen, which means that it adapts to the individual needs of the body. It is completely safe to consume and is post popularly take as a tea or tincture. Many who use it also grind it down into a powder and use it for cooking. I will include some recipes below.

Chaga contains some of the richest polysccharides, known as beta glucans. Chaga is known to have 29 types of beta glucans. These are water-soluble compounds making them easy to extract through a tea. They have been known to aid in chemo and radiation treatments and to lessen the damage caused to the body through these treatments, inhibiting tumor growth. Beta glucans have the ability to trap free radicals in the body allowing for the removal of these radicals to take place. They also provide therapeutic support to the kidney as well as the liver, as well as encourages the body's ability to replenish blood cells after marrow transplants or damage from cancer treatments. Betulnic acid is another compound found in Chaga. This compound assists in protecting the liver, and detoxifies the chemicals of chemotherapy and resists radiation damage. Melanins, which humans have in their bodies and is what causes the pigment of our skin, eyes, and hair, also plays and important role. It is thought to bind radioactive isotopes, making them less or even non-toxic, allowing for easier detoxification of the body. Phytonutrients in Chaga are known to inhibit the nuclear factor kappa B, the compound that causes healthy cells in the body to mutate and self-destruct. Chaga contains the highest amount of antioxidants of any species found so far. These antioxidants help to restore damage to tissue caused by harsh cancer treatments. 

Chaga is a poly-pore, unlike most mushrooms, which have gills, this mushroom has thousands of pores(kind of like your skin!) that it uses to breathe. It starts inside the tree under the the bark, it grows and eventually bursts through, a blackened "sclerotium" or "conk" emerges. Most mushrooms you encounter, the surfacing body is the reproductive organs of the specimen. This is not the case here. Because of the long life-span of the Chaga mushroom, it doesn't produce fruiting bodies until its host tree dies. Brown crescent shaped bodies sprout at the base of the tree. You would not harvest these, moreover, you would not harvest from a dead tree.

The hard exterior of the Chaga mushroom its brownish-black and looks like charcoal. It is a very dense fungus with a yellowy-orange interior. Generally you cant just pick a piece of the mushroom off, using a hatchet makes knocking the conk off a great deal easier. A chisel may also be used to access the mycelium inside the tree. 

You can use Chaga fresh, however, if you do intend to dry it be sure to ensure it dries completely as it is very susceptible to mold. One way is to sun dry, placing it in direct sunlight for the course of the day and bringing it in at night. Do this for several days. If you have a dehydrator, you can use it at 105 degrees Fahrenheit. In an oven is much quicker, but you have to keep an eye that it doesn't burn. Set your anywhere between 200 and 250 degrees, every stove differs. This will take several hours, maybe all day, but at least its not a week! Break the chunk down to roughly golf ball size and store in glass jars. You may have to wrap it with a towel and hammer it down to size. In Russian folklore, storing Chaga in a birch bark box would enhance the energies of the Chaga as it responds to the mother tree. Using a cloth bag and a hammer you can smash it down into a powder and then using a mortar and pestle will to get a finer grind.

Unless you are allergic to mushrooms, Chaga is completely safe to ingest. It is most popularly used as a beverage, such as tea coffee or in a smoothie. David Wolfe, an expert on the medicinal qualities of Chaga, suggests having 3-8 cups of Chaga tea per day on an empty stomach to get the most benefits. Chaga has no stimulants(caffeine or otherwise), so you can have it as a late night tea before bed. It is also great as an iced tea. His recipe for Chaga tea is below:

"1. After finding an appropriate teapot (I recommend 316T stainless steel cookware or Pyrex glass) and a strainer, you are ready to begin your tea making.
2. Fill your teapot with pure cold water. Start by putting your ground chaga (or chaga chunks), herb, and/or tea bag(s) in this water. Allow the herbs to soak in the water (steep). Before heating at all, you can steep the herbs cold for a few minutes up to an hour.
3. Although it can be done more swiftly, take the water up to a hot temperature (no hotter than three-quarters of the way to a full boil) in 45 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Use the strainer and push it into the tea surface to push all the chaga chunks away. Dip a ladle into the area withing the strainer and enjoy!" - David Wolfe, Chaga - King of the Medicinal Mushrooms

*A tea wash can also be used to as a treatment skin cancers.

I must make a note. Only using the Chaga once is considered a waste. Keep the pot on your stove and reheat during the day, re-adding water. Some people continue this way for about a week picking out old Chaga and replenishing with fresh Chaga. Also, you could use a cheese cloth and strain the Chaga and the herbs out. Place it in a jar and store it in your fridge for a week. Tea with sediment remaining will go bad faster. On another note, you can brew your tea to the desired strength, if an hour isn't long enough, you can simmer it as long as it needs. Some recipes I've seen tell you to simmer for 4 hours for a dark tea.

A well strained tea can be used in a conventional coffee brewer and brewed with your favorite coffee, to your desired strength. David Wolfe doesn't suggest using coffee at all. His recipe is below.

1 liter Chaga Tea
1/4 liter almond mylk(found in health food stores)
1 tbsp honey, maple syrup, birch syrup

I personally don't see this as coffee. But if you try it feel free to tell me your opinion.

If you would like to know more about Chaga and its medicinal benefits, I recommend you pick up a copy of David Wolfe's book Chaga - King of the Mushrooms. I really enjoyed reading it, and found it very informative. It is full of facts and lots more recipes, including food and beverages and even deserts!  It was $20 at the book store in Dawson City. I have a link to amazon here, which last I checked was only $12.

Have something to share? A recipe? A story? Send me an email @ zinnialynx@gmail.com

Happy Harvest!
 - Zinn

Welcome!

Welcome to the Backyard Herbalist!

My name is Zinnia (or Zinn). I am starting a new path in life, and it has been a long time since I have written a blog, or a journal, so please bare with me. I'm 21 years old, and in my short life I have had a lot of frustrations with skin care and my immune system. I come from a family full of illness, and what I have come to learn is that most f it can be prevent. No, I believe all of it can be prevented, but we need to take a step back, away from the "mainstream" medicines that are on the market today. Medicines that do not cure but cover the illness like a bandage.

I have found that real cure do exist. And "Big Pharma" knows this. However they can not make money on something that everyone has access to. If they can not synthesize something they bury what they are working on and move on. This is the problem for me. Why hide the truth? Because greed consumes.

My mother was recently diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. A lot of people believe this illness is what people are diagnosed with when they have a lot going on and the doctors don't know any better, so slap a label on it. No, it is its own illness. It affects the nerve ending of the body, sending shooting pains, or burning like fire. On top of this, she has lived with diabetes her entire life, along with other conditions: rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and bronchitis are just a few.

I too have psoriasis. It develops on my scalp in times of stress, as well as on my hands. I have found that the more natural my skin products, the less it is affecting me. Using this, I am starting myself on a herbalists path. I want to find out for myself what can come from this earth, not just the greed funded by illness. I invite you to join me, and if you like give me input or send me your story and if you have any remedies to share shoot me an email @ zinnialynx@gmail.com.


Happy Trails,
Zinn