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A summer cookout that you can forage! This summer, cook recipes for your crew as delicious as they are naturally healing. Start off with a beech leaf chip amuse-bouche with your favorite dip, and some cocktails/mocktails made with elderberry syrup. Then, serve some pasta and protein with Douglas fir pesto, before finishing off the night withoak ice cream topped with chocolate-dipped magnolia blossoms. All recipes are from my new book Medicine From The Trees, available to purchase here.

BEECH LEAF CHIPS Move over kale chips, there’s a new crisp in town. Here is another unique way to use beech leaves that creates a medicinal snack. Items needed: Large mixing bowl Stirring spoon Cookie tray Airtight storage container Ingredients: 3 cups fresh beech leaves 3 tbsp. olive oil 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast Sprinkle of salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 250 to 270° F. Put all ingredients in the mixing bowl and stir well. Lay leaves out in a single layer on the cooking tray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are crispy but not charred. Allow to cool before eating. If there are any leftovers, store them in an airtight container. DOUGLAS FIR PESTO

I love pesto so much I sometimes just eat a tiny scoop right off the spoon. The green, garlicky flavor lights up my insides and makes me do the happy food dance. My first pesto experiment was with stinging nettle leaves, and it turned out so good I just started to try random other plants that I thought might be tasty. This led me to Douglas fir pesto, a true wild forager’s delight. Items needed: Food processor Ingredients: ½ cup fresh spring Douglas fir tips 5 to 6 cloves of garlic, depending on size ¼ cup + 1 tbsp. pine nuts, gently roasted ¾ cup of olive oil ¼ cup minced Italian parsley ½ tsp. cumin Lemon juice, to taste Salt and pepper, to taste Add all ingredients into the food processor and give it a few pulses to blend everything together. Then, with the food processor on low, slowly begin to add the olive oil. Pause to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Pulse just until blended. Adjust seasoning as desired.

OAK ICE CREAM This recipe is so unique and too good not to share. Makes 1 quart. Items needed: Ice cream maker Saucepan Strainer Stand or hand mixer Ingredients: 3 cups whole milk, macadamia milk, or hemp milk (use a high-fat milk here)

1¼ cups heavy cream or high-fat non-dairy creamer 1 cup medium-toasted oak bark 12 tbsp. organic cane or turbinado sugar 4 tbsp. honey 1 tsp. salt 8 large egg yolks First, prep the ice cream maker; most of them require that you freeze an inner chamber for some time before use. In your saucepan, bring your milk, creamer, and oak bark to a boil. Reduce the heat to keep it at a low boil, and maintain a simmer for 8 to10 minutes while stirring often. Then turn off the heat, cover, and let it steep for 1 hour. Strain the oak bark from the liquid, then return the liquid to the saucepan. Turn the heat to low. With a stand or hand mixer, whip the sugar, honey, salt, and eggs for approximately 2 to 3 minutes, until the ingredients have doubled in size and look very fluffy. Stir in ⅓ cup of the oak infusion from the saucepan to temper the mixture. Blend well. Take the sugar mixture and add it to the oak infusion in the sauce-pan. Stir gently but thoroughly until well combined. Next, cool the ice cream base down by setting it into an ice bath, but be sure to stir from time to time to promote even cooling. Transfer to the ice cream maker, following manufacturer’s directions. Freeze for 1 hour before eating.

CHOCOLATE-DIPPED MAGNOLIA BLOSSOMS Let me count the ways we can turn a beautiful magnolia blossom into a delectable treat. While they’re as much treat as medicine, I promise that these chocolate-covered blossoms will taste like nothing you’ve had before. Items needed: Double boiler Tongs

15 November 2022 | Dr. JJ Pursell | Body Care

This scrub has a lovely, warm scent that is reminiscent of the holiday season. It smells so good you’ll want to eat it!

Recipe for Holiday Spice Sugar Scrub

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground all spice

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/3 cup oil (olive, sweet almond, or walnut oil)

Optional extra: ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom

Method

Place sugar and spices in a clean bowl.

Add oil and stir to combine.

If you would prefer a runnier consistency, add extra oil, one teaspoon at a time, until the scrub is to your liking. Just remember that the scrub needs to hold together and not slide right off your hand.

Spoon scrub into a clean jar and label.

Scrub will store for six months.

To Use:

Apply scrub to damp skin using circular motions. Wash off with warm water and follow with moisturizer.

Cautions:

08 August 2024 | Dr JJ Pursell | Herbs for Common Ailments, Body Care

What we thought would be a trip of a lifetime turned out to be an incredibly disappointing experience. Maybe it was the wrong time of year, the house we ended up renting, or the incessant ants and mosquitos, but Bali wasn’t what we thought it would be. And on top of it? My son got the dreaded Bali belly within the first few days of our arrival.

What we thought would be a trip of a lifetime turned out to be an incredibly disappointing experience. Maybe it was the wrong time of year, the house we ended up renting or the incessant ants and mosquitos, but Bali wasn’t what we thought it would be. And on top of it? My son got the dreaded Bali belly within the first few days of our arrival. 

We cooked most of our own meals, and the couple of times we ate out we went to fresh, organic cafes for smoothies and healthy options. Despite this, the poor little guy began suffering stomach aches, diarrhea, and almost a complete loss of appetite. After running through the diagnostic check list to ensure I wasn’t missing a bigger issue, it was a clear case. 

Bali belly is GI upset that people talk about in a vague sort of way as the result of eating or drinking in Bali. The typical symptoms are nausea, sometimes vomiting, bloating, stomach cramping, diarrhea and an overall ick feeling. It is most likely a bacterial infection which our foreigner immune system isn’t equipped to handle. 

So how do you treat it? (Or avoid it completely? See below) Well in the US I’d often recommend stool testing and based on the results, the appropriate treatment plan. Sometimes this does require antibiotics if warranted, but that is rarely the case. Being in Bali, and testing not being an option, I needed to move onto treatment. 

With the onset of Bali belly, my 6 year old son awoke tired and not hungry for breakfast at all. (a red flag for sure) The stomach aches started immediately upon eating anything and we would need to go very slow to ensure some nourishment was going in. Eat a bite or two, mild stomach cramp wave, wave would settle and then another bite. 

Then the “surprise!” bowel release with farting started. Boy did that ever startle him! It only happened a few times, but it was enough for me to kick into high doctor treatment mode to nip this thing in the bud. 

The basics of the problem were simple. He had a gut dysregulation caused by a foreign bug. As I saw it, I needed to do the following:

Increase positive gut bacteria to wipe out the invader

Calm the inflammation

Soothe the lining of the gut

The nice thing with kids is that they are relatively easy to treat when it comes to day to day troubles. Now, had he had persistent all day diarrhea, headaches, fever or a rash, I would have proceeded with urgent care and diagnostic testing, but in Tommy’s case it was regular Bali belly. 

One of the hardest things I have found as a parent, even with medical training, is relying on my knowledge and instinct when my kids aren’t well. I grew up in the antibiotic/doctor knows best generation and that messaging is tough conditioning to break through. But I believe in caring for my children at home when I can, and that natural medicine often creates solutions to the problems while also strengthening the overall body. 

My treatment was as follows:

Liquid Berry fermented drink with probiotics and herbs 

I found something called Vita Biosa at our local co-op

Pre and probiotic capsules

One a day opened and dissolved in the liquid above

Licorice and Cinnamon tea

Two cups a day, hot or cold

The licorice is an excellent GI healer and the cinnamon can really kick some bad bacteria’s butt

Castor oil abdomen rubs nightly with 2 drops of DigestZen 

Castor oil is an incredible gut healer

Lowers gi inflammation

Increases gut immunity

Binds excess toxins to move them out gently

I’m new to Doterra oils, and am not representing in any way but I have to say, I love this oil. It is extremely helpful for stomach aches, nausea and bloating. I’ve even taken a couple of drops in water for my own occasional belly issues. 

And as with any GI treatment, be aware of diet during the healing phase. We didn’t limit fruit, but we definitely reduced the common inflammatory foods: dairy, refined sugars, etc. 

I continued this routine for three weeks. Is it a bit laborious at times, no doubt about it. Did I forget a dosage from time to time, yup. But after just 5 days, Tommy felt much better. He’s energy was up, his appetite completely returned and no more stomach cramping. The diarrhea was also gone, and regular stools returned. 

You don’t have to go to Bali to experience this type of GI distress. It happens from time to time throughout our regular day to day lives. In general, most of these types of GI infections are minor enough that they will resolve on its own over time. But as I always say, we need to take more time in caring for ourselves versus ignoring problems until they go away. With our children, we need to demonstrate how to care for our bodies so that they grow confident in self-care. 

So, whether you’ve been to Bali, or you or your little one needs a bit of gut regulation, give this protocol a try. 

Tips for reducing your chances of Bali belly, or any kind of belly ick

When traveling, take a travel tonic. I use Rainforest remedies Traveler’s Tonic (again, just a fan, I don’t represent them at all). Take 1 dropperful before each and every meal.

Oregon grape is another great tincture to have on hand should diarrhea or GI distress arise to kick out infection.

Pre and pro biotics before, during and after your trip.

Limit alcohol consumption during travels, it really wreaks havoc on the gut and often lead to poor food choices.

*licorice can be stimulating, so best to drink in the a.m.

08 October 2024 | Dr JJ Pursell

I just tried therapeutic ketamine for the first time. And it definitely wasn’t what I thought.

But then again, I’m not sure what I expected. Ketamine has been a buzz word in my professional circle for years and many of my colleagues started ketamine clinics over 10 years ago. For one reason or another, I resisted it. In reflection this surprises me because I’ve always considered myself an open minded physician. As I began to dig into the “whys” of such resistance I noticed a number of implicit and cultural biases against this therapeutic modality. Naturally, I dug in and began to slowly unravel these opposed beliefs so I could objectively consider ketamine as a therapeutic modality. 

I began engaging in lively conversations with ketamine practitioners, hearing accounts of therapeutic outcomes and patient improvement. Most of these conversations centered around patients with depression, suicide ideation and PTSD. Then I met up with a few patients, hearing first hand accounts of how ketamine has reduced their suffering and led to an overall improvement in day to day life. Despite all of this, I still found myself wavering if I wanted to continue down the path of certification to offer it within my own practice. 

Then I met Doug. Doug was a 74 year old male who stood 6’3 and from the outside looked fit and trim. But his insides were riddled with pain. A nerve condition in his spine had decreased his quality of life drastically and the mental toll was becoming apparent. He’d decided to try ketamine. Not because he thought it could cure his condition, but because it gave him a break from his condition. Because of the dissociative effects of ketamine he could spend 30-40 minutes completely separate from his pain, and his brain was free from thinking about the pain. 

This was my hook. The realization that ketamine can stop the transmission of pain and pain signals by blocking the NMDA receptor was key for me. Learning that prolonged blockage through a course of ketamine treatments can actually reboot the brain and change how it interprets those pain signals made an impact on how I viewed ketamine.  

After completing the Polaris and Synaptic ketamine programs all I had left was the experiential. It was my turn for a therapeutic dose of ketamine, to learn through experience. I truly believe this is an important aspect for anyone working with psychedelic medicine. I had heard plenty of other people's accounts on ketamine, but I think it is a bit like many things in life. Until you experience yourself, you don’t really know what’s going to happen. I had a bit of fear in preparation for the process. I reminded myself that this was a choice I was making, no one was forcing this upon me. My intention was to go into the experience with a mind's eye. To explore the process as much as I could.

I was given an IM, intramuscular injection, into my right deltoid. I laid back, pulled down my eyeshades and listened to the music that was being piped into the room. Slowly, and then suddenly, I felt myself pull away from my physical body. It was as if a part of me was being extracted and I quickly noticed my inability to move. Or perhaps it was a lack of the desire to want to move. Despite the dissociation, I never felt untethered. For me that is a real concern, separating from my body too much. I never felt that with ketamine. It was as if an energetic cord existed between me and my body, reassuring that when this was over I would be embodied once more. 

The first thing that came to mind was “primordial ooze,” as I slipped and gilded across a dark galaxy. The thing with ketamine is that time is suspended so I had no idea how long I hung out in space. Next it began to morph and I found myself descending down, down, down into the Amazon rainforest where beautiful birds were flying all around and beating their wings. I kept descending through dark green tunnels of organic matter until I reached the water. For a moment, I noticed fear arise in my heart and mind. I’ve always been afraid of water, of not being able to breathe, of drowning. But as quickly as the thought arose, it was replaced. Replaced with an inner knowledge that wherever I was was not like the place that evoked fear. This place was a place I could breathe like I’d never breathed before. 

25 October 2024 | Dr JJ Pursell | Herbs for Common Ailments, Body Care

If I’m going to prepare meat for a meal, I will almost always marinade it. Infusing it, or vegetables with a delicious marinade makes it quick to cook and full of flavor. You can use this hawthorn ketchup to marinade anything and if you come to my house for dinner, you’ll often see it on the table for extra dipping.