Herbs: 'Planting Medicine,' Pot (Pacifica)

The herbalism and plant medicine show (KPFA)

"Planting Medicine" airs Tuesdays at 1:00 pm on KPFA.org (Berkeley) and KPFK.org (Los Angeles).

"Planting Medicine," formerly "Herbal Highway," enhances the community’s knowledge of herbal (plant) medicines by sharing voices of traditional, holistic healers and their shamanistic healing practices.

Hosted and produced by Emiliano Lemus (aka "Emilia No-Lemus") and Renée Camila.

Planting Medicine originates in the San Francisco Bay Area, each Tuesday at 1:00 pm on 94.1 FM in the Bay and 90.7 FM in the Los Angeles Basin and online at kpfa.org and kpfk.org.

Call the LA studio at (818) 985-5735 and the office (818) 985-2711. Listen LIVE.

• Available for listening after the show at kpfk.org/archive.
• Today's show: Medicinal Berries: Host Emiliano Lemus dives into the world of medicinal berries. Join them to learn about the special healing properties carried by these wondrous fruits.
• (Please don't call in with questions about drugs. This is a serious show about herbs and legal medicinal uses. And if you do call, don't laugh like Beavis & Butt-Head.)

15 Victorian drugs for kids and Brits

(Gaslight Diaries) Shocking plants (heroin, cocaine) and chemicals used as 'medicine' in England

World of herbs is bigger than pot

Good vs. Bad Bud: Differences to Notice

(Cannabis Guy) Oct. 10, 2025: Cannabis Guy breaks down the four signs of quality cannabis — look, smell, and feel. What frosty trichomes really mean, how terpenes reveal top-shelf flower buds, and how to avoid the classic signs of mids. From dull, dry buds to sticky, aromatic flower that burns clean and smooth, this is a complete guide to spotting good cannabis every time. Whether a grower, buyer, or just tired of getting burned by low-grade bud, this video teaches how to identify real quality legal pot.

• Chapter 1: The Look: Visual cues reveal most of a bud’s story. Good: vibrant greens and purples, orange pistils, shimmering frost of trichomes. Trichomes are cannabinoid and terpene factories. Structure and density—tight, compact buds = good growing conditions. Contrast with bad weed: dull, brownish, yellow, moldy, airy, or leafy. Warning: buds with seeds, excess stems, or gray fuzz.
• Chapter 2: The Smell: Aroma is a major quality indicator. Good: bold, distinct scents like citrus, pine, diesel, or berries—driven by terpenes with good preservation through proper curing. Bad weed: smells like hay, grass, or wet cardboard → poor curing. Stale, bland, or ammonia-like smells = old or wet-jarred weed → bacteria/mold risk.
• Chapter 3: The Feel: Texture reveals quality. Good: sticky, springy, and resinous—snaps when broken. The “snap” test is proof of proper drying and curing. Airy/hollow buds = poor lighting or low nutrients. The ideal feel = sticky, dense, but not brittle.
• Info: When it comes to bad vs. good, knowing how to tell good flower apart from trash is key. More

Good plant gone bad: Cocaine market now bigger

• VIDEO: Truth about dangers and possible benefits of homegrown marijuana (free of toxic pesticides in legal weed)

Tofu versatility in Korean BBQ (cooking)

Tofu can be mild as we "eat beans not beings," on a nice bed of fragrant rice like devas.

Tofu can be wild, super spicy Szechuan style or crispy and covered in Korean BBQ sauce.

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Tofu shines in 'Culinary Class Wars,' demonstrating its versatility

How bean curd evolved from Goryeo-era luxury to staple in Korean cuisine

7 delicious ways to use tofu | Culinary Class Wars (Netflix)

Is Buddhism relevant in Korea today?

(Netflix K-Content) English subtitles. Oct. 8, 2024: Culinary Class Wars is now playing, only on Netflix. Who knew tofu could be such a versatile ingredient? The chefs conjure up dishes using soybean-based food for a chance to book a spot in the finals. Both Black Spoon and White Spoon chefs show that even bland and boring tofu curd (a plain plant-based cheese) can be just as flavorful as any other protein because it absorbs whatever flavor is added -- soy sauce, Bragg's aminos, ginger, chili, bouillon, garlic, onions, BBQ sauce. #CulinaryClassWars #PaikJongwon #AnhSungjae #Netflix #KContent

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Tofu shines in Korean Netflix show

Golden Buddhas in a Korean Mahayana Buddhist temple, Seoul (korea.net)

Lotus Lantern parade on Vesak, the Buddha's birthday celebration, Korea

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Tofu's boring, like meat, which makes it versatile

Tofu, recently highlighted by the Netflix cooking survival show "Culinary Class Wars," holds a special place in the hearts of Koreans for its humble yet versatile appeal.

Tofu, or dubu in Korean, is created by soaking soybeans, blending them into a puree, coagulating the mixture, and pressing the curds into solid white blocks of varying softness.

There are 1,001 vegan foods to make out of it.

A long-standing staple in Korean cuisine, tofu serves not only as a rich source of plant protein but also embodies the simplicity and balance that are integral to Korean culinary heritage.

• The role of tofu in Korea's culinary history is closely linked to Buddhism and Buddhist temple cuisine, where vegetarian diets were central. Meat (made from often tortured and always murdered animals) is heavy bad karma. Tofu, which rich in protein and harmless (depending on cultivation practices), became an essential part of temple meals. This connection is not unique to Korea. Japan and China also cultivated rich tofu cultures through their Buddhist traditions.

Tofu's significance in Korean cuisine was recently spotlighted in the semifinals of the hit culinary show, where the seven remaining contestants were tasked with continuously creating inventive tofu dishes until they faced elimination.

KFC tofu? "Korean Fried Crispy" bean curd

While the show's contestants showcased tofu's versatility — crafting everything from Auntie Omakase #1's comforting Korean classics to Korean American Chef Edward Lee's sophisticated fusion creations with a touch of Western technique — each dish quickly went viral among Korean culinary enthusiasts, largely due to tofu's deep-rooted significance in the country’s culinary tradition.

The competition paid homage to tofu's integral role in Korean kitchens, where it has connected generations and sustained families. From stews to side dishes, tofu has been at the heart of Korea's ever-evolving food culture.

• More: Tofu shines in Netflix Korean show 'Culinary Class Wars,' demonstrating its versatility (koreatimes.co.kr)
• How Namyeong-dong became Seoul's latest hot spot for foodies amid success of Netflix's 'Culinary Class Wars'
• US defense chief says NK troop deployment to Russia, if true, would be concerning: report
• Han Kang's Nobel win energizes Korea's publishing market
• Pyo Kyung-min, The Korea Times, 10/17/24; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Mushroom Medicine with Paul Stamets (video)

Mushrooms as Medicine with Paul Stamets at Exponential Medicine Exponential Medicine

Mushrooms in religious iconography

(Exponential Medicine) Oct. 15, 2015. Leading mycologist Paul Stamets (Fungi Perfecti, fungi.com) shares his work exploring the diverse role medicinal mushrooms may have in activating our immune systems and helping treat cancer, to new data supporting the role of fungi in biosecurity and the health of the bees that pollinate our planet.

Exponential Medicine (exponentialmedicine.com) is a unique cross-disciplinary program exploring the cutting edge of health, medicine, and technology. The following xMed program was held on Nov. 4-7, 2019 at the Hotel del Coronado. See site for more talks. More about Singularity University: su.org

Traditional knowledge Native natural medicine

Medicine Woman Cecilia Garcia; Xochitl, Crystal Quintero, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Traditional knowledge and practical uses for natural medicine in day-to-day life

Natural Medicine, Health, and Spiritual Wellbeing

Natural medicine is the knowledge and tools that keep us mentally, physically, and spiritually well or in “balance.” Find Indigenous knowledge and practical ways to be happy and healthy.

• Healing Native Plants Walk with USC's Dr. James Adams, who trained for 14 years with Cecilia Garcia

What is medicine?

"Medicine" is knowledge and a tool to keep healthy and balanced. No one could survive in the old days without a basic knowledge of medicinal plants. Everybody knew what tea to drink for a cold, what herb to rub on a burn. It was common knowledge. Traditional medicine is how we take care of our being, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Well-being is important, and medicine is knowledge.

Who are medicine people?

In all traditional societies there were people who were more advanced in the use of medicine, who were able to change it. In Medicine Woman Cecilia Garcia’s Chumash culture, she would be called “Antwap,” which means a tool to be used by God.

Medicine has nothing to do with her. Instead, she allowed herself to be used. Her medicine used animal and plant energies to open people back up. Native culture believes that a medicine person tickles the spirit, as when we were born, open completely to all the love in the world.

A medicine person is also a guide through a process of healing for individuals and families.

When to start practicing natural medicine?

We have to want to change, want to be useful, want to be decent, not just rich. Medicine keeps people healthy because in a cooperative society, everybody did what they did best, and nobody went without.

Native medicine isn’t about working on flaws. It’s about moving forward and being useful, getting into a natural rhythm so we can do what we do well. Until a person is willing to be honest to some power, medicine people cannot help them. We need to be ready.

How to use healing medicine

We may drink a tea at night, heat something up on the stove for four nights, create a music instrument, or drink water with a leaf in it. A medicine person provides clear instructions and tools to continue the healing process. It’s up to us to follow through.

It’s important to use medicine properly, just as with anything else. Too much of something positive can cause negative effects. There is never a need to alter the medication or get creative with it, unless a medicine person instructs us to. It’s as easy as following simple instructions.

Medicine is sharing knowledge

Common knowledge is very important. We should know what is good for us. We should be able to walk down the street and pick berries instead of plastic bags of chips. We want our native plants back, so we and our children can be healthy.

People serious about feeling better and taking action should grow something. Start a garden. People want to be green and ecologically sound. Therefore, something practical that can be done at home, even in an apartment. Grow food and medicine.

Message from Cecilia Garcia

We all know in our hearts when we’re doing something wrong. We all know we should be getting more exercise, eating better, should be avoiding this, avoiding that. Medicine is the tools to help us stop cheating ourselves and the tools to go about with a good attitude. Medicine is about self-acceptance. When we accept ourselves, we do good things.

The test of a warrior today

How kind we can be is what we can create for people to be useful -- whether we put a smile on a face or feed a body. Native medicine gives us practical knowledge to lead a good life in today’s modern world.

Cecilia Garcia’s teachings

The teachings of this medicine woman offer us and our family common knowledge that Native Americans need to be well and go about our lives healthy and being our best.

• Chumash Medicine (chumashmedicinewoman.com)
• Malia Obama puts on sporty bike shorts and big wig for easy Hollywood, Los Angeles hike | Daily Mail

Music in the Chinese Garden (The Huntington)

Music in the Chinese Garden | The Huntington; CC Liu, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Period instruments produce the best sound.

Enjoy Traditional Chinese Music every Wednesday afternoon (FREE with admission) in the Garden of Flowing Fragrance. A different solo musician performs each week, playing unamplified melodies on classical instruments including the dizi (笛子), pipa (琵琶), and erhu (二胡). Let the music do what it does -- transport listeners to another time and place while strolling through one of the most magical landscapes in Southern California. (Canceled in the event of rain). Free with general admission. Generous support for this music series is provided by the Justin Vajna Memorial Fund for Educational Programs in the Chinese Garden. More

• Botanical Gardens | The Huntington

The practice of subduing demons (video)

Master Sheng Yen (GDD-1111, DVD, 1/15/17); CC Liu, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The woeful realms of hungry ghosts, demons, and evil spirits can become bothersome.

The practice of subduing demons is actually harmful to demons and ghosts

Catholic Christians want to kill and cast out.

Buddhism advocates loving-kindness and compassion (metta and karuna) in delivering all beings, rather than attempting to fight, subdue, or "defeat" demons, malevolent spirits, poltergeists, and bothersome ghosts. More online courses: youtube.com/user/DDMTV05.

Now you've really pissed me off! The haunting begins.

"Cannabis: A Lost History" (video)

Chris Rice (2018 documentary); Ananda M., Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

All images sole property of their respective owners, used here only for educational purposes.

 

This documentary explores the longstanding relationship of human beings and Cannabis sativa, from its use in ancient Asia to its ban in 20th century America.

Written, narrated, and directed by Chris Rice (patreon.com/chrisricema), the director of "DMT: A Lost History." Music by Chris Rice except "Grandma's Grapes" by Green Warp.

For more information on the sacramental history of cannabis, check out the works of Chris Bennet (cannabisculture.com). For more on the ancient use of cannabis in general, check out Marijuana, the First Twelve Thousand Years and Antique Cannabis Book.

Chinatown Summer Nights, Los Angeles (video)

ChinatownSummerNights.com, KCRW.com; CC Liu, Crystal Quintero, Wisdom Quarterly

Part food event, part summer party, Chinatown Summer Nights presents an exciting hot spot for Angelenos this summer. Taste the many culinary offerings of Chinatown and LA’s gourmet food trucks; sample the neighborhood’s wares; watch Chinese chefs perform cooking demonstrations; experience large-scale, outdoor video projections; take part in hands-on, Chinese cultural activities presented by local organizations and museums; sip on craft brews and dance in Central Plaza with KCRW’s DJs. Presented by LA Chinatown and 89.9 FM (KCRW.com). More

• 943–951 N. Broadway, LA CA 90012 (Central and West Plazas)
• 3rd Saturdays 5 pm - midnight: June 18, July 16, August 20
• SCHEDULE and MAPSe: LAWeekly.com Music Stage

Presented by the Chinatown Business Improvement District and KCRW, in association with Community Arts Resources (CARS), LA Chinatown Corp., and the ChungKing Plaza Association.
For food truck, vending, or sponsorship information, please email: info@chinatownla.com.

Visiting the Asian herb store (video)

Gina Darling ("Roll Models," WatchLoud); CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

After a night of partying, Gina, Scarlet, and Becky visit an Asian herbal shop to find a cure for their various pains and ills.

Shamans and Afghans (video)

Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; AFP News Agency

No shamans are allowed in Afghanistan, once a Buddhist country now overrun my militant Islamists and pessimistic Muslims that has also displaced even a trace of its mystical, Buddhist-influenced Sufi school. The Pashtun, Tajik, Kazakh, and other ethnic or tribal minorities are not the Indian (Gandharan, Indo-Greco), Iranian (Ariyan/Persian), Central Asian people who thrived in the area before and after the time of the Buddha and the birth of Buddhism.
 

(AFP) Devastated Afghans keep searching for victims' bodies after a landslide in northern Badakhshan province above Kabul that entombed a village, killing thousands of people and leaving 700 families homeless in the mountains. See Another Tragedy in Afghanistan

(AFP, May 5, 2014) There are estimated to be thousands of shamans or "spirit healers," who are called on as medicine men and women in traditional ethnic villages in China, but mass migration to cities has meant the prospects for the profession are looking bleak. Of course, those people will be back when their health deteriorates using super toxic Western (allopathic) chemicals and medicaments. 

• Doctors are third leading cause of death in US, killing...
• DEATH BY MEDICINE (by Gary Null, Ph.D.; Dr. Carolyn Dean M.D., N.D.; Dr. Martin Feldman, M.D.; Dr. Debora Rasio, M.D.; and Dorothy Smith, Ph.D.)

Shamanism

Dancing shaman (hamidsardar.com

VIDEO: A Shaman in Atheist China

Earliest known depiction of a Siberian shaman -- by Dutch explorer Nicolaes Witsen, who authored an account of his travels among Samoyedic- and Tungusic-speaking peoples in 1692.

Russian boy dies in shaman ceremony [783,936 Americans die in a year being prescribed pharmaceuticals and taking them as directed by an M.D. and no one says anything, which is called iatrogenic death]

Traditional shaman healers, who have practiced in some areas of Siberia and the Far East for thousands of years, have experienced a revival since the 1991 break-up of the Soviet Union ended repression by the Communist... [Their track record for healing disease and saving lives is much better than it is for Western doctors, but don't tell anyone.]

Coldest place on Earth: shaman paradise Monday's Geo Quiz is cold, cold, cold. We're looking for the name of a cold Siberian city. It's the capital of the Russian Republic of Sakha [as in Shakya? Sakka? Buddhist Kalmykia?] It has on average the coldest winter...

Training eagle and horse (hamidsardar.com)

"Be Your Own Shaman" (April 5th Party) Our friend and energetic healer Dr. Deborah King is holding an ONLINE party to celebrate the launch of her new book, Be Your Own Shaman...

VIDEO: The Shamans of Mongolia Much of our American Xmas lore comes not from Israel and Christianity but from Scandinavian shamans, like the Swedish Sami, and European Pagans. "Santa Claus" was originally a magic mushroom harvester who...

The World's oldest form of spirituality The Buddha rejected the ultimate authority of the Vedas, ritual priestcraft, and Brahmanism. He returned to the oldest form of spirituality, shamanism (as part of India's ancient Shramana Dharma Movement). By rejecting the dominant Brahmin priest mediated...
Is Shamanism a Path to Enlightenment?

Last shaman of the Oroqen (Richard Noll)

According to Harner, "The shamanic path is not a path traditionally intended to achieve enlightenment. It has been a path... In essence, shamanism both is and isn't a path of transformation and enlightenment. Global Medicine...
Buddhism and Shamanism Today
Modern shamans, while less formal than Buddhist shramanas or Hindu sannyasins, are not a reaction to Brahmin temple priests as Buddhism was. Nevertheless, even urban shamans are trying to directly connect with the...
Beyond Coping: The Buddha on Illness
An anthropologist once questioned an Eskimo shaman about his tribe's belief system. After putting up with the anthropologist's questions for a while, the shaman finally told him: "Look. We don't believe. We fear." In a similar...

Entangled in Darkness, Seeking the Light (Dr. Deb King)

Master healer and urban shaman [and sexual abuse survivor] Deborah King (DeborahKingCenter.com), was a successful attorney in her 20s when a diagnosis of cancer sent her on a search for truth. It radically changed her...

VIDEO: World's oldest art made by women

New research suggests that many of the first artistic masters (as well as the majority of shamans, intuitives, and "medicine men") were women, not men. Woman shaman (Elende). (IFC Films) Documentary filmmaker Werner...

"Medicinal" Gardening and Cartman (NPR)

Wisdom Quarterly; Margot Adler (NPR.org); New York Botanical Garden (nybg.org)

The Italian Renaissance garden inspired by one at Padua from 1645 (Margot Adler/NPR)

   

The Renaissance Garden at the New York Botanical Garden (nybg.org), a recreation of a 16th-century medicinal garden, is so lush and colorful, it only takes a stroll through to absorb its good medicine.

The garden, part of a summer exhibit called Wild Medicine: Healing Plants Around the World. is a small-scale model of the 16th-century Italian Renaissance Garden at Padua, Europe's first botanical garden.

Forests are the Earth's sustenance and key to its salvation (treehugger.com)

 

Biofuel worse than petrol? (BBC)

The landscape includes Mediterranean flowers in multiple colors, fountains, and odd plants that many people have never seen, like the opium poppy, with its unusual seed pods. The garden in Padua was created in 1545 as part of the University of Padua medical school, one of the earliest and most important medical schools in Europe.

  

Opium poppy (Adler/NY Botanical Garden)

"The medical school in Padua started in 1222," explains Gregory Long, president and CEO of the New York Botanical Garden... 

• LISTEN

Cartman on NPR

Julie Rovner (Weekend Edition, 2008)

WARNING: Vile, disturbing, graphic language, hate, egotism, racism, profanity, comedy!

Pint sized misanthrope, Eric Cartman

Eric Cartman [a sensitive and deeply misunderstood boy who cares deeply about frogs if not ecosystems] is by far the most famous of the four foul-mouthed grade-schoolers who inhabit the cardboard-cutout town of South Park on Comedy Central. In fact, he ranked No. 10 on a TV Guide list of the Top 50 cartoon characters of all time. As South Park's major villain, it's Cartman who often provokes the action. It's Cartman who steals the speedboat that breaks the dam that floods a nearby town, causing misplaced hysteria about global warming in the episode "Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow." More

The Buddha's Feet (Pho Temple)

hotography by Aidan McRae Thomson (flickr.com), Pho Temple, Bangkok, Thailand

The temple treasures

Wat Pho is the largest and oldest temple complex in Bangkok. Along with the temple of the royal palace, it is also the most visited. The sprawling complex covers a huge area. It is easy to lose oneself within its gateways, courtyards, and stunning buildings.

The present-day complex dates back to 1788, having been founded in response to the plundering of the former Thai capital of Ayutthaya by the Burmese in 1767. A similar complex was destroyed at that time and recreated here.

Massage and funny foreigners
Wat Pho is a famous place of learning. And instruction is not limited to monastic training. It has a renowned school of Thai massage, which combines Indian Ayurvedic, traditional Chinese medicine, and Southeast Asian innovations.

One enters the complex through gateways guarded by huge Chinese statues, believed to have been imported as ballast aboard ships trading with China. The outer gates have fierce warrior figures, whereas the inner courtyards have the bizarre figures of farang (Western "foreigners") with their peculiar top hats, believed to represent the first European visitors to the East.

The Buddha's Feet
Many of the inner courtyards are surrounded by a cloister containing over 400 sculptures of the seated Buddha. The main bot, the spiritual nucleus of the temple, is beautifully decorated with frescoes of rich landscapes in red and gold.

The biggest and most spectacular attraction of the complex however is the Hall of the Reclining Buddha, housing an enormous gilded figure of the Buddha entering final nirvana. It is over 160 feet long, filling the entire center of the chamber.

Feet, Why Feet?
Wisdom Quarterly (ANALYSIS)

In India and much of Asia, the feet are considered debased and dirty. The brahmins considered the filthiest peeople as being born of the soles of Brahma's feet. But even the lowest parts of a holy person are sacred.

The Buddha had special feet. Not only were they soft, proportional, and beautiful, they bore many of the Marks of a Great Person (Sanskrit mahāpuruṣa lakṣaṇa, Pali lakkhana) he was famous for: He had "level feet" which were "pliant," with thousand-spoked wheel signs on them. His toes were finely webbed with full-sized heels, arched insteps, golden-hued, with soft and smooth skin, well-rounded soles, holding him erect and upright.

In addition to these major marks, there are 80 minors marks that include: beautiful, well-proportioned, tube-shaped toes, with rosy tinted toenails that are slightly upturned at the tips, smooth and rounded without ridges, with ankles that are rounded and undented, each foot of equal length giving him a beautiful and stately gait, like that of a king-elephant or king-lion or swan, a majestic gait, like that of a royal ox, led by the right foot when walking with skin that is unwrinkled, spotless and without lumps, unblemished, free of impurities, radiant, exquisitely sensitive to touch, with the scent of sandalwood.

These features are not exaggerations or additions. They are documented characteristics that defined one as a World Monarch (chakravartin ruler) or Buddha. What they looked like or how important they are, that indeed is subject to exaggeration.

But the signs themselves are spoken of in the ancient Vedas (Books of Knowledge) and the lore was familiar to brahmin priests who asserted their supremacy.

Warrior-caste (kshatriyas) Nobles vied with brahmins for supremacy when Siddhartha was born. Brahmin priests read these signs for the Buddha's father, warrior-caste King Suddhodana, to foretell the prince's great future.

Throughout India and in many Theravada countries (Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, Khmer-Empire era Cambodia, etc.), the Buddha's feet are venerated. In Sri Lanka, for example, there is an imprint of the Buddha's foot at the top of Adam's Peak. (It is actually a very large carving). These depictions are embroidered with stories and signs, symbols of fortune and royalty.

The tradition of sacred feet extended to Jesus Christ (St. Issa, a.k.a. Yus Assaf, of formerly Buddhist Kashmir), whose burial site is marked by feet, a tradition unknown to Judaism and Islam. (Yes, good St. Issa, not having died on the cross, returned to India and is buried in a tomb now co-occupied by a Muslim figure and off-limits to Westerners).

• Physical characteristics of the Buddha
• VIDEO: Jesus in Kashmir documentary (BBC)
• Mahayana "Bodhi Day" transgender tribute
• Buddha's blue eyes, common for Central Asians
• The Afghan girl with green eyes: a life revealed
• Buddha's origins in Central Asia (West India)