Plants are Important

An archaeologist and a botanist have teamed up to study artwork from the Mayan Classical period, dating from 250 BCE to 900 CE.

You might wonder, what is a botanist doing studying ancient art? Turns out the Mayans created lots of ceramic pieces depicting various plants of the rain forest, many with such accuracy that the genus and species of the plants can be determined. The scientists are trying to identify which plants were of importance to the people, in "hopes [that] the research will unveil secrets known to the Maya that have become lost in time."

What kind of secrets are they looking for? The archaeologist Charles Zadir says:

The Maya have lived and used rainforest plants to heal themselves for thousands of years. We are just beginning to understand some of their secrets.

That's great! Plants are awesome! It's wonderful that there are people out there advocating for the preservation of the rain forest and for research into the importance of plants in our lives.

But wait... keep reading:

This research has already been of interest to pharmaceutical companies that are looking to extract alkaloids from plants that were important to the ancient Maya.

Aw, man! Just when you thought that you could escape the clutches of greed, the truth comes out. In the researchers' defense, they probably had to provide some lucrative justification for the work that they're doing, otherwise they wouldn't get funding. But, it just irks me that there always has to be some kind of monetary motive.

Tree-gong

This article from Singapore is about a group of people who practice a type of qigong / daoyin / yangsheng in the Botanical Gardens in order to be near plants.

Not to be confused with qigong, the traditional Chinese discipline of circulating energy within the body, "tree-gong" is rooted in the Tao Te Ching (a classic Chinese philosophy text) and ancient Chinese principles of energy flow, said Ms Law's instructor, Mr Thomas Kwan.

The 50-year-old said that the energy from plants and trees aids the human body in "getting rid of 'congestion' that makes us feel unwell".

At Yosan we learn something similar - it's a simple meditation where you find a tree that you like and sit beneath it for 30 minutes a day. That's it! The benefits are reduced stress, lower blood pressure, a sensation of peace and overall well-being.

It might sound too simple, but the mere fact that there isn't anything to "do" is what makes this exercise unique. Turn off your cellphone. No reading books or magazines to pass the time. Don't try any special meditation techniques. Bring a chair if you like, be comfortable.

Finding and picking the right tree is most of the work. Some of us are lucky enough to have one right outside our doors. If you live in the city like me you might have to travel for a bit to find a tree that you vibe with. Also, rotate trees after a month or so.

Chinese Pharmacy Pictures

As long as we're looking at pictures, here are some beautiful pictures of traditional Chinese pharmacies.











Credits: Eric Lafforgue, solemnyeti, cblee, *Alexander*, Holly Gilbert. All these and more found on flickr.

Pre-Historic Health Spa

Stonehenge has long been thought of as a burial site, where cremated remains and bodies have been found that date as far back as 3000 BCE. But the history of the land on which it rests dates back even farther: there were post holes for large wooden poles found in that location dated back to 8000 BCE. It seems as though this point on Earth has always held a certain significance, drawing different people and cultures to it throughout time. It should be no wonder then that as time passed, the purpose of the place could have changed in significance to those who visited it.

In the most recent excavation of the site - the first one in 44 years - two archaeologists have theorized that Stonehenge could have actually been used as a place of pilgrimage for those who were sick and dying, a veritable health spa of sorts.

There are bluestones placed in the inner ring of Stonehenge that were determined to have come from Preseli Mountains in Southwest Wales, 140 miles from Stonehenge. To give you an idea of how significant that is, the larger rocks of the more recognizably Stonehenge structure came from only 20 miles north of the site. Whoever was building Stonehenge at the time made it a point to bring those big bluestones in there.

Bluestones, named for the bluish color that appears when the stones get wet or cut, are recorded as having healing properties:

The stones are great;
And magic power they have;
Men that are sick;
Fare to that stone;
And they wash that stone;
And with that water bathe away their sickness.

The archaeologists also found that natural springheads, where water comes up from the ground, had been enhanced by the erection of small walls to dam the water that came up, creating little pools they proposed the sick would be able to sit in. Some of the springheads were "adorned with pre-historic art."

Bodies buried nearby that are contemporary to the time the bluestones were in place also support their theory. The remains of the buried show injuries that were possible causes of death, suggesting that these people had come to the site in hopes of being healed.

The full article about their new findings is printed in the October issue of the Smithsonian magazine.