Blog
Spirit Molecules, Part 2
29 January 2026
Ibogaine, derived from the iboga plant, has been used for centuries in West African healing traditions. This post explores its cultural origins, therapeutic potential for addiction, trauma and TBI, and the importance of clinical safety and respect for Indigenous knowledge and traditions.
Spirit Molecules, Part 1
16 January 2026
Ayahuasca is an Amazonian sacred medicine with a long history of Indigenous use for healing and spiritual insight. This article explores its botanical origins, traditional practices, therapeutic research, ethical concerns, and the responsibilities surrounding its contemporary study.
Grief and Mourning Across Cultures and Religions
2 January 2026
An exploration of how death, grief, and mourning are experienced across religions and cultures, examining customs, protocols, and healing practices, and highlighting the ways people find comfort and restoration through support and ceremonial rites that revere the cycle of life.
The Power of Fermentation: Boost Nutrition, Reduce Toxins, and Enhance Herbs
30 December 2025
Fermentation is a time-honored practice used across traditional medicine systems to enhance digestion, nutrient absorption, and therapeutic effects of foods and herbs. This article explores research evidence on fermented foods, probiotics, and psychobiotics, alongside cultural knowledge and a practical herbal tepache recipe.
Collective Wounds, Collective Healing: Unpacking Trauma Transfer Across Generations
14 November 2025
Explore how intergenerational trauma affects Indigenous communities, the biological imprint of historical trauma, and the transformative role of collective healing, cultural connection, and resilience across generations.
Healing the Colonized Body: From Fight or Flight to Tend and Befriend
14 November 2025
Discover how relational healing, oxytocin, and the tend-and-befriend stress response expand traditional biomedical models and support trauma recovery, resilience, and holistic well-being.
Herbal Medicine for Hypoglycemia and Type 2 Diabetes
28 August 2025
Traditional practices, such as drinking cinnamon tea, once helped protect against diabetes in Mexico; however, modern diets have shifted these traditions. Managing blood sugar is essential for well-being, and herbs such as ginseng, bitter melon, fenugreek, and neem continue to offer support, reflecting the wisdom of ancestral plant medicine.
Artemisia ludoviciana (Estafiate) in Indigenous and Modern Medicine
28 August 2025
Estafiate has long been central to Indigenous medicine in Mexico, valued for treating digestive and respiratory ailments, while also playing a key role in ceremony and cosmology. Documented in early codices and still widely used today, estafiate reflects the resilience of Indigenous knowledge and its ongoing dialogue with modern science.
Cacao and Indigenous Knowledge in Mesoamerican Culture
28 August 2025
Cacao holds deep cultural, spiritual, and ecological significance for Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Once central to creation stories, rituals, and local economies, it was later transformed into a global commodity under colonization. Today, communities are revitalizing cacao’s sacred and ecological role, honoring ancestral knowledge.
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Elina Vesara
Ostern Fund
