Happy Autumn dearest friends! Hope this blog finds you well.
Join us in exploring the fascinating world of the...
Microbiome
Microbiome is the collection of all microbes, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, and genes, that naturally live on our bodies and inside us.
However, did you know that environmental exposures affects our microbiome too? Our indoor environment plays a huge role in sculpting our microbiome and it’s overall health. And your houseplants and the soil they live in contribute to that equation!
It's with great honor that I introduce you to Sacred Elements newest team members Jess and Kelly. They've been surrounding our company with inspired plant wisdom and infusing their lifelong experiences of farming, gardening, and plant parenting into every part of our work here.
I'm so excited for you all to meet them and learn from them too!
"It's time to slow down. Everything in Nature is telling us this. The days are getting shorter and colder, the trees are shedding their leaves, back to the Earth to renew and regenerate the soil. Animals are collecting and saving food for the winter and beginning their hibernation. Our natural rhythms are still, as they always have been, completely and intrinsically interconnected with the Natural world. Afterall, we are not separate, just as the unseen processes under our feet are not separate.
There's a magical world, beyond our wildest imagination, existing in symbiosis with our own beings, without the need for our conscious understanding. It's a truly incredible relationship that quite literally influences every aspect of our lives and every living thing on Earth. In the stillness beneath our feet and inside of our bodies, trillions of microscopic beings are shaping the entire history of our existence, and our future. This is, in essence, what we refer to as the microbiome.
And just as trees have let go of their leaves to feed the soil beneath them, we too enter
the season with an opportunity to also shed what no longer serves us, and turn inward, towards introspection, nourishment and stillness. Autumn is the time for us to slow down, gather nutrient dense foods that the Earth provides so abundantly during this time and prepare for the colder, darker months ahead. Our bodies are naturally slowing down to store more energy and assimilate nutrients, much like the soil during this time, embracing the abundance of fallen leaves, microbes feasting on the remains of pure sun energy that was gathered all summer long through photosynthesis. We too can feed our inner biome with this same vibrant energy stored deep within the food and herbs at the peak of their ripeness this season."
-Jess, Sacred Elements Head of Marketing
How do our plant care tonics create a healthier microbiome inside your home?
As we covered in our blog post
4 Benefits of Spending time with Plant Mycobacterium vaccae, a microbe present in soil, increases the release of serotonin in our bodies. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter responsible for sending and receiving messages throughout our nervous system, and also functions as the hormone responsible for mood, digestion, appetite and emotions. When we nourish our houseplants we are feeding the microbes that live within that soil.
When the microbes are healthy and happy they in turn help strengthen our own bodies and immune systems. When we spray Sacred Leaf Tonic for instance, we are exposing our bodies to healing plant medicines derived from medicinal plants like lavender, tulsi, neem, chamomile, rosemary, bitter orange, comfrey, and stinging nettle.
When we interact with our houseplants, physically connecting them through our touch, we are biologically sharing information with our plants. This in turn shapes the microbiome surrounding us. Isn't that just incredible?!!
"Sacred Soil Tonic was specifically formulated for simultaneous IPM and fertilization via soil drenching. This Tonic contains plant medicine extracts such as neem seed, leaf, and bark that work synergistically with microbes in the soil.
In their native habitat, neem trees form beneficial mycorrhizal relationships with the soil in addition to protecting against pests and pathogens. As they shed their leaves, organic matter is returned to the Earth and soil fertility is enhanced. Earthworms, mycorrhizal fungi, and microflora are all magnetized to this nutrient rich compost- creating a biologically abundant closed loop system.
In the same way Neem trees create symbiosis with surrounding soil life, watering your plant babies with
Sacred Soil Tonic encourages healthy life to flourish while wiping out any unwanted pests or pathogens. Balanced soil systems created by plant medicines for health that radiates from the inside out."
-Kelly, Sacred Elements Content & Product Development
Wishing you all an incredible Autumn (or Spring to those of you on the other side of the equator). We love you and are so grateful you are a part of the Sacred Elements community!
Happy growing,
Karina and Team SE