The theme of the soil’s health as well as its meaning for global resilience and life have never felt so urgent or pertinent. The consciousness of its social, physical, nutritional and planetary influences and the effects of Bio-Dynamic Social Farming and Gardening could well be seen as existential to human and global survival, wellbeing and future development.
Radically new ways are waiting to be discovered to experience and value nature and to revalidate and establish anew our relationships to it, which will be the other theme for this interactive gathering.
A third theme is a renewed bridge building between our daily work and our dawning esoteric understanding. It was at the end of his life that Rudolf Steiner gave his lectures to doctors and farmers at the same time as he gave the Lessons of the School of Spiritual Science, bringing together Earth and Stars, Matter and Transubstantiation to give us the wisdom and enthusiasm that we can make a difference.
Contributors to this conference: Astrid van Zon from Urtica de Vijfsprong in The Netherlands, Hartwig Ehlers from Weide Hardebeck in North Germany, Peter Brown from Tablehurst Farm in Forest Row UK, Dr. Michael Evans from Stroud in the UK, Inessa Burdich from the Institute of applied esoteric research in Germany, Thomas van Elsen from Petrarca, the European Social Farming and Gardening Network based in Germany, Simon Blaxland-de Lange, Founder partner of Pericles in Sussex, gardener, compost maker and Member of the Council of the Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain and others still to be confirmed.
Some interesting information:
Antidepressant Microbes In Soil: How Dirt Makes You Happy
By Bonnie L. Grant
Prozac may not be the only way to get rid of your serious blues. Soil microbes have been found to have similar effects on the brain and are without side effects and chemical dependency potential. Learn how to harness the natural antidepressant in soil and make yourself happier and healthier. Read on to see how dirt makes you happy.
Natural remedies have been around for untold centuries. These natural remedies included cures for almost any physical ailment as well as mental and emotional afflictions. Ancient healers may not have known why something worked but simply that it did. Modern scientists have unraveled the why of many medicinal plants and practices but only recently are they finding remedies that were previously unknown and yet, still a part of the natural life cycle. Soil microbes and human health now have a positive link which has been studied and found to be verifiable.
Soil Microbes and Human Health
Did you know that there’s a natural antidepressant in soil? It’s true. Mycobacterium vaccae is the substance under study and has indeed been found to mirror the effect on neurons that drugs like Prozac provide. The bacterium is found in soil and may stimulate serotonin production, which makes you relaxed and happier. Studies were conducted on cancer patients and they reported a better quality of life and less stress.
Lack of serotonin has been linked to depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and bipolar problems. The bacterium appears to be a natural antidepressant in soil and has no adverse health effects. These antidepressant microbes in soil may be as easy to use as just playing in the dirt.
Most avid gardeners will tell you that their landscape is their “happy place” and the actual physical act of gardening is a stress reducer and mood lifter. The fact that there is some science behind it adds additional credibility to these garden addicts’ claims. The presence of a soil bacteria antidepressant is not a surprise to many of us who have experienced the phenomenon ourselves. Backing it up with science is fascinating, but not shocking, to the happy gardener.
Mycobacterium antidepressant microbes in soil are also being investigated for improving cognitive function, Crohn’s disease and even rheumatoid arthritis.
How Dirt Makes You Happy
Antidepressant microbes in soil cause cytokine levels to rise, which results in the production of higher levels of serotonin. The bacterium was tested both by injection and ingestion on rats, and the results were increased cognitive ability, lower stress and better concentration on tasks than a control group.
Gardeners inhale the bacteria, have topical contact with it and get it into their bloodstreams when there is a cut or other pathway for infection. The natural effects of the soil bacteria antidepressant can be felt for up to 3 weeks if the experiments with rats are any indication. So get out and play in the dirt and improve your mood and your life.
