THE MARA JOURNAL

Three plants. The whole story.

Where each root and pollen grows, how people have used it for generations, what's in it, and how to choose a good one.

DRAGON BREATH · CHILCUAGUE

Dragon Breath Chilcuague

The tingling golden root of Central Mexico: its history, what is in it, how it compares to spilanthes and akarkara, and how to buy it well.

START HERE5 MIN READ Coffee Alternatives for Energy, Plus One You Feel in 10 Seconds Yerba mate, matcha, chicory, mushroom coffee and a morning walk, with the caffeine numbers side by side. Plus the one switch that needs no kettle: a spray of Dragon Br... Read the guide
025 MIN How to Beat the Afternoon Slump at Work (Skip the Second Coffee) Why the 3pm slump lands between 2 and 4pm, what people usually try at work, and the one-spray move that wakes your wh... 035 MIN What to Do Before a Presentation (a 10-Minute Routine) A minute-by-minute routine for the last ten minutes before a big presentation or pitch, from speaking coaches, plus t...
045 MIN Natural Pre Workout Alternatives (and One You Feel in 10 Seconds) 055 MIN How to Get Rid of Coffee Breath Before Your 10am Meeting 065 MIN Breath Spray vs Mints, Gum and Mouthwash (What to Carry) 075 MIN How to Get Rid of Garlic Breath Before Your Next Meeting or Date 085 MIN Kissing a Smoker Without the Ashtray Taste 095 MIN A Breath Spray for Cigar Smokers That Wakes Your Mouth Up 105 MIN Breath Spray for Kissing (and Why It Beats Mints Before a Date) 115 MIN The Natural Mouth Freshener, from Saunf After Dinner to a Spray in Your Pocket 125 MIN Chilcuague for Sore Throat Days (and Long Talking Days) 135 MIN Heliopsis Longipes Extract (What It Is and What to Buy) 145 MIN Buzz Button Cocktail (and the Buzz That Fits in Your Pocket) 155 MIN Spilanthol Extract and the Plants That Make It (Including Chilcuague Root) 165 MIN Tingling Mouth Spray From Chilcuague, the Mexican Golden Root

PINE POLLEN

Pine Pollen

The pollen men take for testosterone support: where it comes from, what the research in men found, and how to pick a good tincture.

START HERE5 MIN READ How Long Does Pine Pollen Last (Powder, Capsules and Tincture) Pine pollen powder goes stale once the bag is open, while a sealed tincture in dark glass keeps for years. Shelf life for each form, and how to store the bottle you're... Read the guide
025 MIN How Long Does Pine Pollen Take to Work (Week by Week) Two pilot studies in men recorded their pine pollen results at week 8. Here's what each stretch of those 8 weeks look... 035 MIN When to Take Pine Pollen (Morning, Training Days and How Often) The times of day men take a pine pollen tincture, where training fits, and the five days on, two days off rhythm from...
045 MIN Pine Pollen Testosterone (What's in It and What Men Found) 055 MIN Pine Pollen Tincture Recipe (and What a Kitchen Jar Leaves Out) 065 MIN Pine Pollen Tincture Benefits, and Why Men Pick the Dropper 075 MIN Pine Pollen Bodybuilding Notes (What the Studies Found and How Lifters Take It) 085 MIN Pine Pollen Tincture vs Powder (and Which One Men Should Take) 095 MIN Pine Pollen with Honey (The Korean Drink and How to Make It) 104 MIN The Best Pine Pollen Tincture for Men (8 Things to Check on the Label) 115 MIN Why Men Take Pine Pollen and Nettle Root as a Pair 125 MIN Pine Pollen for Libido (What the Studies in Men Found) 135 MIN Pine Pollen and Ashwagandha Together (How Men Stack Them) 145 MIN Pine Pollen vs Pine Bark (Which One Men Take for Testosterone) 155 MIN Pine Pollen vs Shilajit (What Men Should Know Before Choosing) 165 MIN Pine Pollen vs Tongkat Ali (Which One to Take Every Day)

BEAR ROOT · OSHA

Bear Root Osha

The mountain root of Northern Mexico that bears dig and chew: its names, its history, what researchers have found and how to take it.

START HERE5 MIN READ Osha Root Supplement Forms Compared (and What to Check on the Label) Capsules, powder, tea cut, syrup or tincture. How each osha root supplement form works day to day, and the label checks that separate a good bottle from a vague one. Read the guide
025 MIN How to Grow Osha Root (and Why Most Attempts Fail) Osha seed needs a long chilled, moist stratification, forest soil and 4 to 6 years before the root is worth much. Her... 035 MIN Osha Root Tincture Recipe (and Why Most People Buy It Made) The ratio, alcohol strength and steeping time herbalists publish for osha tincture, and why the wild root is the hard...
045 MIN Bear Root Bitters and Four Drinks to Make with Osha 055 MIN Osha Root Tincture Benefits (What Tradition and Research Report) 065 MIN How to Use Bear Root (Five Moments in a Day) 075 MIN Bear Root Plant (What Osha Looks Like and Where It Grows) 085 MIN Osha Root for Sinus and Head Colds, in Five Traditions 095 MIN Osha Root for Cough, and Why It Was Called Colorado Cough Root 105 MIN Chuchupate Root Is Osha, the Bear Root of the Sierra Madre 115 MIN Osha Root for Sore Throat and a Tired Voice 125 MIN Osha Root and Bears (Why the Plant Is Called Bear Medicine) 135 MIN Osha Root Spiritual Uses, from Bear Medicine to a Morning Ritual 145 MIN Osha Root Taste and Smell (What to Expect From the First Drop) 155 MIN Osha Root Extract vs Dried Root, Capsules and Tea (Which to Buy) 165 MIN The Osha Root Snakes Story (Why People Carried Chuchupate) 175 MIN Osha Root Tincture Dosage (and How to Take Bear Root Every Day) 185 MIN Osha Root vs Hemlock (How to Tell Them Apart)
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