August 12, 2021

I'm fascinated with spiritual, medicinal, and little-known aspects of the plant kingdom…

…which is what I discussed in-depth on my recent podcast with Sajah Popham.

Sajah is the author of the book Evolutionary Herbalism: Science, Spirituality, and Medicine from the Heart of Nature, which weaves together herbal and medical traditions from around the world into a singular cohesive model, guided from an herbal practitioner's point of view to a comprehensive understanding of the practice and philosophy of healing with herbs.

Sajah presents an innovative approach to herbalism that considers the holistic relationship among plants, humans, and the underlying archetypal patterns in nature. Organized into five parts moving from the microcosmic to the universal, Sajah's work explores a unique integration of clinical herbalism, Ayurveda, medical astrology, spagyric alchemy, and medical and esoteric traditions from across the world in a truly holistic system of plant medicine. A balance of the heart and the mind, the science and spirit of people and plants, Evolutionary Herbalism provides a holistic context for how plants can be used for transformational levels of healing for the body, spirit, and soul. For both the student herbalist and experienced practitioner, Popham's original perspectives guide you to a more intimate, synergistic, and intuitive relationship with the plant kingdom, people, and nature as a whole.

Sajah Popham's mission is to share knowledge, tools, and medicine that promote the healing power of plants —to not just heal our bodies of disease, but to assist in the evolution of human consciousness back into its natural state. His holistic focus is on finding the universal principles and practices across herbal traditions and using plants in a way that not only brings about physical healing and rejuvenation but psychological and emotional health along with spiritual transformation. Sajah holds a degree in Herbal Sciences from Bastyr University and has studied herbal traditions across the world and with some of North America's top clinical practitioners. He lives in the Pacific Northwest forest with his wife Whitney.

Today, during Part 2 of my podcast with Sajah Popham, we will talk more about his approach, which unites traditional models in a way that utilize the whole plant (chemistry, energetics, and spirit) to heal the whole person (body, spirit, and soul) by getting to the root causes of disease.

During our discussion, you'll discover:

-How specific plant parts correspond to different elements…07:10

• All plants have some form of integration of the elements (earth, water, air, fire, ether)
• Elements are necessary for a plant's existence and survival
• Roots of the plant are in the earth
• Stems are how nutrients are conducted from the soil into the plant (water)
• Leaves are the air element
• Colors, expression (fire)
• Seeds, fruit, the ether, or quintessence
• Quintessence is the synergy of the primary four elements
• How (& Why) To Eat More Vegetables, Why A Plant Is Like An Upside-Down Human, Little-Known Superfood Plants & More with Dr. Thomas Cowan.
• Dr. Thomas Cowan's vegetable powders (use code BEN to save 15%)
• The doctrine of similars

-How each of us have different elemental “types”…14:08

• We all have unique dispositions, qualities, responses to our environment, etc.
• We're all born with a unique composition of the elemental forces
• Chinese medicine has slight semantical variations of the four elemental forces (metal and wood)
• Live in a way that we don't produce excesses and deficiencies; constant daily practice to maintain balance
• Energetics of plants: acting based on their chemistry (peppers, lettuce, have different effects on the body)
• Example: constipation can be caused by different problems; calls for different solutions based on the problem
• Biotransformation, Why Your Body Is A Giant “Excretion Machine,” The Danger Of Wearables, Air, Water, Light, Sound & EMF Optimization & Much More With Dr. Anthony G. Beck.
• Uniqueness of the individual is often overlooked in Western medicine

-How we might design our lives based on our elemental types…25:40

• Sajah is predominantly fire; secondary air
• Fire element governs the small intestine, heart, immune system, sympathetic nervous system
  • Eat cooling foods (raw foods, cucumbers, lettuce) and calming activities
• Eastern Wisdom Meets Western Medicine: 10-Pass Ozone, Peptides, Blood Irradiation, Constitutional Assessments & Much More! With Ahvie Herskowitz.
• Pay attention to your body more than relying on an app or tech to track things

-How to “type” a plant and know what elements it would feed and need…34:50

• Look at the habitat of the plant, where it prefers to grow
• Ingesting, taste of the herb
• Organ systems; what parts of the body does the plant influence
• Boundless Cookbook by Ben Greenfield

-Why Sajah is skeptical about merging technology with understanding plants on a deep level…40:55

• Our own connection to nature, ability to utilize sensory mechanisms (eyes, ears, taste)
• Awakens a new way of seeing the world around us; natural connection

-Should we be concerned about eating plants due to their natural defense mechanisms?…43:55

• The Plant Paradox by Stephen Gundry
• The Toxicity Of Plants, Carnivore For Athletes, Does Meat Cause Acidity, The “Game Changers” Debate & Much More With Dr. Paul Saladino. 
• The Truth About Lectins And The Plant Paradox By Dr. Steven Gundry.
• Wild plants are infinitely stronger than cultivated plants due to their environment
• We've developed ways to prepare plants; fermented, sprouted, etc.
• A plant-based diet is the most ideal human diet
• Michael Pollan style diet

-An ideal day of eating for Sajah Popham…48:25

• Solid breakfast: yams, greens, eggs, lamb sausage
• Eat seasonally and locally
• Grow own food, raise own meat (chicken and lamb)

-Some of the painful cuts Sajah had to make to his book…49:50

• Alchemical theory of health and disease
• Stephen Buhner books:
  • The Lost Language Of Plants
  • The Secret Teaching Of Plants
  • Plant Intelligence in the Imaginal Realm

-And much more!…

Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode.

Resources from this episode:

– Sajah Popham:

• Evolutionary Herbalism
• Evolutionary Herbalism: Part 1 – The Fascinating Science, Spirituality & Medicines Of The Plant Kingdom With Sajah Popham.

– Podcasts:

• Are Christians Destroying The Environment? A Biblical Approach to Environmentalism and the “Dominion Mandate.” With Gordon Wilson
• How (& Why) To Eat More Vegetables, Why A Plant Is Like An Upside-Down Human, Little-Known Superfood Plants & More With Dr. Thomas Cowan.
• Biotransformation, Why Your Body Is A Giant “Excretion Machine,” The Danger Of Wearables, Air, Water, Light, Sound & EMF Optimization & Much More With Dr. Anthony G. Beck.
• Eastern Wisdom Meets Western Medicine: 10-Pass Ozone, Peptides, Blood Irradiation, Constitutional Assessments & Much More! With Ahvie Herskowitz
• The Toxicity Of Plants, Carnivore For Athletes, Does Meat Cause Acidity, The “Game Changers” Debate & Much More With Dr. Paul Saladino. 
• The Truth About Lectins And The Plant Paradox By Dr. Steven Gundry

– Books:

• Environment, Development, and Sustainability By Gordon Wilson
• Boundless Cookbook By ben Greenfield
• The Plant Paradox By Stephen Gundry
• The Lost Language Of Plants By Stephen Buhner
• The Secret Teaching Of Plants By Stephen Buhner
• Plant Intelligence in the Imaginal Realm By Stephen Buhner

– Other Resources:

• Dr. Cowan's Garden (use code BEN to save 15%)
• Michael Pollan Style Diet
• Flower Checker App
• Picture This App
• Materia Medica
• Doctrine Of Signatures
• The Doctrine Of Similars
• Bastyr University

Upcoming Events:

• Las Vegas Keto Expo (October 15-16, 2021). Ben will be speaking at the Las Vegas Keto Expo along with 13 other keto experts. The first 300 guests to register here will get a free drink chip for the poolside party and a free t-shirt.
• Keep up on Ben's LIVE appearances by following bengreenfieldfitness.com/calendar

Episode sponsors:

–Organifi Green Juice: Now you can get all your healthy superfoods in one glass…with No Shopping, No Blending, No Juicing, and No Cleanup. Get a 20% discount on your entire order when you use discount code BENG20.

–Water and Wellness: The best solution for clean and safe drinking water. Water and Wellness also offers an amazing line of essential water additives such as Quinton Marine plasma which contains over 78 trace minerals and elements from the ocean to help restore your biological terrain. Get 15% off your order when you use discount code GREENFIELD.

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–Kion Oregano: One of the best oregano oils I've ever been able to hunt down. When you use my link, you’ll also get 10% off your first purchase.

Do you have questions, thoughts, or feedback for Sajah Popham or me? Leave your comments below and one of us will reply!