The Healing Seekers’ Team treks to Papua New Guinea and experiences the Goroka Show, a gathering of over 100 tribes to celebrate their cultural heritage. The celebration showcases the beauty and wonder of hundreds of years of ceremony. The Polga Tribe invites Amy to join with them in the traditional face painting and preparation for this important festival.

The Board and the entire team would like to express our appreciation to the Emily Millis-Hiatt Donor Advised Fund for their continued support, and for sponsoring this educational video.

Announcement February 7, 2012

About Us | Videos | Photos | About Amy Greeson | Contact Us | Donate

Don’t miss Amy Greeson and the Healing Seekers Tomorrow (February 7, 2012) on WXII channel 12 at 5pm

In her interview with WXII News, Amy speaks about her expeditions to Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and The Amazon in search of undiscovered cures.

The folloing is an excerpt from the segment: “This trip to Madagascar is one of several treks into biodiverse hotspots from the Healing Seekers team…Director…and pharmacist Amy Greeson travels teh world in search of the next cure for diseases like Diabetes and Cancer.”

Look out for a short clip airing at 6am on WXII Channel 12 &
Tune in tomorrow at 5pm to catch the whole story.

Would You Please Consider Making a Donation Today?

It is only because of the generosity and kindness of people who share our vision and mission that we are able to continue at such a pace. As a 501(c)3 non profit organization, your contributions are tax deductible. Presently, we have great financial need for continuing the creations of our education materials, our 3 part documentary series, and our upcoming 2012 expedition: the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sponsorships are available, and afford extensive exposure.

Please Donate Now.

Published on Mar 13, 2012 by CelineCousteau

Céline Cousteau travels with the Healing Seekers team to Papua New Guinea to film their latest expedition. Healing Seekers is a 501c3 non-profit organization with “a two pronged mission of education and research”, studying medicinal plants and tribal medicine around the world. Collaborating with local populations is key to bringing back information with potential discoveries of healing cures. Healing Seekers’ founder Amy Greeson explains that reciprocity and respect of the tribal way is of utmost importance…

Watch Amy Greeson: Healing Seekers on PBS. See more from NC People.

Watch the preview:

Watch the entire story:

Newsletter for February 13, 2012

About Us | Videos | Photos | About Amy Greeson | Contact Us | Donate

Healing Seekers News Story by Reporter Michelle Kennedy, WXII 12 News

Healing Seekers wishes to thank Michelle Kennedy and WXII 12 News for the incredible segment about Healing Seekers. If you missed the story when it aired, we are proud to provide the links to both the preview and the news story in its entirety.

WXII 12 Preview:

http://www.wxii12.com/video/30391318/detail.html#.TzESQtJbKCQ.email

WXII 12 News Story:

http://www.wxii12.com/video/30401887/detail.html

NC People with William Friday

Healing Seekers also wishes to thank Dr. Bill Friday and UNC-TV for the beautiful broadcast about Healing Seekers. If you missed the airing of the Healing Seekers on NC People with William Friday, we are happy to provide the link below to watch at your convenience.

http://video.unctv.org/video/2177506328/

Would You Please Consider Making a Donation Today?

It is only because of the generosity and kindness of people who share our vision and mission that we are able to continue at such a pace. As a 501(c)3 non profit organization, your contributions are tax deductible. Presently, we have great financial need for continuing the creations of our education materials, our 3 part documentary series, and our upcoming 2012 expedition: the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sponsorships are available, and afford extensive exposure.

Please Donate Now.

Watch Amy Greeson: Founder and Executive Director, Healing Seekers on PBS. See more from NC People.

Newsletter for January 15, 2012

About Us | Videos | Photos | About Amy Greeson | Contact Us | Donate

Healing Seekers: The Focus of New Short Video produced by Celine Cousteau and CauseCentric Productions

Healing Seekers’ Team, Esteban Barrera, John James, and Amy with Celine Cousteau in remote village along Sepik River, Papua New Guinea Expedition. (Photo taken by team member, Josh Jones)

Watch the Video Now

Healing Seekers is the focus of the new short video directed and produced by Celine Cousteau / CauseCentric Productions. The video brings awareness to the Healing Seekers’ project, its mission and vision. Cousteau, the granddaughter of legendary oceanaut Jacques Cousteau, joined the Healing Seekers’ team on Expedition: Papua New Guinea. Through her nonprofit, Cousteau is bringing greater awareness to projects that strive to protect the environment, species, and indigenous cultures.

James and Glanville Return to Papua New Guinea

Scientists and researchers, John James and Mary Glanville, returned to Papua New Guinea in December to continue the work with indigenous tribes.

Scientists and researchers, John James and Mary Glanville returned to Papua New Guinea in December to reconnect and continue our collaborations with the people of Papua New Guinea. Every relationship formed on an expedition is merely the beginning of a life-long commitment to be of service and do the greatest works possible for the people and for our world. James, an instrumental member of the Healing Seekers Team is the CSO of Natural Discoveries, Inc. The company collaborates with indigenous populations in the analysis of plants for future pharmaceuticals and botanical/ natural products. He is also a scientist with biotech front-runner, Targacept in Winston-Salem, NC. Glanville, a marine biologist and pharmacist from University of California at Berkeley, is certified in Phytomedicinals and Alternative Medicine. She contributes her expertise in several areas, including fungi.

New article released by Healing Seekers Plant Professional, Cheryl Farkas

Healing Seekers strives to make available on our website contributions by specialists in their fields. Cheryl Farkas has just released her latest article, Dirty War: An Exploration of Allelopathy. The article is ideal for students and classrooms studying plants, interactions, bio-terrorism, and ‘survival of the fittest’. Farkas does an extraordinary job at simplifying the complex.

Read the Article

Cheryl Farkas – Healing Seekers’ Researcher

Cheryl is a certified as a Plant Professional and holds degrees in Print Journalism/Mass Communications and Professional Photography. She has written numerous articles in publications specializing in botanical and environmental compounds related to health. She is actively involved in ethnobotany, literature review and research and is a contributing writer. Cheryl is instrumental in the identification of plants discovered on the Healing Seekers’ expeditions.

Would You Please Consider Making a Donation Today?

It is only because of the generosity and kindness of people who share our vision and mission that we are able to continue at such a pace. As a 501(c)3 non profit organization, your contributions are tax deductible. Presently, we have great financial need for continuing the creations of our education materials, our 3 part documentary series, and our upcoming 2012 expedition: the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sponsorships are available, and afford extensive exposure.

Please Donate Now.

Healing Seekers is a project of Healing Education Foundation, a non-profit 501 (C) 3 corporation.
© 2011 Healing Seekers. All rights reserved.

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Here’s The Dirt On It

There really is a term for this, it’s called Allelopathy, pronounced: al-uh-lop-uh-thee or uh-lee-lop-uh-thee. The word is derived from two words, allelon meaning “each other” and pathos meaning “to suffer.” And suffer an innocent plant will, if it tries to grow near a plant that releases Allelopathic chemicals.

A German professor, Hans Molisch created the term in 1937, even though botanists were aware of “pothos – suffering” as early as 300 B.C., first recorded by Theophrastius, then 1 C.E. by Gaius Plinius Secundus who noticed some effects causing scorching. Then Agustin Pyramus De Candolle in 1832 suggested soil sickness from chemicals from crops. Next, in 1907, Schreiner and Reed investigated phototoxic chemicals (the actual poisonous substances). Elroy Rice recreated the notion in 1974 and 1983 by writing a book. This subject has caught more attention in the past 10 years because of the positive effects allelopathic chemicals can be used for in science, such as a natural herbicide in agriculture, landscape maintenance and management.

Dirty Political Powers and Purpose

The primary purpose in this war is to reduce the competition or let your competition work for you. Some plants just plan to impose upon another by stealing vital nutrients from the soil, drinking up all the water and hogging up all the sunlight making it impossible for others to survive. Other plants are welcome because they bring something that is beneficial like a chemical that will kill an unwanted neighbor or a plant that attracts certain kinds of bugs or animals that eat their neighbors. Nothing like using each other for personal gain. So, vegetation ultimately has the ability to alter or control entire areas while summoning particular species. Like a parasite, disease, or animal that kills off certain kinds or amounts of organisms in an environment, therefore defining an entire ecosystem, which is powerful!

The Grit and Grime

There are three main ways in which trees, shrubs, and plants do things. Vegetation and microorganisms interplay and alternate roles depending on their means or intent. Allelopathy can be the interaction and mixture of chemicals too. One way is by means of exuding (discharging) allelopathic chemicals into the soil through their roots. An innocent bystander absorbs the chemicals and it’s simply over.

Another way is leaching, (drains away from) in this way a soluble chemical, which can be an oily or watery substance, is omitted from so many different possible parts of a plant or plant debris an enemy can accidentally intake these chemicals by as many different means and parts. This is a slower death. Some get the last dirt in after death and wait until they fall to the ground and decay and decompose to release. Here the parts these chemicals can be expelled from: Pollen, spores, lichen, mushrooms, flowers, buds, bulbs, berries, flower debris, seeds, nuts, nut hulls, leaves, leaf debris, leaf mulch, fruits, roots, bark, stems and branches.

This is a dirty poster tree that uses this last trick in the trunk, volatilization (gassing). They can release a chemical in a gas form through small openings in their leaves and can be carried a distance by the wind. Lethal!

Dirty Ways and Weapons

There are different reasons why they release warfare into the environment. Some can actually choose which weapon they want to use from their arsenal. This depends on the level of stress or type of threat vegetation is experiencing. It could be lack of water, sun or nutrients.

Here are just a few things that make a crabby tree. If environmental conditions are threatening they pick up the pace and their speed by inhibiting and controlling root or shoot growth, they can even inhibit and control nutrient uptake and starve their enemy. They can kill their neighbors’ interrelationship they have with other local plants, therefore destroying their food source and nutrients. Jealousy is poisonous! Soil sickness is a common dirty trick. Residue from allelochemicals can stay in soil long after a plant is gone making an area infertile, unable to produce anything for a long time. Mean!

Temperature extremes or other environmental punishments such as hail injury, wind, fire, or ice damage, infections from diseases, insect invasions or injury from an animal throws them into a panic, releasing chemicals implicating and impacting all species around an area even at the same time or just implicating certain parts of a tree or plant.

Dirty Deeds

These nutty trees release an allelopathic chemical that changes the level or amount of chlorophyll, in another plant. If the level is off, it can’t produce food. (Chlorophyll is the molecule that absorbs sunlight and uses its energy to synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water. The process is photosynthesis.)

While they are at it, they can also release a chemical that can stop or just slow down
photosynthesis, water intake and growth process just enough to torture, maim or kill. (Photosynthesis is the process of converting light energy to chemical energy and storing it in the bonds of sugar.)

Increasing or decreasing activity during a season is a choice they can make, like this choice. Active compounds are sometimes held in forms inside cells or kept in special sealed compartments with passage doors ready to be transported along main routes or oxidized (to combine with oxygen) when needed, injured or threatened. Wow, ectoplasmic!!!! (Ectoplasm is stuff that allegedly oozes from ghosts or spirits and makes it possible for them to materialize and perform super feats.)

Fighting Dirty

Plants have had to live together and tolerate each other for so long they have learned how to evolve and co-exist. One way to make your enemy mad and get them out of your roots is to become immune to their assaults by building a resistance to their toxins or create your own chemical to make theirs biodegrade faster. Ah-huh!

There are different kinds of defenses and the use of materials. To prevent damage and decay of reproductive parts and materials like seeds, nuts or fruit, seems innocent enough, even parental in a way. But don’t get too mushy. In allelopathic terms autotoxicity is a term for killing your own children! Yep, that’s where a species purposely inhibits growth, prevents germination of its own children by causing roots to be swollen, plants to be puny, wilted, sickly and pale in color, whereby reducing nutrient intake. Ultimately reducing competition with their children/species. Selfish!

On the bright and berry side, allelopathic plants or plant parts like buds, roots, leaves and plant tissue, can prevent themselves or other plants from injury, reduce injury, lengthen survival time or inhibit consumption by insects, birds, animals or the environment. They can even release growth compounds from their roots into the ground. Other plants nearby are unable to handle all the sweet, excessive kindness and get sick of it and die.

Dirty Gamers

A large majority of allelopathic substances – chemicals, have not been specifically identified, but there are many that have and the list grows yearly. Controversy surrounds allelopathy as science tries to distinguish the type of competition that is being displayed between plants. Not all plants have allelopathic tendencies though. Some just exhibit aggression and competition without using chemicals, just playing games. The characteristics of the plant world seem to encompass as many of the same characteristics as people possess, reckoning the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.

More Dirt

For more information on allelopathy visit the website: USDA National Library, National Invasive Species Information Center www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/resources/lists.shtml
For an invasive plant list go to: http://fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/weed/index.html