Fayston Forager, LLC

Ethically & Sustainably Wild Harvested Japanese Knotweed & Chaga Tinctures, and more...

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Health Defense 2-Pack Savings, Sisu, and more….

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Best kept secret? The Health Defense 2-Pack is a great way to save year-round! Treat yourself and/or friends and family to the health benefits of Fayston Forager tinctures this season.

Sisu is a Finnish word variously translated as stoic determination, tenacity of purpose, grit, resilience, hardiness and more that is used to describe Finnish national character. It occurs to me that the healing plants I’ve been drawn to work with exhibit many of these same characteristics.

Japanese Knotweed is a tenacious, pervasive plant that is packed with Resveratrol.  The “Sisu” qualities of this plant are precisely what makes this plant such a powerful medicinal known especially for its anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.

Chaga, the King of Mushrooms, is a very slow-growing mushroom found deep in higher elevations in northern forests. The lifespan of this mushroom can span many decades. Talk about hardy and perseverance: Sisu. (This winter I will be able to circle back to one of the first trees I harvested from more than a decade ago!)  Chaga is an adaptogen, a tumor-suppressant, and so much more.

Hawthorn: prickly, prolific, hardy Hawthorn.  The leaves, flowers and berries are a rich source of antioxidants and support cardiovascular health.  While this tincture isn’t included in the 2-pack, that is not meant as a slight to this beautiful heart support.

Our bodies can heal (Sisu!) and Fayston Forager’s sustainably, wild-harvested tinctures are here to help.

Here’s to a healthy, happy, heart-filling winter season.

Be well, 

Marge

Fayston Forager

Why Chaga? Why Triple-Extraction Chaga?

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Chaga, the “King of Mushrooms”, is a very slow growing medicinal mushroom, especially known for its tumor suppressing properties. 

Per this NIH.gov study, “owing to various chemical components including polysaccharides, triterpenoids, polyphenols, and melanin, it has been proven to possess anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and hypolipidemic activity without obvious side-effects by long-term clinical and animal experiments.”

Fayston Forager produces a sustainably and ethically Vermont wild-harvested triple-extraction Chaga tincture. Only small amounts are harvested in deep winter from pristine Green Mountain woods (by permission only), taking great care not to harm the living host trees and harvesting only a portion of the fungi, so the tree and fungi can continue to grow. The harvesting practices and triple-extraction process maximizes the capture of the full spectrum of the healing potential of the Chaga.

The triple-extraction process includes a high proof organic alcohol extraction followed by a medium temperature pure VT spring water extraction, followed by a high temperature pure VT spring water extraction.  These three extractions are blended creating a sustainably wild-harvested tincture that contains a broad-spectrum capture of the benefits of Chaga. Only glass bottles, stainless-steel pots and stainless-steel or wooden utensils are used for these processes.  

Because the beneficial properties of the alcohol and medium temperature extractions can be harmed by heat, it’s important to not add this extract to hot beverages.

Benefits of Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) include:

• Provides immune support
• As an adaptogen, it helps your body manage stress
• Helps suppress tumors
• Anti-microbial
• Anti-inflammatory
• Helps lower cholesterol
• Helps lower blood sugar
• and more…

It is my belief that the hand-selected healthy, vibrant, wild plants which are hand-crafted with deep care, intention and love, result in a product that cannot be replicated on a larger scale or in a lab.

Of course, the same care goes into the making of Fayston Forager’s Japanese Knotweed and Hawthorn tinctures.  These tinctures can be purchased online, or found in central Vermont at von Trapp Farmstead, East Warren Community Market, The Roots Farm Market, and 5Th Quarter Butcher and Provisions.

Thank you for your support.

When the Ticks are Out …..

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If you’ve been managing tick-related symptoms for a long while, you likely have come up with a list of strategies you employ before heading outside.  Finding the balance between proactively preventing tick bites and enjoying the great outdoors is a personal journey. Here’s my semi-random, somewhat casual approach:

  1. Keep immune systems healthy and strong by eating/exercising/resting well, taking vitamins and Fayston Forager tinctures.
  2. Before heading outside, spray body and clothes with herbal tick repellent and re-apply often. My recipe contains equal parts water and vinegar with essential oils of Rose Geranium, Sweetgrass, Cedarwood, Lemongrass, and a touch of glycerin. It smells great and helps keep the ticks at bay.
  3. I LOVE being outside and head outdoors with gratitude and an attitude of embracing the beauty of my surroundings.  If I forget to re-apply tick repellent or find myself in tick infested areas, no need to panic.
  4. At the end of the day, check for ticks and take a shower.
  5. If there is an imbedded tick, remove it and wash the area well and check for any signs of redness or swelling.  I take extra Japanese Knotweed tincture as the antimicrobial properties can be very helpful.
  6. If there is redness, swelling, or any Lyme-related symptoms, I contact a Lyme savvy health practitioner ASAP and also schedule a Biomagnetic session with a local practitioner.  Help is available.
  7. I continue to take extra doses of Japanese Knotweed tincture.
  8. I also refer to Buhner Lyme Protocol and  ILADS.org for more information.

Each of us is unique and responds differently to various insect bites and treatments.  Find the resources and protocols that work best for your body and trust that your body has the ability to heal.

Be Safe ~Be Smart ~Be Proactive ~ Enjoy!

Independence/Interdependence Day

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As many of us gear up to celebrate Independence Day, it occurs to me that celebrating interdependence is also a worthy consideration.

Recognizing interdependence – from the cellular and molecular realm, to our forests and communities, to the national, global and even universal realms – leads to the natural next step of understanding the need to take care of things on every level.  

We are all interconnected and interdependent. And the synergies are incredibly miraculous: downright mind-blowing when you take a deeper look. 

Fayston Forager’s Japanese Knotweed, Chaga and Hawthorn tinctures offer a tiny – yet potent – acknowledgement of how interdependence can promote healing.  

Fayston Forager’s tinctures are now made with organic cane alcohol and can be found online and in the Mad River Valley at East Warren Community Market, von Trapp Farmstead, 5th Quarter Butcher and Provisions and The Roots Farm Market. 

Interdependence: we are all in this together. 

Lifting the Knotweed, Lifting the Spirits

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There is something so grounding and connecting about having your hands in the dirt and lifting a healing rhizome out of the ground. 

Or skiing into the deep forest to the tree with chaga that you selected years before and carefully and gratefully knocking off a chunk, without harming the healthy host tree and leaving some of the chaga to grow for another harvest in ten or so years. 

Or heading into a sunny grassy pasture with leather gloves on to slide between the prickers to collect the Hawthorn flowers and leaves in spring, and the berries in the fall.  

The plants are here to help us in so very many ways. 

Simply taking the time to get outside to connect to this incredibly amazing world we live in is healing in its own right.  

When your body needs a boost, Fayston Forager Japanese Knotweed, Chaga and Hawthorn tinctures are here to help.  

Made with love and deep gratitude. 

Be well,
Marge
Fayston Forager

Small Batches +❤️= Good Healing Medicinals

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Now made with Organic Cane Alcohol!


Every step of producing Fayston Forager Japanese Knotweed, Chaga and now Hawthorn tinctures is performed with intention, gratitude and love:


• sourcing the plants in beautiful, pristine locations here in Vermont 
• hugging the trees hosting the Chaga
• feeling the powerful energy of Japanese Knotweed rhizomes as I lift them from the earth
• basking in the spring and fall sunshine while collecting Hawthorn leaves, flowers, berries
• cleaning and processing pure, vibrant, healthy/healing plant matter for tincturing
• carefully measuring plant matter, alcohol and spring water 
• labeling and storing the tincturing jars
• shaking the jars daily
• straining the tinctures  when ready 
• bottling, labeling, sealing
• sending these bottles off to you and our wonderful local shops (von Trapp Farm Store, East Warren Community Market, 5th Quarter/Mad River Taste, The Roots Farm Market) 


Sharing this healing love brings me such joy. On this day of celebrating/honoring love, my intention is to beam out healing love to all of you and to this beautiful planet we call home. 

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Be well,
Marge
Fayston Forager

Things That Matter…

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Yesterday was a bottling day.  While I was putting the shrink bands on the freshly bottled Japanese Knotweed tincture, and shrinking them with a hair dryer, I was thinking about larger producers having a mechanized system for this and so many other aspects of production. 

Next thought: one benefit of a small at-home herbal business is that every speck of plant matter that goes into the tinctures is carefully selected.  Pure goodness. No fillers or less potent parts of the plant make their way into these tinctures. 

And that Servpro truck in the driveway? The finished basement here was flooded during the July 10/11 rains. (Fortunately, the rest of the house is fine, though remediation is a very slow process.)

That truck is a reminder that as weather becomes more severe and unpredictable, it matters that we stay tuned into the natural world. There is so much we don’t know and so much we can learn by observing.

Connection. Intent. Respect. Compassion. Care. Love. And more. 

It all matters and does make a difference. 

Be well!

Golden Elixir

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Yesterday was one of those glorious days, where you wake up ready to conquer the world (after some quiet, precious morning time).  I imagine I can get all of my chores and work done and zip up a mountain and dip in the river and, and, and…. 

Well, you can only get so much done in a day. So, I poured a tall glass of clear, delicious spring water and infused it with a dropper full each of Fayston Forager’s Chaga and Japanese Knotweed tinctures. 

As I drank this “Golden Elixir” it felt as though every cell of my body was waking up and soaking in this beautiful, vibrant, healing gift of support from the plants. Pure love. 

This sensation reminded me to maintain gratitude, wonder, amazement, curiosity.  And love and kindness too. 

Approaching the day from this perspective helps reign in the over-zealous expectation to try to fit in too much.  These reminders help me to treasure the moments and gifts this miraculous life and world have to offer, regardless of what we’re “doing” and/or “accomplishing”.  

Be well dear people, be well dear planet.

Gifts of Healing Love

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10% off through December 15 with code DEC10

My favorite gifts for family and friends include shared adventures and supporting the endeavors that we care about.  If I’m gifting an item, I like to consider where it comes from, how it’s made and/or produced, and how it contributes joy and well-being to the recipients and this beautiful small blue dot we call home.

I do my very best to infuse every step of harvesting, processing, tincturing, bottling, labeling, and packing the tinctures I make with love and gratitude.   I believe this is a vital component to sharing the healing potential of these powerful plants that have “friended” me/us.

If you and/or any of your loved ones may benefit from these tinctures, please share and use the 10% off coupon DEC10 through December 15. (Please always let me know if you have any website issues!)

Thank you and be well!