Free Pharmacist's Guide: The 10 Most Trusted References for Evidence-Based Herbal Medicine
I have long ago decided not to pay too much attention to media, as it tends to concentrate on doom and gloom news that drains people rather than inspires and motivates them to better themselves and the planet. If you’ve been following me, you know this is my main message and vibe.
I tend to stay in my lane. Frankly, I prefer to stay under my rock more often than not.
I have stayed out of the limelight and tried to avoid controversial topics over my time on social media…which, let’s face it, is a feat in itself. We’ve had one “crazy” thing happen after another in the past five years. The virtual “posting ground” is both ripe in newsworthy topics and social commentary, with comment sections teeming with people seemingly ready to rip each other’s heads off, argue both sides, and play devil’s advocate or troll alike.
But recent events have brought something up that I can’t ignore.
With the latest headlines continuing to expose systemic abuse, Epstein’s connections reaching into well-respected corners of the medical and longevity space, ongoing violence and oppression inflicted on children, women, immigrants, and humans of every ethnicity, race, and identification, there is a wave of public outcry and concern.
Understandably, this brings up collective grief, pain, and a lot of blame and shame going around.
People polarizing every issue into black/white, good/evil dualities. Pitting against one another in pursuit of the higher moral ground. People drawing lines in the sand based on faith, class, or background, treating those on the other side as somehow inherently flawed.
I have seen people dismiss entire healing traditions as illegitimate because they don’t fit within their worldview. I have seen people reject scientific inquiry because it conflicts with their spiritual beliefs.
I am not here to take sides or offer definitive answers, because I don’t have them. I am not claiming to be an expert or authority figure, nor is my commentary all-inclusive or exhaustive.
However, I would like to share some questions and insights to invite us to process these tragic events and charged interactions in a way that feels supportive and healing.
Because here’s the question that keeps coming up for me:
How do we hold humanity while the matrix unravels before our eyes?
Here’s what I know: History is full of dark periods with similar themes being unearthed and talked about now.
Countries have been conquered. Lands pillaged. Ecologies destroyed. Groups of people colonized, enslaved, killed, raped, marginalized, subjected to horrific experimentation.
The value of human life has been grossly underestimated by people in positions of power, and exploitation of people has gone hand in hand with exploitation of the planet.
The feminine principles of creation, community, and chaos have been systematically eroded and replaced with the patriarchal model of rigid rules, logic, and productivity, while the family unit devolved from a village to single-unit households drowning in debt and doubt.
Rather than forward-thinking for our children and leaving the planet better than we found it, we are wreaking havoc on the planet and making it uninhabitable for future generations.
Young people today no longer have the motivation to fix our mistakes and are turning to Nietzsche’s nihilistic principles rather than celebrating the sacredness of life.
We are no longer connected to the rhythms of nature, nor do we honor natural transitions such as birth, puberty, midlife, and death. In fact, we treat these as disease states or emergency situations.
We make sexuality taboo, preaching abstinence and limiting women’s reproductive rights, while there are huge underground movements of fetishes and a disturbingly high incidence of sexual harassment and abuse.
We prescribe oral contraceptives and intrauterine devices like it’s some ultimate form of feminism and control over the body, while men are not held accountable for unspeakable crimes against female and children’s bodies.
Convenience trumps longevity, and nothing is indispensable, including the sanctity of human and other forms of life.
And we can’t even begin to process or unravel the damage because we haven’t come to terms with our own autonomy and responsibility.
So we have to ask ourselves:
What type of risks and benefits need to be evaluated before making the best decisions?
Whom do they harm, and whom do they help?
How do we juxtapose the risk to a few in order to benefit the many?
How do we balance immediate benefits with risk of long-term harm?
What is our responsibility, both personal and collective, to intervene and advocate for change?
How do the existing systems allocate resources and funds, and who are the metrics relevant to?
If the systems are failing, what is the process to challenge and change them?
If we optimize benefits for one group of people, does it inherently take away from another?
These are some of the quintessential questions that societies, philosophers, and politicians have been grappling with since the beginning of human history. This is why we have tried many different forms of government and economic systems and still haven’t found the best one.
I often think of the saying: “The ends don’t justify the means.”
And this is exactly what leads even the best intentions astray.
People may truly have noble goals when they come to power: defending borders and enforcing laws, creating public policies and providing healthcare. But even the most altruistic and utopian models can be, and are frequently, corrupted.
I don’t think anyone intentionally acts like a villain. But when personal gain and gratification are prioritized over collective good, we enter sketchy moral ground.
And I don’t think we can necessarily see the true cost and detriment of our decisions until hindsight.
In reality, it’s always a matter of “risk vs. benefit” analysis that leads us astray, not a “good vs. evil” conscience.
The latest scientific advancements and rhetoric advocate for what is deemed to be the most beneficial option at any given time. Yet when enough evidence is gathered to show that the harm indeed outweighs the benefit, we look back and call old interventions “barbaric.”
We can see the evidence of these failures everywhere, if we choose to look for them.
The modern era allows us to access information at our fingertips, but this is a double-edged sword.
Yes, we can now be instantly informed of everything going on in the world, without the filter or bias of big media. We can go on social media and be bombarded with every kind of different perspective on any given topic.
We are now exposed to all the evils of the world: natural disasters, famine, war, violence, abuse… unspeakable things.
So what do we do with all of this knowledge?
The constant assault of “bad news” is not something our nervous systems have the capacity to hold, because we were never meant to deal with this level of activation.
Our default response is to sound the internal alarm system, going into a heightened sympathetic system reaction of fight/flight/freeze readiness.
Whether we are witnessing traumatic events across the world or personally experiencing them, our bodies don’t know the difference.
The perceived threats are treated as real and imminent danger. Over time we stress our coping mechanisms and get sick, physiologically, mentally, spiritually.
No wonder we have an all-time record of chronic illnesses, and we keep getting sicker and sicker.
They say “ignorance is bliss”, and that’s partially true. If you don’t know something, it won’t cause you additional stress and may just help you sleep better at night.
But I don’t believe ignorance is the answer either.
(For more on how our nervous systems respond to overwhelming change and what we can do about it, read: Micro-Shifts, Major Healing: A Nervous System Approach to Change)
The disrespect we have been inflicting upon the natural world is an exact mirror and root for a lot of our health issues, including mental health, developmental disorders, and inflammatory/mystery diseases we are currently plagued with.
My take? It’s not a matter of better diagnostic tools. It’s actually the allostatic load getting bigger and bigger for all of us to carry. People who are the most susceptible will be the most vulnerable and first to be affected, like the canary in the coal mine. But it’s only a matter of time until the rest of us follow suit.
And here’s what we need to understand: No amount of expensive CRISPR gene technology, precision medicine, or advanced pharmaceutical interventions will EVER make the same level of impact as becoming better stewards of our water, air, and soil.
We can develop the most sophisticated diagnostic tools in the world. We can map every gene. We can create personalized treatments based on individual genomes.
But none of it will matter if we continue to poison the very foundations that sustain life.
When we pollute, disrupt, and harm the environment that supports our very livelihood, we are biting the hand that feeds us.
It’s like that saying goes: “It’s an ill bird indeed that fouls its own nest” (or the more direct version: “Don’t mess up where you live”).
You cannot out-medicate, out-supplement, or out-biohack a toxic environment. You cannot gene-edit your way out of contaminated water, polluted air, and depleted soil.
The health of our bodies is inextricably linked to the health of our planet.
Perhaps the most apt way to describe today’s situation is this:
“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” — Jiddu Krishnamurti
Everywhere you look, failure, corruption, and evil seems to have seeped into the very foundations of our world and culture. The future seems bleak indeed.
The glass looks pretty empty from this angle, doesn’t it?
But here’s what else is true:
We can also look for the good that still exists and amplify that.
Every cloud has a silver lining. Every action has a reaction. Every yin has a bit of yang to counterbalance it.
The knowledge that weighs our conscience down is also power, because with it comes awareness and the potential to choose differently and have a different outcome.
I personally think it’s amazing and empowering to have this level of open-source information.
This is a unique time in the history of human civilization, where anyone with internet access and a social media account can completely level the playing field, both consuming and contributing to current events coverage.
Even in the midst of darkness, there are glimmers of light.
Take Bad Bunny’s recent Super Bowl halftime performance. In a time when so much divides us—when people are quick to draw lines based on race, culture, or ethnicity, he used the biggest stage in American entertainment to honor ALL American countries and heritage.
He celebrated the richness of Latin culture, from Puerto Rico to Mexico to Colombia and beyond, while showing that diversity doesn’t divide us. It enriches us.
He chose unity over division. Love over hate. Celebration over shame.
And millions of people witnessed it. Felt it. Were moved by it.
This is what’s possible when someone uses their platform to elevate rather than diminish. To unite rather than polarize. To choose the half-full perspective.
We see it in:
The rebuilding is already happening.
It’s just not making headlines the way the destruction does.
But what about the complexity?
How do we deal with the systems and individuals who have failed us?
How do we reconcile aspects of people who seem to be saints publicly but are exposed as monstrous privately?
Perhaps someone greatly influenced a particular field of study but didn’t make ethical choices in their own lives or even abused their status.
Can we separate their professional contributions from their personal failures, or do we just “cancel” everything to do with their identity?
I’ve heard it said that “how you do anything is how you do everything,” which makes it difficult to wash away the taint of a horrific crime, even from an otherwise clean slate. After even a drop of betrayal, it’s almost impossible to regain trust.
Are these “sinners” redeemable? What type of punishment would be just? How do we stop perpetuating the cycle of “hurt people hurt people”?
Unfortunately, these are complex questions that humanity has been trying to find adequate answers to for as long as we’ve searched for the best governing and economic systems.
More often than not, we seem to fall short on all fronts because, after all, we are only humans behind building these systems. We are inherently not omniscient, not omnipotent, and not infallible.
But that doesn’t mean we’re entirely helpless.
And it should not be an excuse for not striving to build something superior to past systems. Something that unites and heals us versus disheartens and destroys us.
I wholeheartedly believe that the answers lie not in extremism, but in moderation and integration.
Maybe it’s not right vs. left, capitalism vs. socialism, democracy vs. dictatorship—but learning from prior failures of these systems and finding what principles do work and implementing them.
Perhaps it’s not about choosing between seemingly opposing frameworks, but finding the wisdom in multiple perspectives.
Rather than focus on what divides and differentiates us, like race, culture, history, socioeconomic status, it’s about coming together on the basic traits and qualities which make us humans sharing the planet’s resources together.
And maybe we can even learn from some of the amazing feats our ancestors managed to instill in their traditions, rather than ridiculing “primitive” practices in the age of modernity.
Perhaps getting back in touch with our primal, instinctual, animal selves is exactly what’s needed to heal us AND the planet.
Maybe then we can prioritize:
(For more on ancestral wisdom and women’s health practices we’ve lost, read: Honoring the Fourth Trimester)
We need to hold on to humanity while we continue to be exposed to the savage reality as the matrix unravels before our very eyes.
The truth is that darkness and “evil” has persisted on our planet from ancient times.
But we do not have to succumb to it.
It’s more important than ever to be steadfast with our morality, set and enforce boundaries, and focus our energy on what we believe is right.
We no longer need brute force to stand our ground.
The biggest currency today is not money, it’s attention.
Rather than stay silently complacent and complicit, we can opt out of the societies that oppress us. After all, the systems are only a construct that we have agreed upon before, but they can shift with our needs.
We can choose to stop “doing business as usual” and form climate-positive, circular economies with like-minded communities.
And it starts with one person, one action, one tiny different choice, at a time.
As I’ve been wrapping up my Conscious Free Will series, I keep coming back to this truth:
The glass is both half empty AND half full.
Both observations are factually accurate. So the real question isn’t “which is true?” but rather: Which truth is more helpful for us to anchor in?
Here’s what’s also true: The world seems to be falling to pieces. And when we look at the magnitude of what needs to change, our individual actions can feel laughably small.
But all we can do, all we can ever do, is choose ONE act of kindness, ONE way to make a positive impact, ONE step forward.
And it all adds up when we step up.
(Read the full reflection on this in: From Free Will to Collective Action)
Philosophy is beautiful. But it only matters if you actually live it.
So what does conscious free will look like when the world is falling apart?
You don’t have to save the world. You don’t have to fix all the systems. You don’t have to solve climate change single-handedly.
You just have to take your one next right action. And then the next one. And the next one.
With grace for yourself when you stumble. With compassion for yourself when you’re tired. With trust that your highest good aligns with the collective good.
(For practical guidance on making sustainable changes through small actions, read: Micro-Shifts, Major Healing)
Call me naive, but I believe each of us has the potential to elevate the collective consciousness and the very future of our species on the planet with our individual contributions.
And it starts with channeling all of our thoughts and actions into what we believe is contributing to the greater good.
How can we know it’s indeed “good” and not just another mistake?
It’s “good” when it aligns your best interest with that of the collective’s interest.
When it benefits you AND the greater ecosystem that supports us: your friends, neighbors, and the ecology.
When your gain doesn’t result in someone else’s harm or detriment.
This is a complex web to navigate, but all you have to focus on is ONE action at a time.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Rather than argue about moral superiority on someone’s post, post your own piece of content where you inspire and elevate humanity in your own way.
Treat your attention span as sacred and don’t waste your breath talking to people or putting comments on content you disagree with.
Instead, support the leaders you admire and/or lead your own movement and invite others.
Choose to:
These aren’t small choices. They’re acts of sovereignty.
Every time you choose differently than what consumer culture expects, you’re exercising free will.
Every time you align your actions with your values, you’re part of the rebuilding.
Every time you prioritize the health of water, air, and soil over convenience, you’re investing in a future that’s actually viable.
[More crunchy swaps and sustainable tips here:
My Top 10 Crunchy Swaps That Actually Stick – Marina Buksov
Crunchy But Make It Doable — Practical Eco-Living for Real Life – Marina Buksov]
So here’s what I’m asking you to do:
Choose ONE thing you’re opting out of (doom scrolling, fast fashion, plastic waste, toxic news cycles, people-pleasing, big banks, big pharma, big tech, systems that don’t serve you).
Choose ONE thing you’re opting into (community, nature time, learning a skill, supporting small/regenerative businesses, practices that align with your values, protecting your local ecosystem).
That’s it. One out, one in.
Write it down. Commit to it. Act on it.
And it all adds up when we step up.
So here’s where I am:
The world is both falling apart and being rebuilt.
I’m choosing to be part of the rebuilding.
We are both flawed individuals and agents of collective good.
I’m choosing to act from grace and trust my capacity to contribute.
Darkness has persisted from ancient times, and we are witnessing its exposure in real time.
But we do not have to succumb to it.
The biggest currency today is attention.
I’m choosing to give mine to what elevates, not what depletes.
We can invest billions in gene editing and personalized medicine.
But I’m choosing to invest my energy in becoming a better steward of the water, air, and soil that makes all life possible.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing a series called “Make _______ Cool Again.”
We’re reclaiming the everyday practices that:
This is conscious free will in action.
Not perfection. Not overnight transformation. Just intentional choices that reflect who we actually want to be.
Because when enough of us choose differently, the systems shift.
When enough of us opt out of what harms us, we create space for what heals us.
When enough of us become stewards instead of consumers, we tip the balance.
One person. One action. One tiny different choice at a time.
How do we hold humanity while the matrix unravels?
We hold it by choosing grace over shame.
We hold it by taking one action aligned with our values.
We hold it by supporting each other in the rebuilding.
We hold it by refusing to succumb to darkness, even when it’s all around us.
We hold it by anchoring in the half-full truth.
We hold it by becoming stewards of the earth, not just consumers of its resources.
What are you choosing?
With grace and steadfast hope,
Marina Buksov, PharmD
Holistic Health Coach | Herbalist | Mental Fitness Coach
P.P.S. One thing that’s helping me right now is self-expression through movement, voice, and music. One song that’s resonating is Empowerment by FACESOUL, and really their whole YSRA album.
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