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Hi All!
Here is the current issue of my weekly “Sunday Share,” a list of what I have been engaging with, excited by or otherwise found intriguing.
What I’m reading —
I Wrote This Book Because I Love You by Tim Kreider
What do I like from a non-fiction book? Well, a combo of clever wit, insight into the human condition, some surprising revelations and a lively, visceral writing style will go a long way to satisfying me. Anything less is going to elicit a tired sigh pretty quick followed by the sound of a book clunking back onto the shelf.
Tim Kreider’s writing has been a most happy surprise in that regard. Here’s what the New York Times Book Review had to say about it (amongst a ton of other highly complimentary reviews/blurbs):
“In a style reminiscent of Orwell, E.B. White and David Sedaris, an affable hero gamely bumbles through adventures rich with moments of fleeting profundity and moral reckoning…his depictions of the arc from ignorance to wisdom are reliably deft…Kreider is a curious and compassionate observer and a fantastic wit—I laughed to tears more than once. Though he excels at romantic comedy, the essays that stray from that convention resound longer…pleasurable, well-wrought essays.”
What I am putting into my body —
Sibergin
I became fascinated with strange herbs and potions from about the age of fifteen (was I a witch in a past life? Or a Taoist monk obsessed with longevity/immortality methods? Yes, no doubt to both scenarios…) In London you could find teenage-me burrowing around in an African store unscrewing jars of ominous barks and dried leaves and leaving with a brown bag of goodies to boil up at home. Or you’d see me in China Town checking out the phallic-looking adaptogens. Or you’d spot me in a fusty health store mulling over the ancient Western choices for a more vital and resilient body and mind.
By my early twenties I had settled on my go-to root for borrowed bliss: the mighty Ginseng in all its permutations: red, white, Chinese, Korean, American or Siberian. Oil, tincture, capsule, powder, chewable root, bring em all on. And Ginseng in all its varieties has helped me through the vicissitudes of life ever since.
Of all the varieties out there, the one I found myself most returning to was Siberian Ginseng and in particular the one from Health Aid America called Sibergin
To wet your interest, here’s some information from WebMD on the reputed benefits of Siberian Ginseng:
Siberian ginseng is often called an “adaptogen.” This is a non-medical term used to describe substances that can supposedly strengthen the body and increase general resistance to daily stress.
In addition to being used as an adaptogen, Siberian ginseng is used for conditions of the heart and blood vessels such as high and low blood pressure, hardening of the arteries and rheumatic heart disease
It is also used for kidney disease, Alzheimer’s disease, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid artritis, flu, colds, chronic bronchitis and tuberculosis. It is also used for treating the side effects of cancer-chemotherapy.
Some people use Siberian ginseng to improve athletic performance and the ability to do work. They also use it to treat sleep problems and the symptoms of infections caused by herpes simplex type 2.
It is also used to boost the immune system and increase appetite.
Thoughts, comments, wishes, suggestions? Hit me up by email at johnrducane@gmail.com