Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Mind, body, and soul - it's what governs our everyday life and health. It takes an ever changing flow of energy to remain balanced and true. It's getting harder and harder to find quality products that don't contain chemicals and additives - some of which can be quite harmful to the body.
My journey started before the birth of my daughter, but really took a big step after her arrival. It started with wanting to grow some fresh foods to make baby food that wasn't full of preservatives. I did feel that "fresh was best" for her. The first foods I started growing were strawberries, blueberries, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.
She also dealt heavily with Eczema. It started on her legs, then moved to her arms and has manifested in her shoulders, despite it clearing up on her limbs. Plants such as chamomile, thyme, rose, and several others can be used to help relieve eczema symptoms. Since I already had a garden started, I went down the wormhole of these plants as well.
Eventually, I was so deep into learning about plant medicine that what started out as a small food patch, grew wildly into a full blown medicinal garden. I now grow plants that help relieve my menstrual cramps and bleeding, help with my husband's headaches, dampen symptoms of allergies, calm the mind, improve sleep, and much more. We've eliminated quite a few synthetic medicines by turning to plants.
Don't get the wrong idea; we are not perfect and we haven't eliminated all synthetic products from our life yet. It is, however, something we are working towards. It's a journey, and it's different for everyone. My job isn't to sit here and lecture or judge about what someone should or shouldn't be doing. My goal is to introduce you to the plants, their benefits, and let you try it for yourself, on your own terms.
My Story
Liza Weaver
In 2009, I was diagnosed with Dysautonomia. This is a fancy term that means the autonomic nervous system doesn't function correctly. I have symptoms including those related to IBS, tachycardia, syncope, reproductive symptoms, heat intolerance, and many more. It's quite exhausting both physically and mentally. Around the same time I was diagnosed with ADD.
My doctor at the time prescribed me several medications, none of which really made me feel better. The result was that the medication to help with my ADD kept me up all day and all night. I was never able to sleep. At the time I didn't understand because I wasn't fully educated on the role Dysautonomia played with my body. I would tell my doctor I could never sleep. I'd be lucky to sleep 1 hour a night before I'd be awake as day again, despite having been up for 23 hours. We tried different doses, rapid release vs extended release. It didn't matter. The lowest dose rapid release would still leave me awake until 1-2 am - when I'd taken the medication at 7am the previous morning!
When I raised the concern to my doctor that I would stop taking the medication on the weekends because I didn't have school, all I would do was sleep. I could not function. My body was so exhausted from not sleeping all week, it couldn't even get out of bed on the weekends when I wouldn't take it and my body would basically collapse. His only response was, "Well, don't stop taking it on the weekends."
Come to find out, I'm very sensitive to stimulants. Caffeine will leave me up until the wee hours of the night with just a small sip. That meant that taking a prescribed stimulant was just asking for problems with my body.
I was willing to try just about anything to help relieve what I was going through. I was only 21 years old, in college, and just wanted to be able to enjoy my life and my time. It wasn't until I went to pick up my newly prescribed medications from the pharmacy, that the pharmacist drew a red flag for me. My doctor had prescribed me propranolol to help with my symptoms of Dysautonomia, and he also prescribed me Adderall to improve my symptoms of ADD. Basically, he prescribed me a medication that would lower my heart rate and one that would raise it - to be taken at the same time.
It was then that I began to question things more. Did the doctor actually understand the symptoms? Was he just prescribing me medications without understanding how they interact with each other or my body? I trusted my doctor and listened to him, but I had a lot of questions and not a lot of answers. It was then that I started taking more control of my life. I stopped taking all medications except for the propranolol. At the time, my symptoms of of Dysautonomia were more prominent than the need of an ADD medication.
Moving down to one medication instead of 2 - who counteracted each other - made a world of difference on my body. The propranolol didn't help everything, but it did help me have more energy, reduce syncope, reduce instances of chest pain, tachycardia, and other heart-related symptoms. For everything else, I've moved to plant medicine.
I've been able to do more things than many others with Dysautonomia have been able to do and I feel blessed to be able to get out of bed, play with my daughter, take care of my animals and farm. There are many that are not as lucky as I am. I wonder sometimes if synthetic drugs play a role in that, given my own experience. However, I am beyond thankful to that pharmacist who brought clarity to my mind that day. I didn't understand drug interaction back then and that one was a stimulant and one was a depressant. My eyes have been more clear since then, and I have become my own advocate.
Experience
Graduated in 2015 from Northern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts which included the study of Photography, Digital Cinema , and Graphic Art. My minor was in Earth Science.
I have always been drawn to the outdoors, particularly fascinated by weather and climate patterns, and astronomy. I've never been afraid to get my hands dirty.
As a kid, my mother had several flower gardens growing up. I can remember helping her pick out plants, and some of my favorites - like the evening primrose and watching them open at night, snap dragons, and the lily of the valley. Some of her teachings still ring in my head to this day.
I did not come from a family who traditionally used herbs and plants as medicine. That was a journey I began when I started racing sled dogs. My mentor used homeopathics and several other natural remedies with his team and I learned the ways of natural healing through him and another friend.
Since starting my own medicinal garden, I have studied books, articles, studies, have learned from other herbalists, taken several courses, and have in many ways learned things through just interacting with the plants and trying them for myself. It has amounted to over 400 hours of research and learning.
One thing that I have learned is that I will never know everything and the world always presents us with new learning opportunities. My garden has done just that.
About My Products
Small batches. My products are available based on the harvest from my garden, when plants are in bloom, and what is left over from what I've made for myself and my family.
I try and be as transparent as I can be. Most of the herbs in my products are sourced directly from my garden. A couple may come from other ethical, organic, sources. You can see where products are sourced by downloading the Product Guide in my online store.
If I don't use something myself for either my family or my animals, it is not in my store. I am only selling products to you that I also use and believe in. I'm not going to steer you wrong just to make a sale. All medicinal products have been used by me and tested by me or other members in my family.
Plant medicine is an art form. It's important to remember that some herbs will work for some conditions with some people. It might not work for others. We all have different energy elements that make up our bodies and herbs and plants work with these energies to either work, or sometimes they don't. The synergistic properties must be there.
If something doesn't work for you, please let me know! We can work together to find botanicals that will work specifically for your condition.
If you want to take that leap right away, sign up for a Meridian Balance Assessment in the Product store. This assessment will look at you, your symptoms, and needs as an individual to create a custom products just for you!