Native Health Matters

06/02/2026

🚨 BREAKING: An Oklahoma farmer just turned an entire field into a powerful statement that's sparking conversations across the Sooner State...
"YOU CAN'T EAT DATA."
No press conference. No interviews. Just acres of Oklahoma farmland delivering a message that speaks for itself.
As more data center projects are proposed across rural Oklahoma, this simple statement is resonating with farmers, ranchers, landowners, and communities who value the state's agricultural heritage.
Oklahoma farmland and ranchland have fed families, supported local economies, and shaped the landscape for generations. From wheat fields and cattle ranches to hay, cotton, soybeans, corn, and sorghum production, agriculture remains a cornerstone of life across the state.
The question many are asking is:
🌾 What happens when productive farmland is replaced with industrial development?
🌾 How much growth is too much?
🌾 Can Oklahoma balance technology and agriculture without sacrificing either?
What do YOU think?
Oklahoma farmland or data centers?
🌾

06/02/2026

Passion flower in bloom

The following detailed breakdown traces the historical, ethnobotanical, and pharmacological profile of the purple passionflower (Passiflora incarnata). To maintain strict accountability and historical accuracy, all specific assertions regarding traditional Cherokee medical practices, ecological facts, and clinical mechanisms are directly mapped to verified ethnobotanical records and peer-reviewed biomedical literature.

​1. Traditional Cherokee Knowledge & Ethnobotany
​The Linguistic and Geographic Root: Ocoee
​In the Cherokee language, the purple passionflower is called ocoee (transliterated phonetically in some linguistic records as uwaga). The plant grows natively across the Southeastern United States. The historical prevalence of this vine across ancestral Cherokee homelands is preserved in regional toponyms, most notably the Ocoee River and Ocoee Valley in what is now Tennessee (Cozzo, 2004).

​Traditional Medicinal Applications
​Traditional Cherokee practitioners developed targeted therapeutic uses for specific parts of the plant, separating operations by the root, leaf, and fruit (Cozzo, 2004). Ethnobotanical documentation compiled from historical field researchers—including James Mooney, Frans Olbrechts, and William Banks—outlines these explicit applications (Cozzo, 2004; Walsh, 2024):
​Topical Inflammation and Wounds: The roots were crushed or pounded into a poultice and applied directly to the skin to treat boils and "draw out" inflammation or infection from deep scratches (such as those from honey locust or briar thorns) (Walsh, 2024).
​Otitis and Ear Distress: A warm liquid infusion (tea) derived from pounded, steeped roots was dropped directly into the ear canal to relieve acute earaches (Walsh, 2024).
​Hepatic and Digestive System: Root infusions were consumed internally to address liver ailments and related metabolic sluggishness (Walsh, 2024).
​Pediatric Weaning: A highly diluted infusion of the root was given to infants during the weaning phase to soothe restlessness and facilitate easier transition away from breast milk (Walsh, 2024).
​Nervous System Sedation: Both leaf and root decoctions were administered as mild sedatives to counter restlessness, nervous stomach, high blood pressure, and psychological agitation (Walsh, 2024).
​Agrarian and Dietary Integration
​Beyond its role in the pharmacopeia, the Cherokee integrated ocoee into their diet. The young leaves and shoots were gathered in the spring to be boiled as edible greens (Walsh, 2024). The sweet-and-sour, egg-shaped fruits—colloquially referred to as maypops due to the explosive sound they produce when trodden upon—were either consumed raw or crushed to create a sweet social beverage (Traub, 2012; Walsh, 2024). agronomically, the vine was a frequent volunteer companion plant in standard polyculture fields (Traub, 2012).

​Modern Context: Thinking About It Today
​Today, passionflower is experiencing a significant resurgence in Western integrative medicine:
​The Stress and Sleep Crisis: In contemporary clinical practice, passionflower is widely prescribed by naturopathic doctors and herbalists as a front-line remedy for chronic insomnia, burnout, and anxiety disorders. It fills a critical gap for people looking to manage stress without relying on habit-forming pharmaceuticals.
​Indigenous Knowledge Validation: Modern science increasingly acts as a tool that confirms, rather than discovers, what indigenous groups like the Cherokee documented through centuries of empirical observation. The specific use of the plant to calm the mind and body is now mapped directly to receptor sites in the human brain.
​Ecological Awareness: Modern herbalists emphasize sourcing Passiflora incarnata sustainably or cultivating it domestically, as it is a highly resilient native vine that acts as the exclusive host plant for native pollinators like the Gulf Fritillary butterfly.
​Safety Note: Because passionflower acts directly on the central nervous system, it should not be combined with pharmaceutical sedatives or anti-depressants without professional guidance, and it is generally avoided during pregnancy due to its potential mild uterine-stimulating properties

References
​Cozzo, D. N. (2004). Ethnobotanical classification system and medical ethnobotany of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians (Doctoral dissertation, University of Georgia). Open Scholar UGA.https://openscholar.uga.edu/record/12838/files/cozzo_david_n_200405_phd.pdf
Cited by: 35
​Traub, M. (2012). Passionflower: A review of research and clinical indications. Natural Dispensary Research Review, 1–8.http://cdn.naturaldispensary.com/downloads/A%20Research%20Review%20of%20Passionflower.pdf
Cited by: 0
​Walsh, K. R. (2024). Examining the anxiolytic effects of flavonoids in passionflower: A gut-brain

06/01/2026

06/01/2026

We all have a spiritual calling, we all have been ordained by the Ancestors and Mother Earth to manifest a positive reality. We must be the ones who the Ancestors talked about in their prophecies, for it is the eighth fire that burns within us in this sacred circle. The old ones said that one day their will be a great awakening in all tribes, and Nations from the eighth fire that will rage in all our hearts and spirits.

For truly in the history of Turtle Island since colonialism, there has never been such a interest, and love for the old ways of the First Nations until this generation. The wise Elders of the First Nations know the prophecy started with this generation, and this marks the beginning of the end, to start a new beginning.

The prophecy of the eighth fire is about the Ancestors spirits living within us, and giving us a burning passion, respect and love for Mother Earth and all the life that lives upon her. We who burn with this inner sacred fire will be the torch bearers, and the planters of seeds to future generations, and we are the generation that ushers in this new age.

05/17/2026

Public Meeting Planned Over Proposed Deep Fission Project in Parsons

PARSONS, Kan. — Opponents of a proposed Deep Fission nuclear energy project are urging residents across Southeast Kansas to attend a public meeting Monday evening in Parsons, raising concerns about potential environmental, economic, and public health risks associated with the project.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. May 11 at the Parsons Municipal Building, located at 112 S. 17th St.

In a public news release circulated ahead of the meeting, organizers said residents, taxpayers, landowners, homeowners, and business owners should attend to ask questions directly to company representatives and local officials.

“This untested, experimental, nuclear project may have environmental, economic, and health impacts on the general public, our land, air and water for years to come,” the release stated.

The statement also argued that local citizens did not vote on or formally consent to the project and emphasized that the public would ultimately bear the consequences if an accident or radioactive contamination event were to occur.

Organizers encouraged residents to become informed about the proposal before the meeting, saying a better understanding of the project would allow the public to ask more effective questions regarding safety, oversight, and long-term impacts.
Deep Fission, a company focused on underground small modular nuclear reactor technology, has drawn national attention for its concept of placing reactors deep below ground in boreholes.

Supporters of advanced nuclear technology argue such systems could provide reliable carbon-free energy with smaller land footprints, though critics have questioned the long-term safety, regulatory oversight, and emergency response challenges associated with emerging reactor designs.

As of Monday afternoon, no official statement regarding the meeting had been released by Parsons city officials or Deep Fission representatives.

The meeting is expected to draw residents from across Southeast Kansas concerned about the potential effects of the proposed project on the region’s communities, economy, and natural resources.

05/17/2026

05/17/2026

When you say your prayers to the source of all souls, let them come only from within your heart with unwavering faith, and unending hope.
You should never fear that your prayers are not being heard, for the one can feel the love and pain within your heart.
For if the one takes care of the four legged, the crawlers, swimmers and the High flyers, then surely the one will care for you.
If your prayers come from your heart and are sealed with your love, hope and faith, then divine intervention can manifest from the energy of your prayers to change the future path for yourself or for others.

02/19/2026

02/14/2026

The Oklahoma Film Exchange and Local Environmental Action Demanded (LEAD) Agency will host a screening of Silkwood followed by a panel discussion at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 701 W. Sheridan Ave. in Oklahoma City. Admission is donation-based with first-come, first-served seating. Doors open at 5:1...