https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/ Evidence-based writing on medicinal herbs, nootropics and natural medicine from The Sunlight Experiment. en Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/best-kava/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/best-kava/ Tue, 20 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT How to buy good kava: noble vs two-day cultivars, which part of the root, chemotype codes, origin, form, and the batch tests a seller should show you. Guides Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/conservation/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/conservation/ Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT The Amazon gives us some of our most important medicines — but which healing plants are actually endangered? Guides https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/best-yerba-mate/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/best-yerba-mate/ Sat, 14 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT A drinker's guide to buying yerba maté — what actually changes the taste, and ten brands worth your money. Nutrition Guides https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/how-to-prepare-yerba-mate/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/how-to-prepare-yerba-mate/ Tue, 10 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT How to brew yerba maté properly — the traditional gourd method, plus tereré, french press and cold brew. Guides Nutrition https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/best-catuaba/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/best-catuaba/ Sun, 08 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Sold as one herb, “Catuaba” is really eight unrelated plants — here's the one you want, and where to buy it. Herbal Medicine Guides https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/what-are-nootropics/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/what-are-nootropics/ Mon, 02 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT What actually counts as a nootropic — a clear definition, and why this class of substances is worth knowing. Nootropics Guides https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/how-to-prepare-kava/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/how-to-prepare-kava/ Sun, 01 Mar 2020 00:00:00 GMT Kava's kavalactones have to be worked out of the root — five preparation methods, from traditional to fast. Guides https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/natural-mao-inhibitors/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/natural-mao-inhibitors/ Wed, 12 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT What natural MAO inhibitors are, why they matter, and the real risks hiding behind the pharmacology. Nootropics Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/pau-darco-candida/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/pau-darco-candida/ Wed, 12 Feb 2020 00:00:00 GMT Pau d'arco is the best-researched herbal antifungal for candida — what the evidence shows, and how to use it. Herbal Medicine Conditions https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/how-is-thc-metabolized/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/how-is-thc-metabolized/ Fri, 03 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT What your body does with THC — how it's broken down, why it lingers, and how long it stays detectable. Herbal Medicine Guides https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/altitude-sickness/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/altitude-sickness/ Thu, 02 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT Why thin mountain air makes you sick — the signs, the symptoms, and the supplements that genuinely help. Conditions Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/aphrodisiacs/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/aphrodisiacs/ Wed, 01 Jan 2020 00:00:00 GMT The world's herbal aphrodisiacs, sorted by what the evidence supports — and what's just folklore. Herbal Medicine Guides https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/a-herbalists-guide-to-cbd/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/a-herbalists-guide-to-cbd/ Tue, 08 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT What CBD is actually proven to do — the real uses, honest dosing, and the drug interactions to watch. Herbal Medicine Guides https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/herbs-for-athletes/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/herbs-for-athletes/ Thu, 07 Mar 2019 00:00:00 GMT Fourteen herbs with real evidence for endurance, strength and recovery — a practical guide for athletes. Herbal Medicine Conditions https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/heart-palpitations-herbs/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/heart-palpitations-herbs/ Mon, 15 Oct 2018 00:00:00 GMT Six herbalist-chosen herbs for palpitations, matched to the cause — and when a fluttering heart needs a doctor. Conditions Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/bioprospecting/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/bioprospecting/ Thu, 14 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT Most of our medicines began as compounds made by plants and fungi — how bioprospecting finds the next one. Guides https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/ketogenic-diet/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/ketogenic-diet/ Mon, 14 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT How ketosis actually works, what it's genuinely good for, and where the keto hype runs past the evidence. Nutrition Guides https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/b-vitamins-cognition/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/b-vitamins-cognition/ Sun, 28 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT Do B6, B9 and B12 really sharpen the brain, or just top up a full tank? What the trials actually show. Nootropics Nutrition https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/elder-influenza-virus/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/elder-influenza-virus/ Thu, 31 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT Elder is one of the great fever-and-lung herbs — how to use it against the flu, and the evidence behind it. Herbal Medicine Conditions https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/caffeine-doesnt-make-you-smarter/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/caffeine-doesnt-make-you-smarter/ Thu, 16 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT The world's favourite drug sharpens attention but won't make you smarter — here's what it really does. Nootropics Nutrition https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/is-psilocybin-a-nootropic/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/is-psilocybin-a-nootropic/ Fri, 10 Feb 2017 00:00:00 GMT Microdosing won't beat placebo — but at full doses psilocybin is a breakthrough for depression. The honest evidence. Nootropics Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/how-to-lower-cholesterol-levels-naturally/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/how-to-lower-cholesterol-levels-naturally/ Fri, 20 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT The herbs that genuinely move cholesterol — and why diet, not supplements, does the heavy lifting. Conditions Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/a-guide-to-heart-disease/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/a-guide-to-heart-disease/ Sat, 07 Jan 2017 00:00:00 GMT What heart disease actually is — atherosclerosis, plaque, and heart attacks, explained in plain English. Conditions Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/the-hippocampus/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/the-hippocampus/ Mon, 26 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT The brain's seahorse-shaped memory-maker — how the hippocampus builds your past and imagines your future. Nootropics Conditions https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/is-parkinsons-caused-by-poor-gut-health/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/is-parkinsons-caused-by-poor-gut-health/ Mon, 19 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT The growing evidence that Parkinson's may begin in the gut, not the brain — and what that could mean. Conditions Nootropics https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/homeopathy-skepticism/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/homeopathy-skepticism/ Sun, 16 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT What homeopathy really claims, where it came from, and why the evidence simply doesn't hold up. Guides https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/how-to-use-herbal-bitters/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/how-to-use-herbal-bitters/ Sat, 01 Oct 2016 00:00:00 GMT What bitter herbs do for digestion, and how to actually use them — a herbalist's practical guide. Guides Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/herbs-for-ibs/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/herbs-for-ibs/ Wed, 28 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT The herbs with genuine evidence for IBS — easing the cramps, bloating and urgency, from a herbalist's toolkit. Conditions Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/botanical-cognitive-enhancement/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/botanical-cognitive-enhancement/ Sun, 25 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT A field guide to plant-based nootropics — ginkgo, bacopa, lion's mane, and the ones with real evidence. Nootropics Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/herbs-stress/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/herbs-stress/ Wed, 14 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT How chronic stress actually makes you ill — cortisol, the HPA axis, and the herbs that calm the response. Conditions Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/managing-arthritis-naturally/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/managing-arthritis-naturally/ Mon, 05 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT Osteoarthritis hits half of over-65s — the natural approaches that ease the pain and protect the joints. Conditions Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/treating-migraine-headaches-with-feverfew/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/treating-migraine-headaches-with-feverfew/ Sat, 03 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT Feverfew is the most-studied herb we have for migraine — how it works, how to take it, and what to expect. Conditions Herbal Medicine https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/herbs-for-sushi/ https://thesunlightexperiment.com/blog/herbs-for-sushi/ Sat, 14 May 2016 00:00:00 GMT Sushi predates refrigeration — and nearly every plant on the plate turns out to be antimicrobial. Here's why. Herbal Medicine Nutrition