Most medicine is plant-derived, and if we want our plants to act as true medicine, they need to be naturally strong and vital. When plants are grown in ways that weaken them (synthetic fertilizers, monocultures, or unnatural conditions), they are deprived of complex nutrient structures. Because weakened plants lose their natural potency, we often turn to extracts or supplements to try to make up the difference. 

But even then, these isolated forms are never quite enough. No matter how many supplements you take, you cannot fully safeguard your health, the subtle compounds, natural synergy, and life force present in whole, naturally grown plants are missing. True nourishment and medicine come only from plants that have grown strong in co-creation with nature.

Imagine a world where everything that grows naturally benefits your health, helping prevent cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and more, while supporting longevity and resilience. That world once existed, and some resilient local communities may still experience it today. But for the most part, this way of growing food as medicine is no longer standard. We lost it along with much of our biodiversity. Yet there are people committed to bringing it back, demonstrating that healthy food production and environmental restoration can go hand in hand.

It is a form of agriculture that fosters functioning biodiversity to grow food a bit like cultivating wild foods, but with intention and design, such as in a food forest. The farm becomes fully integrated into the natural biological world, as it once was, but often in an even more resilient and productive way. Social structures are intentionally embedded within the food production system, rather than treated as separate. This approach is called permaculture, and it is practiced all over the world.

Its values and ethics are compatible with any holistic system, whether medicine, education, or the production of goods and services. In essence, permaculture embodies good old-fashioned principles, reimagined with the benefit of hindsight and a deeper understanding of how systems naturally or socially truly thrive.

Not everyone is a farmer, but everyone can and should ask how their food was produced, because this determines how nutrient-dense it really is. A tomato is not always equal to a tomato; if it hasn’t been grown naturally, it may lack the goodness that nature intended. It’s a bit like jewelry: just as the gold content can vary from one ring to another, the nutrients in food vary depending on how it was grown.

The more “gold” it contains, the more valuable it is and if food is produced cheaply, there is little of that value inside. True food production requires time, care, and attention to detail. For a start the nutrition and eco systems of the soil needs to be built over years and this is a reflection of the eco system around it. 

 Even if you eat more, you cannot fully compensate for the lack of nutrients which can be reduced by half or more; for example, studies have shown that modern conventionally grown fruits and vegetables can contain up to 70–80% less vitamin C, minerals, and phytonutrients than their traditionally or organically grown counterparts while your body also has to work to detoxify pesticide residues and other chemicals. When nutrients are missing, our bodies are deprived of the essential tools they need, which helps explain the rise of lifestyle-related diseases.

Often, this isn’t anyone’s fault, it’s simply a consequence of being tempted or forced to choose cheaper food, usually for economic reasons, at the cost of true nutrition. While this explains personal health risks, the solution requires change at the agricultural system level.

It’s not clear if an entire agricultural system cannot change overnight or even quickly, especially when commercial incentives for conventional production remain dominant. Yet, an alternative system is emerging, powered by holistic thinking and sustained by those who grow ecologically, along with the customers who support them. I encourage you to seek out these growers, support their work, as they won’t be selling through supermarkets. And/Or even try growing a bit of your own food for their sake, for your sake and for the environment and the planet.