Wild Food for Thought: Foraging’s Effects on the Modern Body and Brain

The shift from mobile foraging to settled agricultural ways of life, which first took place in southwest Asia around 12,000 years ago, was one of the most profound changes in human history, laying the foundations for the modern world. Not only did it change landscapes and ecosystems, but the adoption of settled agricultural and increasingly urban lifeways also ensured radical changes in human societies and ways of thought. How can a deep time perspective on the origins and development of 21st century human lifeways help us reflect on how we got here, reconsider our relationship with each other and with the environment, and shape humanity’s future?

The Wildbiome Project is a series of citizen-science studies on the effects of eating only wild food. This includes effects on the human body, and especially our gut microbiome. While the data collected can also illuminate areas such as the sustainability of foraging, or its role in areas such as farming diversification and food biosecurity. Sammie Longhorn is a herb crafter, forager and folklorist. In our modern world, many of us have become disconnected from the abundance of nourishing and healing plants; growing wild in our native forests, fields, meadows, gardens and hedgerows. Her passion is for connecting people with these incredible plants and their edible and medicinal properties.