What am I writing about?
If you have interest in herbal medicine, as a clinician, researcher or product designer, I’ll explore complex processes to consider in making good medicine.
Herbal Medicine
I write about the complex interactions required to innovate effective herbal products – understanding the influence of ecosystems on the makeup of medicinally active phytochemicals profiles; identifying when specific phytochemical ratios lead to specific clinical endpoints; creating effective plant based topical treatments for a range of conditions and the necessary enhancements to the absorption characteristics; and exploring the cognitive processes of play necessary to truly innovate, especially in the age of Artificial Intelligence.
Although not a focus of this substack, my poetry informs my use of language and ideally improves the science writing
Poetry
I’ve published numerous poems in journals as well as a poetry manuscript, The Acoustic Property of Ancient People, with Finishing Line Press. Grace Cavalieri reviewed the book for the Washington Independent Review of Books. A second manuscript, A Naming, is in submission. You can read a few of the individual poems in The Syzygy Poetry Journal.
In 2016 I curated an exhibition Deep Listening: On text and context for the Hyattstown Mill Arts Project. I’ve given poetry talks at the 2020 Maryland Writers’ Association (MWA) Conference on Bronco Poetics: How to ride line breaks deeper into the creative process, as well as at The Bay to Ocean Writers’ Conference on Mining the World of Science for Ideas and Language to Expand Your Poetry. You can find more of my online poetry content at the following sites:
30 Habits of Highly Effective Poets #16: Michael Tims on the Scientific Method
Archived Blog: Hyattstown Millstone
What’s my background?
I grew up all over the planet – Bangkok, Hong Kong, Marburg Germany, Stockholm, Bucharest and Thessaloniki Greece. After an undergraduate degree in Poetry and Modern Dance, I worked as a stockbroker before finding my center as managing partner in a health food store in Old Town Alexandria, VA. During that period I trained to become a clinical herbalist before my real passion emerged– researching the chemical ecology and clinical efficacy of medicinal plants.
I decided to go back to school in my late 30s to earn a doctorate in the Chemical Ecology of Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) from the University of Maryland, College Park before completing an NIH/NIST postdoctoral fellowship developing Botanical Standard Reference Materials.
Currently, I am professor and director of Herbal Product Design and Manufacture MS and the Cannabis Science Certificate programs at School of Integrative Health at Notre Dame University of Maryland (NDMU).
My current research and writing interests:
Investigate the impact cannabis chemical ecology on therapeutic phytochemical profiles.
Develop medicinal plant based topical applications for Lymes disease and pediatric plaque psoriasis.
Define the pedagogical role of play in innovative thinking during this age of AI.
Exploring future innovations in the field of herbal product design that will improve product effectiveness and safety.
My past medicinal plant research was focused on a range of technical approaches and biological systems investigating the role of plant signaling molecules in plant parasite mistletoe; the chemical ecology of medicinal plant rhizosphere; tissue culture studies to differentiate Mistletoe haustorium and Goldenseal root tissue; analyzing the impact enzymatic extraction on complex plant cell walls in releasing medicinally active monomeric and polymeric catechins in green tea; and developing a method to evaluate economic adulteration of goldenseal.
I’ve mentored both students and junior faculty in the herbal and cannabis product design at NDMU. In addition, my own consulting work has led to several entrepreneurial opportunities. I am Vice-Chairperson Board of Directors, Verax Research Services, Inc., as well as the Scientific Advisor for Vitreon America, Inc. and Care Beyond Diagnosis directing cannabis and herbal product development for the development of orphan drugs, cosmeceutical and adjunct treatment products. I’ve also consulted with various companies on creating formulary, reviewing current product and pet supplement lines for effectiveness and safety.
Access to several peer-reviewed articles can be found at Research Gate or at Google Scholar. My Curriculum Vitae provides a complete list of articles and talks. Access to several lecture videos can be found at my YouTube Channel. Here’s a talk on Reducing Play Deficit: How Students Can Learn to Take Risks Solving Complex Problems. The following are archived resources to which I’ve contributed:
Alternative Medicine Foundation Resource Guide for Herbal Medicine
HerbMed, interactive herbal database, now housed at American Botanical Council
Medicinal and Poisonous Database (1998), archived at University of Hamburg
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