An Intensive Spring Resuscitation Protocol For Your Home Garden or Farm
Water is not just something plants drink. It is the medium through which life itself operates, and the chemistry of that water matters far more than most people realize.
**This post is a day late! As a water guy now, I wanted to celebrate World Water Day with it, but my 10-hour trip from Honolulu to Tokyo had no WiFi (I had planned to finish and send it on the plane). So, we are extending the sale one more day. Enjoy the 25% discount code Springsale26 at Aurmina or Primora Bio. Also, this post begins with lots of personal reflection; if you just want to get to the Spring Resuscitation Protocol, scroll down.
The Same Work, A Different Scale
As an ICU and lung doctor in the U.S, I was called an “intensivist,” while in France, my French compatriots were called “reanimators.”
The first time they told me that, it connected, like an “ah-hah” moment, as it so perfectly described the essence of our work, given that critically ill patients are often unconscious and immobile, appearing almost lifeless to the uninitiated, either from a primary brain insult, brain failure secondary to overwhelming illness (encephalopathy), or a need for deep sedation to synchronize them with the ventilator while we try to reverse their often multi-organ failure.
When successful, we restore the coordination of their organ systems such that their brain functions return, allowing them to either wake up or be woken up, thus “re-animating” them.
With that in mind, here perhaps I may be extending that metaphor too far, but I feel like, even though I long ago left critical care, now that I have been drawn to work guided by that same spirit and aim, but on a far grander scale, of “re-animating” the Earth’s soils, crops, aquifers, and surface waters.
So funny. How did a New Yorker go from running inner-city ICUs to going on a mission to resuscitate soils, plants, and waters?
There is both a simple and complicated explanation for that. Among the many rabbit holes I have gone down in my journey researching therapies that might repair the Covid vaccine-injured, for the first time in my career, I landed on one that applied to patients as much as it did plants, grasses, microbes, and animals, one central to every biological process that supports life.
My initial intrigue stemmed from a fascination with the responses I observed in some patients, albeit using off-label protocols distinct from water purification. The research, and really the investigation into its obscured and fragmented history in Japan and then in the U.S., showed me the potential for benefit far beyond my clinic, my practice, and my patients.
I sensed it before I knew it, but that sense got stronger as I began to delve into the numerous fields from which its properties both came from and impacted, fields like geology, hydrology, biochemistry, soil biology, and agriculture, whereupon I found myself, shockingly, more inspired by its impacts on these other biological kingdoms than I was getting from human physiology.
Something Started to Shift
Although I studied mathematics in college, I have wanted to be a doctor since I was a teenager. Problem: I kinda, sorta, failed out of college. It then took me 7 years and an impeccable performance in grad school before I was accepted into medical school (overseas), allowing me to finally leave the restaurant business where I had spent my 20s.
However, I soon discovered that, unlike the increasingly joyless and elusive higher-order problem-solving in mathematics, I loved my new role in life as a “diagnostician,” being faced with figuring out why someone was sick and suffering on a daily basis. Getting that puzzle right meant everything, and in the ICU, what the residents called “medicine on steroids,” getting it wrong raised the stakes as high as they come, with up to 20% of my patients dying in some weeks. When successful, we relieved suffering and restored function, a satisfaction far more fulfilling than arriving at a successful solution to a complicated equation or devising an elegant logical proof.
The Point of No Return
Over these months, I increasingly sensed that my life, personhood, and spirit were moving me toward this new area of research and writing, and the “mission” it had led me to—the discovery and dissemination of knowledge around Shimanishi’s work, the potential of Themarox, and the critical need I believe it is meant to fill, with implications for soils, agriculture, water, and ultimately animal and human health.
But, at the same time, I think this year broke me. What I stumbled upon held an importance I could not ignore or reduce to a side project or hobby, as these books and this research took over my life to a magnitude that makes my previously frenetic, all-consuming advocacy for ivermectin in Covid pale in comparison.
I have been so inspired by Shimanishi’s work and the realization that I had stumbled upon something so impactful, with such potential, and that had somehow slipped under History’s gaze, retained only in small pockets of people around the world.
But what happened was that the joy and fulfillment I had always gotten from seeing patients began to feel like a detractor from what I was supposed to be doing. I began to wake up with frustration and exhaustion, knowing that each day was taking me away from what I increasingly felt was more important work.
I really don’t give a shit if you think I am talking crazy, or in a self-interested manner. I did not make that decision lightly or for commercial reasons. What I am trying to say is that it was effectively made for me in spirit. I resisted for a while, but I followed where it was leading and even started a company to get it done, especially for that company to devote itself to funding the research it will require to get there, meaning to convince the world of this vision that I, and an increasing number of others, hold.
The Decision
So, after 25 years, I have decided to stop seeing patients. Although I will continue to lead, manage, and guide our Leading Edge Clinic, as of June, I am giving up my personal patient practice panel. One reason I was comfortable stopping is that the provider team at LEC is phenomenal, inspiring, devoted, and empathetic, perhaps in ways that now exceed my capacity. So I am confident that in handing over my patients to them, they will continue to be cared for with the skill and care they need.
Now, if that was not enough of a personal reveal on this belated World Water Day, there is yet another reason I closed my patient schedule.
My wife is pregnant with a baby boy due on July 4th.
I have been reminded that apparently, you are supposed to spend time with young children, and since I don’t have time to pee most days, I thought it wise to create some space to welcome young Lutzee onto planet Earth.
Do not make fun of the name; it is a phonetic spelling of my Hungarian father’s nickname “Laci,” a common diminutive of his real name, “Lazlo.”
If I put “Laci” on the birth certificate, the poor child would forever be called “Lacey,” and I don’t want to set him on the path depicted in the Johnny Cash song “A Boy Named Sue.”
My Contribution To World Water Day
With the history of my career trajectory behind us, I now want to focus on the real purpose of today’s post, which is two-fold.
The first is to offer as concise an articulation of the “Geohydrological Shift Theory” as I can muster, aimed at the world’s agronomists, hydrogeologists, soil biologists, regenerative farmers, and others working in these domains, with the intent of shifting their focus to what we believe is a viable solution to many of the problems befalling modern agriculture.
The second is for a more specific segment of my readership, those who “identify” (hee hee) as home gardeners, hobby farmers, and even farmers, where I will lay out this former intensivist’s “combination therapy resuscitative and re-vitalization protocol,” to kick off your spring planting season toward a harvest most have never experienced before.
So, if you’re interested only in the latter, feel free to skip toward the end. If you’re interested in both, read on.
When The Geohydrological Shift Began
Come along with me through modern history, starting where the water story starts: the Green Revolution, a turning point that marked a global transformation of agriculture driven by science, geopolitics, and urgency.
It began in the 1940s in Mexico, led by agronomist Norman Borlaug, who developed high-yield, disease-resistant wheat varieties. The success of that work expanded into Asia in the 1960s, especially in India and Pakistan, and later into rice systems through institutions such as the International Rice Research Institute.
Basically, the idea was to maximize yield per acre using external inputs and improved genetics. The core components were: high-yielding crop varieties (HYVs), synthetic fertilizers (especially nitrogen), irrigation expansion, pesticides, herbicides, and, importantly, mechanization.
The impact was enormous, arguably one of the most successful large-scale interventions in human history. Earth saw massive yield increases, the avoidance of widespread famine (e.g., India got off food aid), lower food prices, and increased caloric availability.
At the same time, historically, it marked a shift, beginning in antiquity, from traditional “slow” farming practices to a science-driven, input-driven system.
Yes, it bought the world time, and a lot of it. But it is my belief that time is running out.
The Shift
The problem is that the hidden costs of this new system are increasingly becoming apparent now, like in my lifetime, my adulthood, here in the 2020’s. The soil is being degraded (less organic matter, microbial diversity, increasing dependence on inputs), the water system is being stressed (over-extraction of aquifers, salinization in irrigated lands), and we are now suffering from a widespread chemical dependency (fertilizer and pesticide use has skyrocketed, and pest resistance has emerged).
Even worse, the benefits, although considerable, have been uneven, favoring large farms and capital-intensive systems over traditional farming.
Where We Are Now
My interest and passion began to sharpen when I discovered what I think are flashing warning signs. After nearly a hundred years of “success,” data is now showing yield stagnation. Currently, between 24% to 39% of global cropland is showing yield plateaus; in other areas, they are still being maintained, but at a slowing rate. Most concerning is that in certain areas, yields are actually dropping despite the increased inputs.
Further, biological simplification abounds, with the dominance of monocrops, thus leading to a loss of resilience and even buffering capacity.
Basically, the more fertilizer used, the smaller the yield gains, meaning that “nitrogen efficiency” is dropping in many systems. Earth’s agriculture has now shifted from an immensely productive system to a “compensatory” one, and, in some areas, it is failing to even do that.
Is there any hope on the horizon? Yes, but, as you will learn, not in the areas where most are focusing their hope, meaning the growing interest in regenerative farming, regenerative agriculture, precision agriculture, and/or alternative inputs to improve soil biology or reduce existing inputs. These are great, but they won't go as far as we need.
Now, sorry to heap even more doom and gloom on you, but although the story gets worse, I want to reassure you that I believe this is the area where a possible, scalable solution may lie for our water system, and if we can fix the water system, I think we can restore.. the whole system.
You see, our water systems have entered a state of overt stress. We are seeing, unsurprisingly, that after 100 years, aquifer depletion is accelerating globally, and nitrate and salinity concentrations are rising, leading to a changing hydrogeochemistry.
The Solutions Being Proposed
Before we get to my proposal for a path forward, I thought I would give a quick overview of what I discovered to be the current directions that various groups of scientific disciplines are proposing as possible ways to remediate, solve, or fix the current stats agriculture.’s agriculture.
The Soil Physics / Hydrology Camp
Most mainstream scientists, such as Rattan Lal and Johan Six, along with the broader soil physics and hydrology field, are rightly focused on the idea that soil degradation and water dysfunction are tightly linked. Their central observation is that as soil structure degrades, water infiltration declines, water retention becomes less stable, and the soil’s ability to store and deliver plant-available water is compromised.
I am with them on this because productivity clearly declines when soil loses its ability to regulate water properly. Their proposed solution is to restore soil structure, primarily by increasing organic matter, improving aggregation, and reducing disturbance, thereby rebuilding the physical framework through which water moves and is retained.
Where I think the framing remains incomplete is not in what they see, but in where they place causality. Their emphasis is on repairing the soil as the primary lever, with water secondarily improving by restoring the condition of the soil it passes through.
What I have not seen is entertaining the possibility that the chemistry of the water itself—the mineral composition it carries may actually be the driver of the very soil conditions they are trying to restore.
The Rhizosphere / Soil Biology Camp
Within the field are notable scientists like Elaine Ingham, Jeff Lowenfels, and other rhizosphere ecology researchers, whose focus is on the problems with microbes' root exudates and biological signaling. Importantly, they also focus on water by recognizing that all of this dysfunction occurs in water films. Because yes, it is true that nutrients remain in the dissolved phase, optimal microbial signaling relates to water quality and compositions, and ultimately, that root uptake is water-mediated.
But here again, the solutions appear to focus on not on mediating the water, but on restoring microbial life, avoiding further chemical disruption, by instead increasing organic inputs. Ultimately, restoring the biological layer in water will again not but not directly address the water chemistry that is driving that biology.
The Hydrogeochemistry / Water Quality Camp
This camp is, in my humble opinion, “circling the target.” I keep coming across stimulating insights from hydrogeochemists, environmental chemists, and groundwater scientists who are indeed sounding the alarm (and from whom I laid the foundation for the Geohydrological Shift Theory). They are clearly documenting the rising nitrate levels, increasing salinity, changing ion composition, and most importantly, redox shifts in aquifers
That is where I started from, which is their cumulative argument that water chemistry is changing at a planetary scale, and as importantly, they elucidate the consequence, which is it is the water which is affecting soil chemistry, plant uptake, and microbial processes.
Just like where Matt and I believe that our knowledge of the science and methods behind Shimanishi achievement allowed us to extend the current field of origin-of-life science with the Rock-Water Circuit Theory, here, we believe that it is our knowledge of what Themarox can do to water, which the rest of the agronomy and gehydrochemistry fields are not (yet) aware of. Which again causes me to remind you of why my career objective has changed. Why this knowledge came to me through Matt, sho knows, but as I see it, it is my responsibility to dissemiante it.
Because I want to help push the focus of the hydrogeochemistry field to study the potential of Themarox, although they are rightly measuring and describing critical changes to the water system, they; 1) are not framing it as we are attempting to, which is that it is the root (or main) cause of the widespread biological dysfunction the other fields are describing
Basically, they stop at “water quality is degrading” but do not go on to say, “water chemistry is upstream of biological collapse.” Most importantly, they are not aware of what we believe is a mineral complex that can restore that water to a state which can remediate and even restore the downstream biologic consequences to a vitality not seen in decades or more.
The Regenerative Agriculture Practitioners
Here, leading proponents like Gabe Brown and Ray Archuleta, among others, are also rightly observing a fascinating, and potentially complementary solution, namely that reduced inputs are actually leading to better outcomes, less pest pressure, more water retention in the soil, and ultimately, more resilient plants.
They often say, similar to the other fields, “Fix the soil, and everything else follows.”
But here again, they describe the fix as improving soil health, soil biology, and soil carbon, without a focus on the chemistry, ionic composition, and electrochemical behavior of water.
The “Fringe” Scientists
Beyond the fortune of being aware of Shimanishi and the success of his historic extraction of a mineral complex from biotite-derived vermiculite, we were also inspired by the work of “controversial” and/or "dismissed scientists like Viktor Schauberger and Gerald Pollack and their insights that water has non-trivial structure and behavior, where interfaces matter, energy gradients matter, and in the case of Shauberger, the presence and ratios of minerals matter.
The problem, as Pollack so powerfully pointed out, is that, although controversy and deabte is not unique to the field of water chemistry, its history of one of this bizarre paradox of water chemists openly admitting that their knowledge of water is woefully incomplete, abounding with numerous phenomena that can not be mechanistically explained, but whenever a scientist dev3elops an insight which leads him to proposes a novel structure or mechanism which might explain some of its mysterious behaviors, the blowback and dismissals heaped upon the visionary is immense.
Quick history of why: The reason why water chemistry is so stuck is that its history was severely damaged by what most view as “scientific frauds” (when they were not at all, but history relegates them as frauds.
was the polywaer discovery
the other one
Thus it should be unsurprising that Pollack, although his nisghts further explained or observed the mysteries of water more than nayone in history, ultimately was also dismissed as controversial and his funding dried up. Thus, I consider it a “dead field”, both literally and metaphorically, meaning, no chemist would dare enter the field to advance a novel insight or theory, it would be career suicide and the rest of the “consensus” water4 chemist would destroy them.
So, here’s to the courageous, criticall thinking grad student or post-doc in chemistry who dares venture into doing a dissertation on tEhamrox. HAve it my friend, but know it aint for the faint of heart or for those who cant take criticism.
Where We Are and Where We Should Go
Collectively, at present, although numerous fields have repeatedly circled the problem, there is a broad recognition of system dysfunction and a partial recognition of water’s role, but no unified framework placing water chemistry at the center. The soil people write about how water movement matters, the biologists write about how the water medium matters, the chemists about how water composition is changing, and the farmers about how system behavior is shifting.
Many fields have correctly identified that the problem lies upstream—some point to soil, others to biology, others to hydrology—but very few have followed the chain far enough to recognize that all three are downstream expressions of water itself.
No one is clearly stating: the ionic composition and electrochemical behavior of water itself is the upstream regulator of all three: soil structure, microbial behavior, and plant function.
Further, their solutions—add carbon, add biology, reduce disturbance, optimize irrigation—do not go far enough upstream to change the water chemistry itself.
REVIVE: The Kory Resuscitation and Vitalization System for Soil and Garden Health
Here we go again, with my tireless attempts to elevate my name into an eponym (hopefully understood for what it is - self-deprecating humor). Although agriculture has never quite leaned into eponyms the way medicine has, the pattern is there. Certain names have been fused to their central contributions, for instance, Liebig and his “law,” Borlaug and his wheat, Fukuoka and his natural farming, Steiner and his biodynamics, etc.
They are not quite like “Koch’s postulates” or “Parkinson’s disease,” but it is close enough that I find myself with the mildly absurd notion that I might attach my own name to a way of thinking about water, soil, and life.
So, as a former ICU specialist now self-proclaimed “agro-intensivist,” or more accurately and humbly, an “agro-educator,” but even there, that title has limitation because I have never farmed, potted, or even tended to a plant (remember, I am a city boy), thus I am writing and teaching a topic on which I have no “front-line experience.”
Which gives me the creeps, honestly, because it likens me to all the “desk doctors” in Covid who offered their expert opinions, dictating policy while literally never having treated a single patient (of course, Fauci comes. to mind, but more so the former Coronavirus task force head Ashish Jha, who in the same hearing where I testified about ivermectin’s efficacy, attacked hydroxychloroquine and unproven early treatments, this guy, who later became Biden’s White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator and prominent media voice in Covid, the guy literally in charge of U.S pandemic policy, who, when asked by Senator Ron Johnson’s sarcastic question, “Have you ever treated a Covid patient? He paused and sheepishly admitted, “I have not, sir.”
The difference here is I am openly stating what I do and do not know, which is simply that I had the fortune of coming across Shimanishi’s work, recognized its importance, and devoted now seven months of my life to studying it, discussing it, and spending many dozens of hours talking with those connected to his work over these many decades. Basically, I have learned a specific water chemistry, heretofore unknown to the wider world, and I have committed to disseminate that knowledge and its implications and potential .
More recently, since starting the Asao group, I have gotten to work with some amazing agronomists who have taught me about the use of a combination of agricultural inputs that can build back, revitalize, rescue, re-animate, soils, plants, grasses, and crops, whether they be houseplants, backyard gardens, hobby farms, or big farms.
So with that, let’s break down the first iteration of the REVIVE protocol (recognizing, I will adapt and update the following as my experience and insights accumulate, similar to Paul and my approach when leading the FLCCC in Covid.
REVIVE: The Kory Resuscitation and Vitalization System for Soil and Garden Health
Input Choices:
As in critical care, there is not “one size fits all”, with set doses and duration, and combinations, but you have to start with a floor to work from, and consider this.
I encourage anyone to scale up or down in intensity based not only on the state and fertility of the starting soil but also on the response to therapy. However, note that the field trial I presented in the last post started with dead, infertile soil, and relied solely on an intervention of an initial cosmotropic water irrigation, followed by weekly foliaer spraying, with the only variation a a one-time mid-season light application of fish hydrolysate and microbes. The results were beyond impressive. Starting with dead soil.
A Simple Trinity Of Recommended Inputs
1) Cosmotropic Mineral Concentrate (Primora Bio only choice)
Water treated with a biotite-derived vermiculite mineral extract, a mineral composition with “multiplicative” properties, meaning the addition of small amounts acts on large volumes of water, rendering the water in a more electrochemically ordered state, which, across six studies in varied conditions and contexts, demonstrates changes in a multi-domain agricultural impact profile as per the AI-generated image below:
2) Liquid Fish Hydrolysate Complex (Primora Nourish or equivalent)
Liquid hydrolysate, which provides a wide range of minerals, micronutrients, amino acids, and fats known to support:
3) Liquid Biochar (Primora Char or equivalent, e.g. American Biochar)
5 micron-sized, activated wood biochar combined with humate, a size which allows for a liquid formulation, thus can combine all three inputs to a water sprayer in a single application.
Sequence and Technique of Application
1) Beginning of Season (Pre-Planting) Combination Soil Spray - Use All Three Interventions
A) Cosmotropic Mineral Concentrate
Seasonal soil spray frequency is once every 4-5 years. Recommend doing for first year of protocol - won’t hurt, but, depending on starting spoil, may not be necessary.
Calculate the recommended amount of Primora Bio for the volume of water estimated for the area of your plot, garden, or farm. Note: the amount needed for the seasonal soil spray is much more than used in weekly or biweekly foliar spraying.
B) Liquid Fish Hydrolysate:
Calculate the recommended amount of liquid fish hydrolysate according to the required volume of water, add it to the water, and stir.
**note Fish hydrolysae should be done 2-4 more times this season for optimal results.
C) Liquid Biochar
Calculate the recommended amount of liquid fish hydrolysate according to the required volume of water, add it to the water, and stir.
2) Pre-Germinate Seeds (apply only Primora Bio to water for the pre-germination step)
Fill bowls with Primora Bio treated water for each seed type appropriate for pre-germination. Add seeds to bowls of treated water as follows:
3) Seed Planting
Insert seeds in soil at depths appropriate for size (depth should be 2-3 times their diameter).
4) Hydration During Germination Period
4) Foliar Spraying With Primora Bio Every 7-14 Days
Well, folks, I hope that was helpful. To all those who have gone “all in” and purchased one or all of these agricultural interventions, I wish you the absolute best growing season possible, and we at Asao Group look forward to hearing about all the amazing results!
Primora Bio Control Trial Photo Contest
To that end, several customers have already written in about plans to treat some of their pots, gardens, greenhouses, and even orchards with the REVIVE protocol (or some variation of it), and to share their results with us.
This is behavior we absolutely want to encourage, so this year we are holding a seasonal harvest photo contest, which we plan to use to build "Use Case” page(s) on our website.
We invite anyone interested to take serial photos this season to compare the speed of germination, growth, size, vigor, and color of their treated vs. untreated plants, and we will use those photos for our first Annual Photo contest.
Prizes
Anybody who submits a comparison photo of even just a single treated plant vs. a non-treated plant will receive a 50% discount on their next purchase up to a 3-quart bundle, and the three top photo entrants will receive a one-year supply!
Please include documentation of the dates of soil spraying, planting, foliar spraying, and the date each photo was taken. Most importantly, please document what combinations of Primora Bio, Primora Char, and/or Primora Nourish your plants were or were not treated with.
Invitation For Research Opportunities
Now, for those who want to go “all-in” and go beyond photos, by carefully and serially measuring “hard data” at baseline and harvest, such as soil pH, soil nutrient levels, leaf nutrient levels, biomass levels, please email contact@primorabio.com. We would be happy to discuss the possibility of subsidizing your effort with product and/or funding, depending on research experiences, capabilities, and skills.
*If you value the late nights and deep dives into all the “rabbit holes” I write about (or the Op-Eds and lectures I generate for the public), your support is greatly appreciated.
Silly Humor Section:
Check out farmer Pierre working in his virtual garden this weekend: