September 2, 2023 – Award-winning photographer turned biodynamic farmer Mario Romulic is achieving miracle cures in his incredible Magical Forest in Baranja.
It is one of the more remote and difficult places to find in Croatia, but well worth the effort.
Cross the bridge from Osijek to Baranja, head through Bilje, and then somewhere on the left, in front of a row of trees, a dirt track gives way to another dirt track, and the entrance to one of Croatia’s more remarkable projects, Cudesa Suma, or Magical Forest, an innovative agricultural project by Mario Romulic.
Most people don’t reach the pinnacle of their chosen passion in a lifetime, but it seems that young Romulic has managed to that not once, but twice. One of Croatia’s most celebrated photographers, including those mesmerising timelapses he compiled with partner Drazen Stojcic (see above), Romulic has not picked up a camera for work for quite some time now. Indeed, it is rare to find him moving to far from his home in the forest these days, for he has embarked on a new project – the Magical Forest – which is once more moving him to the overachiever department in his new passion. And curing people’s ailments, cream by cream, along the way. As we previously reported from Green.hr:
Serious health problems prompted Mario to start studying the food we buy in shops, and because of this, he started growing food in his small garden six years ago. “I decided I have to produce my food if I want to eat healthily,” says Mario.
At the beginning of cultivating his garden, he learned about permaculture; later, he discovered biodynamic agriculture and fully devoted himself to it. “Biodynamics is perhaps the most extreme form of ecological food cultivation. The food obtained with such an approach is considered a medicine, it is so healthy and full of vitality. By consuming such food, I transfer its life force to myself.”
Seeing how well the food he grows affects his health, Mario decided to go one step further and recently started producing natural cosmetics, i.e. organic creams to treat pain and varicose veins, as well as anti-acne creams.
“The creams are made from our plants, which I grow using biodynamic cultivation. We use herbs such as medical hemp, lavender, aloe vera, fennel and habanero pepper. They are obtained through an ultrasonic process to extract plants,” said last year’s winner of the Green Prix award in the Greenlider category.
To make creams, Mario bought a laboratory. It contains ultrasound and a machine for evaporating tinctures. “We extract the alcohol from the tincture of the dry hemp flower; then we use it to get an extract from the plant and obtain an oil that we later mix into creams. We finish the entire production process with an ultrasonic process, which is, let’s say, the most modern and highest quality way of producing the extract. The sound penetrates the cell and reaches the plant’s extract, i.e. its best properties,” explains Mario.
As he said, he started making creams for himself and his health problems. “I make the recipes in collaboration with different doctors of Chinese medicine; we check which extracts are the best and how to make a product that will satisfy all needs as much as possible. I tested the first products on myself and my family members. My children had acne problems, I had joint pain, and my wife suffered from varicose veins. The creams proved to be excellent for all our problems”.
And I can only agree. On a visit to the Magical Forest last month, we talked a little more about the healing creams, and I talked about a skin problem that has plagued my child’s early years,
“Show me your hand, little one,” said Mario gently. And then he smiled, reached out for a cream and advised gentle massaging of the cream 3-4 times a day. “And I can guarantee if you do that, in about 4 days it will be gone.”
We did as he said. After the first day, the itching stopped and the rash started to reduce. Until, on day four, it was – as he promised – all but gone. Miraculous.
Mario’s production is small, but his reputation is growing, and there is a steady stream of visitors to the house with a range of ailments, all of whom have come through word of mouth recommendation.
It may be hard to find, but the Mario Romulic Magical Forest is magical indeed, on so many levels. You can learn more about the Magical Forest via the official Facebook page.
