The Digestive System
by Rosemary Gladstar
For her courses on Sage Mountain P.O. Box 420, E. Barre, VT 05649
The digestive system begins with the mouth and ends at the rectum some 36 feet later! It is richly supplied with nerves.
Many practitioners of natural healing emphasize that digestion is truly the foundation of health. Digestion is our power center, the translator and regulator of our physical energy ~ its all in the gut as they say~
It is intimately involved in maintaining all of the bodily processes and systems, not just those we associate with eating and food. The mental energy of a scientist or thinker, the emotional and creative energy of an artist or musician is directly responsive to the food we eat and the health of the digestive system.
Digestion is made up of two opposite yet complimentary physical processes; assimilation and elimination.
Given that the human race has evolved for several thousand years on a simple diet of fruits, seeds, nuts, meat, wild greens, 50 or 100 years is not nearly enough time for our biochemistry to adjust to our high fat, very sugary, highly processed foods.
- Don't worry about what you eat. Be more concerned with how you eat.
- do not over eat.
- eat high quality whole foods
- chose foods compatible with your environment, work, climate
- chew chew chew
- don't mix carbohydrates with protein
- Foundations of Health by Christopher Hobbs.
- Food & Healing by Annemarie Colbin
- Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford
- Aromatic Digestive Herbs
Indicated for gastric congestion, nausea, vomiting, gas, loss of appetite, diarrhea,
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volatile oils, tannins, fixed oils, courmarins.
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Warms and harmonized digestive functions; powerful carminative; local anti-inflammatory; diuretic; stimulates lactation
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- essential oil, warm, acrid, bitter.
- broad warming stimulant to digestion. A strong warming remedy for congestive digestion with abdominal pain and distension, diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting, loss of appetite. valuable strategy in cases where poor digestion and assimilation appear to be at the root of a chronic debility.
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Carminative, digestive stimulant
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Warming, stimulates circulation to the stomach
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- Bitters are a powerful strategy for the treatment of a number of inflammatory and digestive disorders.
- Good to use for both diarrhoea or constipation, scanty dark urine, thirst but little drinking,
- biliary disorders, including gall balder disease and even some cases of high cholesterol.
- Also for many liver conditions. And intolerance of greasy foods and alcohol
- Previous exposure to high levels of alcohol and recreational\prescribed drugs
- Reactive hypoglycemia
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- Dandelion root and leaf
- artichoke
- gentian (g. lutea) ~ the archetypal bitter remedy, sure safe and without side effects, is was used as a foundation for any prescription seeking to use cooling, drying and digestive stimulant effects.
- Golden Seal, barberry, gold thread
- Milk Thistle ~ protective against liver poisons, (notably the death cap mushroom) also shown to be effective in treating hepatitis, and cirrhosis.
- Yellow Dock can be seen as a mild version of cascara or rhubarb, having the same bitter and choleretic properties, but less laxative action. Used for the bile-bowel axis; in other words if there is a condition that suggests liver/bowel disorder, yellow dock is an herb of choice.
- Cascara Sagrada ~ glycosides, tannins, bitter principles, volatile oils. Stimulating laxative, .
- Chamomile ~ mild enough for children, strong enough to be effective for the most cranky adult. used for digestive stress. relaxes the gut, regulating peristaltic movements, relieves colic, nervous hyperactive, diarrhoea and spastic colon; the volatile oils is also a carminative, reducing flatulence.
- Classification Of Digestive And Liver Herbs
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- increase nerve and muscle tone, are drying, remove excess moisture, can reduce bacteria, yeast, or viral over growth
- Ex: oak bark, blackberry, black walnut
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- stimulating, tonify nerve supply to digestive organs, increase flow of secretions and enzymes
- ex. dandelion, mugwort, wormwood, gentian, cascara sagrada
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- coating, soothing, relaxing
- ex. marshmallow, slippery elm, comfrey, barley, oats
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- removes congestion, regulates chi
- ex. wild yam, chamomile, yarrow, fennel, peppermint
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- heat clearing
- chamomile, oregon grape root, golden seal, gentian, fenugreek.
- cool the digestion, warm surface, release gas, relax sphincter, increase bowled peristyles.
- Ex. peppermint, spearmint, fennel caraway, dill, cardamon
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- Stimulate and regulate the bowels,
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- Activate the gastric secretion of hydrochloric acid and other digestive enzymes. This increases the nerve tone of the muscles in the entire digestive tact and improves blood circulation
- increase the strength and tone of autonomic nervous system. which energizes the entire digestive track, (without thinking about it).
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- poor fat digestion
- poor protein digestion
- weakness due to chronic illness
- loss of zest for life, lowered vitality
- poor appetite
- anemia
- excessive craving for sweets
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- An area where herbs really excel is in strengthening and cleansing of the bowls. They work by stimulating the bowel wall, increasing peristalsis.
- Bowel tonics have a very mild laxative activity.
- Laxatives such as ale, senna, buckthorn bark and butternut bark can help stimulate bowel movement during times of constipation
- Cathartic herbs strongly clean out the bowels; use cautiously and sparingly!
- Programs for Common Digestion Related Complaints
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Symptoms; soreness in the liver area, painful digestion, gas pains, constipation, feeling of fullness in stomach and intestines, loss of appetite; pms; depression; aversion to oily foods
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- Dietary recommendations; rest digestive tract allowing at least 12 hour between evening and morning meal. Fast one day a week.
- Eat lightly & of easily digested foods. Walk after meals.
- Do the liver flush for one week.
- Take herbs that decongest the liver, increase blood flow,
- such as dandelion, yellow dock, fennel, ginger, burdock, chamomile, wild yam
- Massage the area daily.
Symptoms feeling nausea or soreness in gut after fatty meals, burping with an oily taste in the mouth or throat; aversion to fatty foods
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- Dietary recommendations; rest the digest tract and take liver flushes. Avoid foods fried or cooked in oil
- Herbal recommendations; take herbs to increase bile flow ~ such as artichoke, gentian, milk thistle, dandelion root and yellow dock root
- Warm poultices over liver area.
Symptoms; burning or uncomfortable feelings in bowels; alternating diarrhea and constipation; frequent gas and rumbling sounds in the intestines. Symptoms usually worse with stress or when tired.
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- Dietary recommendations: feed the beneficial flora in your intestines with foods such as cooked apples, steamed vegetables, and grains that are easy to digest and are non allergic.
- Eat small simple meals. Don't do a lot of food combining.
- Herbs high mucilaginous herbs such as slippery elm, marshmallow, oat, licorice, fenugreek.
- Christopher Hobb's formula for Irritable Bowel Syndrome,
- flax seed
- marshmallow root
- licorice root,
- fenugreek
- caraway or fennel
Symptoms; a bloated feeling accompanied by various pains in the abdomen or side; frequent passing of gas.
- Dietary suggestions; keep food combinations simple. Don't mix sugars (carbos) with protein. This will generally lead to fermentation and gas in the stomach.
- Avoid food that creates gas such as legumes (or soak water a couple of days); alliums, brassaca family, nuts, nut butters, etc.
- Herbal recommendations; peppermint oil, and other carminative herbs such as ginger, fennel, cardamon.
- Increase intestinal microflora. Christopher Hobbs recommends 10 billion (!!) organisms per day if symptoms are severe; or 3 to 6 if less severe.
- Enemas are one of the quickest remedies known for relieving severe gas pains.
Symptoms: acne, psoriasis. Bowel movement may have a strong, unpleasant odor.
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- Dietary suggestions: avoid fats, oils, sugars, carbo's. keep diet whole and natural. Focus on steamed and raw vegies. Be moderate with dairy.
- Herbs; burdock, dandelion greens, milk thistle seed is one of the best for psoriasis. One doctor has had at least 50 % of his clients improve on just oregon grape root.
- hydrotherapy; applications of hot and cold water.
Symptoms: sluggish metabolism, work on thyroid gland. Increase metabolism. energy.
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- Dietary recommendations; diet of fresh fruits and vegies; eat protein in morning, have a good breakfast;
- avoid fats and oils, small amounts of dairy, eliminate nuts.
- Herb recommendations; bladderwrack and other sea weeds; cayenne; chickweed, burdock
