Glossary

agni: Metabolic heat, digestive fire in Ayurvedic medicine; transforms raw materials into nourishment and nutrition.

anabolic: Tissue-building metabolic activity.

Bacteroides: Bacteria type usually found in abundance in those eating diets high in animal products and low in fiber. Associated with increased secondary bile acid production, inflammation, and, as a result, higher risk of gastrointestinal disease.

biofilm: Substance secreted by colonies of microbes that encloses them and serves as a protective sheath.

butyrate: Short chain fatty acid (SCFA) associated with inflammatory regulation and primary food source for gut epithelial cells.

catabolic: Tissue-degrading metabolic activity.

catecholamine: Type of neurotransmitter.

chong mai: Chinese medicine term for the storage vessel for qi and blood.

chyme: Partially digested foodstuffs.

cold: One of the six pathogenic factors, or pernicious influences, in Chinese medicine that may cause disease.

commensal: A long-term biological interaction in which one organism or species benefits while the other has a neutral reaction.

congee: East Asian rice porridge.

Corynebacterium: Beneficial axillary microbe that works with the body to maintain or restore balance, is also present in the vagina and fights off pathogens.

dal: Dried, split pulses.

damp: One of the six pathogenic factors, or pernicious influences, in Chinese medicine that may cause disease.

defensive qi: Immune vitality; also called wei qi.

deficiency: A lack of substance or functioning.

dinacharya: Daily routine one is recommended to follow in Ayurveda.

dosha: Type of mind-body structure and energy. Technically, dosha means “imbalance” and refers mostly to bodily types; there are three dosha types in Ayurveda—vata, pitta, and kapha.

dryness: One of the six pathogenic factors, or pernicious influences, in Chinese medicine and a quality of vata dosha in Ayurveda.

dysbiosis: An imbalance or malfunction in the microbiome of an individual.

ekadashi: Ekadashi, which means “eleven,” is the eleventh day after the full and new moons, when some Hindus refrain from eating grains.

elements: The five building blocks of matter and how nature manifests and behaves.

enteric: Pertaining to the intestines.

enterotype: Constitutional type based upon which bacterial types are dominant in the gut microbiome.

evil qi: The umbrella term for the six pathogenic factors, or pernicious influences, of Chinese medicine; may refer to any one of them.

excess: Too much of a substance or a buildup of it where it doesn’t belong.

exposome: The cloud of chemicals and microbes we emit and breathe in.

functional medicine: A branch of modern medicine that has a more holistic framework and tries to address the root cause of disease.

garshana: Dry brushing.

he-sea point: Acupuncture channel points located around the knees and elbows. These points are located on the twelve regular channels and address the qi as it moves deeper and more powerfully through the body. They are often used to strengthen the earth element, or spleen and stomach, and to nourish the water element.

heat: One of the six pathogenic factors, or pernicious influences, in Chinese medicine that may cause disease.

interstitium: Fluid-filled space between tissues, lined with connective tissue; correlates with the san jiao of Chinese medicine.

jin ye: Body fluids in Chinese medicine; synonymous with rasa in Ayurveda.

kapha: A humor in Ayurveda, one of the three doshas, made up of water and earth elements and associated with mucus.

kitchari: Indian dish made with mung beans and rice.

Lactobacillus: Beneficial bacteria found to largely colonize and maintain the health of the vagina, parts of the gut, and breast tissue.

limbic: System in the brain that deals with emotion and memory.

macromolecules: Carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins.

mesentery: Organ that surrounds the intestines and anchors them within the abdominal cavity, protecting nerves and blood vessels during movement; correlates with the mo yuan/membrane source in Chinese medicine.

mesoderm: Middle layer in early embryonic development.

microbiota: The entire collection of microbial communities that contribute to the composition of a living being: anything that’s alive.

mo yuan: In Chinese medicine, “membrane source,” correlates to the mesentery organ.

mucoid plaques: Believed by some to be a sticky or membranous substance that adheres to the intestinal walls; may be made up of microbial biofilms.

mucosa: Mucous membrane.

munda agni: Dulled, sluggish digestion or metabolism.

mycobiome: Part of the microbiota made up of yeasts and fungi.

omentum: Fatty tissue sheath covering the abdominal organs.

peristalsis: Involuntary wavelike muscle contraction and relaxation that pushes food through the GI tract.

pitta: A humor in Ayurveda, one of the three doshas, made up of fire and water and deals with heat, metabolism, and transformation.

po: One of the five spirits in Chinese medicine, po is anchored in the lung tissue.

postbiotic: Supplement containing bacterially derived compounds or metabolites.

prebiotic: Supplement containing food for gut microbes.

Prevotella: Bacterial type that is associated with carbohydrate consumption (thus often dominant in vegans). Ferments dietary fiber into short chain fatty acids that may reduce inflammation.

probiotic: Supplement containing beneficial microbes.

psychobiotic: Pre- and probiotic supplement filled with microbes found to positively influence gut-brain communication.

purgation: Therapeutic modality of evacuating the bowels.

qi: Vitality. The energetics, magnetics, ionic charges, and radiation circulated throughout, emitting from, and animating the individual, which includes some aspects of the microbiome.

qigong: Gentle breathing and movement exercises that cultivate vitality.

rasa: In Sanskrit, “enjoyment.” In Ayurveda, bodily fluid, also the word used for taste.

ritucharya: Seasonal routine in Ayurveda.

Saccharomyces boulardii: Mycobiome species used in probiotics to decrease diarrhea and crowd out an overgrowth of candida (a yeast in the microbiome that often overgrows in the absence of beneficial microbes to keep it in check, thereby becoming pathogenic).

sama agni: Balanced digestion.

san jiao: Triple warmer, or three environments organ in Chinese medicine; correlates to the interstitium.

scleroderma: Autoimmune condition that causes unnecessary tissue scarring.

serosa: Outer lining of the intestines.

shaoyang: The hinge between the interior and exterior levels of the body in Chinese medicine.

shen: Spirit, mind, or consciousness in Chinese medicine; may refer to the collective five shen (wu shen) or to the shen of the heart.

submucosa: Layer of the GI tract that surrounds the mucosa and is made of connective tissue containing lymph and nerves.

summerheat: One of the six pathogenic factors, or pernicious influences, in Chinese medicine.

swara: System of yoga focused on nostril breathing and how it affects physiology and mental states.

symbiosis: Occurs when one or two organisms or groups living in close proximity benefit from one another.

t’ai chi: Chinese internal martial art.

tenesmus: Continuous urge for a bowel movement.

tikshna agni: Hypermetabolism; quick, hot digestion.

tonify: To support or add to.

transcutaneous: Through the skin.

tridosha: The three humors of Ayurveda.

turbinates: Ridges in the nose made of erectile tissue.

Vaastu: The art of placement in India, similar to the Feng Shui of China.

vata: One of the three humors in Ayurveda associated with mobility, cold, and dryness.

villi: Fingerlike projections that line the intestinal tract and increase surface area, allowing for greater nutrient absorption.

virome: The sum total of viruses that make up the microbiota.

vishama agni: Irregular, dry metabolism or digestion.

wei qi: Immune vitality; also called defensive qi.

wind: One of the six pathogenic factors, or pernicious influences, of Chinese medicine.

wu shen: The five spirits or aspects of consciousness in Chinese medicine.

yang: The source physiological heat and energy that the body needs to survive. If yin is matter, yang is energy.

yin: The opposite of yang. In Taoist cosmology, the feminine, receptive principle of nature, and the structure and fluids of the body in Chinese medicine.