Digestion
Digestion: for many people, this is a four-letter word. They’ve struggled with poor digestion, irritable bowels, and limited eating options for years. Your clients are frustrated by limiting their diet, micromanaging their meals and inevitably dealing with symptoms arising from poor digestion—including migraine headaches, gas and bloating, poor posture, and even skin disorders. Digestive disturbances usually arise from a reaction to foods, but dietary triggers are not always the cause. Many factors influence how our bodies process foods and grab needed nutrients; food allergens are an example, as are reactions to processed items in our foods, such as food colorings and artificial flavors. Additionally, emotional attitude and illness can handicap the ability to properly digest food; think of the women suffering from anorexia nervosa or bulimia, who fail to properly digest their food because of social stigmas and neuropathies that critically need professional assessment and treatment. Emotional instability and stress also play a huge part in a person’s inability to properly digest food; stress can wreak havoc not only on the stomach lining (leading to gastric ulcers when combined with the pathogen Helicobacter pylori), but can also lead to skin conditions including eczema and psoriasis.
Since the causes of poor digestion are numerous and much more extensive than the scope of this book will allow, we will mention a broad sampling of them but stick to how natural methods, and especially herbal medicines, can help alleviate the symptoms associated with these various and complex conditions. Combined with dietary changes, attitude adjustments, and/or specific supplements, herbal and other natural methods for relieving gastrointestinal issues are generally quite successful. You’ll find here the background of many diseases and the remedies most frequently used to address those issues. Bear in mind that while many herbs will cure or treat a disease, most of the offerings here will address symptoms associated with the illness, since “curing” a disease often requires much more than a simple herbal remedy: curative actions include changing the diet, addressing the amount and types of stress in life, adjusting lifestyle choices, such as living situations and work environments, and removing toxins and allergens from the environment and the diet.
Digestion: The Process
All mammals digest their food, a process that begins in the oral cavity and goes through all nine meters of digestive tubing in the typical human being.
From the mouth, chewed food is pushed past the esophagus and down the throat and to the stomach, where it mixes with hydrochloric acid that breaks down the food’s molecular structure and kills most harmful microorganisms. Stomach acids also begin the process of breaking down proteins. From here, food goes to the small intestines, the large intestines, and is then excreted through the anus. Saliva is the first acidic compound the food encounters; then, in the stomach, the hydrochloric acid mixes with gastric juices within about two hours of eating; in the small intestines (where the food is really broken down and 95 percent of the nutrients are absorbed), bile, pancreatic juice, and intestinal enzymes, including maltase, lactase and sucrase, act on what used to be your spaghetti dinner. From here, the large intestine (also called the gut) can readily absorb the remaining nutrients and funnel them into the bloodstream. The liver is an organ that deserves an entire book of its own; it is a vital participant in digestion, maintaining protein synthesis, metabolism, hormone production, glycogen storage, and the decomposition and elimination of spent hormones and red blood cells. Proper liver function is essential for red blood cell production, emulsifying fats, and maintaining smooth hormonal activity. Without a properly functioning digestive system, our bodies could not access the vitamins, minerals, proteins, enzymes, fiber, chlorophyll, and sugars that are available to us in our foods.
Following are protocols for general digestive health, and following those are a variety of digestive disorders and natural methods for addressing them.
General Protocols
Protocols for healthy digestion often reflect protocols for healthy eating in general, with just a few exceptions that take into consideration a person’s proclivity for gas, indigestion, acid reflux, or other symptoms. Include these as appropriate within the context of any herbal assessment.
Protocol #1
Eat less. This is the core of any program for dieting to lose weight, but it’s also helpful to address a digestive disorder. Instead of big meals, eat several small meals or snack throughout the day. Distending the stomach is easy to do and hard to reverse, and the feeling of fullness contributes to lethargy, mental fogginess, and distress.
Protocol #2
Eat more fiber. Unless a client suffers from diverticulitis, in which tiny pouches form on the inside of the large intestine and become inflamed, encourage the addition of fiber in his or her diet. Today’s American diet of refined wheat flours, white breads, white rice, and frozen dinners with squashy vegetables preserved with sodium is a healthy eater’s nightmare. Refining flours removes not only the vitamin-rich germ, but also strips the grain of its natural fiber. Your gut depends on fiber to push the waste products through and to expel them properly. Improper amounts of fiber in the diet can lead to diarrhea or constipation. Nutrients are not absorbed and toxins are not expelled properly. Good sources of fiber include fresh, raw foods and whole grains, as well as legumes of all kinds (especially lentils and black beans), broccoli, raw apples, oats, barley, pumpkin, and garden squashes. Surprisingly, avocado tops the list of fiber-dense foods, providing 11 grams of fiber per medium avocado (compared to 4 grams of fiber per medium raw apple). Also, dried fruits such as figs, apricots, and dates are packed with fiber. Snack on these, or chop them up and include them in your breakfast cereal, whole grain bread recipes, green salads (their sweet flavors contrast nicely with tart vinegars), and in Indian and Thai dishes. Encourage clients to eat whole grain breads, rice, and even pastas and pastries—and to serve these with salsa, shredded cheese, baked sweet potatoes with the skins on, chopped avocado, a small amount of pork, turkey or beef, if desired, and a liberal sprinkling of Mexican oregano, cumin, chili powder, and paprika—for a total of a 1-cup meal.
Protocol # 3
Remove gas-forming foods from the diet if gas and bloating are a cause of concern. Many people experience gas (flatulence), bloating, burping, indigestion, and other symptoms that indicate a food sensitivity. Cabbage (or any member of the Brassica family), peanuts, orange juice, and beans are common causes, as is sugar in any form. Carbonated beverages are a common gas-causer, of course, and these include sodas, beer, and carbonated water. Other gas-forming foods include fried foods, rich dairy-based foods, and (unhelpfully) most of our best fiber-rich foods. Experiment with the fiber foods to determine if any need to be removed because of gas production, but don’t eliminate them altogether—fiber is essential for proper digestion. Pseudo foods are marketed as ingredients but are actually not natural and often cause gas. Avoid high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, partially hydrogenated oils, and monosodium glutamate. Stomach aches, nausea, headaches, skin rashes, blurry vision, and heart palpitations are symptoms of a possible food allergy that warrants immediate attention and possibly a trip to the emergency room. Common allergens include peanuts, wheat, dairy, strawberries, nuts of all kinds, seafood (especially shrimp and other shellfish), and eggs. These ingredients can appear in a number of seemingly innocent places. For instance, peanuts and peanut residue can appear in cookies, puddings, gravies, sauces, and even hot sauce and hot chocolate. Ethnic foods often contain peanuts—even egg rolls and salsa.
Protocol #4
Think immune-building. Strengthen both the digestive and immune systems by eating foods that stimulate positive immune response or that kill unwanted bacteria, viral infections, fungal infections, and parasites. Some foods empower the immune responses of the body to attack and remove these from the digestive tract and the blood. Immune building foods and herbs include garlic, ginger, hot spices, and spicy foods, lemon, limes, lemongrass, cinnamon, vitamin C–rich foods, such as rose hips, and colorful fruits and vegetables, such as peppers, chard, and kale. Avoid foods that do not actively build your immune system: sugar, yeast, pseudo-foods, such as hydrogenated oils, and refined or processed foods have no place in an immune-supportive diet. Practice an immune supportive diet even if you’re not sick, creating a proactive diet and food habit.
Protocols for Specific Digestive Issues
Following are protocols with guidance for addressing basic complaints.
Liver Health (Including Hepatitis and Jaundice)
Liver illness can be caused by a wide range of forces often outside our control. Stress on the liver can cause this important organ to fail in its vital functions, leading to symptoms in other areas of the body, such as the skin. We often fail to connect skin issues, or digestive issues, with liver stress, but if the liver can’t perform its job of excreting toxins through the kidneys, it will underperform, and other waste-removing organs, such as the skin, will compensate. This often results in eczema or psoriasis. Degenerative liver failure also presents with digestive symptoms.
Liver degenerative diseases such as cirrhosis primarily affect smokers, drinkers, those suffering with hepatitis, and those working in environmentally poor conditions (industries, factories, road crews, paint stores, etc.). Women with extreme hormonal imbalances must take extra good care of their livers since one of the functions of this essential organ is to remove excess metabolic waste (i.e., spent hormones) from the bloodstream. Those with a poor diet (excess sugars, refined carbohydrates) are taxing their livers unnecessarily with an onslaught of metabolic and food wastes.
Supporting liver health will result in stronger digestion, healthier skin, clearer thinking, and balanced hormones. Eat fiber-rich foods throughout the day but especially at night, so the digestive tract can process the food during sleep and expel the waste in the morning; eat bitters in the morning and early afternoon; nap during the afternoon if stress is a contributing factor to liver illness.
Tier 1 tonics for liver illnesses are nourishing; they are sustaining herbs that offer long-term wellness regardless of the symptoms and are free from damaging alkaloids that will further tax the liver. Tonics can address stress and nervous system or they can be hepatoprotective, directly supporting liver tissue regenesis. Tier 1 tonics include dandelion root, nettle, and lemon verbena (which is considered a specific in European Western herbalism).
Tier 2 Specifics include:
Tier 3 corollary herbs address headache, constipation, diarrhea, and/or suppressed immunity. Consider chamomile, turmeric, motherwort, as well as:
Tier 4 vehicle herbs include dandelion root and milk thistle.
Liver Health Formulas
A Formula for Hepatitis (as a tincture or capsule)
A Formula for Jaundice (in adults) (as a tea, tincture or capsule)
A Formula for Liver Support
Indigestion and Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome consists of various symptoms that have some definite cause, but the cause is (as yet) unknown and (usually) unlooked for. Doctors seldom pursue the cause and instead prescribe over-the-counter medications to soothe the lining of the stomach or digestive tract, leaving the diet and the cause of the symptoms up to the patient to figure out.
Stress and digestion go hand in hand; stress can impact how our bodies absorb food, and indigestion can cause pain and stress. Each worsens the other. Working to remove stress from daily life (and learning how to deal effectively with stress beyond our control) is essential and is fully half the protocol for dealing with indigestion or IBS; the other half is diet.
General indigestion should be addressed with basic, common sense methods such as eliminating foods individually from the diet, reducing the quantity of food eaten, and keeping a record of foods and drinks ingested. Adequate sleep, stress reduction, and positive outlook all have a healing impact on indigestion.
Many people find benefit in a diet reduction and recording process. All at once, remove all non-essential foods from the diet. This includes crackers, chips, junk food, coffee, alcohol, sweets, snacks, salad dressing, gravy, and other foods and beverages not truly needed for proper metabolism and nutrients. Keep them out of the diet for one full week, living solely on those essential foods such as rice, vegetables, and low-sugar fruits (such as apples and pears). Carefully record everything eaten—even the seasonings. After one week, slowly add one food or seasoning back into the diet and record any symptoms, including obvious digestive symptoms as well as not-so-obvious concerns such as headache, mood swings, swelling, fatigue, and poor concentration. (For nursing infants with colic symptoms, the mother should perform these changes in her diet.)
Carminative herbs can be very helpful here; these are the aromatic herbs such as fennel, dill, sage, lemon verbena, and chamomile that help smooth the digestive process. Demulcent herbs can also be effective here, especially licorice, oats milky tops, and slippery elm.
Indigestion and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Formulas
A Formula for Indigestion/Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Crohn’s Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Crohn’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) usually affect the intestines but may be present anywhere in the gastrointestinal area, including the rectum or the mouth. It is generally categorized as an autoimmune disease, meaning it appears to be the body’s response to a perceived antagonist or allergen. The body’s immune system overreacts by swelling, causing painful inflammation and poor nutrient absorption due to thickened intestinal wall lining. The most common symptoms include gastric and pelvic cramping, diarrhea, loss of appetite, fever, fatigue, and sometimes pain with passing stools.
Generally, people between the ages of fifteen and thirty-five are those who present with Crohn’s disease and IBD, suggesting a variety of theories (including dietary, genetics, and allergy—as opposed to aging and tissue breakdown). Often genetics are implicated, as those with a family history of Crohn’s are more likely to present, as well as people with Jewish heritage. Smokers are at a higher risk of presenting with IBD. Stress may also be a key factor, though it tends to be neglected in most conventional literature. Many doctors prescribe antibiotics, salicylates, and even corticosteroids to treat Crohn’s, but there are also proven (though not easy) dietary guidelines and herbs that can ease symptoms and make life more pleasant.
Since Crohn’s can affect a wide range of locations in the body, proper diagnosis and work with a health care practitioner are essential for balanced treatment. Symptoms can show up in the stomach, the rectum, on the anus, in the mouth, on the skin, and even on the eyes. Joint pain is common, as is fever and fatigue. Because these symptoms closely mirror Lyme disease, mononucleosis, and influenza, it is critical to get an accurate diagnosis.
The above protocols for smaller meals, healthy foods, and avoidance of dairy and fatty foods are useful here, as is reducing fiber if there is pain in passing stools. The swollen tubing of the digestive system may hamper proper movement of high-fiber foods, so minimizing the fiber in this case is justified. Also avoid foods that cause gas, as bloating and cramping are already common symptoms of this disease, as well as gluten-containing foods such as wheat breads.
Crohn’s sufferers must avoid inflammation-causing foods, such as dairy, wheat, eggs, nuts, spicy foods, fried foods, and fatty foods. Avoid refined sugars, but eat plenty of raw foods and foods high in beta carotene, including carrots, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes (yams). Limit deadly nightshade foods such as tomatoes, eggplants, and potatoes. And food additives contribute to inflammatory conditions; avoid aspartame, monosodium glutamate (MSG), trans-fats, carrageenan (often found in cheeses and non-dairy milk substitutes), waxes such as carnauba and candelilla wax, and emulsifiers and thickeners.
In addition to fennel, fenugreek, dill, and chamomile, other tier 2 Specifics include anti-inflammatories and carmatives:
Tier 3 corollary herbs include bitters, antispasmodics and demulcents:
Topically, applications of witch hazel, goldenseal, and plantain are useful for rectal bleeding and painful sores on the anus. Apply these with a cotton ball, or brew them into a tea and use a toilet or “sitz bath” tray (available at pharmacies), or infuse the herbs in oil and melt with beeswax to make a salve that is applied topically.
Crohn’s Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease Formulas
A Formula for Crohn’s Disease with Cramps
(as a tea, tincture, or capsule)
A Formula for Crohn’s Disease with Anal Fissures
(as a tea, tincture, or capsule)
Gastric and Peptic Ulcers
Ulcerations in the soft tissues of the gastrointestinal tract deserve attention and care; left alone, ulcers often heal themselves, but they can also get worse and cause tears and holes in the lining of the stomach or the duodenum. Ulcers appear to have two primary causes: stress and depression, which can contribute to an overproduction of stomach acids, and a pathogen called Helicobacter pylori, a bacterial infection present in patients with chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers, is a primary culprit. Scientists believe this bacteria, which may be a common resident in most healthy people’s bodies, is linked to duodenal ulcers and stomach cancer. Ulcers may also result from radiation therapy.
Symptoms of H. pylori infection include nausea and stomach pain, with severe cases showing bloating and vomiting. Other symptoms include a burning sensation in the abdomen, pain after eating, pain that may be relieved by drinking milk or milk products, belching, and poor appetite. Though physician-directed tests (including endoscopy and urease tests) are needed to accurately determine the presence of this pathogen, mild cases of infection and ulceration can be dealt with using herbs and diet. (NOTE: cholecystitis, or gall bladder disease, can present the following symptoms: jaundice, dark urine, rapid heartbeat, fever, chills, nausea, and specifically pain in the upper right abdomen. Other emergency issues present with symptoms such as sudden and severe sharp pain in the abdomen, vomiting blood or a substance resembling coffee grounds, and bloody stools. Seek immediate medical attention if you or your client demonstrates these symptoms.)
Stomach ulcers (gastric ulcers) appear in the mucosal lining of the stomach and often result from taking certain pharmaceutical drugs, such as aspirin or NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen). They are worsened with alcohol consumption.
Common solutions for the symptoms of ulcers include over-the-counter medications such as Pepto Bismal, or milk of magnesia, which is magnesium hydroxide. Antacids (such as Tums) are concentrations of calcium carbonate with other minerals and electrolytes. Magnesium hydroxide itself, because of its magnesium salts, sodium, and potassium, is considered an electrolyte, which may be part of its efficacy. Since it is also a strong laxative, Maalox is used as an antacid instead. Additionally, sodium bicarbonate (Alka-Seltzer) is a common conventional-medicine remedy for ulcers.
We are at an advantage because we have herbs that are digestively soothing (antacid), demulcent, and antibacterial. Tier 2 Specifics include:
For H. pylori induced ulcers (and also for infection of Candida albicans), include probiotics, such as yogurts and supplements containing concentrated amounts of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, in the diet. Eat fresh, unsweetened yogurt several times daily. Avoid alcohol, NSAIDS, fried foods, and trans fats such as hydrogenated oils.
Gastric and Peptic Ulcers Formulas
A Formula for Gastric Ulcer with Nausea
(as a tea, tincture, or capsule)
A Formula for Gastric Ulcer with Inflammation
(as a tea, tincture, or capsule)
Diverticulitis
Diverticulitis is the inflammation of the diverticuli, the small sacs that line the mucosa of the colon. While the presence of sacs is common, their swelling is not, and it will impede the passage of matter through the colon, irritate the colon lining, and cause pain, tenderness, and even fever. Since movement of matter is affected, constipation and diarrhea often result, one after the other. Causes include stress, lack of physical activity, and especially a low-fiber-highly-refined diet typical of Western countries. However, simply increasing fiber will not necessarily cure the problem—especially in the beginning of treatment, since the person is not accustomed to high fiber and its sudden appearance can trigger painful blockages in the digestive system. Generally, diverticulitis affects the aging population, as poorer digestive ability and movement occurs as people age.
Gradually increasing the amount of fiber in the diet is key, since a diet of highly refined foods causes diverticuli to swell. Begin not with over-the-counter fiber powders, but instead with foods high in soluble fiber, such as strawberries, celery, oats, lentils, apples, dried peas and beans, and psyllium or plantain seeds, a natural treat that can be enjoyed on most foods. After these gel forming–soluble fibers have been gradually introduced and accepted by the digestive system, begin introducing insoluble fibers that add bulk to the diet and help prevent constipation, such as wheat bran, corn bran, nuts, barley, green beans, dark leafy vegetables, raisins, brown rice, bulgur, and root vegetables with their skins.
Bacterial infection is a big risk with diverticulitis, since blockages naturally impede the movement of fecal matter. Antibiotics are routinely given to prevent or reverse bacterial infections, but antibiotics will not be the first method a holistic practitioner jumps to in cases of diverticulitis. Anti-inflammatory herbs, carminative herbs, antibacterial herbs, a high-fiber diet (increasing gradually), and a program of increasing physical activity and exercise support diverticulitis. The best tier 2 Specifics are:
Tier 3 corollary herbs are antispasmodic and nervine:
Carminative herbs such as chamomile, spearmint, dill, and fennel are also useful, since they stimulate proper digestion and act as nervine tonics (consider also lemon balm, skullcap, passionflower, if stress is high). If infection is present, consider mild antimicrobials such as yarrow (also a bitter and an astringent, so use it carefully), calendula, or peppermint. Ginger can be helpful if there is flatulence, or constipation.
Diverticulitis Formulas
A Formula for Diverticulitis with Gas
(as a tea, tincture, or capsule)
Symptoms Indicating Diseases
The previous section dealt with specific diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. This section introduces symptoms that are not diseases but indicators of a problem that needs addressing. It is vitally important to seek medical attention if normal herbal therapy does not ease the symptom in a reasonable period of time, since these symptoms can indicate more serious problems.
Gas and Bloating
Flatulence, or gas, is a painful and often embarrassing symptom that everyone experiences at some time or other. In infants, colic (gas and cramping) is generally assumed to be a condition of food intolerance, where the baby’s digestive system can’t readily digest a nutrient coming through the mother’s breast milk. Often, if the mother changes her diet, the problem disappears (cabbage, garlic, onions, and broccoli are common triggers). Mother’s can drink teas with carminative herbs such as anise, fennel, spearmint, or chamomile; the chemical components will be absorbed into the milk and passed on to the baby. Baby’s colic may also be caused by blockages or improper tissue development; if the baby’s symptoms do not improve or seem severe, consult a pediatrician.
Gas and bloating in children and adults can have a wide range of causes, including stress, anxiety, fear, drug use (prescription or otherwise), physical obstructions (seek emergency help immediately!), dietary intolerance or allergy, or lack of physical exercise and body movement. Carminative herbs are those that contain volatile oils that stimulate bile and gastric juice production and keep gas under control; these are the tier 2 herbs in most any formula for gas. Thanks to their essential oils, carminatives taste good and make pleasant teas. Consider chamomile, spearmint, peppermint, pennyroyal*, fennel, fenugreek, anise, licorice, ginger, dill, cinnamon*, cardamom, sage, thyme, lemon balm, hops, angelica, and wintergreen*. (* avoid in pregnancy)
Many carminative herbs are also anti-spasmodic, which can be helpful in reducing gas and cramping. Ginger and oregano are key here. Wild yam, valerian, and cramp bark are anti-inflammatory and reduce spasms in the gut.
Gas and Bloating Formulas
A Formula for Food-Triggered Gas
A Formula for Anxiety-Triggered Gas
A Formula for Pre-Menstrual Gas and Bloating
Diarrhea
A symptom and not a disease, diarrhea is the body’s method of removing pathogens including bacterial and viral irritants. Diarrhea’s primary threat is the loss of water and, as a result, the loss of electrolytes. Children and the elderly are the most at-risk, while travelers often experience diarrhea as a result of consuming foreign pathogens through water consumption.
Regardless of the cause, herbal treatment involves astringent herbs. Mild astringent herbs are often sufficient for stabilizing the person enough so that fluids and electrolytes can be taken by mouth without loss.
Mild astringents
Medium astringents
Strong astringents
Strong astringents should be used with caution and only in extreme situations.
Dysentery is an acute infection of the bowels after contamination with virulent pathogens via the mouth; called the Flux in antiquity, it results in severe diarrhea which is frequent, bloody, marked by spasms, and lasts for several days. The Flux has, throughout history, been a primary killer, taking the lives of men, women, children, travelers, and soldiers. More than 80,000 Union soldiers died of dysentery during the four years of America’s Civil War. Dysentery requires immediate medical attention and treatment to kill the parasite and replace lost electrolytes.
Diarrhea Formulas
A Formula for Diarrhea (as a tea)
Another Formula for Diarrhea (as a tea)
Constipation
Another symptom (not a disease itself), constipation is the loss of movement in the bowels, resulting in blockages, cramps, bloating, and sometimes fever. Bacterial infection is also a common side effect and can be dealt with using antibacterial herbs.
Constipation has a wide range of causes: stress can cause constipation, since we naturally tend to “tighten” when we are anxious or worried. Other causes include dehydration, poor nutrition, lack of probiotics, fear (question whether the person is uncomfortable in his/her surroundings or is experiencing a threat), diverticulitis, physical obstruction (seek immediate emergency attention), or too much fiber.
Constipation can often be regulated with diet and with herbs. If the person is normally experiencing bouts of constipation without fever or other problems, the use of herbs may be beneficial in “reprogramming” the bowels and gastric organs to perform normally.
Demulcent herbs are useful here: slippery elm, oats milky tops, and mallow. Anti-spasmodic herbs include cramp bark, ginger, and turmeric. “Wet” herbs that are slick and juicy and speed the flow of fluids through the digestive system can also help with constipation: nettle, dandelion, and aloe vera.
Constipation Formulas
A Formula for Constipation (as a tea)
Nourishing the digestive system and relieving symptoms of digestive disorders can be accomplished using herbs, common sense, compassion, and proper diet. Don’t be afraid to try new herbs, or in new combinations, as each person is different, has unique needs, and responds to herbal medicines differently.