KEYS TO OPTIMUM DIGESTION

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KEYS TO OPTIMUM DIGESTION

 

Digestion is key to a healthy life for it is through the process of

digestion that our bodies absorb those nutrients that sustain our

lives.

 

Yet too many people suffer from indigestion because of sedentary

lifestyles, shallow breathing, eating too many depleted and

processed foods or uncomplimentary food combinations, or eating on

the go.

 

To many of us, when the digestive process doesn't work right, it is

a nuisance at best: we feel sluggish, tired and moody, until the

problem becomes serious.

 

Without proper digestion, the body cannot maintain adequate

nutrition for its cells, or properly eliminate and detoxify.

 

Undigested or reabsorbed food molecules can cause irritation in the

intestines, weaken the immune system and stimulate allergic

responses.

 

Fortunately, there are herbal remedies which help prevent heartburn,

and those that stimulate bile flow. You can also choose from enzymes

which help break down food and herbal formulations rich in fiber

which help clear and detoxify the bowels. If improving your

digestion is the last thing on your 'to do' list, think again, and

read on.

 

 

 

THE BENEFITS OF BITTER HERBS

Herbal Medicine Research Report: Volume 2 No. 2

1999

 

 

Suzanne Diamond, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Botany)

 

Herbs traditionally used as 'bitters', such as dandelion leaves and

root, artichoke leaves and flowers, milk thistle seed, Belgian

endive, or chicory and wild lettuce, act to cleanse and rejuvenate

the liver and stimulate bile flow for flushing the gallbladder and

liver.

 

Our ancestors knew the importance of regularly using a 'bitter', but

modern society has forgotten this - and cultivated lettuce has been

bred to remove all the bitterness.

 

When 'bitters' are tasted in the mouth, they stimulate the body to

secrete saliva and bile and this aids digestion tremendously and

reduces the likelihood of gallstone formation.

 

Because bile breaks down fats and bitters stimulate the conversion

of cholesterol into bile acids and increase bile solubility, the

more bitters in the diet, the more bile the body produces and the

faster fat digestion works, cutting cholesterol naturally.

 

Clinical trials done on artichoke leaf juice and extract for

lowering cholesterol have shown dramatic results within only 6-12

weeks. Several conventional cholesterol-lowering drugs are based on

bile acid metabolism.

 

Bitters also stimulate appetite while at the same time cleansing the

body of poisons and toxins and relieving a common condition known as

liver congestion, associated with poor eyesight, skin problems and

many other diseases.

 

Bitters can immediately improve the health of many individuals whose

diet, high in animal products and sugar, is far too acidified and

whose systems are clogged with bad fats.

 

Our society's current diet focusses on sweet, sour and salty and has

neglected the very important bitter or alkaline compounds.

 

This fact is recognized by all long-standing, traditional schools of

medicine such as those from Europe, China and India. Bitters also

strengthen and tone and are great for spring cleaning the liver, the

body's filtration system.

 

One example of a traditionally used bitter is Blessed Thistle. The

following paragraphs describe this wonderful bitter that was used by

our ancestors.

 

Blessed Thistle (Cnicus benedictus L.)

 

Composition

The primary active ingredient of blessed thistle is a bitter tasting

compound called cnicin, a sesquiterpene lactone. The seed contains

several lignans that are phytoestrogen precursors for the key

mammalian lignans: enterolactone and enterodiol which are present in

humans and animals1. Cnicin aids digestion and has considerable

antitumor, cytotoxic, antimicrobial and phytotoxic activity2,3.

 

Mechanism of action

1) Choleretic and hypolipidemic action: Through its bitter

properties, blessed thistle increases the flow of gastric juices

relieving dyspepsia, indigestion and headaches associated with liver

congestion4.

 

British and German Pharmacopoeias recognize that 'bitters',

including blessed thistle, stimulate bile flow and cleanse the

liver.

 

Bitter compounds and commercial anti-cholesterolemic drugs such as

cholestyramine and colestipol promote bile acid excretion and

conversion of cholesterol to bile acids5.

 

In Europe " bitter vegetable drugs " are considered medicinal agents

and used to stimulate appetite, aid digestion, and promote health6.

Studies confirm that bitters increase gastric juice and bile acid

secretions by increasing the flow of saliva through stimulation of

specific receptors on the mucous membrane lining of the mouth7.

 

2) Tonifying: Traditionally in most countries, including England,

Germany, Russia, China, India and Africa, bitters are used to

strengthen and tonify the body8.

 

Certain bitter compounds found in the leaves, stems and barks of

many plants such as the oligomeric proanthocyanidins concentrated in

pine bark and grape seed, have been shown to improve blood

circulation by binding to the membranes of blood vessels and

capillaries, repairing collagen and elastin and preventing their

degradation by enzymes and free radicals, thereby strengthening the

vascular system9.

 

3) Antibiotic activity: Blessed thistle extracts have anti-bacterial

activity. Research on blessed thistle herb has demonstrated

antibiotic properties for: 1) cnicin10, 2) the essential oil which

includes n-paraffin (C-9 - C-13), aromatic aldehydes

(cinnamaldehyde, benzaldehyde, cuminaldehyde) and monoterpenes

(citronellol, fenchone, p-cymene and others), and 3) the

polyacetylenes contained in the herb.

The essential oil has bacteriostatic action against Staphylococcus

aureus, S. faecalis, but not E. coli.

 

 

References:

 

1. Stitch etal. Occurrence of lignans, enterolactone and enterodiol

in man and animal species. Nature. 1980; 287: 238.

 

2. Duke J; Handbook of Biologically Active Phytochemicals and their

Activities. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press; 1991: 32.

 

3. Rodriguez etal. Biological activities of sesquiterpene lactones.

Phytochemistry. 1976; 15: 1573-1580.

 

4. Bradley PRe; British Herbal Compendium. Volume 1, A handbook of

scientific information on widely used plant drugs. Holy Thistle.

Bournemouth, Dorset: British Herbal Medicine Association; 1992.

 

5. Hardman eae; Goodman and Gilmans " The Pharmacological Basis of

Therapeutics. 9th ed. McGraw-Hill Health Professions Division; 1996.

 

6. Weiss RF; Herbal Medicine. Translated from the 6th German edition

of Lehrbuch der Phytotherapie by A.R. Meuss, FIL, MITI.

Beaconsfield, Bucks, England: Beaconsfield Publishers, Ltd.; 1988.

 

7. Schneider G, Lachner I. A contribution to analytics and

pharmacology of cnicin. Planta Medica. 1987; 53: 247.

 

8. European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy; Wormwood,

Dandelion, Gentian. Execter, U.K.: ESCOP Secretariat Argyle House;

1997.

 

9. Facino ea. Free radical scavenging action and anti-enzyme

activities of procyanidines from Vitis vinifera. Arzneim-Foprusch.

Drug Res. 1994; 44: 592-601.

 

10. Vanhaelen-Fastre R, Vanhaelen M. Antibiotic and cytotoxic

activity of cnicin and of its hydrolysis products. Chemical

structure - biological activity relationship. Planta Medica. 1976;

29: 179-189.

 

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_________________

JoAnn Guest

mrsjoguest

DietaryTipsForHBP

http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest