Stomach acid was-- Calcium Carbonate and acid rebound

[Guest guest]

Some of the Most important herbs used for acid reflux are:

 

mu li (oyster shell)

hai piao xiao (cuttlefish bone) (calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate)

hai ge fen (clam shell) (calcium carbonate)

wa leng zi (ark shell) (calcium carbonate)

shi jue ming (abalone shell) (calcium carbonate)

 

aren't these alkaline agents? containing calcium carbonate just like TUMS

and Rolaids.

Wu zhu yu, huang lian and also reduce stomach acidity

 

Interestingly, there's the idea of rebound acidity,

which can occur with calcium-carbonate antacids that stimulate the release

of gastrin...

 

This makes me wonder if the first group of herbs are palliative agents only,

not getting at the root.

 

* " Antacids*

 

Despite the development of potent medications for the treatment of GERD,

antacids remain a mainstay of treatment. Antacids neutralize the acid in the

stomach so that there is no acid to reflux. The problem with antacids is

that their action is brief. They are emptied from the empty stomach quickly,

in less than an hour, and the acid then re–accumulates. The best way to take

antacids, therefore, is approximately one hour after meals or just before

the symptoms of reflux begin after a meal. Since the food from meals slows

the emptying from the stomach, an antacid taken after a meal stays in the

stomach longer and is effective longer. For the same reason, a second dose

of antacids approximately two hours after a meal takes advantage of the

continuing post–meal slower emptying of the stomach and replenishes the

acid–neutralizing capacity within the stomach.

 

Antacids may be aluminum, magnesium, or calcium based. Calcium–based

antacids (usually calcium

carbonate<http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=22062>),

unlike other antacids, stimulate the release of gastrin from the stomach and

duodenum. Gastrin is the hormone that is primarily responsible for the

stimulation of acid secretion by the stomach. Therefore, the secretion of

acid rebounds after the direct acid–neutralizing effect of the calcium

carbonate is exhausted. The rebound is due to the release of gastrin, which

results in an overproduction of acid. Theoretically at least, this increased

acid is not good for GERD.

 

Acid rebound, however, has not been shown to be clinically important. That

is, treatment with calcium carbonate has not been shown to be less effective

or safe than treatment with antacids not containing calcium carbonate.

Nevertheless, the phenomenon of acid rebound is theoretically harmful. In

practice, therefore, calcium–containing antacids such as Tums and Rolaids

are not recommended. The occasional use of these calcium

carbonate–containing antacids, however, is not believed to be harmful. The

advantages of calcium carbonate–containing antacids are their low cost , the

calcium they add to the diet, and their convenience as compared to liquids. "

 

http://www.medicinenet.com/gastroesophageal_reflux_disease_gerd/page6.htm

K.

 

 

 

On Feb 18, 2008 4:48 AM, Nina Zhao-Seiler <ninaseiler wrote:

 

> Hello All,

>

> the use of the terms acid-alkaline regarding the use of umeboshi

> plums is probably not as old as the use of the dried and pickled ume

> plums themselves. As far as I know it was first used by the

> macrobiotic-pioneers Ohashi, Aihara and others. I wonder how they

> where classified traditionally before. What I know is, that the plum

> itself is the same species as the one used to produce Wumei. They are

> both picked in unripe stage, for Wumei they are then slowly roasted

> till black, for Umeboshi they are sundried and pickled together with

> Perilla leaf/Zi su ye.

>

> Nina Zhao-Seiler

> Praxis für Traditionelle Chinesische Medizin

> Wilfriedstrasse 8

> CH-8032 Zürich

> Tel: +41 44 251 1331

> Fax: +41 43 243 6990

> ninaseiler <ninaseiler%40gmx.ch>

> www.tcmherbs.org

>

>

>