A walk in the forest finding herbs with an affinity for the urinary system

We had a fabulous hike in the woods today and I saw so many beautiful flowers that just happen to be medicinal as well.

After getting home and reviewing the photos I was amazed of how many plants I saw that are commonly used for the urinary system. And so a theme (and motivation) for a blog post was born: A look at the forest’s offering of herbs commonly used for the urinary system.

First up is Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata) in the heath family. (I just love the heath family with their beautiful earn-shaped flowers.)


Pipsissewa is astringent, anti-septic and a diuretic making it useful in cases of urinary tract infections and cystitis. Like all of the plants we are exploring today it has cooling and drying tendencies.



I took a lot of photos of Pipsissewa because it was so alluring.








I was surprised to find this flowering patch of Cleavers (Galium aparine) in the deep forest.






We had reached an area closer to a creek that was moist – just the way cleavers likes it.

Like most herbs used for the urinary system, cleavers is cooling and drying. It is a relaxing diuretic, supports lymph flow and is also quite nutritious. Sharol Tilgner says that cleavers has been shown to reduce stones and fibrocystic tissue.

I like using cleavers when they are fresh rather than as a dried herb. I was recently shown a great way of "juicing" cleavers by adding a large amount to a blender along with a little water and then blending on high. After straining off the plant material you are left with a deep green juice that is so fresh and cooling.


A few weeks ago while cooling off by a steam I bumped into American Speedwell or Veronica americana. This is a close relative, Alpine Speedwell which may or may not have been used in the same manner. (Anyone know how about different Veronica spp.?)


I couldn't find any specific listings of Veronica spp. being used for the urinary system, however because they are both astringent and diuretic it could be a possible choice for urinary tract infections.











What would a listing of plants for the urinary system be without Uva Ursi (Arctostaphylos uva ursi)? Uva ursi is hands-down my first choice for urinary tract infections.

Uva ursi is quite astringent (try popping a leaf in your mouth and record how quickly you no longer have saliva) and is also a diuretic.

It's not for everyone however. It can upset stomachs and is no longer recommended during pregnancy. Whenever I use uva ursi I like to blend it with more soothing and mucilagenous herbs like marshmallow root.

I harvest the leathery leaves in the fall which is when the leaves are said to have the highest levels of arbutin. Whether or not you are into fancy chemical constituents you can easily observe this yourself by comparing how the spring leaves compare to the fall leaves, or even the new growth to the old growth.

This certainly isn't an all encompassing look at materia medica for the urinary system, but it was so fascinating to me to find such a grouping in one area. I didn't take photos, but yarrow, is another abundant plant I saw on the walk that I also use extensively for UTIs. I recently did an anatomy and physiology article of the urinary system, so I will post that soon along with a longer piece I've been working on for UTIs.

Blog Party! Summer Weeds

Yay to Darcey for getting the blog parties rolling again. You can see the whole listing at her wonderful blog:
http://desertmedicinewoman.blogspot.com/

Yellow Dock (Rumex crispus)

I love to love yellow dock.

This pesky weed that is despised by so many offers us so many uses whether it be nutritious food, potent medicine, or even beauty in the way of a brilliant yellow dye or a unique flower arrangement.

Leaves as food and Medicine:
Yellow dock grows all over the United States. It is in the buckwheat, or Polygonaceae family along with rhubarb and sheep’s sorrel. Where I live in the Northeastern Cascades of Washington State, yellow dock leaves are some of the first to appear in the spring. I’ve even seen them growing right out of the shallow snow in the late winter/early spring.

The young leaves are a wonderful spring green. You can eat small amounts raw in salads, or cook them in soups or quiche. Because the leaves contain oxalic acids it’s best not to overeat them raw, and avoid them completely if you have a history of oxalate kidney stones. The leaves are slightly sour when young, becoming increasingly so as they get older.

The cooling and astringent leaves can be used topically to reduce swelling from irritations. I’ve used them on cold sores with varying results as well as stinging nettle rashes with better results.

Yellow Dock Frittata:
This breakfast can be made with any wild greens, but yellow dock gives it a nice lemony taste.

1 cup yellow dock leaves, steamed and well drained
6 eggs
2 Tbsp. Raw cream
salt and pepper to taste
1 medium potato
½ minced onion or leek
2 tbsp. butter
1 cup grated goat cheese
1 tsp. dried basil
1 T mustard

Peel and finely chop the potato. Sauté onion in butter until tender in a cast iron skillet. Add the potato and sauté for about 5 minutes. Whisk eggs, cream, basil, cheese, mustard, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Add the yellow dock greens.

Preheat the broiler in your over.
Add the egg mixture on top of the potatoes and onions. Cook on low heat on the stove top for about 10 minutes until the bottom of frittata is set, but top is still runny.

Put skillet under the broiler for about five minutes or until the top portion is nicely browned.


Seeds as food and decoration:
During the spring and summer, long green flower stalks spring up from among the leaves. By June they are fully formed and by July or August they are abundant rust colored seeds. These are easily recognized in fields and growing alongside the roads. They seem to beckon me each year to harvest the bounty.

To harvest the seeds I cut down the seed stalks and place them in a paper bag. I then keep this bag on its side and leave it outside overnight. You’d be amazed at all the creatures that make their home in the yellow docks seeds. I encourage them to leave peaceably in this way.

The next day I pick through the seeds removing any debris and old leaves. These seeds can then be ground with a mortar and pestle or in food processor.

Why go to all this trouble you ask? Why dock seed crackers of course. My mentor Karen Sherwood taught me this recipe and years later it’s still a favorite in our house.

Dock Seed Crackers:
Ingredients:
one cup of dock seed flour
one teaspoon of salt
and one cup flour of your choice. (My favorites are whole-wheat pastry flour and rye flour.)

1. Mix in enough water to make pliable, but not sticky dough.
2. On a well-floured surface, roll dough as thin as possible. Cut into desired shapes or transfer it whole to a well-oiled cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 10 -12 minutes at 350 or until crisp.
4. I love these hearty crackers with goat cheese.

The flower stalks also make a fabulous addition to flower arrangements. You can use them when they are green, or later when they are fully mature. I’ve seen them placed with other flowers or even as decoration on their own.

Roots as medicine, dye and fairy tables:
The root is the most commonly used portion of yellow dock. I harvest the roots in the late summer and early fall. They like to grow in hard rocky soil. (Or maybe we just have an abundance of hard rocky soil and it happens to grow there.) In either case I have found that a digging stick is oftentimes more helpful than a shovel in getting the roots up.

The root is a long taproot that has a brown outer covering. Underneath this brown sheath is a brilliant yellow that will knock your socks off. It’s no surprised that this was traditionally used as a dye. When you slice the root you will find growth rings similar to a tree. By counting the rings you’ll discover how old the plant is.

These brilliant yellow slices with beautiful rings rippling out make fabulous fairy furniture. You can create your own designs with a young friend. Although the color will fade as they dry, these slices can also be used as temporarily colorful earrings and necklaces.

Yellow dock root is bitter, astringent and cooling making it a great choice for clearing liver heat with signs of slow digestion that can include a lump or heavy feeling in the abdominals along with constipation. Generally described as an alterative, yellow dock (as are most alteratives) is indicated for clearing damp heat conditions.

Yellow dock root contains small amounts of anthraquinone glycosides, that are believed to stimulate the bowels as a laxative. Also being a bitter herb it helps to stimulate various digestive juices which in turn stimulates the peristaltic action of the bowels. Whether yellow dock acts directly on the bowels, or supports healthy digestion through its bitter properties, the result is a gentle effect to clear food stagnation and get those bowels moving.

It is also appropriate for damp heat signs in the blood that surface on the skin such as oozy, wet, red (hot), irritated rashes. I’ve read several accounts of it being used topically as a wash for ringworm.

It is commonly thought that yellow dock contains high amounts of iron and is frequently used for anemia especially anemia associated with pregnancy. There is a growing consensus however, that yellow dock does not actually contain large amounts of iron, but rather it helps the body to better utilize iron. When we view yellow dock in this fashion it makes sense to combine it with nettle leaf or to make a concoction of the root with an equal part of black strap molasses added.

Rich in minerals yellow dock infuses well in apple cider vinegar. This can be used as a base for salad dressings, or simply taken before meals to aid digestion. Additionally it can be taken to relieve food stagnation and constipation following a meal.

Besides vinegar and water, yellow dock root can also be extracted in alcohol. This year I hope to infuse the root in honey.

Although I have no experience with this myself, it’s worth noting that historically yellow dock salve was used externally on tumors.

Last fall I made a video about harvesting yellow dock root and then infusing it in vinegar. You can watch this at www.herbmentor.com.

I love to love yellow dock. It is abundant, easy to harvest, and has such a rich history of use for practically every portion of the plant.

Morels and two beauties in the Figwort family

We headed out to the forest today to gather morel mushrooms. My husband brought home a decent amount, but my luck was more in the plant kingdom. It was a hot and dusty day and I headed down to a creek to cool off and found some monkey flower and American speedwell (Veronica americana). Both of them are in the Figwort family, both like to live near streams, and neither of which I had seen in the wild before.










Monkey flower became a dear friend of mine this winter while I was, in technical terms, freaking out about our steep, curvy, icy driveway that I was sure to plummet over the edge of every time I needed to leave our cabin.

Kiva, an herbalist living in the wilderness of New Mexico has the following to say about Monkey flower: (excerpted from her fabulous post on nervine differentials)

Monkeyflower (Mimulus spp.) - Neutral, moist - Flowering tops - Sweet

For sadness and stress accompanied by a sense of joylessness and lack of wonder. A true sunshine remedy that brightens the spirits and can alleviate mild to moderate depression. It has also proven helpful for when someone is wound up on stimulants of any kind, to bring them back to earth from a hyped up, strung out place. Likewise, it can very useful when someone is hysterical to the point of being paranoid, unreasonable and frantic. It won’t sedate them into a stoned out kind of place, merely bring them back to the present moment and solid ground. I’ve also seen it help alleviate chronic insomnia with restlessness and frequent waking.

I am less familiar with American Speedwell or Veronica americana. Another figwort this has opposite leaves and blue flowers with four irregular petals and two stamens. (Most figworts have four stamens).

It's a tasty potherb and is also used as a diuretic, astringent and expectorant for unproductive coughs.

And lastly here are some beautiful morels. You can read more about our adventures on the blog my husband Xavier is overseeing at: http://fourseasonsprehistoricprojects.blogspot.com/

Announcing new Blog and Website: Four Seasons Prehistoric Projects

There are a lot of primitive skills schools blooming in the United States right now and to that I say "hallelujah".

I have spent years studying the skills and I even worked at a primitive school for several years - the skills were what first interested me in studying herbalism.

And it is with all of this experience that I can say that Lynx Vilden's school of Four Season Prehistoric Projects is the most comprehensive and in-depth school that exists within the US if not the world. What makes Lynx's school different from the rest is that she doesn't practice the skills in her free time or on the weekends, rather it is her way of life. Lynx constantly amazes me in her ability to push her own limits in re-discovering the ancient way of life.

Her classes are fun and approachable whether you are new to the skills or have been practicing for years.


At other schools you would spend thousands and thousands of dollars to learn hypothetical theory. Lynx teaches from 20 years of experience for the best price offered in the primitive skills arena.


It is with this enthusiasm that I am highlighting her new website and blog. Join Lynx and the students as they prepare for an entire month living in a stone age technology.

Please pass on to other primitive skills enthusiasts!

Visit her blog at:
http://fourseasonsprehistoricprojects.blogspot.com/

From the homepage of her new website:

http://sites.google.com/site/fourseasonsprehistoricprojects/

Welcome to Four Seasons Prehistoric Projects!

We strive to "live" in the wilderness, rather than "survive" it to get back to civilization.

At Four Seasons Prehistoric Projects we aim to live sustainably and in harmony with the Earth. We believe that this is best achieved not by desperately waiting for new technologies to emerge but by embracing the knowledge and wisdom of our ancestors who lived that way for many thousands of years.

Therefore, our programs focus on re-kindling and applying the practical skills based on ancient knowledge, experiencing the inter-dependency necessary in community living, and nurturing an appreciation for the Earth as a living organism.

We do this through intensive hands-on wilderness living skills training, teaching people how to harvest and transform the gifts of nature for everyday needs such as tools, fire, shelter, food.... in a conscientious and sustainable manner, as the ancients did.

The skills we have to offer include:

wild edible and medicinal plants (food to sustain and nourish us)
large animal processing (including honoring the animals by using all parts)
structure building
bow and arrow making
hunting and trapping methods
hide tanning
clothing and moccasin making
stone and bone tools
horse packing
basketry and containers

Our goal is to be able to live sustainably at a primitive (i.e., simple) level of technology year long.

We dream of a village of people sharing our lives in the arms of our generous and abundant Mother Earth. To reach this goal, we are constantly learning ancestral ways and teaching others who share similar aspirations in week-long intensive classes culminating in immersion projects lasting several months in which we live completely sustainably at a stone-age level of technology.

Right now we are leading month-long primitive-living experiments and we will keep on increasing the length of these experiences until we reach our ultimate goal.

We hope you will join us in this amazing adventure.

Relishing in the abundance of the forest: Arnica

I made it home from my month-long trip to California just in time to see the arnica blooming on the forest floor outside of my home. Today I was able to grab my gathering basket for a little stroll along the arnica paths to harvest some for liniment and oil. I also did a video for Herbmentor that should be up soon.

Arnica has many different species, and I don’t try to differentiate between them. It is a member of the Compositae family and when it goes to seed, it looks much like dandelion.

They have rhizomatic, roots which helps them to spread out in such dense patches. The leaves can be heart shaped, or sometimes are a thinner lance shape. The stems and leaves of this particular arnica are hairy, but I’ve read they can also be smooth. They can have 2-4 pairs of opposite leaves on the stem, with another pair of leaves at the base of the plant.

Arnica is hands down my choice for traumatic injuries such as bruising, sprains, strains, and even the trauma of broken bones. It is a magical plant that quickly clears blood stagnation, reduces swelling, and thereby decreases pain and increases healing time. It does this by dilating blood capillaries to increase blood flow to and from injuries.

It’s also great for achy muscles that have been overworked, or are chronically sore. Again, because it opens up circulation to an area and reduces inflammation it can also be used for arthritis (especially osteoarthritis) and bursitis.

Because arnica is a topical irritant, it works best on closed wounds, so if I have an injury with bruising and a cut or scrape I reach for something else. I’ve never had this happen to myself, but some people have reported a rash with extended use.

Most herbalists agree that arnica could be used internally, but only with A LOT of caution. Side effects include cardiac arrest and internal bleeding. Michael Moore, in his book, Medicine Plants of the Pacific West, has interesting notes about using it for sore throats, and other internal uses. Of course it is often used internally in homeopathic doses.

Arnica is ready to harvest when it is in full bloom, and looking vibrant. To harvest arnica I use a pair of scissors to clip the stem a couple of inches above the forest floor leaving a pair of leaves intact. I like harvesting arnica without gloves smelling the rich scent of arnica on my hands. It's smell is not unlike the sap of the pine trees which is where it likes to grow.

Arnica rhizomes help to aerate the soil, so I walk along the edge of arnica patches clipping a plant here and there to add to my basket. Also, because they can help reduce soil erosion I harvest arnica on flat surfaces, rather than hillsides.

Today I’ll be making both a liniment and oil. The liniment (an alcohol extraction) I made shortly after harvesting, but I let the arnica wilt a bit longer before infusing them in oil.

Arnica can easily be spoiled in oil, so I really baby this one by stirring every day, leaving a cloth lid on for about a week, and being extra sure there is no plant material above the surface of the oil. (Good tips for whenever you are making infused oils from fresh material.)

I often combine arnica with other plants in my salves, but I also like it as a simple with some lavender essential oil.

Further reading:

Medicine Plants of the Pacific West, Michael Moore
From Earth to Herbalist, Gregory Tilford

Everything I know about the dreaded Cold Sore

Cold sores are an outbreak of the herpes virus. The sore begins with a hint of a tingle or itchiness and, if not treated, will turn into a painful blister that usually takes about a week to heal. This virus strikes after prolonged exposure to the sun, or a dip in the immune system at times of stress or sickness. I used to get cold sores more often, and now, only seem to get them when sick. They are the first thing that I started treating herbally years ago and I have found several effective ways of dealing with them. If you are hoping to stop a cold sore from erupting, the trick is to treat it aggressively, both liberally and frequently at the very first tingling. Once the cold sore breaks the surface, the best you can do is treat the pain, although steadily taking anti-viral and immune supporting herbs may shorten the duration of the outbreak.

I contacted cold sores when I was 16 and was so horrified I didn't go to school for a week until my lips were back to normal. At that time I really struggled emotionally with having the herpes virus. Although I certainly don't relish getting cold sores now, I have come to recognize them as a teacher of sorts. If I am getting too stressed, run down, anxious, etc., then my teacher the cold sore will pop up to remind me to take better care of myself. So besides the herbs listed below, proper rest, nutritious food, and calm state of mind can all be helpful in preventing cold sores and helping them to heal more quickly.

Because of their highly contagious nature, proper hygiene is crucial when dealing with an outbreak. Washing your hands after touching the cold sore is important as is refraining from wiping the area with any towel or cloth that will be re-used. A friend of mine told me she chewed on her thumb cuticle while she had an outbreak and her thumb started having outbreaks as well. Another friend contracted the virus into her eye. Obviously not kissing anyone, or placing the cold sore on any other place of the body is good practice as well.

St. John’s Wort Oil or Tincture (Hypericum perforatum)
I apply this oil or tincture topically and take the tincture internally at the first sign of a cold sore. St. John’s Wort has strong anti-viral properties that go straight to where the virus hangs out, in the nerve endings. This is probably my most tried and tested way of preventing outbreaks. St. John’s Wort has the potential to interfere with prescription medications and may cause photosensitivity in some individuals, so this is an herb that you should know well before ingesting.

Tea Tree Oil
This potent oil can be a little too much on the lips, so I like to dilute it in olive oil (or some other carrier oil), or I add tree tea oil to the St. John’s Wort Oil and apply them together with a Q-tip.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Herbalist Jill Stansbury says the tannins in lemon balm are what make it effective against the virus, so a water extract as a tea or infusion is best for use against cold sores. Herbalist Heather Nic an Fleishdier reports having completely gotten rid of the herpes virus from her body by taking daily infusions of lemon balm and St. John’s Wort.

Amino Acids:
Although not an herbal remedy, taking lysine pills at the beginning of a cold sore can stop the outbreak altogether. I take as many as 4,000 mcg at the first tingle of a cold sore, and continue with 2,000 mcg every hour. Trust me, you'll get nauseas if you take too much. Conversely avoiding foods high in arginine can be helpful during an outbreak or to prevent an outbreak. (A listing of foods with a lysine arginine ration can be found here.)

Tulsi (or Holy Basil):
Highly regarded in India, this potent plant related to basil is considered by many as a cure all wonder. Among its many attributes, are anti-viral properties. A warm cup of tea or a dropperful of tincture made from the fresh plant can stop or shorten the duration of a cold sore. Taken over time Tulsi also has the ability to help your body deal with stress better (adaptogenic). Large amounts of Tulsi should not be taken when pregnant.

Hyssop (Hyssop officinalis)
I used to think of hyssop as a “coughing” remedy and have only recently begun using the tea or tincture for cold sores. It tastes great and is very effective.

Elderberry (Sambucus spp. - blue berried varieties)
In the past year I have used elderberry tincture for cold sores a couple of times with mixed results. One thing is for sure it's easy to get this medicine down the trap.

Garlic (Allium sativum)
I haven't tried this myself but have heard from several people that place a raw slice of garlic on the site of the cold sore (again at the first sign of tingling), will help keep it from erupting.



Once the cold sore has erupted there are a few things that can help it to heal more quickly and reduce pain.

Ice
Sometimes I get monster cold sore outbreaks where my lip swells enormously and is so painful I can barely eat. Ice is certainly my friend. It dulls the pain and decreases the swelling.

Herbal bandaid
One time I had such an oozy outbreak that I wanted some kind of bandaid on the sore. I started experimenting with different herbal powders.

Mix together some variation of:
Powdered rose petals, powdered licorice root, powdered hyssop, and powdered lemon balm with kaolin clay. Mix it with a little water and a little St. John's Wort oil. You can also add tea tree oil or lavender EO to the mix. It should form a sticky clay like mixture that will stick to the desired area.

This is especially nice for night time application.

Lip Balm
For applications on the go I've made several variation of a cold sore care lip balm. My favorite herbs to use are St. John's Wort, Lemon Balm, and Hyssop with tea tree oil in an olive oil, coconut oil, and beeswax base.

The Digestive System: An Herbalist's Perspective

Here's an article I wrote for www.herbmentor.com as part of a new anatomy and physiology section. This series of articles were written for someone new to A&P and are meant to give a general understanding of how these different systems work and are not necessarily all encompassing. There is a suggested reading list located at the end of the article for those of you interested in pursuing these topics more in-depth.

Why is digestion important?

Unless something goes wrong it’s easy to stop thinking about the food that goes into your mouth until it comes out the other end, hopefully 12 – 24 hours later. Digestion is largely involuntary, meaning that, after you’ve done the conscious act of chewing and swallowing, your amazingly intelligent body takes over.

We can’t necessarily say that one system of the body is more important than the other, as we need all of them to operate optimally. However, special props can be given to the digestive system. In this set of organs, mucosa, secretions, and nerves lies the ability to turn nutritious food, which is completely unusable in its whole form, to molecules tiny enough for the body to assimilate and use for various functions. I’ll say it here, and probably a 100 more times before I am done with this series, the body is absolutely amazing.

Herbalist, Michael Tierra, says that in the Ayurvedic system, digestion is the key to overall health. He continues further to say that, in Traditional Chinese Medicine, disease is said to begin in the stomach.

As important as the digestive functions are, herbalist David Winston reports that up to 2/3 of his clientele show signs of impaired digestion. You can probably imagine that if a body is not digesting food properly then it’s not getting the essential nutrients the whole body needs for vibrant health throughout the whole body. But before we explore sluggish systems and various pathologies in the digestive system let’s expand on how exactly it works.

The Digestive Process (Or A Day in the Life of Your Food)

As stated above, the digestive process starts with the voluntary action of the intake, chewing, and swallowing of food. Normally your salivary glands produce just enough saliva to keep your mouth moist, but even before the food hits your tongue, your salivary glands are ideally secreting extra saliva. About 1 to 3 pints of saliva a day is produced in the mouth and yes, you can have too much or too little. Saliva is mostly made up of water but also includes special enzymes used to break down starches and sugars. The salivary reflex is started when you smell delicious food or eat sour or bitter foods.

We’ve all heard that we need to chew our food well (so you do right?). Chewing is important as the first step in changing the food into smaller molecules. It also allows for the mixing of saliva with the food to further break down starches and sugars. Besides saliva, your tongue, teeth, and gums all play an important role in this process.

Once you’ve swallowed your hopefully well-chewed food (called the bolus), it enters the esophagus. The esophagus is lined with muscles and the involuntary muscle action of peristalsis helps to move the food down to your stomach. This means that you could hypothetically eat while standing on your head, although such an action is not advised or endorsed by this author. The voyage from being swallowed to entering the stomach takes about 2 to 3 seconds.

At the bottom of the esophagus is the lower esophageal sphincter, which is a ring-like muscle that creates a barrier between the esophagus and the stomach. This sphincter relaxes when food enters the stomach, and tightens up again once the food has passed. Problems arise when this sphincter remains relaxed, allowing for the gastric juices of the stomach to rise into the esophagus, creating what you think would be called esophageal burn but, instead, somebody named it heartburn, overlooking the fact it has nothing to do with your heart. (I admit, however, that heartburn is much easier to say.)

Heartburn is often treated allopathically with antacids, which neutralize the acids in your stomach. Taking antacids may alleviate the pain for the time however they also severely hamper digestion, creating even more problems down the line. Herbalist David Winston says it’s important to determine the cause of the heartburn, whether from too much stomach acid, or from a relaxed esophageal sphincter, and then work to find a solution from there. His CD on digestion is very illuminating and is referenced in the suggested readings at the end of this article.

The Stomach

Once your food has made it to your stomach it may be there for up to a couple of hours. The stomach has three important physical functions. It stores consumed food and liquid, it mixes this with gastric juices to further break it down into a liquid, and, lastly, it slowly empties the food (now called chyme) into the small intestine (which is by no means small by the way).

The stomach is lined with mucosa that helps to protect it from the intense acids it produces to break down food. This specialized mucosa does not allow for much absorption of nutrients although it does break down some water, some electrolytes, certain drugs (especially aspirin), and alcohol. (This is why tinctures act on the body so quickly.)

Much of the digestive system is made up of mucosal tissue. When inflamed due to chronic inflammatory processes (Crohn’s disease, ulcers), or acute inflammation (diarrhea, heartburn), demulcent herbs such as marshmallow root, comfrey, and slippery elm can be used to soothe the irritated tissue. (Please read up on the controversial comfrey before taking it yourself.)

How much time your food stays in the stomach depends a lot on the type of food that you ate. Carbohydrates stay in the stomach for the least amount of time, followed by proteins, and then fats. (Knowing how fast your body metabolizes food is part of what can help you to determine which foods work best for you. For example, if your body has a fast metabolism, eating too many carbohydrates can leave you with frequent hunger and on a roller coaster of fluctuating energy. If, on the other hand, you have a slower metabolism, eating too much fat can leave you feeling too full and heavy long after you’ve eaten.)

Small Intestine

Once your stomach has finished processing the chyme, it slowly enters it into the small intestine where 90% of the digestive function takes place. This hollow organ is an average of 22 feet long in an adult and is from 1.5 to 2 inches wide. It is covered in a mucosal lining along with small villi that all help to absorb the nutrients that will be assimilable by the body with the help of several digestive juices from the liver, pancreas, and the small intestine.

Bile

Bile is produced by your liver and stored in your gallbladder between meal times. When you start to eat, especially if there are bitter tastes in your food, the liver produces bile and the gallbladder squeezes out bile through ducts that enter into the small intestine. The bile has the specific action of breaking down fats.

Pancreatic enzymes

The pancreas produces a wide range of enzymes that further break down the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats in your food.

As your food changes into smaller and smaller molecules with the help of these various digestive juices it becomes ready for absorption through the small intestine.

Absorption

With the help of these digestive juices the chyme is broken down into smaller and smaller molecules and then finally absorbed into the circulatory system. Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the liver and adipose of the body, while extra water-soluble vitamins are excreted through the urine. Water is also absorbed through the walls of the small intestine. Twenty two feet later it begins a slow entry into the large intestine.

Large Intestine

The large intestine has several roles. It absorbs most of the remaining water as well as a few vitamins and electrolytes. It also holds the chyme until ready for evacuation.

One interesting thing about the large intestine is the ascending colon. As the name suggests, it literally travels up your right side before becoming the horizontal transverse colon, and then finally the sigmoid portion which travels down and ends at the anus. In view of this anatomy, it makes sitting on a toilet to defecate a very unnatural phenomenon because it forces your body to work against gravity. Much more appropriate is to squat, which arranges your large intestine in a way that facilitates defecation. If you look around the world, squatting is much more common than our more modern, and supposedly superior, porcelain thrones.

The large intestine (and small intestine) is home to an amazing amount of bacteria that participate in further fermenting and breaking down your food. (Herbalist Chanchal Cabrera says that the bacteria in your colon could weigh as much as three pounds!). It is this fermentation that causes gas and flatulence. Gas can be an annoying nuisance or even extremely painful. Carminatives such as mints, fennel, chamomile, cardamom, and thyme are aromatic herbs that help to expel gas. Cooking with these herbs can help a problem before it starts. (This practice is inherent in some cultures, which is why you always find fennel candy as you walk out of the Indian restaurant after eating a meal; wonderfully spiced with carminatives.)

In a healthy person these bacteria are varied and abundant. Bacteria can become easily imbalanced with the use of antibiotics, diarrhea, poor food choices such as an abundance of sugar, and extreme colon cleansing programs. Traditional cultures around the world ate small amounts of fermented foods with every meal. This wisdom can be employed today to create and maintain a healthy balance in your colon. Some examples of fermented foods are kim chee, sauerkraut, miso, kefir, beet kvass and many more.

Appendix

When researching for this article I ran into several references amazingly still referring to the appendix as useless. (I have a hard time believing that this incredible human body contains useless organs.) In fact recent research suggests that the appendix plays a huge role in the immune system. Herbalist Jim McDonald says there’s research showing it may also repopulate the bowel with healthy bacteria after it has been purged.

After the remaining nutrients and water are absorbed, the same peristalsis action that moved the food down your esophagus pipe now acts in the large intestine, moving it closer to the exit hole and creating the reflex to defecate. All that remains is some water, indigestible food, bacteria, products of bacterial decomposition, and inorganic salts.

Diarrhea happens when the food is moved through the system too quickly and water is not properly absorbed. This can happen because of irritants in the intestines. Astringents like blackberry and raspberry leaves can be taken to tone the tissue for better absorption, although for the most part it’s a good idea to initially let your body expel whatever it is trying to get rid of. The focus should be on staying hydrated and getting electrolytes.

Constipation, on the other hand, is when the fecal matter stays in the large intestine too long. Most commonly, this can happen from both hyper or hypo tonic tissue, lack of fiber in the diet, dehydration, lack of exercise, or excess mucous. Addressing these issues is much more effective in the long run than laxatives, herbal or otherwise.

David Winston recommends that transit time, the time food enters your mouth to the time it leaves your body, is around 12 to 24 hours. To determine your transit time eat a nice serving of cooked beets and then record the time until you notice them on the other end. A nice bowl of borscht should do it.

What controls all these processes?

Although I have tried to mainly focus on the organs of digestion, it’s impossible to cut the digestive system out of the body without at least acknowledging some other important roles. The nervous system, hormones, and the circulation system administer different actions in harmony with the digestive system, leading to the stimulation of digestive juices, reflexes to keep things moving, and then carrying the digested nutrients to the various parts of the body. In-depth discussion of these tasks could last another fives pages, and I am already feeling your waning energy. Please just take note of these forces and we’ll end the article with some suggestions on healthy digestion as well as further reading.

Ideas for healthy digestion

1. Eat healthy food according to your constitution. To determine which foods work best for you I highly recommend the book Metabolic Typing. Rather than proclaiming dietary dogma it teaches self awareness to help a person actually figure out which foods, what size of meals, the best times of day for eating, etc, work for them.
2. Eliminate food that you are allergic or sensitive to. Common sensitivities are wheat, dairy, and soy.
3. Chew your food well. There’s no need to count to 100, just be sure that your food is well mashed before swallowing.
4. Stay hydrated, but limit large amounts of liquids before, during, and after meals. This can dilute your digestive juices, impairing the breakdown of your food.
5. Avoid extreme physical activity directly following meal times.
6. Avoid frozen and iced beverages and foods at meal-time. The digestive process needs warmth, and is hampered by excessive coldness.
7. Eat until you are only ¾ full.
8. Eat fermented foods with your meal. Miso, sauerkraut, kefir, beet kvass, etc.
9. Eat your bitters. Bitter foods and herbs stimulate the salivary glands and the expulsion of bile, all facilitating digestion. Bitters include dandelion leaves, orange peels, gentian, yellow dock, and hops.
10. Eat sitting down. Avoid watching TV or reading while eating.
11. Don’t eat when tense, angry, or fearful. These emotions have direct effects on your nervous system, which in turn affects digestion.
12. Avoid harsh cleansing programs like gall bladder flushes and colon cleansing.
13. Enjoy your meal. In Ayurveda it’s said that singing before and after a meal promotes digestion.

Suggested Reading

David Winston, Digestion CD from the Herbal Therapeutics Library

Metabolic Typing, William Wolcott. This book helps you to determine which foods work best for you.

Herbs for the Digestive System, article by Jim McDonald

Jim McDonald’s Article Index. I used this resource extensively for the article. Here you will find many articles related to specific pathologies of the digestive tract. Many thanks to Jim for putting together such quality articles in one easy-to-locate place.

I particularly referenced the following from this index:

Phytotherapeutic approaches to lower bowel disease Pt1 and Pt2 by Chanchal Cabrera. Great look at digestive health and many chronic issues.

Herbalist's View - Digestion by 7song

Principles of Anatomy &f Physiology, Tortora, Grabowski. For an in-depth look at the digestive system.

Thanks to http://eatwellgetwell.wordpress.com/ for the image.

This article was written to give you a brief view of the digestive system interspersed with herbalists’ perspectives on digestive health and digestive pathologies. It is not meant to treat, diagnose, or cure.