August 2001
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THE
VIEW FROM SUNNYFIELD
Digestive Disturbances
Come In All Varieties
MATTHEW WOOD, HERBALIST
(AHG)
WE WHIPPED THE subject of immunity and
the lymphatic system to death in my
last few articles. This month we'll discuss digestion. We'll learn pretty much how
to take care of any simple digestive problem. The most important point is to differentiate
the type of problem you are having, not so much in terms of its location, but in
regard to whether it is hot, cold, damp, dry, constricted, relaxed, etc. We want
to know the type of
imbalance we have because pretty much the same imbalance will run through the entire
digestive canal from the mouth to the rectum. One person will have dental caries,
another gas and bloating, another colitis, another diarrhea. It is not the name of
the disease or the location so much as the energy pattern, whether it is over-stimulated,
depressed, etc.
"Heat" digestion
There are six basic patterns–at least the way I practice. The first one is over-stimulation,
heat, or irritation. The blood is rich, the tissues are engorged and over-active,
secretions are excessive–too much saliva and stomach acid. Digestion is strong and
quick, appetite voracious, and there is a tendency (with age) to weight gain from
excessive nutrition. The transit time for the stool tends to be rapid, so there will
often be diarrhea or at least loose stools. Almost always, the tongue is elongated,
shaped like a
flame, with red/pink coloration. Symptoms may include herpes, painful tongue, thrush,
burning, gnawing stomach, restlessness and sleeplessness, regurgitation of acid matter,
stomach ulcers, rapid transit of stool (which is loose), bleeding hemorrhoids, etc.
These people need sedation. The best remedies for this condition are acids. You can
treat yourself with foods–tomato juice, lemon juice (less often), fermented sour
whey (if you can find it, yogurt if you can't), vinegar and water, kombucha (fermented
green tea), etc.
The sour herbs are peach leaf, yellow dock root (especially for thrush and loose
stools), rhubarb root, lemon balm, St. John's wort, and yarrow (not sour but heat-reducing).
If the person has taken a lot of antacids to suppress the acidity (which is not healing,
it can increase acid secretion or suppress it), the remedy is meadowsweet.
"Tissue depression" digestion
The second pattern is the opposite–tissue depression. Instead of too much secretion
there is not enough. Worse yet, tissue life is depressed. There is deterioration
of the tissue, including dental caries, receding gums, bad taste in the mouth, bad
breath from rotting food, plaque build up on the teeth, poor secretion in the stomach,
no digestion or appetite, rotting food in the stomach, putrid belching, nausea but
inability to vomit, a very strong tendency to stomach ulceration, constipation with
putrid smelling stool. Even more seriously, there are pathological growths (as the
natural life of the body is suppressed), leading to polypi and favoring cancer. The
tongue tends to be dark red, blue, purple, coated yellow brown. What is needed here
are the traditional carminatives (warming, aromatic spices) such as cardamom, fennel,
dill, or the stronger stimulants–hot pepper, ginger, cinnamon, cabbage leaf juice,
mustard seed, rosemary. These can be taken as herbs or foods. Because there is depressed
tissue life there may be worms or bacteria and we need a worming remedy like butternut
bark, walnut, chamomile, thyme,
tiny doses of artemisias, etc. These people also need to put in time rebuilding the
flora of the colon (acidophilus, fructo-oligino-saccharides).
"Constriction" digestion
The third pattern is constriction or tension. The person eats but spasms develop
in the stomach and elsewhere. Gas builds up, there is pain, bloating, belching and
then it all releases with a big gust of wind. There tends to be constipation, not
from inactivity of the colon, or sluggishness, but from tension. (There are three
basic kinds of constipation: sluggish bowels, a movement every few days, requiring
the laxatives; constricted bowels, alternating constipation and diarrhea; dry bowels,
stool is hard, ball-like, dry, and difficult to move). These people are usually tense,
if they eat on the run they should slow down. The most famous remedy for this condition
is peppermint, but we can also use spearmint, catnip, or chamomile. In severe tension
we might need blue vervain, especially if the intestines are involved.
"Relaxation" digestion
The fourth pattern is the opposite of the last–relaxation. The stomach is too
relaxed. Food sits there, the muscles move slowly, the secretions are watery and
thin. The tongue is moist, round, pale, coated white. Saliva is copious but thin
and does not cleanse the teeth, causing dental caries. There is nausea, and unlike
tissue depression, there is easy vomiting, because the stomach muscles are relaxed
and the abdominal muscles and
diaphragm can easily wring it out with a good heave. The stool tends to be loose.
Astringents are needed: blackberry leaf tea, raspberry, bayberry, uva ursi, oak bark
(especially for rotting teeth and gums), wild geranium, herb robert.
"Lack of secretion" digestion
The fifth pattern is dryness or lack of secretion. There is a lack of saliva,
dry mouth, dry tongue, sometimes even a shriveled tongue, a kink in the throat–hard
to swallow, dry stomach with gas, bloating, flatus, very poor digestion, poor assimilation,
and therefore wasting and slenderness. The stool tends to be hard and dry. Constipation
here is from dryness. These people often have weak gut level instincts, so they are
lacking in confidence, worried, afraid. They tend to get a little nervous so whatever
nutrition they do get is quickly burned off. The remedies here need to be soothing,
moistening, lubricating, and nourishing. That includes marshmallow root, slippery
elm, and American ginseng. If there is a shortage of oil, poor bile secretion, dry
stool, constipation, dry skin, there may be a need for oily foods and herbs–flaxseed
oil, burdock, angelica, sage, wild bergamot.
"Stagnation" digestion
The sixth pattern is stagnation. The system is sluggish. Secretions are slow.
Food moves slowly through the stomach and intestines. There is true constipation,
not from dryness or spasm, but from a sluggish peristalsis of the intestinal muscles.
They are the only type that due well on the bitter laxatives–aloe, senna, cascara
sagrada. They also need the bitter tonics to increase secretion in the stomach and
the liver. These people
often have a sluggish liver with hang-over symptoms. The tongue tends to be coated.
In addition to the above, goldenseal in very small doses (one drop a day) as bitter
tonic, when the tongue is flabby and apathetic, or chionanthus (fringe tree) when
it is dark on the sides.
Well, I hope that is enough to guide you through stomach distress, constipation,
diarrhea, gum disease, or whatever, to a simple, safe and permanent solution. Remember,
drug companies want to keep you on their drugs (not cured, but palliated). With herbs
we have no choice. They come from God and Mother Nature and they cure. When the right
one has been selected the system is stimulated, sedated, relaxed, astringed, softened,
hardened, etc. to return to health.
Matthew Wood has been a practicing herbalist for over 20 years and is a nationally
known authority in the field and author of three books. He is a professional member
of the American Herbalists Guild. In town office: 3525 Hennepin Ave. So. Minneapolis,
herb farm office: 6001 Sunnyfield Road, Mound, Minnesota; phone, 952-472-8057.
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2001 Twin Cities WELLNESS newspaper.
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