Herbal Tonic
Therapies
Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D.
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Daniel B. Mowrey, Ph.D. earned his advanced degree in experimental psychology from Brigham Young University in the late 70’s. His specialized area was psychopharmacology, with related studies in biochemistry, neurology, anatomy and physiology. His interest in medicinal botany began while in graduate school and his dissertation reflected that interest: "Motion sickness, psychphysics and ginger root." Over the next several years his research in this area lead the publication of several books, among which are The Scientific Validation of Herbal Medicine, Guaranteed Potency Herbs: Next Generation Herbal Medicine, Herbal Tonic Therapies, and Fat Management: The Thermogenic Factor. Of these, Herbal Tonic Therapies should be of special interest in individuals involved in Jurak Corporation World Wide, Inc. |
Herbal Tonics and the Digestive System
Part 1
November - 2002
In
the last column I mentioned two herbs in connection with the digestive system:
dandelion root and gentian root. These two herbs are examples of how tonics
work, in this case by gently increasing the digestive capacity and restoring
health and balance to the organs of digestion in general, and by providing a
healthy foundation for the entire panorama of digestive system disorders. Modern
medicine is completely lacking in a comparable model. The digestive system is a
good place to start out in our exploration of tonic land. All paths lead to and
from this system and there is virtually no aspect of human health that isn’t
intrinsically tied to what goes on in the G.I. tract. We have all heard the idea
that the G.I. tract is just a hollow tube that runs from one opening of our body
to another. But I want us to stop and ponder for a minute just what that means.
For example, we usually think of the stomach as being ‘inside of’ our body. But
is it really? If you hold an object cupped in your hands, is it inside your
body? Of course not. In a similar fashion, anything in your stomach has not
really entered the body yet. You put it in your mouth, it went down the
esophagus and wound up in the stomach. From there, it might just enter into the
intestines and pass on out the rectum without ever seeing one speck of the
inside of your body, like a marble rolling through a pipe. Stick a straw through
a potato and then pour water through the straw – does it ever enter the potato?
I dwell on this point for one simple reason: just because you eat something
doesn’t mean it automatically affects your health. If the digestive system is
out of balance, off-center, functioning in any manner sub par, chances are you
are not deriving full benefit from the foods you eat.
Factors that contribute to an unbalanced digestive system include acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, hyposecretion of digestive enzymes, malfunctioning microflora, malnutrition, parasites, and hormonal imbalances. Specific problems include indigestion, esophagitis, infections, ulcers, colitis, gastritis, pernicious anemia, obstructions, gastroenteritis, giardiasis, constipation, diarrhea, Crohn’s disease, diverticular disease, paralytic ileus, hepatitis, liver failure, cirrhosis, cholangitis, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, pancreatitis, gallstones, biliary colic, cholecystitis, and even cancer.
Herbal medicine in general contains virtually thousands of herbal remedies for the digestive system. A great many of these can and should only be administered and consumed under the hand of a skilled clinical herbalist. Most of us do not possess the necessary skills nor do we know anyone that does. I have seen situations where people get hooked on herbal laxatives and they continually switch back and forth between herbal laxatives and herbal anti-diarrheals, never seeming to get it right. I have seen diabetes worsen through the unskilled use of herbs. Same with colitis, ulcers and gallstones. It is not a pretty sight. It is a grave error to believe that all herbs are harmless. They can be very powerful indeed. This is a point you will find me making over and over.
Fortunately
for those of us unskilled in phytotherapy there are the digestive and
gastrointestinal tonics. Few in number, they combine the best properties for
encouraging good digestion, proper elimination and the health of the glands and
organs associated with the digestive system. Dandelion can serve as our model
for this category.
Dandelion enjoys a long-standing reputation as a favorite herb of people around the world. I know we often consider it a weed, but weeds are just flowers we haven’t learned to appreciate. While I wouldn’t expect the reader to become a practiced dandelion connoisseur, you can at least pick the young leaves and add them to your salads in the Spring. But it is really the root that contains the majority of dandelion’s beneficial principles. Here’s something you might try with the root: dry it (250 degrees in the oven for a couple of hours), roast it, grind it and use it as a coffee substitute. Yea, right. Well, it was a thought.
Looking at the constituents of dandelion, one doesn’t see anything particularly magical. It contains carotenoids, choline, inulin, pectin, potash, bitter substances, phytosterols, sugars and triterpenes. This is a common characteristic of tonic herbs.
They usually lack powerful substances, and when they do have one, they usually contain another powerful substance to act in opposition to the first. The real magic of tonic herbs, however, is the incredible synergy that exists among the constituents. How else do you explain the array of properties displayed, for example, by dandelion: diuretic, laxative, cholagogue, and antirheumatic? Or the array of uses to which it has been put: in cholecystitis, gallstones, jaundice, atonic dyspepsia, constipation, muscular rheumatism, diabetes, and oliguria.
Dandelion is an extremely good cholagogue. It raises the secretion of bile by over 50 percent. In European clinics, one often finds dandelion included in herbal blends used to treat liver problems, gall bladder problems and diabetes. The inulin in the root of dandelion is a form of carbohydrate easily assimilated by diabetics and is therefore a potential therapeutic agent for people afflicted with this disease. In a very recent study, Dandelion water extract (DWE) was evaluated for a possible effect on the activity and mRNA expression of hepatic antioxidant enzymes and lipid profile in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Rats were divided into nondiabetic (control), diabetic, and diabetic-DWE-supplemented groups. Diabetes was induced by injecting streptozotocin. The extract was supplemented in the diet.
The DWE supplement significantly decreased the serum glucose concentration in the diabetic rats. The hepatic superoxide dismutase and catalase activities significantly increased in the diabetic rats, compared with the control group. When the DWE supplement was given to the diabetic rats, the antioxidant enzyme activity reverted to near-control values. (THE TONIC EFFECT) The DWE supplement also lowered the total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in the serum and hepatic tissue, while increasing the serum HDL-cholesterol in the diabetic rats. It was concluded that a dandelion supplement can improve the lipid metabolism and is beneficial in preventing diabetic complications from lipid peroxidation and free radicals in diabetic rats.
One’s reaction to the above study can take two forms. One can either be impressed with the scientific validation, at least in rats, of a potential beneficial application for dandelion root. OR, (and here I see Anthony smiling broadly) one can now feel properly good for rat lovers around the world who will finally have access to a treatment humans have been using for centuries.
*These statements
have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, mitigate or prevent
disease.
