Herbs for Healthy Aging

Natural Prescriptions for Vibrant Health

David Hoffmann

• Publisher: Healing Arts Press
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781620552230
• Edition: 3
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Alternative & Complementary Medicine

A guide to herbal remedies that promote longevity, restore the body's systems, treat chronic conditions, and maintain natural health • Offers herbal remedies for many conditions associated with aging, such as prostate enlargement, hot flashes, hypertension, insomnia, and arthritis • Provides herbal treatments to restore and maintain function in each of the body's major systems • Explores more than 150 herbs and their actions on the body and mind, preparation methods, and recommended dosages In this herbal guide to healthy aging, medical herbalist David Hoffmann discusses how to maintain the body's vitality as we age and how to treat and prevent the health concerns brought about by aging. He provides herbal treatments to restore and protect each of the body's major systems--from the muscles, bones, and digestive system to the pulmonary, cardiovascular, and reproductive organs--as well as herbal remedies for specific ailments such as prostate enlargement, hot flashes, hypertension, insomnia, bronchitis, varicose veins, and arthritis. He shows how herbs can help minimize dependence on conventional medical treatments and provide a safe and welcome alternative to the unpleasant and sometimes dangerous side effects of synthetic drugs. In the materia medica, Hoffmann details more than 150 health-promoting herbs and their actions on the body and mind, preparation methods, and recommended dosages. This authoritative guide to herbal preventive medicine offers holistic treatments designed not only to promote vibrant health but also to provide a way to age with grace.

1

The Digestive System

HERBS ARE AN UNEQUALED FORM of medicine for treatment of the digestive system. Many beneficial effects are due to the metabolism and absorption of the whole range of plant constituents; others are brought about by a direct action on the tissue through contact.

Much digestive illness in our society is simply due to abuse. Today’s average diet is marked by a high proportion of overly processed foods, chemical additives, and irritants such as alcohol and carbonated drinks. Even tobacco is a gastric irritant; swallowed tars are linked with ulcers. In this context it is easy to see why herbal remedies are so helpful in the various inflammations and reactions that plague so many. The direct soothing of demulcents, the healing effect of astringents, and the general toning of bitters can do much to reverse this damage.

However, as with all true healing, any potential “cure” ultimately lies beyond the range of medicines, whether they be herbal or drug in nature. The healing process must involve changing whatever dietary indiscretions are occurring as well as giving attention to lifestyle changes that may be called for to reduce stress. Herbal medicine can bring about dramatic improvements in even profound digestive problems, but the long-term maintenance of benefit lies in the hands of the person seeking treatment.

This chapter contains a discussion of how herbs can have a beneficial impact on disorders of the digestive system, including disorders of the liver and gallbladder.

THE HEALTHY DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

The digestive system is basically a long tube, measuring about forty feet from the mouth to the anus. In simplified terms, a healthy digestive process would work as follows:

1. As the food is chewed saliva mixes with it, initiating the digestion of starches.
2. Once swallowed, the food moves down the esophagus, a tube that leads from the base of the tongue to the stomach.
3. In the stomach the food is physically broken down further by the stomach’s churning action, and chemically digested to produce a thick liquid mixture called chyme.
4. The chyme passes into the duodenum, the upper portion of the small intestine. As the chyme is moved through the intestine by muscle contractions (peristalsis), intestinal juices, pancreatic juices, and bile complete the enzyme-facilitated breakdown of the food. The nutrients released by this process are absorbed through the walls of the small intestine and enter the bloodstream to be distributed around the body.
5. Undigested material moves into the large intestine, or colon, where the water is absorbed back into the body.
6. The remaining material passes into the rectum, whence it is eliminated.

If problems develop in any of these steps as a person ages, they may be attributable to changes that occur quite normally in the aging process rather than being signs of a disease process.

THE AGING DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Throughout the human body the aging process is reflected in changes in both functioning and structure. These in turn lead to certain repercussions that scientists consider normal. The degree of change, or the response of the rest of the body to these changes, varies from person to person. Again the question arises: What is a normal person? Agerelated changes will affect digestive juices, strength of the abdominal muscles, and general control and integration of functions. Thus, as a person ages:

1. Smaller amounts of digestive juices are produced.

• The salivary glands produce less saliva with a lower concentration of digestive enzymes.
• In the stomach, production of gastric juices declines starting at age twenty. In the middle years there is increased incidence of chronic inflammation of the stomach with associated degeneration of the mucous lining. Such changes can prevent an older body from absorbing as much iron and vitamin B12 as a younger one can absorb.
• One age-related intestinal change that does bother some people is increased intolerance of milk products, as over time the enzyme that breaks down milk sugar (lactose) disappears from the intestinal tract.
• The liver experiences age-related changes, including reduction of enzyme concentrations.
• The pancreas also shows age-related changes in the making and secretion of digestive enzymes.

2. The muscles of the whole system grow weaker, the lining of the intestines grows thinner, and the intestines themselves grow less resilient and elastic. Because of this, small pouches called diverticula may balloon out from the colon wall. In some people the pouches become inflamed and infected.

3. The movements of the bowels grow weaker, and the functioning of the colon becomes less efficient.

• Food takes longer to make its way down the esophagus because of a decrease in the wavelike motion that pushes the food toward the stomach.
• Food may take longer to travel through the small intestines.
• There is more opportunity for water to be absorbed from the feces, increasing the chance of constipation.

HERBAL ACTIONS

The use of herbs to aid digestion has long been part of the tradition of modern Europe and North America. Whether culinary herbs such as rosemary or “medicinal” alcohols such as vermouth, therapeutic remedies are used in large quantities. The very name “vermouth” comes from that of the bitter remedy wormwood. Even today, herbs maintain their foothold in the official pharmacopoeias as the major therapeutic agents in the categories of digestive bitters, carminatives, and laxatives.

A number of herbal actions (listed in order of importance) are of direct value for the digestive system.

Demulcent: These mucilage-rich herbs soothe and protect irritated or inflamed tissue, reduce irritation down the whole length of the bowel, reduce sensitivity to potentially corrosive gastric acids, help to prevent diarrhea, and reduce muscle spasms that cause colic. Herbs to consider include comfrey root, marshmallow root, slippery elm, licorice, and Irish moss.

Bitter: Herbs with a bitter taste have a special role in preventive medicine. The taste triggers a sensory response in the central nervous system. A message goes to the gut, releasing digestive hormones and ultimately giving rise to stimulation of appetite; general stimulation of the flow of digestive juices; increased bile flow, an aid to the liver’s detoxification work; and stimulation of gut self-repair mechanisms. (All this from a nasty taste in the mouth!) Herbs to consider include yarrow, gentian, agrimony, goldenseal, and wormwood.

Astringent: The astringents, with their binding action on mucous membranes, denature proteins, thereby reducing irritation and inflammation, thus creating a barrier against infection and reducing fluid loss. Herbs to consider include agrimony, oak bark, cranesbill, and meadowsweet.

Carminative: Plants rich in aromatic oils that stimulate the digestive system to work properly and with ease, soothing the gut wall, reducing any inflammation that might be present, easing griping pains, and helping the removal of gas from the digestive tract. Herbs to consider include fennel, ginger, caraway, peppermint, chamomile, and lavender.

Anti-inflammatory: These soothe inflammation of the tissue directly. They work in a number of different ways but rarely inhibit the natural inflammatory reaction as such; rather they support and encourage the body’s natural processes. Herbs to consider include chamomile, lemon balm, and meadowsweet.

Antispasmodic: Antispasmodics ease muscle cramping. They alleviate muscular tension and, as many are also nervines, ease psychological tension as well. There are antispasmodics that reduce muscle spasming throughout the body, and others that work on specific organs or systems. Herbs to consider include chamomile, valerian, cramp bark, and wild yam.

Laxative: Laxatives stimulate bowel movements. Stimulating laxatives should not be used long term. If constipation persists, diet, general health, and stress should all be closely considered. Herbs to consider include psyllium seed, yellow dock, dandelion root, and senna.

Hepatics: Hepatics aid the liver. They tone, strengthen, and in some cases increase the flow of bile. In a broad holistic approach to health, they are o...

Table of contents

• Cover Image
• Title Page
• Epigraph
• Dedication & Acknowledgments
• Table of Contents
• Foreword
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: The Digestive System
• Chapter 2: The Cardiovascular System
• Chapter 3: The Pulmonary System
• Chapter 4: The Upper Respiratory System
• Chapter 5: The Nervous System
• Chapter 6: The Urinary System
• Chapter 7: The Reproductive System
• Chapter 8: The Musculoskeletal System
• Chapter 9: The Skin and Hair
• Chapter 10: The Immune System
• Chapter 11: The Endocrine System
• Chapter 12: Herbal Medicine Making
• Chapter 13: Materia Medica
• Footnotes
• Useful Internet Resources
• Bibliography
• About the Author
• About Inner Traditions • Bear & Company
• Copyright & Permissions
• Index