Nutritives
Science Shows Herbs Can Significantly Enhance Bioavailability of nutrients
These herbs, broadly known as nutritives, provide substantial nourishment to all body tissues, to regulate metabolic functions and thereby promote growth, weight gain and strength. The treatment strategy of nourishing the blood is used in nutritional and metabolic deficiencies involving the blood, endocrine glands and nervous system. In Oriental medicine nutritive herbs are said to "nourish the blood" and "generate the pulse", implying a tonification of anabolic and nutritive processes in general. Being high in minerals, trace minerals, amino acids, vitamins and enzymes, they are both remedy and food at the same time.
The remedies classically used by Western and Oriental medicine for preventive health care are essentially nutritives. In the West they include botanical substances such as Flower Pollen (bee pollen) Microalgae and Oat berry, while in Asia products such as Asian ginseng root, Deer antler and Wolfberry are used. These are the similars discussed at length in Hippokratic texts for treating chronic deficiency conditions. Used preventively, they address a person's ground of disharmony as seen in their psychosomatic biotype with its constitutional tendencies to certain disorders. Because nourishment is a universal requirement, everyone can benefit from these herbs, regardless of their particular biotype or imbalance.
In East Asia, the use of nutritive maintenance tonics is a widespread, age-old tradition that extends to and merges with the area of cooking itself. Oriental civilization, more than any other, perhaps has consistently put into practice the understanding that the daily diet is the most important, core aspect of health maintenance. Food selection, preparation and manner of intake become alchemical therapeutic processes.
Nutritional and metabolic deficiencies include metabolic disorders such as malabsorption syndromes, types of anemia and glycogen metabolism disorders, disorders of hemostatic imbalance. These in turn may be part of other chronic conditions such as neurological disorders, chronic endocrine imbalance, chronic viral conditions and autoimmune disease. Their origins lie in facts such as heredity, malnutrition, chronic disease, chronic stress, mental or physical overwork, childbirth. These may cause deep, systemic deficiencies that in vitalistic medicine are described in terms of symptom pictures such as blood deficiency, Essence deficiency liver Yin/blood deficiencyand intestines (Spleen) Qi deficiency. Conditions such as these often require extended supplementation with remedies in this category as well as more specialized nutritional supplements.
The more specific etiologies of nutritional and metabolic disorders are complex. They highlight the central role of the blood and hormones in anabolic processes. Nutritional deficiencies may arise for two reasons: first, inadequate nutrient intake; second, inadequate nutrient assimilation. In the first case, the culprit (at least in the West) is the decreasing quality of food itself. This underscores the importance of adopting "organic, biodynamic" and "natural" methods of agriculture and supporting natural growing methods by using this proven superior produce in preference to inorganic, conventionally grown produce.
In the case of poor nutrient assimilation, the problems are entirely internal. Here nutrient transportation, within the context of anabolic processes, simply breaks down. This is caused either by toxic interference in the interstitial fluids, the "transit mesenchyme", or by endocrine imbalance--especially of the pituitary, thyroid and pancreas glands. Chief among specific toxic factors disrupting anabolism are intestinal dysbiosis (an imbalance of the gut's microflora)--currently a disorder of epidemic proportions -- imbalanced fluids pH and hidden infections of fungal, viral, bacterial or parasitic nature. This is tantamount to a preclinical state of systemic dysbiosis. Although we are far from understanding all processes involved in some of these disruptions of anabolic efficiency, it is clear that they are potent inhibiting factors to metabolic integrity.
Its in this connection that Oriental medicine has always recognized the relation between the syndrome blood deficiency and other syndromes. The majority of Chinese herbal formulas address not just deficient blood, but one or several other connected syndromes. The main syndromes associated with blood deficiency are intestines mucous damp (Spleen Damp)which includes intestinal dysbiosis), Qi deficiencyand metabolic toxicosis (general fluids dyskrasia or wind/damp/cold obstruction). The treatment of chronic arthritis, diagnosed as the latter condition, is a case in point. This condition is almost invariably treated by stimulating circulation, dispelling wind/damp/cold from the channels and collaterals, and nourishing the blood.
Herbs that Nourish the Blood
These herbs may be called anastative nutritives because they further blood-based anastative, or anabolic processes. They are divided into two broad categories: those that work through a systemic influence on the endocrine and nervous system, and those that operate mainly through the liver. All nutritives have a high content of one or more of the following: minerals, trace elements, vitamins, amino acids and enzymes.
Additionally, there are certain herbs with an affinity for nourishing and regenerating particular tissues throughout the body. These are the trophorestoratives(literally, nutritive restoratives). Hemogenics, for example, can be considered trophorestorative to the fluid tissue we call blood. Remedies that specifically nourish and maintain nervous tissue are called nervous trophorestoratives. They include Asian and American ginseng root, Sage leaf and the Oriental remedy Polygonum He Shou Wu. Liver trophorestoratives include Dandelion root, Milk thistle seed, Salvia Dan Shen (Cinnabar sage root); these help regenerate and protect the liver. Thyroid trophorestoratives include Kelp and Bladderwrack. Hawthorne berry and Cereus stem and flower are trophorestoratives for the heart.
Glandular trophorestoratives that nourish and regenerate glandular tissues are primarily the endocrine restoratives. We should remember, however, that the dividing line between a simple restorative and a trophorestorative is often unclear--and often not crucial in practice.
Herbal Green Drinks
• Combine powders of nutritive and flavorful herbs for “green drinks”
• Example using powdered herbs;
o 1 ounce nettle
o 1 ounce oat straw
o 1 ounce peppermint
o 1 ounce raspberry leaf
o 1 ounce powdered marshmallow
o ¼ ounce horsetail
Stir 1-2 tablespoons into warm water and drink with the powder