Of IBS and common sense

Herbal remedies for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) i.e. colitis, spastic colon, mucous colitis, spastic bowel, nervous colon and functional bowel disorder were looked down upon even a few years back due to its infamy as a psychological disorder. There is also a plethora of modern medicines that are administered to treat IBS attacks; however, antidepressants are not the only thing that can cure IBS. Reducing stress and altering certain dietary habits have been noticed to bring big, significant changes but there was also noticed adverse side-effects, whereas, certain herbs capable of reducing stress as well as the irritation-causing elements have been found to produce zero side effects.

IBS is an intestinal condition (functional disorder) that initiates abdominal pain, cramps, an altered bowel movement resulting in diarrhea; constipation; gassiness and bloating and sometimes, even nausea. Apart from certain foods (beverages including tea, coffee, cola and alcohol), it’s stress that is much stressed upon. Certain conditions like lactose intolerance also cause the symptoms.

Herbs that we know about

As for the herbal remedies for irritable bowel syndrome, the doctor’s often suggest dietary changes with or without supplemental drugs along with psychotherapy. A diet comprising low-fat content and high in fiber is paramount when it comes to treating IBS; along with 15-25 grams of Psyllium (fleawort) with laxative properties have been found to be effective in extreme cases. Also present in the list are ginger (Zingiber officinale) and Buckthorn (Rhamnus purshiana); among the liquids, it’s enteric-coated oil of peppermint that’s favored the most. The enteric-coating prevents the digestive processes till peppermint oil reaches the small intestine, thereby preventing irritation of the upper digestive tract.

 Herbs that we don’t

A few of the other widespread herbal remedies for irritable bowel syndrome are as follows:

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i.                   Chamomile – Matricaria Recutita

ii.                  Valerian – Valeriana Officinalis

iii.                Rosemary – Rosemarinus Officinalis

iv.               Lemon balm – Melissa Officinalis

v.                 Rou Cong Rong – Cistanches Deserticolae, Herba

vi.               Dang Gui – Angelicae Sinensis, Radix

vii.              Niu Xi – Achyranthis Bidentatae, Radix

viii.            Ze Xie – Alismatis Orientalis, Rhizoma

ix.                Zhi Ke (Qiao) – Citri Aurantii, Fructus

x.                 Sheng Ma – Cimicifugae, Rhizoma

 “I don’t eat herbs!”

The practice of aromatherapy (with herbal oils), juice therapy and naturopathic medicines are suggested for those who don’t like to ingest herbal medicines. These have also been found to bear fruits as much as the traditional Chinese herbal medicines. As per the report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, traditional Chinese formulas like Tongxie Yaofang combined with conventional modes of therapy brings greater benefits without any serious adversities. Other traditional Chinese herbs like yin chen (Artemisia capillaris), bai zhu (Atractylodes macrocephala), dang shen (Codonopsis pilosula), yi yi ren (Job’s tears) and wu wei zi (schizandra), when administered in correct proportions have been found more effective than the commercial, over the counter medicines available for IBS used alone. Though mild gastrointestinal discomfort and headaches have been found to affect a few, compared to the intensities of abdominal pain and bloating that IBS initiates, herbal remedies for irritable bowel syndrome work out to produce these effects at a much lower intensity.Â

Oxygen-rich blood enters the liver through the hepatic artery (from the aorta, a major vessel in the heart) while blood containing digested food from the small intestine through the portal vein (vena portae). Both of these blood vessels further subdivide into capillaries inside the liver, each leading to a lobule. The liver tissue is a collection of a great number of these lobules; the lobules themselves are made of hepatic cells, the cells that are responsible for the liver’s own metabolism.

The liver breaks down fats, transforms glucose to glycogen, produces urea, manufactures certain amino acids, stores vitamins A, D, K and B12 and minerals and keeps the glucose levels balanced in the blood. It also produces cholesterol and meets 80% of what the body demands.

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So once there are more toxins in your body (especially alcohol), the liver stresses more upon getting them out while putting less effort on other essential functions; as a result, it’s the entire system that suffers. This is where the herbs come in.

• Himsra (Capparis spinosa): The Caper Bush, as known in English, it is the bark of the plant that’s used. It is bitter to taste and has diuretic properties. Thus, it is effective against spleen and renal infections apart from its power to deal with hepatic complaints like acute viral hepatitis and cirrhosis of liver.

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• Kasani (Cichorium intybus): Kasani, or Chickori is effective against all sorts of gastro-intestinal tract inflammations; thus, it also cures digestive problems. Kasani removes the obstructions of liver and gall bladder, is highly useful in treating jaundice and also has the power to treat all cases of poisoning, constipation, indigestion, diarrhea and dysentery.

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• Mandur bhasma: This is Ferric Oxide Calx, prepared by purifying oxidized iron rust. Apart from hepatic and splenetic disorders, Mandur Bhasma also cures diarrhea, chronic bowel complaints, dyspepsia and intestinal worms. An effective treatment against hemolytic jaundice.

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Combined together with Kakamachi (Solanum nigrum) comprising Vitamin C, Beta Carotene and glyco-alkaloids as active ingredients, the above have been found to help liver restore its own health. The herbs themselves function as the liver while allowing it to rest and repair itself, resulting in a stronger physiology and boosted psychological functions.

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Studies prove accumulation of synthetic chemicals and heavy metals starts taking place way before a human is born, at its embryo stage. The correct terminology for this phenomenon is chemical body burden that we must focus on, to comprehend what damages it inflicts and how our liver fights them back. We shall also see what the body loses in this fight.

 Chemical body burden is an even mix of toxic chemicals, the total amount of which remains present in the human body at a given point in time. Single chemical body burdens involve considering a specific and single chemical, with lead, arsenic and mercury poisoning being the highest. They are available naturally or produced artificially as by-products or derivatives that often find way into the human body. Inhalation is one mode for taking them in; next, it’s through contaminated food or water, the latter also through the skin. All that makes pregnant women susceptible to passing the toxin onto the developing fetus. Some of these chemicals also create metabolites (any substance involved in metabolism, either as a product of metabolism or as necessary for metabolism), which the body can take care of and excrete within a short while. But a continuous exposure creates a persistent chemical body burden.Â

For example, while it’s 72 hours for Arsenic, for Uranium, it’s virtually infinite (the half-lives of uranium isotopes are 244 thousand years for 234U, 710 million years for 235U and 4½ billion years for 238U). There are also others that vary between the abovementioned. A midpoint could be chlorinated pesticides (e.g. DDT); these may remain in the body for 50 years. They all usually accumulate in blood, the adipose or fat tissue, in semen, muscle, bone or the brain-tissue. Minute amounts also accumulate in the rest of the organs. And there are approximately 80,000 of those chemicals used in the US, all or almost all becoming heavy for the limit set for the chemical body burden. An average set by the scientists is 700 contaminants, mostly industrial chemicals, with many of them yet to be studied.

A large majority of these contaminants enter through the digestive track and get filtered by the liver – in fact, any contaminant that may stay present in blood. The liver detoxifies blood (about two quarts each minute), produces bile and breaks down toxins to excreta. At its optimal stage of function, the liver filters 98% of all the toxins brought to it. Being a gland (organs synthesizing substances needed by the body and releasing it through ducts or directly into the bloodstream), it also secretes a fluid (bile) that aids in digestion, in the metabolism of protein, carbohydrate and fat; produces Vitamin A and anticoagulation agents and also separates the played out red blood cells or erythrocytes. The process is further aided by fiber rich foods eaten regularly; it helps in flushing the toxins out from the colon, preventing a reabsorption, but we shall discuss that later. The liver also neutralizes or decreases a toxin’s potency by transforming it to a more water-soluble form and expels it through urine.

Most of these extremely toxic metals also enter our body through drugs such as common cold medicines, alcohol and penicillin. A proper support for the liver is thus must and it should also aid in cleaning the liver itself apart from boosting its capabilities.

Ayurveda or the Indian Herbal Science has the remedy to it.

A few of the herbs and concoctions boosting the liver functions as well as detoxifying the whole body are: Himsra (Capparis spinosa), Kasani (Cichorium intybus), Mandur bhasma, Kakamachi (Solanum nigrum), Arjuna (Terminalia arjuna), Kasamarda (Cassia occidentalis), Biranjasipha (Achillea millefolium) and Jhavuka (Tamarix gallica). Together, they protect the liver from the effects of hepatotoxins that render the liver weak. For patients of viral hepatitis, alcoholic liver diseases, pre-cirrhotic and early cirrhotic conditions and protein energy malnutrition, the herbs have given wonderful results. Another symptoms these herbs rectify is loss of appetite while patients undergone radiation and chemotherapy-induced liver damage has recovered at a higher than expected rate. But what are the liver-processes these herbs boost? We shall see them in the next part.

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