Formula One:
Cape Aloe Leaf
Aloes Cape is a palm-like succulent plant that is native to the Cape Region of South Africa. It has been used for centuries for those suffering from irregularity or who need temporary relief from chronic constipation. A bitter herb, Aloes Cape is a natural source of iso- and bioflavonoids, amino acids, iron and calcium and is known to produce antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal effects. Cape aloe is non-toxic and has no undesirable side effects. It acts as a cleansing, detoxifying agent for the digestive tract, including the cecum, and has more vitamins, minerals, amino acids and polysaccharides than the American aloe vera plant. Cape aloe leaf is unique because it has the properties of fiber, and it stimulates cramping, but soothes and cleans like aloe vera
Senna Leaf
Senna is a genus of plants in the Fabaceae family. In all, there are around 250 species of these flowering plants. They all belong to the sub-family Caesalpinioideae. In particular, the leaf of the Senna plant with the botanical name Cassia angustifolia has been known for its laxative properties. It gets its "relaxing" power from a chemical called anthraquinone, which is a yellowish or grayish crystalline powder.
Senna plants are generally native to northern Africa and southwest Asia. For instance, varieties of Cassia angustifolia are native to India, while varieties like Cassia senna grow in tropical Africa. The ancient Egyptians used Senna as medication and Indian doctors used it to treat royalty and celebrities of the time. The Arabian physicians are also believed to have used it as far back as the 9th century A.D. Even in those days, it was used purely as a laxative and a purgative.
Senna was brought to Europe from Arabia during the Crusades. With that, its usage was no longer limited to only Arabia or North Africa. People took notice of its helpful effects and word quickly spread across all of Europe and eventually even across the Atlantic Ocean to the US.
Even today, Senna is used as a laxative and purgative, lending credence to the belief in its medicinal powers that existed in earlier centuries. Senna basically stimulates the colon and may provide relief to patients suffering from constipation.
Barberry Root
Barberry is a densely branched, deciduous shrub 3-8 feet tall. The root-bark contains berberine, a bitter alkaloid, that aids in the secretion of bile and is good for liver problems, acts as a mild purgative, and helps regulate the digestive processes. Historically, Barberry has been used as a bitter tonic to stimulate digestion, and in the treatment of inflammatory arthritic, sciatica, and rheumatic complaints. As a bitter tonic with mild laxative effects, Barberry is used by weak or debilitated people to strengthen & cleanse the system. It also appears to be able to reduce an enlarged spleen.
Cascara Segrada Bark
The name cascara sagrada is Spanish for "sacred bark". Long used as a laxative by Native American groups of the northwest Pacific coast, cascara sagrada bark was not introduced into formal medical practice in the United States until 1877. In 1890, it replaced the berries of the European buckthorn (R. catharticus) as an official laxative. It is still used in over-the-counter laxatives available in every pharmacy in the United States.
Rhubarb Root
It is recognized that rhubarb not only exercises a digestive action but it operates directly as a conveyer of bile salts. It can therefore be classed as a hepatic stimulant. Rhubarb performs its first digestive operation in the mouth by stimulating the taste buds with its pleasantly bitter flavor which gives a sense of cleansing out the oral cavity, preparing it to taste the coming food. When it reaches the stomach its digestive effects come into full play, causing an increase of the flow of gastric juice and inducing their movement, thus favoring the processing of the contents of the stomach. Besides stimulating the secretions from the liver which convey the bile salts, it assists the intestine in regulating the absorption of fats. Rhubarb is used as a laxative, antiphlogistic, and homeostatic in the treatment of constipation, diarrhea, jaundice, gastro-intestinal hemorrhage, menstrual disorders, conjunctivitis, traumatic injuries, superficial suppurative sores and ulcers.
Garlic Bulb
Garlic bulb is pungent in taste, and warming in action. It penetrates deeply into the system to protect the internal organs and vessels against infection and blockage. It stimulates appetite, improves circulation, fights infection, breaks up mucus and aids in the digestion of fats and oils. It relieves intestinal toxicity, and is used to treat diarrhea and dysentery caused by poor digestion or worms.
Black Walnut Hulls
Vermifuges, also referred to as anthelmintics, are herbs that help rid the body rid itself of worms and other parasites. The presence of these “pests” was a well-known health concern until recent times, when advances in modern medicine essentially relegated these ailments to “the back burner.” It is an erroneous assumption to disregard the presence of parasites, especially in those who suffer from chronic digestive disorders. Black Walnut Hulls have been used historically to help get rid of worms.
Wormwood
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a perennial herb from the Asteraceae (aster ) family. It is most commonly known because its oil is used to make alcoholic beverages such as vermouth and absinthe.
The Wormwood plant has also been medicinally used for hundreds of years to promote digestion, treat intestinal worms, and liver and gall bladder problems. Wormwood oil contains the toxins thujone and isothujone, which stimulate digestive and gallbladder function. It is not usually taken alone, but instead it is usually blended with other herbs such as peppermint or caraway.
Cloves Bud
The dried, unopened flower bud of Syzygium aromaticum has been used in Ayurveda and Western herbal medicine as a carminative and aromatic. It has recently been popularized as a worm treatment. Therapeutic indications for clove bud include nausea, flatulence, dyspepsia and to assist the action of other herbal remedies.
In traditional Thai medicine the essential oil is used as a carminative and to treat stomach ache, in addition to the well-known topical application of toothache. In Indonesian traditional medicine clove oil is taken with beer to protect against abdominal pain! Clove bud is also used in this traditional system to alleviate flatulence.
Fennel Seed
Fennel Seeds (Sauf) are very effective for digestive problems. helps reduce colic, gas, indigestion, intestinal disorders, assimilation, nausea, and flatulence. It also can help break up kidney stones and uric acid in the tissues and is therefore used in treating gout.
Fennel will also help rid the intestinal tract of mucus. In addition, its tissue cleansing properties have a cleansing effect on the gall bladder and liver..
Fennel seeds often provide quick and effective relief from many digestive disorders. They help to overcome gas, cramps, acid indigestion, and many other digestive tract maladies.
These seeds are very rich in minerals including magnesium. Two of its main constituents are Anethol and Fenchone. Anethol and other terpenoids may inhibit spasms in smooth muscles such as those in the intestinal tract. Fenchone may be responsible for the medicinal properties associated with Fennel.
Recent studies have found that consumption of fennel can increase the production of bile and may also possess diuretic, pain-reducing and anti-microbial activities.
Ginger Root
Ginger is probably one of the world’s favorite medicines and cooking ingredients. A perennial herb native to China and India, ginger root has been used for centuries in Asian cooking and for its therapeutic properties.
Ginger is perhaps the best herb for digestion. It helps break down proteins to rid the stomach and intestines of gas. It also aids in the digestion of fatty foods.
Cayenne Fruit
Cayenne, also known as red pepper, was first introduced to the world outside the Americas by the Caribbean Indians, who gave it to Columbus. Since then its popularity has spread, and it has become an important spice, particularly in Cajun and Creole cooking, and in the cuisines of southeast Asia, China, southern Italy, and Mexico. Capsaicin is the ingredient in cayenne that makes it hot. Even though cayenne tastes hot, capsaicin actually helps lower body temperature, which is one of the reasons that people in hot climates like to eat so much of it. Capsaicin also contributes to many of cayenne's other medicinal properties to stimulate the cardiovascular system, relieve pain on the surface of the skin or in joints, improve digestion, act as an expectorant, and fight bacteria.
Cayenne improves digestion by stimulating production of digestive juices in the stomach and by fighting bacteria that could cause infection. Its antibacterial power also fights diarrhea caused by infection. As an expectorant, it thins mucus and helps move it out of the lungs. Because it also strengthens lung tissue, it is helpful for those with emphysema.
Formula Two:
Psyllium Husk and Seed
Psyllium seed husk is a dietary fiber from Plantago ovata. Psyllium is a bulk-forming laxative and is high in both fiber and mucilage. Psyllium seeds contain 10–30% mucilage. The laxative properties of psyllium are due to the swelling of the husk when it comes in contact with water. This forms a gelatinous mass that keeps feces hydrated and soft, provided it is taken with sufficient water. The resulting bulk stimulates a reflex contraction of the walls of the bowel, followed by emptying.
Bentonite Clay
Montmorillonite clay is a medicinal powdered clay derived from deposits of weathered volcanic ash (a relative of bentonite clay and zeolite). It is one of the most effective natural intestinal detoxifying agents known, capable of absorbing up to 40 times its weight in fecal matter. It is also capable of absorbing a wide variety of toxins in the intestinal tract. Technically, the clay first adsorbs toxins (heavy metals, free radicals, and pesticides), attracting them to its extensive surface area where they adhere like flies to sticky paper; then it absorbs the toxins, taking them in the way a sponge mops up a kitchen counter mess.
According to the Canadian Journal of Microbiology (31 [1985], 50-53), montmorillonite can absorb pathogenic viruses, aflatoxin (a mold), and pesticides and herbicides including Paraquat and Roundup. The clay is eventually eliminated from the body with the toxins bound to its multiple surfaces.
Flax Seed
Flax seed is one-third oil, the remainder consisting of fiber, protein and mucilage. In our salad dressing section, we have looked at the magical oil that comes from flax. Flax oil, when extracted with care, is one of the greatest sources of essential fatty acids. The protein in flax seeds is easily digested and contains all the amino acids needed for building a strong body. The fiber in flax acts as a broom sweeping the colon of toxic material, metabolic waste and dried mucus. Flax fiber is an excellent food for friendly bacteria in the intestine which keeps disease-causing organisms in check.
Twelve percent of flax seeds is mucilage which makes it a gentle, non-irritating, natural laxative. Flax mucilage is perfect for those who have a sensitive stomach, acting as a buffer for excess stomach acids, soothing ulcers or irritable bowel disorders. Flax expands 20 times in volume and should be taken with a generous amount of water.
Flax seed slowly releases its mucilage through the fiber wall. After half an hour of soaking the little seeds, a slippery mucilage forms. The flax seeds act as a tiny mucilage release capsule. This release continues, changing the water to a slippery consistency similar to a light oil. Flax seed is God’s gift for a toxic colon! It lubricates and absorbs toxins perfectly.
Apple Pectin
Pectin is defined as any of a group of white, amorphous, complex carbohydrates that occurs in ripe fruits and certain vegetables. Apple Pectin is an excellent source of this water soluble fiber which has a gel-forming effect when mixed with water. As a dietary fiber, Apple Pectin is helpful in maintaining good digestive health.
An indigestible, soluble fiber, Pectin is a general intestinal regulator that is used in many medicinal preparations, especially as an anti-diarrhea agent. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that Apple Pectin acts as an antioxidant against the damaging portion of cholesterol in the blood stream. Many researchers suggest that people who eat fatty foods should, if possible, wash down this food with apple juice rather than the usual drink.
Pectin tends to increase acidity in the large intestines, and is advocated for those suffering from ulcer or colitis, and for regulating blood pressure. Pectin is also effective in causing regressions in, and preventing, gallstones.
Slippery Elm Bark
Commonly found in many detox formulas, slippery elm bark works with other detoxifying ingredients to further draw out impurities. The primary chemical constituents of slippery elm are mucilage (galactose), starch, tannins, calcium, vanadium, and zinc. The herb works with the body to draw out impurities and toxins, assisting with the healing of all body parts. And slippery elm's coating action soothes the irritated tissues of the intestines, colon, urinary tract, and stomach ulcers.
The principle component in slippery elm bark is mucilage. Mucilage is a naturally formed viscous or sticky fiber which consists of a gum dissolved in the juices of a plant. The mucilage in Slippery Elm is similar to that found in flax seed. The inner bark is rich in calcium, magnesium, copper zinc, iodine, sodium, selenium and some potassium. It also contains phosphorus and vitamins A, B, C, D, E, F, K, and P.
Slippery Elm is of a great benefit for anyone has had internal surgery, or for ulceration or disturbances at any point in the gastrointestinal tract, peptic or gastric ulcers, hiatal hernia, diverticulitis, coeliac 's disease . . . infact any bowel condition is healed by the taking Slippery Elm Bark.
It produces a soothing lining in the stomach and gut which protects the mucosa and allows irritations and ulcerations to heal themselves. Your stomach acid is an indication of both an irritation in the lining (not yet ulcerated) and an excessively high acid production.
Marshmallow (Aerial Part)
The great demulcent and emollient properties of Marshmallow make it useful in controlling inflammation and irritation of the alimentary canal, and of the urinary and respiratory organs. Marshmallow's mucilage content helps soothe inflamed tissues -- not only in the intestinal tract, but also in the lungs making it beneficial in cases of bronchitis and asthma. The active biochemicals in Marshmallow are large carbohydrate (sugar) molecules, which make up the mucilage. This smooth, slippery substance can soothe and protect irritated mucous membranes.
Activated Willow Charcoal
Activated willow charcoal does essentially the same thing in your intestinal tract that a charcoal block does in your water filter. It attracts and traps thousands of times its own weight in gases, toxins, food additives, poisons, and other chemicals. Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been treated with oxygen to open up millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms, exponentially increasing its absorption capacity. As a side note, it can absorb over 3,000 known drug residues.
|
