Category Archives: Digestive System
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Is Wormwood A Psychedelic Herb?
There are at least 57 species of wormwood known in Europe and 187 in China, but the most common to be found in the domestic garden are mugwort, grand wormwood, tarragon and Roman wormwood. All the wormwoods share the common characteristics of bitterness and a strong scent, the latter making it useful for keeping away insects. Wormwood has been used since ancient times in herbal medicine to stimulate the appetite as well as treat jaundice and expel worms, the most commonly used species today being Artemisia absinthum. It has also been used as an ingredient in alcoholic drinks such as absinthe and vermouth, which stimulate the digestion when drunk as an aperitif, as well as mood.
(more…)Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is a herb with thousands of years of medical usage. It was called glukoriza, which means sweet root, by the physician Dioscorides, but was in use for at least two thousand years before that. The Egyptians took it as a tonic to build stamina and vitality, the Romans to stop hunger and thirst on military campaigns, and the Chinese still use it to increase Qi and restore the glands. Today, most of the liquorice cultivated is used to sweeten tobacco.
(more…)Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a delicate, inconspicuous herb that you find growing about the shady parts of the garden amongst the other weeds. It is the colour of grass with small, white, star-shaped flowers and slender green stems. The whole plant can be used fresh in a salad together with other greens from the garden such as dandelion, sow thistle and sheep sorrel.
(more…)Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is a slender plant with narrow leaves and vivid blue flowers. The fibre has long been used to make cloth, rope and sails, while the oil (linseed oil) is added as an ingredient to furniture polishes and house paints. The seeds are very nutritious containing fibre, healthy fats, B-vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc.
(more…)Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seed was highly valued in ancient Egypt and Greece as both a vegetable and a medicine, as it still is in India, Asia, Eastern Europe and The Middle East. It can be used much like cod liver oil as a nutritious supplement for supporting treatment during illness, for children with bone disorders, or simply to nourish the constitution.1 A flour made from the seeds contains good amounts of fibre, fatty acids, amino acids, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, lecithin and iron, and if added to wheat flour improves its nutritional value significantly. When sprouted, the seeds are a good addition to salads just like other seeds or legumes.2,3
(more…)Parsley is a common culinary herb found growing in household gardens. The two most familiar cultivars are curly-leaved parsley (Petroselinum crispum crispum) and the flat-leaved ‘Italian’ parsley (Petroselinum crispum neapolitanum). When eaten regularly parsley is a nutritive tonic containing minerals such as iron, potassium, manganese and copper, as well as B-vitamins, vitamin C, E and K. It also contains a considerable amount of the antioxidant lycopene.
(more…)Diverticulosis is a disease of the large intestine characterised by protrusions of the mucosa through the muscle wall. These protrusions form pouches which can trap food or waste and become inflamed, resulting in the condition diverticulitis. This can progress to an abscess, fistula, or perforation. Perforation of an individual pouch will lead to peritonitis.
(more…)Flatulence is caused by the production of gas in the intestines. A certain amount of gas arises from the normal activity of enzymes and micro-organisms in the digestive system; however, excess gas results from increased fermentation.
(more…)Haemorrhoids, otherwise known as piles, are varicose veins of the peri-anal area. Piles begin as superficial veins in the vascular tissues which enlarge and become twisted. They can form internally or externally, and while some remain blind, others eventually hang like grapes.
(more…)Gall stones are formed in the gallbladder from bile salts, bilirubin, calcium, and cholesterol. The most common types are cholesterol stones followed by pigment stones. This condition affects up to 15% of the population, women more so than men, the prevalence increasing with age.
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