You Are What You Assimilate: An Herbalist's View of the Digestive System

Herbalists traditionally view the digestive system as being centrally important to health. The digestive system includes the following organs:

• Mouth
• Throat
• Esophagus
• Stomach
• Small intestine
• Large intestine
• Liver
• Gall-bladder
• Pancreas

From a scientific standpoint, digestion is "breaking down food into molecular particles of usable size and content."

But perhaps the bigger point from the herbalist's point of view is that there is also a sense in which the digestive process is just one part of one larger, interconnected process which is not limited to the organs of the digestive tract.

More broadly speaking, there is a bigger process of assimilation, metabolism and elimination, a dynamic and continuous interplay between the individual and the wider world which affects all aspects of our body and health. The digestion of foods in the digestive tract is a central part of this bigger process.

Traditional systems of medicine often have incorporated a wider, more integrated model of the body which describes these broader processes. For example, in classical Greek and Islamic medicine this bigger process is called the "Natural Faculty," one of the four primary faculties of the body which govern fundamental body processes. The principal organ of the natural faculty is said to be the liver, an organ which herbalists often pay special attention to.

Because assimilation, metabolism and elimination are such interconnected processes with effects throughout the body, herbalists often make connections between the state and behavior of the digestive tract and physical symptoms in other parts of the body. These are some examples of how those connections are made:

Skin health

• Because the skin is also an organ of elimination, herbalists often see skin issues as originating in the digestive system, and most often in the liver. If the GI tract is not effectively preventing toxins from entering the bloodstream, or if the liver is not effectively eliminating toxins from the blood, then toxins may then be excreted through skin causing various skin disturbances - this is the traditional herbal point of view.

Inflammation

• The links between inflammation and the digestive system is extensive. Disturbances in the micro-biome, the lining of the gut wall, or lack of optimal function in the stomach, liver or intestines are all examples of possible contributors to inflammation in the body, which may contribute, for example, to joint pain, endocrine dysfunction, mental/emotional difficulty, etc. This can result, for example, from dysfunction in the assimilative process - from either overt pathogens or toxins encroaching on the body that would otherwise not make it past the digestive systems defenses, or due to auto-immune responses to dietary antigens. And on the other side, if toxins are not properly eliminated increased loads can also contribute to inflammation.

Respiratory health

• The respiratory system and the digestive system tract are linked in part through the micro-biome of the gut which influences immune activity in the lungs (3). But additionally, herbalists recognize a reflex effect that can exist between the gut and the lungs where sensations in the gut can be felt to some extent in the lungs via the nervous system, possibly through the vagus nerve. (4). This means that soothing and calming the gut can soothe the lungs. And additionally, the formation of mucous in the respiratory tract is seen potentially being directly related to the activity of the gut, through the ingestion of certain mucous creating foods, especially if the digestive power is relatively weak or overburdened.

Cardiovascular health

• The metabolism of fat and regulation of blood sugar are key components related to cardiovascular health. If blood sugar is is chronically elevated due to ingestion of certian foods and/or dysregulation in the function of the digestive organs this can damage the vasculature. The liver is involved in elimination of cholesterol, and therefore plays an important role in maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.

And there are so many more examples!

Additionally there is the basic reality that the nutrients we ingest are only as beneficial to us as is our ability to assimilate them. Since good nutrition is so fundamental to health, this is why the strength and capacity of the digestive system is similarly seen as so fundamental.

This is why herbalists often will make statements such as "you are what you assimilate!"

Want to learn how to support your digestive health? Check out our other article about two of the most relevant kinds of digestive herbs:

• Bitter and Carminative Herbs for Digestive Health

Want to get individual guidance on how you can support your digestive health? Our staff of clinical herbalists is ready to guide you. Learn more about getting support and coming up with an individualized health plan here:

References

1. "Digestion Biology" https://www.britannica.com/science/digestion-biology
2. "Arthritis" https://www.herbalreality.com/condition/arthritis/
3. "The Gut-Lung Axis: How Your Microbiome Might Be Linked to Respiratory Health" https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/the-gut-lung-axis-how-your-microbiome-might-be-linked-to-respiratory-health
4. Mills, S., & Bone, K. (2000). Principles and practice of phytotherapy: Modern herbal medicine. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
   

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