Herbs have traditionally been used to assist a person to come back to a healthy state of well being. Individual herbs, specifically prescribed for a particular situation may assist the body to come back into balance, thereby allowing a healthy homeostasis to be reinstated as nature intended. The herbalist looks to the whole person, their values and attitudes as well as their circumstances and physical condition along with other aspects of their individuality. This is in marked contrast to the allopathic medicine approach.
Gastro Intestinal Tract (GIT) health depends on all the organs supporting the digestive system performing in harmony and the gut itself functioning calmly and moving food along through the various stages of digestion until it is converted into a normal stool in the descending colon and discharged.
Stress induced stomach cramps is a situation where muscular cramping in the stomache interrupts the normal flowing peristaltic pattern which moves through the whole of the GIT as part of normal functioning.
These sorts of cramps can ultimately produce Stomach Ulcers if the habit becomes deeply entrenched. This is because an interruption in peristaltic movement in the stomach itself, will reduce the protection from acid attack of the mucosal lining, which relies on constant movement to stimulate mucus production to wash acid away from the lining surface.
During the last two or three generations there has also appeared larger and larger numbers of medically induced ulcers and actually in my practice I see more of these than the classic case described above.
Overuse of aspirin either as a pain killer or as a blood thinner will weaken the lining of the stomach wall and make those people using the aspirin much more likely to suffer from ulceration in the stomach.
Nowadays as I say, the majority of my gastric ulcer patients are suffering from drug induced ulceration aggravated by stress or by eating and drinking habits which include too much coffee, particularly on an empty stomach and too much in the way of acid producing food such as sugar, many concentrated fruit juices and white flour.
Caffeine drinks, Coke and coffee primarily, are responsible for a stimulation which can result in worsening this stomach cramping response in adults and should always be the first thing removed from the diet of someone suffering from gastric ulcers.
The herb Chamomile is the primary parasympathetic nervous system relaxant and this herb either as a substitute hot drink in tea form or made up into a tea for adults or used to dilute a fruit juice or drink , is the first thing to try to break into this cramping response to stress.
A course of Slippery Elm Bark Powder comprising a dessertspoon of powder mixed into a paste with a small amount of cold Chamomile Tea and swallowed half a teaspoonful at a time will coat the oesophagus and stomach lining with a protective coating, which will last around 30 hours. A 12 weeks uninterrupted course of Slippery Elm will allow the mucus lining cells to cover any erosion and mature so that you have a brand new lining in your stomach.
I prepare a herbal mix which addresses the question of normalising digestive system function and supports healing and this is comprised of the herbs; Alfalfa, Chamomile, Dandelion, Marshmallow, Slippery Elm and Aloes, along with the Bach Flower Remedies:- Larch, Willow, Aspen and Wild Oat.
A course of this mix taken at a dose rate of 20 drops three times daily in a glass of water and the introduction of 3 cups daily of Chamomile Tea will quickly bring then gut back into normal functioning mode and the ulcers will heal.
