SEPTEMBER 5, 2010 LIVER HERBS

"Every single person you encounter, even the ones who bother you, communicates some form of wisdom"

Thanks Karen

This quote caught me off guard. I pondered and pondered and then thought, "As much as I do not like this quote, I have to agree with it." This quote makes it a lot easier to accept the people who bother or annoy me. Do you have a person in your life who bothers you? We all do even if we are not likely to admit it to everyone. You do not have to admit it to anyone except yourself. You do not have to like everyone. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If you listen to these bothersome people, they might convey a message. Even some wisdom.

The sad part is the bothersome annoying people do not even recognize or know that they have this wisdom. It is not my place to tell them. These people are in a different place in their life. Possibly these people are not living to their fullest potential. Perhaps another part of their life is ruling them. Sometimes this might be a form of addiction. Again it is not my place to find out who, what, why or where. I am not going to take their inventory. I will however, take the message or wisdom offered. I find that every person has a purpose in life. It doesn't have to be my purpose. There is always a reason why things fall into place. It is the universe, and karmic energy. No, it is GOD-good orderly direction. Rememeber this: even if you do not like the bothersome, annoying person --listen to them. Take the cotton out of your ears and place it in your mouth---AND LISTEN.



Since I want to continue discussing the gastrointestinal tract, I thought I would discuss the largest body organ next to the skin. This is the liver. Since alcohol is always an ever increasing problem, especially among young teens, I want to discuss the plants/herbs that can help the liver. Since the liver is about 3 lbs you can imagine the amount of functions it performs in the body. It has the unique ability to regenerate liver (hepatic) cells. This organ bears the brunt of detoxifying the body of toxins and waste. It is the major detoxification organ.

In addition to detoxification there are other functions of the liver. One function is the manufacture of clotting factors for the blood. These factors depend on Vitamin K. The endocrine functions of the liver include activation of Vitamin D. In addition it converts a thyroid hormone T4 (thyroxine) to T3 (triiodothyronine). The metabolic functions include storage and release of carbohydrates. The liver also maintains our glucose stability. In addition to storage of carbohydrates (the breads, pasta and cake), the liver stores and converts fat. It also breaks down protein to form the basic building blocks of protein, the amino acids.The digestive function includes making bile, which is then stored in the gallbladder. How many of you still have a gallbladder?

The liver is the first organ to absorb substances after they leave the gastrointestinal tract (basically the stomach and small intestines). The liver also has a unique circulation called the portal circulation. Did you know that cholesterol is made in the liver? Well it is.

The major role of the liver is detoxification. Therefore if it gets damaged by alcohol, hepatitis or a liver tumor, these toxins will accumulate and cause illness and disease. These toxins are eliminated in the bile. The liver also stores some very important vitamins including A, D, B12 and K. In addition to the vitamins, there are two major minerals it stores--iron and copper.
In an earlier blog I discussed the specific categories of herbs. In regard to the liver these categories of herbal treatment are bitters, liver tonics, cholagogues and purgatives. Since there are many herbs in these categories I will discuss the liver herbs for the next week.

Before discussing herbs I want to touch upon some diseases. First, the yellow discoloration of the white (sclera) of the eyes and the skin. This yellow discoloration is called jaundice. This is due to the high level of bilirubin in the blood stream. There are many diseases that cause jaundice. These include hepatitis and obstruction of the bile ducts by a tumor (usually a cancer), both of which then will cause excess bilirubin production.

Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. It has many causes, the primary one being a virus. There are different types of hepatitis. These include A, B, and C, caused by different DNA virus. These types are distinguished by their transmissions. Hepatitis A (HAV ) is generally contracted through fecal-oral route. There is fecal contamination of water. Therefore you can get hepatitis A by eating seafood or drinking contaminated water. There is a complete recovery from Hepatitis A. Both hepatitis B and C are contracted through direct blood and sexual transmission. This route of blood transmission is seen with use of needles(intravenous drug use) or transfusions. About 50% of those who contract Hepatitis C will progress to significant liver damage.

Another common condition of the liver is cirrhosis. This is where the liver organ gets damaged and some liver tissue is replaced by non functioning tissue. This starts to affect all the functions of the liver that were discussed above. The major causes of cirrhosis include chronic alcohol abuse, obstruction of the biliary tract, usually by a tumor, and viral hepatitis (especially Hepatitis B and C).

Since there are so many herbs to discuss, I will start with the Cholagogues. These are generally the bitters which stimulate the release of bile from the liver and gallbladder. These herbs increase intestinal digestion of fats and increase the liver's elimination processes. I know in the past I have discussed Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum and Tumeric, Curcuma domestica.

At this time I will discuss Artichoke, Cynara scolymus. This herb has my interest due to the many studies regarding its beneficial effects on high blood pressure (hypertension). I also love artichoke as it allows me to reflect on my past. I can never forget how my Poppy made Artichokes. My Nanny would be so proud when she bought Artichokes at Food Fair or Morley's Market in Yonkers at a reduced price. I loved peeling and eating artichokes stuffed with bread crumbs I know some people who make artichokes and stuff them with chopped meat. My Poppy used freshly made breadcrumbs, fresh garlic and virgin olive oil. Ummmm. What memories! In addition I remember an episode of Our Gang, where Buckwheat peels and peels an artichoke never knowing what to eat. He didn't realize that the artichoke heart was the best portion of the vegetable.

The Globe Artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) is a perennial thistle originating in Southern Europe around the Mediterranean. It grows to 1.4–2 m tall, with arching, deeply lobed, silvery glaucous-green leaves 50–82 cm long. The flowers develop in a large head from an edible bud about 8–15 cm in diameter with numerous triangular scales; the individual florets are purple. The edible portion of the buds consists primarily of the fleshy lower portions of the involucral bracts and the base, known as the "heart"; the mass of immature florets in the center of the bud is called the "choke". These are inedible in older larger flowers.

The historical facts about Artichoke are also interesting. Leave it to the Italians to be part of the history of the Artichoke. Globe artichokes are known to have been cultivated at Naples around the middle of the 9th century. Modern scholar, Le Roy Ladurie, in his book Les Paysans de Languedoc has documented the spread of the artichoke. "The blossom of the thistle, improved by the Arabs, passed from Naples to Florence in 1466, carried by Filippo Strozzi, of course an Italian.

The Dutch introduced artichokes to England, where they grew in Henry VIII's garden at Newhall in 1530. They were brought to the United States in the 19th century, to Louisiana by French immigrants and to California by Spanish immigrants. The name has originated from the Arabic al-kharshof, through a Northern Italian dialect word, articiocco.

In Italy, artichoke hearts in oil are the usual vegetable for spring in the 'Four Seasons' pizza (with olives for summer, mushrooms for autumn and prosciutto for winter. Often thrown away, the cores of artichoke stems, once the fibrous exterior has been discarded, are perfectly edible and taste like the artichoke heart.

Cynarin, an active chemical constituent in Cynara, causes an increased bile flow. The majority of the cynarin found in artichoke is located in the pulp of the leaves, though dried leaves and stems of artichoke also contain cynarin.

This diuretic vegetable is of nutritional value because of its aid to digestion, strengthening of the liver function, gall bladder function, and raising of HDL/LDL ratio. This reduces cholesterol levels, which diminishes the risk for arteriosclerosis and coronary heart disease. Aqueous extracts from artichoke leaves have also been shown to reduce cholesterol by inhibiting HMG-CoA reductase and having a hypolipidemic influence, lowering blood cholesterol. Perhaps this is the reason studies have been done on Artichoke for high blood pressure.

Until tomorrow...