The Digestive System

THE FUNCTIONS OF THE DIGESTIVE TRACT

Your digestive tract is a system that has many functions. Its primary function is to turn food into the energy you need to survive and package the residue for waste disposal. There are many parts to the digestive system. Your mouth is the first part to the system, than your esophagus, followed by your stomach, small intestine, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, colon, rectum and anus.

There are many causes and contributions to an unhealthy digestive tract. Below you will find a list of a few of them.

• Poor eating habits
• Poor quality food
• Stress

(Gladstar, 2008, p. 93).

There are many indications of an unhealthy digestive tract:

• Sluggish elimination of waste “Sluggish bowl movements”
• Gas
• Poor assimilation of nutrients.

(Gladstar, 2008, p. 93)

VITAMINS, PROTIENS & FATS

VITAMINS: Vitamins, proteins, and fats are an essential part of a balanced diet and can help the digestive tract function in a healthy way. However, it is unnecessary to take vitamin supplements if you are eating a balanced diet. Michael Tierra believes that “most deficiencies are caused by a breakdown of physical metabolism rather than a particular nutrient missing from the food we eat” (Tierra, 1998, p. 61).

PROTEIN: Protein is very important for the body and can be found in food such as meat, eggs and dairy. Protein has two important functions. One of the functions is to repair damaged tissues and cells through there normal break down. The other function of protein is to stimulate and maintain bodily metabolism (Tierra, 1998, p. 51).

FAT: Fats often get a bad reputation for being a primary cause of obesity and thus have been considered unfavorable and unwanted. However, unsaturated fats and oils are important to one’s health. “There are some oils that in moderation actually assist in the burning of stored fat, such as; olive oil, sesame oil, clarified butter” (Tierra, 1998, p. 52).

KITCHEN SPICES

If you look for a healthy digestive system in your spice rack you may find some simple home remedies. Gladstar states that you can “add ginger and cayenne to your food or make a warm tea with them. Use fresh grated ginger and only a few grains of cayenne.” (Gladstar, 2008, p. 94).

There are many herbs and supplements that can support good digestion and many different methods to apply these herbs. The book Herbal Recipes For Vibrant Health by Rosemary Gladstar has a few recipes. Below you will find a list of Gladstar’s recipes.

• Make a mix of carminative seeds such as anise, cardamom, cumin, dill and fennel, and chew them between meals.
• Digestive bitter tincture

2 parts fennel

1 part artichoke leaf

1 part dandelion root

1 part organically cultivated gentian

½ part ginger.

Take a teaspoon before and after meals (Gladstar, 2008, p. 95).

References

Required Study Guide; Basic Herbology, HRB 131 [Pamphlet]. (2008). Birmingham: Clayton College of Natural Health Inc.

Gladstar, R. (2008). Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health. North Adams, MA: Storey.

Tierra, M. (1998). The Way of Herbs. New York, NY: Pocket Books.

The Structure and Function of the Digestive System. (2009). Retrieved December 30, 2009, from

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/anatomy/digestive_system/hic_the_structure_and_function_of_the_digestive_system.aspx