Southern Folk Medicine

by Phyllis D. Light

  Blood and Lymph

  Most of our blood and lymph is actually composed of water. In addition to carrying water to the cells, blood also carries proteins, sugars, fats, oxygen, and immune factors. Blood is our life stream. Importantly, the water that is absorbed in the small intestine to the blood stream flows through the arteries, arterioles, and then into capillaries that surround all cells. Once the blood reaches the capillaries, plasma, the watery portion of the blood, seeps into the space surrounding the cells and is now known as tissue fluid. Tissue fluid is composed of water and any molecules small enough to diffuse out of the tiny capillaries, such as proteins or glucose. Cells absorb water by osmosis, depending on how much sodium is present. Osmosis is the movement of water from an area of higher water concentration to one of lower concentration, which equalizes concentrations on either side of the membrane. Lymph also delivers fats to the cells.

  After delivering water and nutrients to the cells, the tissue fluid and lymph will pick up cellular wastes and toxins and send them to the liver and kidneys for processing. Any water-soluble contaminants will make their way to the kidneys, which clean and filter the blood, and the waste is released as urine.

  Lymph is a clear fluid that travels the body in the lymphatic system, which is just as complex as the circulatory system. If you’ve ever had a sunburn, lymph is the clear liquid in a water blister. It’s also the oozing liquid you see when you’ve got a carpet burn or you’ve scraped your skin just enough for the lymph to be seen, but not deep enough to bleed. As mentioned earlier, lymph carries fats and nutrients to the cells and removes cellular wastes. Once the lymph leaves the cell, it heads back toward the heart, pausing along the way at lymph nodes, which filter the lymph fluid and remove foreign cells and debris. The lymph nodes also contain white blood cells, which address any bacteria in the fluid. The filtered lymph is slowly pushed toward the heart and eventually enters the thoracic duct and then the circulatory system.

  There is no lymph pump, unlike the blood, which has the heart for a pump. Lymph fluid moves by muscle movement and deep breathing. To move your lymph, you must move, walk, exercise, rebound, or practice deep breathing. Dehydration can cause sluggish lymph movement. Certain types of massage can also move the lymph. Be conscious of this very important component of the body. Too little research is available on this amazing system as it has been totally ignored in favor of the circulatory system by conventional medicine. But not in traditional herbalism, which has a whole category of herbs known as lymphatics—cleavers, chickweed, red root, mullein, violet, prickly ash, and red clover are a few examples. Natural approaches to health have traditionally appreciated this otherwise undervalued system.

  Urine

  Urine is formed as blood is filtered through the kidneys to eliminate waste, maintain hydration, and ensure blood pH. At any given moment, about 20 percent of our blood is flowing through the kidneys. Not all the water that flows through the kidneys is released as urine. Some water, nutrients, and minerals are reabsorbed into the bloodstream in the capillaries surrounding the tubules. In a healthy person, all the glucose is reabsorbed; in a diabetic, sugar spills into the urine. In the final stage of urine formation, some minerals and ammonia are secreted, as are some medications and hormones.

  The color of your urine may offer some clues to general health and hydration status. In general, pee should be slightly straw-colored to a bit yellow, but still transparent. If your urine is totally clear, you may be drinking too much water or not absorbing what you are drinking. Too much water will flush minerals from the body. If you think absorption is the issue, try increasing salt intake or adding a squeeze of lemon or lime to your water.

  If your urine is dark yellow, dehydration may be an issue. Always, always see your healthcare provider if there is blood in your urine, which may indicate a kidney or bladder infection or irritation. If your pee is always foamy, there may be too much protein in your diet, which can damage the kidneys over time.

  Bottom line: We often take for granted how much water we need each day. Find the amount of water that keeps your body hydrated without loss of minerals.

  Mucus or Phlegm

  The slippery slime of mucus is made by mucous membrane tissues that line any organ that connects to or interacts with the outside world—sinuses, inside of the eyelid, esophagus, bronchial tubes, lungs, stomach, gallbladder, small intestines, large intestines, bladder, uterine mucosa, vaginal mucosa, and penile mucosa. When these mucous membrane tissues are irritated, they produce mucus. If you’ve ever had a cold, the snotty liquid dripping from your nose is mucus.

  Mucus is composed of water, antibodies, antiseptic substances, salts, and a protein called mucin. It provides lubrication and protection to the mucous membrane tissue it covers. Healthy mucus is clear, thin, and watery. Any thickening or discoloration of the mucus can point to a health issue. Everyone who has ever had a cold has observed their snot going through color changes—clear, thick and milky, yellow and thick, and then green and thick, and in the same progression back to normal.

  According to the old healers, canker is a type of mucus that results from sores, lesions, and areas of disease in the body, especially the bowels, though this can happen anywhere. As the sore goes through stages of change and bacteria and dead cells build in the area, the mucus can harden into small gravel or a lump. Canker must be softened to be removed. As a visual, think about tonsil stones or gallstones. Both are aspects of hardened mucus with some bacteria, dead cells, and possibly some calcium thrown in.

  Mucus, also called phlegm, can be produced wherever there are mucous membrane tissues. Canker can be produced wherever there are sores or lesions in the body, including the spinal column or brain, and may also be referred to as dry pus in those cases. Large amounts of mucus or canker constrict tissues and restrict blood and lymph flow into an area. This reduced flow creates a “cold spot” within the area, or tissues that need warming, stimulating herbs to correct. Without improved blood and lymph flow into the area, anti-infective herbs or even antibiotics will have reduced effectiveness.

  Resolving the Hardening

  When mucus, lymph, or tissue fluid thickens and doesn’t move, problems happen. Due to restricted fluid flow, these areas are deprived of nutrients, while at the same time cellular wastes are not being removed and are building in the area. Issues like fluid-filled cysts, simple ovarian cysts, fluid-filled breast cysts, mucous balls in the lungs, or mucus in the gut may result. The lack of movement restricts blood and lymph flow, constricts tissues, increases inflammation, and creates lingering problems, including soft masses. Increasing blood flow to the area can improve the situation.

  Warming and stimulating herbs to bring blood into an area include cayenne, ginger, cloves, pine, black pepper, prickly ash, and peppermint.

  Traditional herbs to soften masses include black walnut, chickweed, red clover, plantain, mullein, echinacea, poke root, burdock, and yellow dock.

  Traditional herbs to move hardened stones include gravel root, marshmallow, goldenseal, yellow dock, yucca, slippery elm, hollyhock, and hydrangea.

  The Nature of Water: Seeking Relationship

  Water cannot exist in a natural state without minerals. Water must be in a relationship with other elements in order to be healthy. This is one of the hallmarks of water people, who find their greatest physical and emotional health within healthy relationships, including relationships with themselves.

  Pure water, also known as distilled water, is composed of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. But this is an unnatural state for water. Water cannot live alone: It needs minerals to be complete. Sea water obviously has more sodium than fresh water, but both contain an assortment of other minerals. Water is a fickle lover and easily picks up pollutants such as herbicides, pesticides, and various contaminants from factory effluent systems and farm runoff. This is also a caution for water people who can too easily pick unhealthy or needy partners.

  Because distilled water contains no minerals,
it is aggressive. It is seeking relationship. This means that distilled water is always striving, always working, to return to its natural mineral state. If distilled water runs through metal pipes, it will corrode the pipes, drawing minerals to create balance. This is also the reason that distilled water is the perfect solvent. Distilled water is so aggressive that it will absorb carbon dioxide from the air, creating an acidic solution in place of its normal alkaline one. Personally, I have a strong concern that drinking distilled water for long periods of time may result in mineral deficiencies that could create health issues.

  Water cannot exist alone, and its perfect companion is salt. It is a fatal and attractive attraction. Think about your salt shaker on a humid day. How long before the salt has absorbed the moisture from the air? Salt is in the oceans, our tears, blood, and sweat. Of course, our blood and tears don’t have the same salinity as the ocean, which is much greater, which is why salt water can still sting the eyes.

  Water follows salt anywhere—into the digestive tract, our tears, saliva, mucus, and blood plasma. Water follows salt into the very cell itself. Without salt, all the tissues in the body would lose their water. Dehydration and eventual death would occur. Without water, we will die. Without salt, we cannot utilize water. So, without salt, we will die. How much salt is too much? Medical science continues to argue on this point, but we all need some salt, and water folk are more sensitive than others. I caution wise use of salt for the water person, especially in regards to blood pressure.

  Salt is an element of the Earth and in ancient days was most commonly derived from seawater. For our ancient ancestors, salt was scarce, hard to find, and worth its weight in gold. The word salary is actually derived from salt, so scarce it was considered a currency of commerce.

  Native Americans dug salt from the Earth and would also burn various tree and plant roots to produce ash, which was used for salt. The most common plants used in this manner were hickory nut shells, wild grapevine, and gravel root. Solomon’s seal root was also ground and added to food for salt. Te-lah-nay, a member of the Yuchi Indian tribe of Alabama, was taken to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. Homesick, she walked the long way home from Oklahoma back to Alabama over a five-year period. According to her descendent Tom Hendrix, when asked what she missed the most on her long journey home, Te-lah-nay answered, “Salt.” Only modern man has unlimited access to limitless amounts of salt.

  Salt is composed of the elements sodium (Na) and chloride (Cl), but depending on its source other minerals may also be present. Sodium is very active and attaches itself strongly and quickly to other elements. For this reason, sodium is not found in pure form in nature, but can be created in a laboratory setting with the aid of an electrical current. The most common form of sodium found in nature is soda or sodium carbonate. The most common form of sodium found in the human body is sodium chloride.

  Sodium, like water, cannot exist alone in a pure form. That makes for a unique circumstance for relationship; neither can exist alone. Both need a relationship with something outside themselves to be whole. There is a caution here for water folk also.

  Sodium carries an electrical charge, and for this reason it’s known as an electrolyte. It’s important for muscle contraction, including that of the heart, for nerve transmission, is used in the transportation of amino acids from the gut to the blood, and is needed to maintain normal water balance in the body, within and without the cells. We store extra salt in the bones as reserves for a rainy day. Sodium also reacts with the hydrogen in water, producing heat, which is the reason salt melts ice.

  Sodium resides outside the cell membrane and potassium resides within the cell. The exchange of sodium and potassium—sodium moves inside the cell while potassium moves to the outside—creates an electrical charge that causes a nerve impulse or muscle contraction. A deficiency of sodium or potassium can affect muscles and nerves rapidly. Moving sodium from inside the cell to the outside of the cellular membrane also helps remove acid from the body.

  Salt itself has many uses, including as a digestive aid. Have you ever been really nauseated and only something salty like a chip or cracker would satisfy you? The sodium chloride increases production of stomach acid, which can have a soothing effect when acid is low. Salt also attracts moisture, and salty foods can help you stay hydrated during times of illness or during pregnancy.

  It is soothing to mucous membrane tissues and makes an excellent wash for wounds and the eyes. It creates an inhospitable environment for bacteria by drawing the water from their cell walls, which reduces their capacity for reproduction. Salt is also irritating to the tissues and is not suggested as a disinfectant except in emergency situations. Think about the saying “rubbing salt in their wounds,” a common practice after the lashing of prisoners and slaves. This was a painful and inhuman experience, but rubbing the wounds with salt did have the effect of reducing risk of infection and may have saved lives, though it must have stung like crazy and caused massive scarring.

  Salt inhibits the growth of yeast and allows the fermentation process to progress. For this reason, salt is used to make vegetable fermentations such as sauerkraut. Luckily, probiotic strains of Lactobacilli, what we call good bacteria, are resistant to salt and actually thrive in the salty environment if excessive salt isn’t used. Using salt in vegetable fermentations also adds a bit of crunch to the finished product.

  Too much salt is drying. It sucks the water right out of the tissues, which makes it an excellent food preservative. This drying effect can extend to our internal tissues as well, creating dry mucous membranes subject to erosions, abrasions, and ulcers. It has been theorized that the high rates of stomach cancer in Eastern Asia, particularly Korea, Japan, and China, are influenced by the amounts of salty foods consumed such as soy sauce, salty fish, and pickles.

  Water is wet and salt is drying. They need each other to achieve stability and to reduce the aggression of each.

  The Tastes of Salts

  The taste of salt generally doesn’t change facial expression like bitter does, but may have you reaching for a glass of water. It can cause mucus on the back of the tongue and increased salivation. The taste of salt is dependent upon the composition of the minerals in the mixture. There is earth salt, pink salt, black salt, beige salt, and gray salt, depending on the source and mineral composition. Regardless of your salt origin preference, make sure that you are getting adequate iodine in your diet.

  Do all mineral salts taste salty? In general, the answer is no. Halite, also called rock salt, tastes salty because it’s composed of sodium chloride. Hanksite, composed of sodium potassium sulfate carbonate chloride, also has a salty taste. But mineral tastes can be as varied as plant tastes. In Southern Folk Medicine, only minerals with a salty taste are considered influential in the salty blood type.

  Other minerals may taste sweet or bitter. Lead and borax are said to taste sweet. Epsom salts taste bitter. Calcium tastes bitter. A little potassium chloride tastes salty, but too much tastes bitter. Pyrite tastes a bit like sulfur, which is actually more of a stinky smell than a taste, which is bittersweet. Iron and iodine both taste metallic, which is more of a quality rather than a taste, which is actually a bit sour bitter.

  By the way, I am a fan of iodized salt. During my youth, I saw the massive thyroid goiters that would hang on women’s necks due to lack of iodine. I know there are issues with our current salt supplies, such as the amount of sugar and anti-caking agents put in table salt, but the incidence of hypothyroidism related to iodine deficiency has dropped tremendously. If you aren’t willing to use iodized salt, please investigate adequate sources of the vital nutrient.

  Think about the nature of water and its relationship with salt and minerals as we discuss the traits of water people. Water cannot exist alone; it must have a companion (minerals). In a pure state, water is aggressive. Water follows salt anywhere. Sodium does not exist in a pure state in nature but must combine with other elements, such as chloride. Salt is drying; water is wet.
Together they make balance. So the question is: Does salt pull the moisture from tissues or does the water follow the salt out of the tissues? Quite a metaphor for water people and their quest for the perfect relationship.

  Water Traits

  The element water is associated with the humor or body fluid of water and the taste of salt. Water plays a role in the development of mucus (phlegm) and is therefore associated with the mucous membrane tissues of the digestive tract, bladder, gallbladder, lungs, sinuses, and reproductive systems. It is also associated with the blood, lymph, tissue fluid, urine, and other water-based fluids in the body. Water is associated with the breasts, reproductive organs, feet, toes, kidneys, and the shaping of the physique. The water element is known as salty blood type in the Southern blood types.

  Water always wins. Whether moving slow or fast, water gets its way, and so do water people. Water erodes mountain, cuts channels in solid rock, creates canyons, and causes massive destruction of man-made objects. Ultimately, nothing can withstand the power and tenacity of water, whether on the land or within relationships.

  Water people prefer the path of least resistance, meaning the path in life with the fewest obstacles and most steady movement, but life doesn’t always happen that way. For example, a creek will flow easily downhill fed by gravity until a resistance is introduced, like a landslide or big rock. The water will find a new path of flow around the obstacle or will wait and pool until there is enough water dammed behind the rock to begin to move it. That’s water folks to a T.