by Matthew Wood
Appetite, Loss of, from Chemotherapy: • Acorus • Cannabis • Echinacea • Euonymus • Panax quinquefolius • Trifolium.
Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia, Eating Disorders: • Acorus (aromatic bitter) • Aletris (bitter; anorexia from nervous dyspepsia) • Angelica (pale, thin, low appetite, colic, dyspepsia) • Arctium • Betonica (nerve-diffusive) • Borago • Cannabis (iatrogenic) • Carum • Centaurium • Cimicifuga (difficult or delayed puberty and afterwards; pelvic congestion) • Cinchona (bitter astringent) • Codonopsis • Cornus • Euonymus (iatrogenic) • GENTIANA (bitter) • Helonias (with dyspepsia) • Humulus • Levisticum • Oplopanax (iatrogenic) • Panax quinquefolius (uncured root) • Trigonella (promotes weight gain) • Verbena (bitter, relaxant).
Excessive Appetite; Sugar and Food Cravings: • Gentiana (1 drop on tongue) • RHEUM (excess salivation, voluptuous appetite, especially for meats, fats, or sweets; overactive GI without exercise) • RUMEX CRISPUS (similar to Rheum but less principal for this) • URTICA (sugar craving) • VERBENA (hormonal food-craving). This category needs further development.
Note: One teaspoon of maple syrup, per cup of liquid, drunk all day as desired, is an old Ojibwa remedy used to stop sugar craving. It worked for myself and others.
Digestion, Weak or Atonic: • Acacia • Aceticum acidum (cider vinegar) • Acorus calamus • Aletris • Alnus rubra (lipids) • Anthemis nobilis • Artemisia absinthium • Artemisia vulgaris • Asclepias tuberosa (sensitive constitution) • BETONICA (nervous weakness, gastritis, gastralgia) • Calendula (warming) • Capsicum (atonic debility of GI, especially in senescence) • Carum carvi (mild bitter) • CENTAURIUM (weak stomach, sourness, heartburn, nausea, vomiting; lack of appetite and digestive fire; cf. Gentiana) • Cichorium (feeble, weak, hot stomach, with general weakness) • Cetraria • CHONDRUS • Cinchona (bitter astringent) • CNICUS (lipids) • Codonopsis (weak, thin, dry, lacking saliva and appetite) • Cornus florida (bark) • Curcuma • Cynara (lipids) • Euonymus • Filipendula (nervous, irritable) • Foeniculum • GENTIANA (physical and mental weariness, discouragement, lack of secretion, debility, discouragement, not enough energy to eat; in the elderly; when “the fire has gone out”—Hueneke) • HYDRASTIS (atonic mucosa; nervous debility, weakness; large, swollen, atonic tongue) • Hypericum (irritable, weak stomach, hyper- and hyposecretion) • Juglans cinerea (eructation) • Lycopodium (weak, dry stomach; bloating; narrow, dry tongue) • Marrubium (lipids) • Melissa (nervous stomach) • Menyanthes (bitter) • Myrica (due to atonicity, catarrh) • Pimpinella anisum • Podophyllum (lack of gastric motility; 1-drop doses) • Rheum • Panax quinquefolius (lack of secretion) • Populus (bitter) • Salvia (gas) • Stellaria (tonic) • Taraxacum (lipids) • Teucrium • Trigonella • ULMUS (during convalescence; can’t take much food in stomach; gruel).
Bloating, Discomfort, Eructation, Gas: • Achillea (heartburn, heaviness, pressure; red center of tongue) • Acorus (wind; worse from overeating) • Aletris (asthenic, slow to digest, flatulent, gaseous) • Alnus rubra (deficient gastric secretion, drowsiness after meals; in old people) • Alnus serrulata (relaxed stomach walls with imperfect peptic function) • Alpinia (flatulent indigestion) • Althaea • Anethum • Angelica (bloated, gassy, pale, cold) • Arctium • Asarum canadense (harsh, dry skin) • Betonica (weakness, gas, sour risings, continual belching) • Bidens • Calendula • CAPSICUM (flatulent dyspepsia without inflammation) • Carica papaya • Carum (flatulent dyspepsia and colic) • Caulophyllum (pain after taking food, from muscular stiffness) • Chamomilla (painful distention) • Cimicifuga (with rheumatic, sore, stiff muscles) • CINNAMOMUM SPP. • Citrus aurantium (slow digestion, large quantities of gas, neurasthenia) • Codonopsis (weak, thin, dry, bloated, lacking saliva and digestive juices) • Coriandrum (sluggish digestion, eructations, flatus, anorexia) • Dioscorea • Eugenia (flatulence, nausea, vomiting) • Filipendula (nervous irritable) • FOENICULUM (chronic flatulence) • FUMARIA (spasm) • Gentiana • Hedeoma (flatulent colic) • Illicium (sweet stimulant; sluggish digestion, eructation, flatus, distension) • Juglans cinerea (flatulent distention) • Juglans nigra (flatus, overeating) • Lavandula • LEVISTICUM • Liatris (with renal inactivity) • Lycopodium (bloating during meals; dry, withered tongue) • Mahonia • Melilotus • MELISSA (dried) • MENTHA PIPERITA • MENTHA PULEGIUM • Monarda fistulosa • MYRISTICA • Oenothera biennis (dirty, sallow, full, expressionless skin and tongue, upset stomach, vomiting, frequent desire to urinate) • PETROSELINUM • Pimpinella • Piper nigra (flatulent after meals) • Populus (nervousness in stomach) • Raphanus (gas, bloating, indigestion, lack of appetite, constipation; use sparingly if ulceration is present) • Rheum (distress after eating; heat and congestion) • Rosmarinus • Salvia • Solidago (flatulence) • Teucrium • Thymus serpyllum • Thymus vulgaris • Valeriana (fullness due to gas with nervousness; use smaller dosage) • Zanthoxylum (flatulence from overeating; berry) • Zingiberis.
Nervous Dyspepsia, Colic, Spasm: • Achillea (inflammation, stomachache, cramp) • Agastache • Aletris • Ammi • Artemisia vulgaris • Asafoetida • Asarum canadense (spasm) • Ballota • Betonica (anxiety, lack of groundedness) • Calendula (tea) • Carum • Chamomilla (whining, complaining) • Collinsonia (spasm with constipation) • Coriandrum (adjuvant) • Dioscorea (cramping pain and vomiting) • Equisetum (compress) • Filipendula • FUMARIA (spasm) • Helonias • Humulus • Hypericum • Illicium (sweet stimulating adjuvant) • Lavendula (flower tea, for nervous stomach) • Linum • Lycopodium • MELISSA • Mentha piperita (peppermint) • Mentha spicata (morbidly irritable) • Monarda fistulosa (tension held in stomach, chest, shoulders) • Monarda punctata (flatulence, flatulent colic, bowel spasm, nausea) • Myristica • Nepeta (internalizes stress into the stomach; tension causes digestive upset) • Oenothera (herb; dyspepsia and vomiting) • Pimpinella anisum • Populus tremuloides • Prunella (colic) • Prunus serotina (vomiting in children) • Rosmarinus • Thymus • Turnera • Urtica • Valeriana (smaller doses) • Verbascum (colic) • Viscum (tension in solar plexus) • Zingiberis (cramp).
Indigestion, Gastritis, Irritation, Burning, Dyspepsia: • Acacia • Achillea • Acorus • Agrimonia (indigestion) • Alcea rosea • Alchemilla • Althaea officinalis (use with a stimulant) • Anemopsis • Amygdalus (irritation; elongated, dry, carmine tongue) • Angelica (pale, appetite loss, colic, dyspepsia) • Arctium (in cachectic individuals) • Artemisia absinthium (atonic dyspepsia) • Asafoetida (flatulent colic) • Berberis (with halitosis, skin problems) • BETONICA (weakness, pain, burning, mild ulceration) • Borago • CAPSICUM (stimulant; flatulence without inflammation) • Cetraria (nutritive mucilage) • Chamomilla (acute, spasmodic, complaining of pain) • Chelidonium (biliousness) • Chondrus • Cichorium (indigestion) • Cinnamomum spp. (flatulent dyspepsia) • Collinsonia (with constipation) • Euonymus (bilious) • Filipendula (nervous, atonic, with heartburn and hyperacidity) • Foeniculum (flatulent) • FUMARIA (spasm) • GENTIANA (poor lipid digestion) • Geranium maculatum • Glechoma • GLYCYRRHIZA • Helonias • Heracleum • Hydrastis • Hypericum (irritation, gastritis, ulcers) • Iris (biliousness) • Juglans nigra (indigestion) • Lamium • Lobelia (heartburn, hiatal hernia, spasm) • Mahonia • Melissa • Mentha piperita • Myrica (inflammation) • Myristica (flatulent, nervous) • Petroselinum (flatulent dyspepsia with intestinal colic) • Polygonum bistorta • Prunus serotina • Rheum (irritation of the stomach with elongated, carmine tongue) • Rumex acetosella (tea) • Rumex crispus (red, pointed, coated tongue; bloated, short of breath; chronic—Herschoff/Rotelli) • Trigonella (fenugreek) • Ulmus (use with a stimulant).
Gastric, Duodenal, and Peptic Ulcers: • Achillea • Acorus • Agrimonia (ulceration on tongue, stomach) • Alchemilla • Aloe (gel) • ALTHAEA (root) • Anemopsis (mucus and ulceration) • Asarum (stimulates circulation, putridity) • Bidens (peptic) • Calendula (soothing) • Capsella • Capsicum (stimulant; with Althaea) • Chamomilla (
acute; irritated, complaining of the pain) • Cinnamomum (bleeding) • Codonopsis • CURCUMA (combine with bromelain or pepper) • Erigeron (bleeding) • Eucalyptus • Ficus (fetid) • FILIPENDULA (peptic ulcer; for prophylaxis and treatment) • Geranium (bleeding) • HYDRASTIS (ulceration in bite marks on the tongue; peptic ulcer; 1-drop doses) • Hypericum (erosive gastritis—Weiss) • Myrica • Piper methysticum (duodenal) • Quercus • Rheum • Ulmus.
Gastric Catarrh (Mucus in Stomach): • Agrimonia (ulcerative gastric catarrh) • Alnus • ECHINACEA (gastritis, fermentative dyspepsia, ulcerative stomatitis, intestinal indigestion, duodenal catarrh; ½- to 1-dram dose—Massinger) • Frasera • GERANIUM MACULATUM (frothy, relaxed stomach; for children) • Geum urbanum (cold, phlegmatic stomach) • HYDRASTIS (“in minute doses, is the leading remedy for dyspepsia”—Jones) • Lycopodium (dry stomach and tongue) • Mahonia (with cholecystitis) • Monarda punctata • Myrica (heavy catarrh in stomach, atonicity, bad digestion, poor peripheral circulation, diabetes; low, weak pulse) • Rubus canadensis (frothy, relaxed stomach; for children).
Note: A damp, mucoid stomach is common in infants and children.
Gastroenteritis: • Acorus • Agrimonia • Alchemilla • Althaea • Anemopsis • Carum (flatulent) • Centella • Cetraria • Chamomilla • Chondrus • Commiphora myrrha • Dioscorea (spasmodic) • Epilobium • Filipendula (nervous, irritable) • Foeniculum (flatulent) • Glycyrrhiza • Hydrastis (atonic tongue) • Hypericum (Weiss) • Iris • MAHONIA • Myrica (coated tongue) • Nepeta • Panax ginseng (chronic GI disease; distention without bloating; thin abdominal muscles; debility) • Rheum (tongue elongated, firm, tough, red, dry, with scorched-yellow coating; strong heat) • Rosa • Rumex crispus (tongue elongated, red, coated) • Silybum • Thymus vulgaris • Ulmus • Veratrum viride (homeopathic; red streak down center of tongue, strong pulse).
Gastroptosis (Prolapse of the Stomach, determined by palpation): • Artemisia absinthium (with Centaurium—Sherman; tea) • HYDRASTIS.
Fermentation: • Allium sativa (crushed in wine) • Echinacea.
Nausea and Vomiting: • Achillea • Anemopsis (catarrhal) • Amygdalus (hypersensitivity; cold tea of leaves) • Asafoetida (food can’t decide whether to go up or down) • Avena • Capsella (hematemesis) • Carica papaya (infants) • Cetraria (due to chemotherapy; also for cancer cachexia; vomiting in pregnancy) • Chamomilla • Chelone • Chionanthus • Cinchona (bitter astringent; nausea, debility, lack of appetite) • Cinnamomum cassia (“colic or dyspepsia with flatulent distention and nausea”—BHP) • Crataegus • Filipendula (nervous, irritable) • Dioscorea • Gentiana (anorexia; before eating) • Geranium (frothy mucus in stomach; hematemesis; in infants) • Hamamelis (hematemesis) • Hydrastis (in morning, from alcohol hangover) • Iris (after breakfast, biliousness) • Lavendula • Lobelia (nausea, spasm preventing emesis) • Mahonia • Mentha arvensis • MENTHA PIPERITA • Mentha spicata • Myrica (catarrhal in morning; hangover) • Myristica • Nepeta • Prunus serotina (gastric tenderness with nausea) • Solidago (nausea from weakness) • Symphytum (hematemesis) • Urtica (with hypersecretion) • ZINGIBERIS (clear, thin, odorless vomitus; abdominal distention, pain, excess saliva, aversion to cold; pale or pale-red tongue with a greasy white coating; dried rhizome—Huang) • ZINGIBERIS (antispasmodic relaxant; fresh rhizome).
Motion Sickness: • ZINGIBERIS (candied).
Hiccough, Obstinate: • Anethum (tea of seeds) • Apium (tea of seeds) • Citrus limonum • Carum carvi • Caulophyllum • Dioscorea • Eupatorium perfoliatum (with Capsicum, manipulate T6 vertebra—Sherman) • Mentha piperita (oil or spirits) • Nepeta • SACCHARUM (hold one tablespoonful of sugar in mouth) • SCUTELLARIA • Sinapis (seed) • Viburnum prunifolium • Zingiberis (needs confirmation).
Hiatal Hernia: • Ballota • Betonica • Chamomilla • Dioscorea • Filipendula • Lobelia • Humulus • Nepeta.
Stomach Problems from Stress: • Ballota (jolt in stomach) • BETONICA (weakness) • MELISSA (nervous stomach) • NEPETA (“headache, colic or stomach ache due to stress”—Hershoff and Rotelli; LeSassier) • VALERIANA (“queasy gut feeling of strong emotional response”—Sedlacek) • Viscum (tension in solar plexus).
FORMULARY
Althaea—with Capsicum or Hydrastis as an adjuvant (stomach ulcer)—traditional.
Angelica—with Helonias (anorexia and dyspepsia). BHP 1983, 27.
Ballota—with Cetraria (vomiting). BHP 1983, 59.
Ballota—with Filipendula (vomiting). BHP 1983, 92.
Calendula—with Geranium herb or root (duodenal ulcer). BHP 1983, 45, 101.
Cinchona—with Chamomilla, Melissa, Althaea root, Angelica root, Humulus (anorexia nervosa). BHP 1983, 67.
Cinnamomum spp.—with Filipendula, Chamomilla, Ulmus, Althaea root (flatulent dyspepsia and gastritis). BHP 1983, 68–9.
Codonopsis—with Glycyrrhiza and Aloe gel (stomach ulcer).
Filipendula—with Althaea, Melissa (gastric conditions). BHP 1983, 92.
Filipendula—with Melissa, Chamomilla, Humulus (dyspepsia). BHP 1983, 141.
Gentiana—with Zingiberis, Rheum (gastrointestinal atony, stagnant food).
Gentiana—with Valeriana (anorexia nervosa).
Gentiana—with Collinsonia, Taraxacum, Artemisia absinthium (achlorhydria). Sherman.
Gentiana—with Menyanthes, Calamus (achlorhydria, anorexia, atonicity, digestion).
Gentiana (2 parts)—with Scutellaria laterifolia (1 part). This is the “Dr. Carroll’s Capsules” formula for digestive stagnation, given by Sherman.
Hydrastis—with Filipendula, Chamomilla (stomach, gastric irritability). BHP 1983, 114.
Inula—with Taraxacum, Berberis (achlorhydria). Sherman.
Mentha piperita—Artemisia absinthium (achlorhydria). Weiss.
Mentha piperita—with Melissa, Acorus, Foeniculum (gastritis). Weiss.
Petroselinum—with Althaea root, Melissa, Chamomilla, Ballota (dyspepsia with nausea and vomiting). BHP 1983, 155.
Populus—with Berberis vulgaris and Chelone (anorexia with digestive weakness). BHP 1983, 169.
Rheum (2 parts)—with Potassium bicarbonate (2 parts), Hydrastis (1 part), Cinnamomum cassia (1 part), Mentha piperita (1/32 part) in glycerin, alcohol, and water. This is the famous eclectic formula (Glyconda “Neutralizing Cordial”) for indigestion, food stagnation, and constipation. “The pulse tends to be either moderate or slippery, and the tongue usually has a white, greasy coating.” This version is given by Les Moore (2002, 61), but of particular help is his observation of the pulse.
The Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system runs the functions of the body that do not need conscious oversight. We do not, for instance, need to shove little particles of food through the gut wall in full consciousness, though we need to chew in full awareness so as not to bite the side of our cheek or tongue or choke. The autonomic therefore particularly runs the digestive tract, cardiovascular system, and other largely involuntary activities. Some partially voluntary functions are ruled by the ANS and its partner, the CNS or central nervous system—overseer of conscious activity. For instance, we can control the breath when we need to, but we don’t most of the time.
The ANS is massive, and as a nervous system it produces and uses more serotonin than the brain. A section of it is called the “enteric brain” because it is located in the digestive tract. Because large dinosaurs had to eat so much to feed their huge bodies they actually had enteric brains larger than their cranial brains. The autonomic is like a queen overseeing the dark world of unconscious functioning, like the moon overlooking dark waters of the night.
Not only does it rule unconscious functions in the body, but through it we experience our “animal” or “gut-level” instincts. The autonomic is, in a sense, the “inner animal,” in charge not only of unconscious physiological activities, but sensory input (which is edited by the parasympathetic nervous system), pleasure and pain, perception,
and instinctual understanding of life—the world of the animal, in fact. It comes to consciousness through a little nerve group atop the stomach called the “solar plexus.” Although not emphasized by physiologists, it is from here that we constantly get advice from our “inner animal”: safe/unsafe; pleasure/pain; “pay attention,” “rest up,” etc.—and no physiologist would make it through traffic to work without paying constant attention to input from the ANS. Nevertheless, the inner animal is largely ignored—by science, religion, and ordinary Muggle society.
Autonomic activities are divided into two sections, under the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches. The first is responsible for activities that require attention and consciousness (like perception and the support of the CNS), while the second oversees our needs for rest, relaxation, digestion, and repose, and also sex. These two branches are competitive—when we are in one, the other is suppressed. This helps to create the two opposite constitutional poles of asthenia (thin) and sthenia (thick). In a pathological state, the dominance of one branch over the other has become unhealthy and needs treatment.
The largest branch of the autonomic is the vagus, which innervates the diaphragm, lungs, and stomach. It also sends branches up into the head, and down throughout the digestive tract, sexual organs, and elsewhere. It comes to consciousness, or we feel it, particularly in the back of the throat. This is called the “acrid” taste, or “bilious” taste in Greek medicine. I like to call it the “vomit” taste. It is produced when the vagus nerve is irritated and is considering vomiting.
Herbs that act on the ANS leave an impression here. These remedies begin with simple relaxants, and run up into the entheogens and hallucinogens that cause vomiting as part of their “trip,” such as Ayahuasca. The back of the throat is the meeting place between human consciousness and the inner animal. The symbol of the shaman is the theriomorph (half human/half animal), in recognition of the need to establish this relationship. Then there is the “entheogenic” aspect, the spirit world.