The Stagnant Tissue State
20 views
Skip to first unread message
Sean Donahue
Jun 7, 2010, 4:31:26 PM6/7/10
to respirat...@googlegroups.com
Excess moisture can be as serious a problem for the lungs as excess
dryness.
The tissues normally secrete mucus both to moisten the lungs and to remove waste products. Infection or irritation can lead to the over production of mucus which thickens into phlegm and becomes stuck in the lungs and bronchi, obstructing breath,
Wheezing and a damp cough will be typical symptoms -- though sometimes there is a shallow, dry cough when the body can't muster the strength for the kind of deep cough that can bring the phlegm up and out. Look for thick, frothy saliva streaming from the edges of the tongue.
The immediate need here is to clear the obstruction.
One of the clearest and simplest ways to do this is through herbs that stimulate the vital response, causing expectoration. Among my favorites are:
Elecampane -- Inula Helenium -- A bright yellow, resinous flower that grows over six feet tall with a deep root with a bitter but tangy flavor. Cook writes that "The root is stimulating and relaxing, leaving behind a tonic and slightly astringing impression. Its influence is expended chiefly upon the mucous structures of the lungs; but it also acts moderately upon the stomach, uterus, skin, and kidneys. To the lungs it is warming and strengthening, promoting the discharge of viscid mucous, but leaving the surfaces slightly dry." So a tincture or tea of the root will work both to dry the secretions and to promote a healthy, deep cough to bring the phleghm up and out. For acute conditions, I use 30-60 drops of tincture 4-6 times a day. I tend to prefer the tincture of the fresh root because I feel like it helps to hold on to the volatile oils of the root which are responsible for much of its expectorant action. Honey can be a really nice way to preserve the roots as well. Vata and Pitta can generally only tolerate the medicine for 2 or 3 days at a time -- possibly longer if used along with demulcent herbs that will decrease the overt drying effect while allowing it to continue to work as an expectorant. Kapha can take for a much longer time.
Elecampane also has some antibacterial action -- so is indicated when phlegm is thick and green or yellow. In addition, it is high in inulin, an indigestible starch that feeds the gut flora, helping to maintain healthy gut ecology. So it is indicated where food allergies cause the gut to back up, leading to bacterial infections that in turn back up into the respiratory tract. In these cases Elecamapne may also have a mild stimulating effect on the liver, aiding in its clearance.
Matthew Wood says that Elecampane is helpful when "the cough cannot descend deep enough to bring up the mucus; afterward the mucus gushes out, is swallowed, and causes indigestion"
This is the first herb I reach for in dealing with acute, wet lung conditions.
Osha -- Ligusticum porteri -- Osha is warming and expectorant, acts directly to increase lung capacity, and has antibacterial and antiviral compounds. Matthew Wood speaks of it as specific for mucus production associated with dairy consumption -- an aspect of the medicine that I am just beginning to explore. Because Osha is a) endangered and b) not found or readily grown in my bioregion I tend to save it for severe cases of intractable respiratory disease.
Eastern Skunk Cabbage -- Symplocarpus foetidus -- In my mind this is one of the great forgotten medicines for old, persistent, stagnant lung conditions. Skunk Cabbage grows in swamps, so is ideal for boggy lungs. It helps to bring up phlegm from deep in the lungs. I think of it as a plant that "gets the waters moving." It is a very stimulating expectorant, but it is also antispasmodic, so it will encourage a deep, productive cough, but prevent the cough from becoming an uncontrollable spasm.
Skunk Cabbage is the first plant up in the spring -- so I associate it with winter lung infections that have lingered on into early spring. It has thermogenic roots that melt the ice around it. I harvest it in March when the flower is still green (not yet purple). The root has oxalate crystals that can be excessively irritating so I dry the root before tincturing it. This is a plant used in relatively low doses -- 5 -10 drops at a time 4 times a day.
Western Skunk Cabbage is a plant of the same family but a different genus. Similar medicinal qualities are ascribed to it but I have no direct experience of it and haven't heard any clinical accounts directly from herbalists I work with.
Calamus Root and Yerba Santa are used by some herbalists to treat these conditions as well, but I do not have direct experience with either.
Goldenseal is popular for use in respiratory conditions with heavy mucus, but I personally do not use it for these purposes because a) it is too cooling, b) this is is not a traditional use for the plant, c) I see little evidence of this plant having action on the mucosa of the respiratory system, and d) Goldenseal is highly endangered.
Adjuncts to treatment:
Butterfly Weed/Pleurisy Root seems to have the ability to regulate the level of moisture in the lungs either upward or downward. It is especially useful when their is fluid in the bottom of the lungs.
Counter-intuitively demulcent herbs are often very helpful with stagnant lung conditions. They help to thin the mucus and make it slipperier, aiding in expectoration.
Where there is a tendency to frequent stagnant respiratory conditions look to:
-- Dairy, gluten, soy, or corn allergies
-- Gut dysbiosis or other difficulties with nutrient assimilation
-- Liver congestion
-- Structural weakness in the lungs or surrounding muscle or connective tissue
----------------------------------------------------
Sean Donahue, Traditional Herbalist
http://www.brighidswellherbs.com
http://greenmanramblings.blogspot.com/
"Sometimes there's nothing left to do but make love to the fear." -- Astrid Mannrique, ASFAADES (Association of the Families of the Disappeared), Popayan, Colombia
"If we eat the wild, it begins to work inside us, altering us, changing us. Soon, if we eat too much, we will no longer fit the suit that has been made for us. Our hair will begin to grow long and ragged. Our gait and how we hold our body will change. A wild light begins to gleam in our eyes. Our words start to sound strange, nonlinear, emotional. Unpractical. Poetic. Once we have tasted this wildness, we begin to hunger for a food long denied us, and the more we eat the more we will awaken." -- Stephen Harrod Buhner The Secret Teachings of Plants
The tissues normally secrete mucus both to moisten the lungs and to remove waste products. Infection or irritation can lead to the over production of mucus which thickens into phlegm and becomes stuck in the lungs and bronchi, obstructing breath,
Wheezing and a damp cough will be typical symptoms -- though sometimes there is a shallow, dry cough when the body can't muster the strength for the kind of deep cough that can bring the phlegm up and out. Look for thick, frothy saliva streaming from the edges of the tongue.
The immediate need here is to clear the obstruction.
One of the clearest and simplest ways to do this is through herbs that stimulate the vital response, causing expectoration. Among my favorites are:
Elecampane -- Inula Helenium -- A bright yellow, resinous flower that grows over six feet tall with a deep root with a bitter but tangy flavor. Cook writes that "The root is stimulating and relaxing, leaving behind a tonic and slightly astringing impression. Its influence is expended chiefly upon the mucous structures of the lungs; but it also acts moderately upon the stomach, uterus, skin, and kidneys. To the lungs it is warming and strengthening, promoting the discharge of viscid mucous, but leaving the surfaces slightly dry." So a tincture or tea of the root will work both to dry the secretions and to promote a healthy, deep cough to bring the phleghm up and out. For acute conditions, I use 30-60 drops of tincture 4-6 times a day. I tend to prefer the tincture of the fresh root because I feel like it helps to hold on to the volatile oils of the root which are responsible for much of its expectorant action. Honey can be a really nice way to preserve the roots as well. Vata and Pitta can generally only tolerate the medicine for 2 or 3 days at a time -- possibly longer if used along with demulcent herbs that will decrease the overt drying effect while allowing it to continue to work as an expectorant. Kapha can take for a much longer time.
Elecampane also has some antibacterial action -- so is indicated when phlegm is thick and green or yellow. In addition, it is high in inulin, an indigestible starch that feeds the gut flora, helping to maintain healthy gut ecology. So it is indicated where food allergies cause the gut to back up, leading to bacterial infections that in turn back up into the respiratory tract. In these cases Elecamapne may also have a mild stimulating effect on the liver, aiding in its clearance.
Matthew Wood says that Elecampane is helpful when "the cough cannot descend deep enough to bring up the mucus; afterward the mucus gushes out, is swallowed, and causes indigestion"
This is the first herb I reach for in dealing with acute, wet lung conditions.
Osha -- Ligusticum porteri -- Osha is warming and expectorant, acts directly to increase lung capacity, and has antibacterial and antiviral compounds. Matthew Wood speaks of it as specific for mucus production associated with dairy consumption -- an aspect of the medicine that I am just beginning to explore. Because Osha is a) endangered and b) not found or readily grown in my bioregion I tend to save it for severe cases of intractable respiratory disease.
Eastern Skunk Cabbage -- Symplocarpus foetidus -- In my mind this is one of the great forgotten medicines for old, persistent, stagnant lung conditions. Skunk Cabbage grows in swamps, so is ideal for boggy lungs. It helps to bring up phlegm from deep in the lungs. I think of it as a plant that "gets the waters moving." It is a very stimulating expectorant, but it is also antispasmodic, so it will encourage a deep, productive cough, but prevent the cough from becoming an uncontrollable spasm.
Skunk Cabbage is the first plant up in the spring -- so I associate it with winter lung infections that have lingered on into early spring. It has thermogenic roots that melt the ice around it. I harvest it in March when the flower is still green (not yet purple). The root has oxalate crystals that can be excessively irritating so I dry the root before tincturing it. This is a plant used in relatively low doses -- 5 -10 drops at a time 4 times a day.
Western Skunk Cabbage is a plant of the same family but a different genus. Similar medicinal qualities are ascribed to it but I have no direct experience of it and haven't heard any clinical accounts directly from herbalists I work with.
Calamus Root and Yerba Santa are used by some herbalists to treat these conditions as well, but I do not have direct experience with either.
Goldenseal is popular for use in respiratory conditions with heavy mucus, but I personally do not use it for these purposes because a) it is too cooling, b) this is is not a traditional use for the plant, c) I see little evidence of this plant having action on the mucosa of the respiratory system, and d) Goldenseal is highly endangered.
Adjuncts to treatment:
Butterfly Weed/Pleurisy Root seems to have the ability to regulate the level of moisture in the lungs either upward or downward. It is especially useful when their is fluid in the bottom of the lungs.
Counter-intuitively demulcent herbs are often very helpful with stagnant lung conditions. They help to thin the mucus and make it slipperier, aiding in expectoration.
Where there is a tendency to frequent stagnant respiratory conditions look to:
-- Dairy, gluten, soy, or corn allergies
-- Gut dysbiosis or other difficulties with nutrient assimilation
-- Liver congestion
-- Structural weakness in the lungs or surrounding muscle or connective tissue
----------------------------------------------------
Sean Donahue, Traditional Herbalist
http://www.brighidswellherbs.com
http://greenmanramblings.blogspot.com/
"Sometimes there's nothing left to do but make love to the fear." -- Astrid Mannrique, ASFAADES (Association of the Families of the Disappeared), Popayan, Colombia
"If we eat the wild, it begins to work inside us, altering us, changing us. Soon, if we eat too much, we will no longer fit the suit that has been made for us. Our hair will begin to grow long and ragged. Our gait and how we hold our body will change. A wild light begins to gleam in our eyes. Our words start to sound strange, nonlinear, emotional. Unpractical. Poetic. Once we have tasted this wildness, we begin to hunger for a food long denied us, and the more we eat the more we will awaken." -- Stephen Harrod Buhner The Secret Teachings of Plants
Mary Wagner
Jun 8, 2010, 7:29:55 PM6/8/10
to respirat...@googlegroups.com
A couple of questions and comments:
The elecampane I grew last year was very bitter, and difficult to take as a tea. I'm glad you prefer the tincture, I just couldn't make myself drink the tea ever again. I usually take it with licorice, and I've never thought about it being particularly drying, but that was probably the licorice giving it just a bit of moistening. Can you describe preserving the roots in honey? Fresh root, I imagine? I could see giving that a try.
I've got lots of eastern skunk cabbage growing by me. It is too late to harvest? I've never used it, but I'm intrigued.
Boy, can I testify about food allergy and frequent respiratory infection. For me it was wheat. Now when I catch a cold, which isn't very often, it stays in my head instead of making a beeline for my lungs. I used to get bronchitis or pneumonia every winter.
Thanks Sean!
Sean Donahue
Jun 8, 2010, 9:07:02 PM6/8/10
to respirat...@googlegroups.com
Yes, the fresh roots are ideal -- fill a jar with them as you would for making a tincture and just pour in honey instead of alcohol. No need to worry too much about proportions. I generally leave the roots in the jar and often eat them. Some then cook them to candy them but then you lose some of the benefits of raw honey.
It is unfortunately too late to harvest Eastern Skunk Cabbage. I harvest in early March when there is often still snow on the ground, getting the root while the flower bud is still green. CoreyPine Shane has a nice tincture available at http://www.blueridgeschool.org/herbals.htm--
Sean Donahue, Traditional Herbalist
Brighid's Well Herbs
http://www.brighidswellherbs.com
It is unfortunately too late to harvest Eastern Skunk Cabbage. I harvest in early March when there is often still snow on the ground, getting the root while the flower bud is still green. CoreyPine Shane has a nice tincture available at http://www.blueridgeschool.org/herbals.htm
Sean Donahue, Traditional Herbalist
Brighid's Well Herbs
http://www.brighidswellherbs.com
claudia Greene
Jun 9, 2010, 8:46:33 AM6/9/10
to respirat...@googlegroups.com
Thanks for the input on elecampane. I'm going to preserve it in honey this year, if I can get some. I fried it in honey last year, and it was pretty tasty.
Claudia
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages