A little history...About 4 years ago I developed Crohn's disease, was bleeding internally, had wasted away to 105 lbs and was so ill that walking next door left me hugely winded. Through much research, I found out there's extensive scientific evidence that a Paleo autoimmune diet and lifestyle (because if it's only food you're missing a big part of it) could put many autoimmune diseases in remission. Because my particular autiommune disease was digestive, I also adopted a low FODMAP diet. For detailed info on all of this, I highly recommend The Paleo Approach by Sarah Ballantyne PhD. For those of you into science, she has pages of references for each chapter in the back of the book. If you're looking for more specific help navigating all of the info, give me a call as this is part of my consulting work. However, despite the wonders of the Paleo AIP way, I truly don't think I'd have had so much success in putting Crohn's into remission were it not for the herbs I took as well. The herbs Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) I first began with infusions of yarrow, a known styptic and hemostatic - an herb that stops bleeding. Yarrow's astringent properties tighten up tissue to prevent bleeding of external and internal wounds. Some of it's common names are nose-bleed herb, woundwort, soldier's wort, and militaris - many of these alluding to it's use on the battlefield in ancient times. In fact, some believe that yarrow's Latin name refers to the legend of Achilles who used this herb for magical protection. I only used this herb for as long as I had internal bleeding.  Calendula (Calendula officinalis) Calendula is known primarily as a vulnerary or wound healing herb. It's antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties make it a soothing healer for hot, inflamed, irritated or even ulcerated digestive tissue. Additionally, calendula is a bitter, an herb that interacts with taste receptors on the tongue to send a message to the brain and in turn the digestive track to begin secreting digestive juices. A mostly safe and gentle herb though it might be contraidicated for folks with a strong ragweed allergy as they are in the same botanical family. Then again, lettuce is in the same family too. Sharing a family doesn't necessarily mean there will be an issue.  Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) Chamomile is one of the oldest - perhaps the oldest - digestive remedies in existence. Scientists have discovered that it contains over 100 active constituents, some of which can target ulcers for healing and inhibit H. pylori bacteria that can lead to ulcers. Yet this herb is mild enough to be used for a baby's colic too. It's an antispasmodic and carminative - meaning it relieves spasms and gas. When infused more than a few minutes bitter constituents are extracted in chamomile making it an even more potent digestive aid. Some folks note the high FODMAPs of one of chamomile's active constituents and find it contraindicated for folks on a Paleo AIP diet, but I believe this is a mistake. With over 100 different active constituents working in synergy, I believe the FODMAPs in chamomile are of no concern, mediated by other constituents. However, chamomile is quite likely to make you burp or fart, and this confuses some folks, making them think that the herb is not for them. But this is just part of chamomile at work - relieving excessive air in the digestive track. All of that said, it is possible to be allergic to chamomile and folks with a heavy ragweed allergy should excercise caution as they are in the same botanical family.   Plantain (Plantago major) Plantain is known as the bandaid plant and is one of the most astringent herbs in existence. Astringency tightens tissue, either drawing things out and/or drying things up. Plantain is a common external remedy used in spit poultices on bee stings and bug bites, in anti-itch formulas, and even in poultices to draw out stones from road burn. Internally, plantain can help to dry up diarrhea and to tighten up leaky-gut tissue. Plantain is also a bitter herb which can assist with getting those digestive juices flowing.  Marshmallow root (Althaea officinalis) Believe it or not, this herb is what the marshmallows of s'mores fame were once made from! The root is highly mucilaginous - or gooey and slimey - and gave the marshmallows their gelatinous texture. Internally, marshmallow root provides a slippery soothing coating to the digestive track that can aid in healing. While marshmallow root's properties are best extracted in a cold water decoction, I add it right to the infusion and still get good results.   Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) Another root that I throw into the infusion rather than decocting - because I only use a tiny pinch of it... Licorice root adds a bit of sweetness and has properties that help the other herbs to hit the bloodstream more quickly and effectively. However, this herb is contraindicated if you're taking blood pressure meds, blood thinners, having surgery, or are on various heart medications, have low potassium, or have kidney or liver disorders. That said, it's an amazing digestive herb with demulcent properties that can help heal ulcers and calm all sorts of digestive upsets from heartburn to stomach cramps.  How to infuse herbsAnytime I take a new herb, I start with a small dose, like a mild cup of tea with 2-3 tsps of herb infused for no more than 5 minutes. Then I'll work my way up, over the course of several days, to strong infusions. For those not familiar with herbal techniques, an infusion is used primarily on more delicate parts of an herb such as berries and leaves and involves pouring simmering hot water over herbs, capping them, and leaving them to infuse. Alternately, I usually put the herbs in the pot, pour cold water over them, bring to a simmer, turn off the heat, put a lid on the pot, and leave to infuse. For my infusion, I combine equal parts of calendula, chamomile, plantain, and marshmallow root by sight (weighing on a kitchen scale is also an option) along with just a teensy pinch of licorice root. I use 1/2 oz to a full oz of herbs per quart of water, bring to a simmer, and leave to infuse for an absolute minimum of 30 minutes - often for an hour or even overnight. For a few years I drank 1-2 quarts of this daily. It's strong and bitter flavored! I called it "swamp water" due to its appearance - though I can't complain about flavor, having finally grown accustomed to and even fond of it. Sweetening it with honey will reduce the effectiveness of the bitter herbs in it since bitters work by stimulating receptors on the tongue, but if it's the only way you can stomach it at first, try sweetening it a bit or making it milder with smaller amounts of the herbs. I found that a quart of this infusion would quickly reduce any digestive upsets and believe it was a big part of healing my digestive track. Disclaimer: Herbs are not evaluated by the FDA. All information on my blog, website, social media, writings, or in consultations is for educational purposes only and is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Want to learn more?
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Rainbow Roasted Veggies! Total prep time for below = 5 minutes! Faster than any drive-through! Haha Stock up on frozen organic veggies and fruits when they're on sale. Roasted brussels sprouts with garlic infused olive oil and Himalayan salt Roasted beets with a drizzle of olive oil Roasted sweet potatoes with blackberries, coconut oil, tsp of bacon fat, sage, and salt. Also delish with raspberries or cranberries! Helena is having a frozen burrito with hers. You could add a can of wild-caught salmon or even pan fry some sardines dredged in tapioca starch.  This was for a class assignment for my MS in Herbalism, Physiology class, at Maryland University of Integrative Health. Thought I'd share here...
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of calcium rich food is bone broth. But since several people have already mentioned bone broth, and since - despite eating Paleo - I really dislike the meaty flavor of bone broth, I’ve decided on a different meal. For my calcium rich meal, I’d make pan-fried sardines, kale chips, and sweet potato oven fries. This is actually a meal my 10 year old and I really enjoy. I know.. I know… you’re probably thinking, “Sardines? UGH!” But trust me, if you like seafood at all, this is mild and really delicious! :D We buy the skinless and boneless wild-caught sardines in olive oil from Trader Joe’s. If you choose bone-in ones, the calcium levels would be even higher. However, a 5 oz tin of boneless ones contains a whopping 10% of the RDA of calcium (1000 mg) for a grown adult (NIH, 2013 & Trader Joe’s can). Additionally, that same five ounces also contains up to 100% of the RDA of Vitamin D, less if without bones (Nutrition Data, n.d). Finally, that same can of sardines also contains 3.6 grams of difficult-to-get Omega 3 fatty acids. There is no RDA for Omega 3’s, but the American Heart Association recommends 1 gram per day as typical and 2-4 grams per day to lower triglycerides (Mayo Clinic, 2013). We all know that Vitamin D is needed to help the body metabolize calcium. Researchers are now finding that Omega 3 fats play an important role as well in bone health. In a study with rats, they found that Omega 3 supplementation resulted in speedier bone formation rates, and they believe this benefit is linked to an alteration of osteoblast functioning (Watkins et al, 2003). So how do you prepare these ((supposedly)) delicious sardines? So easy! Pour enough extra virgin olive oil to fully coat the bottom of a cast iron frying pan. Bring to a medium heat - not too high as olive oil has a low smoking point and dislikes high heat! Now dredge the sardine pieces in some tapioca starch. You can add a bit of mineral rich Himalayan to the starch or add it at the table. Warning: this dredging part gets very messy. Place the “floured” sardine pieces in the pan and fry until just crisp on both sides. That’s it! Alternately, if you want to fry them faster, you could use lard from a pastured pig which is also high in Vitamin D. Kale is also high in calcium, with 101 mg in one cup of chopped kale (USDA n.d.). That’s another 10% of the RDA. We like to chop or shred our kale, pour some garlic-infused olive oil over it, sprinkle with some sea salt, hand massage it, and then place on baking sheets in the oven at 350 degrees til it’s just starting to crisp. I can easily eat an entire head this way! But usually I share with my daughter and we each get in more than a cup. Finally, some oven baked sweet potato fries would be delicious with this meal. One cup of sweet potato contains another 40 mg of calcium. In total, this meal would contain almost 30% of the RDA of calcium. References: Mayo Clinic (2013). Omega 3 fatty acids, fish oil, alphalinolenic acid. Retrieved from: http://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil-alpha-linolenic-acid/dosing/hrb-20059372 NIH (2013) Calcium. Retrieved from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-HealthProfessional/#h3 Nutrition Facts (n.d.) Sardines. Retrieved from: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/finfish-and-shellfish-products/4114/2 USDA (n.d.) Calcium in kale. Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=calcium+in+kale&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 Watkins, Bruce A. & Li, Yong & Lippman, Hugh E. & Feng, Shulin (2003). Modulatory effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on osteoblast function and bone metabolism. Prostaglandins, Lukeotrienes, and Essential Fatty Acids. 68(6) 387-398.  I eat 100% Paleo and stick to the even stricter paleo autoimmune protocol; it keeps my autoimmune disease in remission! Helena eats mostly paleo with me, but she's grown 6 inches in the last year and enjoys the extra calories from occasional grains and dairy.
Breakfasts: grass-fed beef, bacon and apple sticks; fruit smoothies; carrot & banana bread n'oatmeal; veggie juices; also oatmeal and Cliff bars for Helena Lunches: Tuna salad; salmon salad; dinner leftovers; also rice, frozen burritos and gluten free pesto pasta for Helena Snacks: herbal teas; paleo chocolate chip cookies; fruit; veggie sticks; dried fruit; also for Helena - rice bars, popcorn, Dinners Sat - Fish taco salad with guacamole Sun - co-op takeout while I get groceries M - Marinated citrus, oregano steak; sweet potato oven fries; salad T - Crockpot moroccan chicken, salad or cauliflower "rice" W - Honey, lime, strawberry salad with scallops for me and with salmon for H Th - Crockpot leftovers F - Paleo pizza loaded with veggies; kale chips Sat - Pumpkin chili with rice for H Sun - Leftovers M - teriyaki chicken; stir-fried cabbage and carrots; caulflower fried "rice" T - pork and saurkraut in crockpot W - Bacon, salmon chowder with dill; salad Th - crockpot leftovers F - Helena at dad's and mom takeout from co-op After months of worsening gastro issues, about 6 weeks of internal bleeding, and extreme weakness and exhaustion I was recently diagnosed with either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. Why don't the doctors know which one? Because I got tired of waiting for appointments and did not at all like the typical progression of either - so I started researching!! And now I'm healing! My doctor did not feel it was prudent to do a colonoscopy because it would interrupt the healing process. In fact she stated that she was not going to recommend any pharmaceutical meds either since the herbal and dietary approach was working.
My father suggested yarrow for the internal bleeding. He has a degree in forestry and a tremendous amount of herbal knowledge. In fact, I like to play a little game with him in the woods and see if I can find a plant he doesn't know a use for or even more rarely can't name. I found out that yarrow has been used worldwide by indigenous people for centuries to staunch bleeding both internally and externally. Within about three days of beginning a yarrow tea made from the medicinal yarrow growing in my garden, the bleeding had stopped. I'm still taking it because it's an excellent healing herb for all gastro issues. Later in the week I'll do an entire post on yarrow as it's the current subject of study for a class that's part of my MS in Herbalism degree program. No matter how much research I do, it never ceases to amaze me how much solid science is out there that is not used by doctors. Both Crohn's and ulcerative colitis tend to be diseases where doctors know how to apply a pharmaceutical Band-Aid to cover up the nasty symptoms - but have no idea how to heal. In fact, most doctors will tell you there's no healing for either of those diseases. Actual fact: Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, better known as Paleo Mom, who has a PhD in medical biophysics has written a detailed scientific book, The Paleo Approach, geared toward the non-academic, explaining the root cause of all autoimmune diseases and how to successfully put them into remission. In short, all individuals with autoimmune diseases who have been tested have been found to have a "leaky gut" which is when food particles not just nutrients leak through cells into the bloodstream. The foreign particles in the blood cause the body to launch an autoimmune response - varying from rheumatoid arthritis, to Crohn's disease, to multiple sclerosis, to hundreds of other autoimmune diseases. Heal the gut and you put the disease into remission! So with herbs, major dietary changes, and lots of rest I'm in healing mode right now! |
Rebecca Grace AndrewsWelcome! I'm a college professor, herbalist, writer and photographer. Archives
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