Lesson 3-5 Upper GI Deficiency definition, tonics
Dry mouth with history of gum and teeth problems, coated tongue, bad breath in morning, seldom eats breakfast. Often does not finish meals. May eat to calm down. Food guilt or poor appetite. Often indigestion. Excess fullness after eating. Stomach and mouth have insufficient secretions. Difficulty in swallowing. Slow evacuation of stomach. Decreased pancreatic and gallbladder secretions. Fermentation may occur in stomach. Foreign proteins constantly present in stomach - triggers immune response, which can cause food allergies, or increased allergies in general. Stress weakens digestion.
Fruit and vegetables have decreased dramatically in trace minerals and other nutrition. The soil is depleted and chemical fertilizers. Non-meat nutritional content has degraded much more than meat nutrients. Very hard to get the nutrition you need on a vegetarian/vegan diet without supplementation. Result is nutritional deficiency in most folks, but especially in non-meat eaters. Wheat, apples, etc contain a fraction, or none, of the nutrition and minerals they did just 50-100 years ago. Organic not much better unless you grow it yourself or buy from small farmer who builds soil nutrition naturally.
Slow evacuation of stomach results in poor coordination of fat. If fat stays in big bubbles, it inhibits stomach function. Results in indigestion, gas and food sensitivities. Some people can't combine certain foods.
More info on how meatless diets lead to malnutrition and all sorts of illnesses. But, as he says, it is a "religion"... logic and science cannot penetrate. Short term health improvements, but long term damage. But, it gives their lives meaning... so don't bother arguing.
Long term heavy alcohol use can weaken upper GI. Tobacco can temporarily stimulate digestion, but leads to long term weakness. Licorice may help with the oral fixation and stimulate digestion.
Bitter tonic before meals stimulates digestion. Bitter tonic increases saliva and gastric secretions if you are deficient. Bitters are quite good for you, heighten taste buds and good for liver, btw. But, you need a bitter tonic that does not just stimulate secretions. In my family, we use "pot likker", the broth from cooking greens. But, Swedish Bitters are much more concentrated. Agnostura bitters are a particular favorite of mine. Lime peel works, too - any citrus pith is very bitter. Chinese bitters are both bitter and sour. MM likes Gentian and wormwood... couldn't catch the others.
Functional stimulants increase blood and muscle excitability.
MM lists a lot of herbs by Latin name.... sure hope I can find all that in the course materials; couldn't catch it all verbally... maybe we can collaborate on that one. I caught some of the functional stimulants - he mentions angelica, prickly ash, capsicum and ginger, Roman chamomile, ginseng... more ???? Did he say buck bean or buck thorn?
He says that chewing juniper berries may be best stimulant for old age and alcohol related digestive deficiency. I have a hereditary esophageal issue. Then men on that side of my family tend to have a weakened esophagus... but suddenly, it constricts and can even be deadly. I've had a few instances where I just couldn't swallow. Like the food would just not go down. Then, spasms... nothing goes down until I puke. It tends to happen when my allergies are really, really bad. I'll begin trying this. If chewing a juniper berry before a meal prevents that, that would be great!
Upper GI Excess is more rare. Can be a sign of serious disease, but is usually a sign of digestive strength. Ulcers, stomach heat - more obvious signs. Also, overeating. But, a good gut is a "native strength" - don't suppress it. That describes me more. I have huge appetites for high protein, high fat, big meals, and can eat most anything... even things that give other folks get food poisoning, from contaminated raw seafood to greasy, improperly handled diner/food truck fare... brain tacos, gas station hot dogs...raw meat, etc.
Here is the link to the Southwest School of Botanical Medicine Course
https://www.swsbm.com/school/
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