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Anyone using fresh ground flax seeds as a toxin binder in the gut? Any advice on dosage, side effects, etc.?
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Keebler
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- I have always wondered about flax meal as it's so gelatinous and it really helps move stuff right on through, so to speak. Even if not binding to toxins, per se, that bowel action is very helpful.
I do know that carob root powder can absorb endotoxins, so you could add a spoonful of that to your flax meal - and LOTS of water as carob can be very binding, even corrective for loose bowels.
Sarsaparilla (Smilax) also binds to endotoxins in the gut. Smilax is a frequent addition to herbal lyme support formulas and its actions go beyond just in the gut.
Cholestyramine, of course, is the king of toxin-binders but I have never been able to tolerate that and I think there are more natural and less expensive ways to achieve the same thing. Others do well with it, though.
WHAT IT DOES: Sarsaparilla root is sweet and bland in taste, and neutral in action. It removes toxins from the bowel, and reduces inflammation and dampness from the blood, liver, urinary system and skin.
RATING: Yellow, due to limitations is usage.
SAFETY ISSUES: None known
STARTING DOSAGE: Dried root: three to 12 grams per day
4:1 dried decoction: one to four grams per day
1:5 tincture: two to four milliliters (ml) in water or juice 3 times per day
Sarsaparilla root has been famous in the West since 1574, when a French physician described its use in treating syphilis.
Various Smilax species are used to treat infections and inflammation--especially those affecting the skin and intestines--in many countries including India, China, Europe, the United States, Brazil, Guatemala, and Saudi Arabia.
Because of the historical use for syphilis, many herbalists now use sarsaparilla root for Lyme disease, also caused by a spirochete organism.
Naturopaths believe that sarsaparilla root binds and remove endotoxin from the bowel, perhaps by stimulating liver clearance (Murray & Pizzorno, 1989).
Deng (1994) tells us that endotoxin--chemicals released into the host after breakdown of the cell walls of gram-negative organisms-- accords closely with the idea of "pathogenic toxins" in TCM. His studies have shown that the removal of endotoxin helps control many inflammatory and febrile diseases.
. . .
* In 1942, the New England Journal of Medicine published a controlled study showing that an endotoxin-binding saponin extract of sarsaparilla was effective in reducing psoriasis symptoms (Thurman, 1942, reported in Murray & Pizzorno, 1989).
* Clinical tests in China demonstrated that the Chinese species called Tu fu ling rhizome (Smilax glabra) is effective for treating syphilis in about 90 percent of acute cases and 50 percent of chronic cases (Bensky & Gamble, 1986).
Since Lyme disease is also caused by spirochete organisms, it may prove beneficial in the treatment of this disease as well. TCM doctors use Tu fu ling rhizome to treat joint pain, turbid urine and jaundice caused by heat and dampness. . . .
. . . . cont'd at link above.
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There is a six page chapter on Smilax in this book - you'd want to read all of that before using. Tiny doses are best at first as it can cause some rumbling in the belly and some sleepiness.
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