WESTERN MATERIA MEDICA II Correspondence © 2003 Terry Willard, Cl.H., Ph.D., Todd Caldecott, Cl.H. and the Wild Rose College Western Materia Medica II Metabolic By Terry Willard Lesson One Lesson One Metabolic Botanicals According to Webster, metabolism is "the chemical and physical processes continuously going on in living organisms." Unfortunately, not all of us living organisms have metabolisms that "process continuously" at the same rate. Some process quickly, others slowly. As with many other areas of this course, we are concerned with excesses or deficiencies, or put another way, imbalances. While any system of the body can have these imbalances, the area that is most concerned with metabolism is the endocrine system. The area that we are going to concentrate on is the thyroid metabolism, as it is generally considered to affect overall metabolism. It should be remembered that all parts of the body are influential, particularly other endocrine glands. The communication between all the endocrine glands is a continuous ‘party line’ of chatter. This is particularly true of the action of the hypothalamus and pituitary on the thyroid. Fig 1.1 Thyroid The thyroid is a small gland located at the base of the neck. The thyroid produces hormones that contain iodine. Without sufficient iodine the thyroid cannot produce these hormones effectively and may become enlarged as a result. Simple goiters caused by iodine deficiency were common before the introduction of iodized salt. Excessive intake of iodine can also cause enlargement due to excess hormone production. Thyroid hormones are responsible for regulating the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats on a cellular level throughout the body. A sluggish thyroid slows down the metabolic rate causing lethargy and weight gain. Metabolic rate varies from one person to another and is also affected by genetics, sex, age, and the amount of lean body mass (muscle). Fig 1.2 Goiter An overactive thyroid can make it difficult to maintain weight and increase nervous energy and irritability. As we will see later, body temperature and weight are clear indicators of metabolic rate. ©2011 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing All Rights Reserved. -1- Western Materia Medica II Metabolic By Terry Willard Lesson One There are certain foods that contain nutrients that can resolve a state of deficiency if that is an issue of concern. However, a person’s situation needs to be evaluated before making a recommendation. What is important in every case is the recommendation to eat a variety of whole foods in adequate amounts to meet individual needs while maintaining a desirable body weight. Eating a healthy, balanced diet will usually provide the necessary nutrients for normal body processes. Exercise increases the body's metabolic rate both during the session, and permanently, as a result of increased muscle mass. The amount of increase depends on type and duration of the exercise as well as percent of existing muscle mass. Herbs associated with weight loss, such as Ephedra (Ma Huang), are stimulants of the nervous system and will increase metabolic rate; but can lead to side effects such as nervousness, tremors, sleeplessness, and loss of appetite. Exercise is the safest (unless contraindicated by a medical condition) and most natural method to increase the metabolic rate. On the flip side, there are also many who need to slow down their metabolic rate. There are many people who wish they had this problem, but for those who feel like they are skinny guy on the beach who will never fill out; it is a serious question. Body size has a lot to do with genetics. Some people are thin due to heredity and may find difficulty in gaining weight. They should ask their relatives what they weighed at a given age. Chances are, they were thin too … and could eat any amount of food without gaining weight. But, look at them now. Are they still slim or did middle age bring changes? Unless there is a medical condition underlying weight loss; or the weight loss is recent and unexplained; or there is a risk of malnutrition - as is often the case with eating disorders -- being underweight is far less of a health problem than being overweight ©2011 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing All Rights Reserved. -2- Western Materia Medica II Metabolic By Terry Willard Lesson One Thermogenesis This brings up an interesting concept often found in herbal medicine: thermogenesis. Thermogenesis really has to do with energy. In physics it is well accepted that energy is neither created nor destroyed. Energy is transformed, converted, transported, and stored. In the human body it is the same. Our energy comes into our body as food that we eat. The measure of the energy is in calories. A calorie is the amount of heat needed to heat one gram of water one degree Celsius. Just to confuse us, 1000 calories or a kilo-calorie is also called a calorie. It is these calories [kilo-calories] that are used to measure the stored energy in food. As we take food into the body, the energy is transformed into metabolic activity; spent in exercise; or stored. Weight gain is achieved when the calories consumed outnumber the calories spent. As it goes through the system, some energy leaves the body as fecal matter. Other energy is lost through the urinary system. That energy cannot be counted. What is not lost in these two ways is available for metabolism. One of the biggest energy expenditures in the human body is thermal (heat) energy. Thermal energy differentiates an endoderm (humans and other creatures which maintain their own body temperature), from an ectoderm (reptiles and other creatures whose body temperature is dependant on the temperature of the environment). The endoderm's basal metabolism is 8 to 10 times higher than for an ectoderm. A large percentage of the calories that our body consumes is for this thermal energy. Whatever is not used for thermal energy is then available as net energy for the body's cellular reproduction, growth (especially in children), work (muscle movement), and storage. We all know the common storage form is fat. ©2011 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing All Rights Reserved. -3- Western Materia Medica II Metabolic By Terry Willard Lesson One Thermogenesis means the creation of heat. There are three types of thermogenesis. The first kind is work-induced from exercise. It is necessary for our muscles to create heat because warm muscles work much more effectively than cold muscles. The next form is called thermo-regulatory thermogenesis. This is involved with keeping the temperature of the human body regulated. The average body temperature is 37o C (98.6 o F), which is quite a bit higher than the ambient (surrounding) temperature in most cases. There are two types of thermo- regulatory thermogenesis: shivering and non-shivering. Shivering helps the body to create heat. The skeletal muscles create the shivering. There's a little muscle on each hair that helps to create a better blanket for us. The shivering heats up the body. The non-shivering thermogenesis fits into the third classification, which is called diet-induced thermogenesis. When you eat a large meal, you start to get hot and sweaty. You might have to loosen your tie, or other clothing. That's called diet-induced thermogenesis. That comes into play mostly because we're going to need more energy to digest this food that we're eating. There are centers in the body that can measure this. So, we go to non-shivering and diet-induced thermogenesis. The main organ responsible for this mechanism in humans as well as other mammals is the brown fat tissue. This diet-induced thermogenesis is very important in animals that hibernate, such as bears, or small animals with a very large surface area compared to body weight. Brown adipose tissue is also very prevalent in newborn babies, who exhibit tremendous amounts of non-shivering thermogenesis to regulate their body temperature. As we grow older, this system depletes a little bit, but it stays with us. It's also important to know that the brown fat (adipose tissue) is located around blood vessels and major organs. When it is triggered into activity, it causes the warming of the blood and then the warm blood can be circulated throughout the body to spread this warmth. ©2011 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing All Rights Reserved. -4- Western Materia Medica II Metabolic By Terry Willard Lesson One The thermogenic system of the body is fascinating. It is triggered by the sympathetic nervous system. Under conditions of cold or eating a lot of food, the hypothalamus gland can register this and then trigger the sympathetic nervous system, which is part of the automatic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system controls many metabolic activities that we are not normally conscious of, such as heartbeat and breathing. The autonomic (automatic) nervous system uses up energy all the time. The triggering of the sympathetic nervous system causes norepinephrine, a chemical neurotransmitter, to be released from the synapse and accepted by the receptors on the other side. What's fascinating is that some herbs can mimic the sympathetic nervous system. They encourage a release of norepinephrine from one dendrite across the synapse and activate a nerve impulse. This then increases thermogenesis as well as other activities generated by the nervous system. It's important to note that thermogenesis is one of the very important ways the body uses up energy. It's kind of turning up the thermostat on the body. If we turn up the thermostat, we're causing more of the calories we take in to go into thermogenesis as well as other areas of the sympathetic system. If the same amount of energy is used in work, less calories are available to be stored as fat. The brown fat is activated, and it calls into service the energy stored in the white fat cells, the primary storage sites of energy in the body. ©2011 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing All Rights Reserved. -5- Western Materia Medica II Metabolic By Terry Willard Lesson One Although we have a consistent number of fat cells, the size (or percentage of fat) can vary tremendously. The number of cells remains the same, but the size changes. Interestingly enough, one of the consequences of using thermogenic botanicals is a loss of appetite. If you are not as hungry, you are not going to eat as much. The same thing for exercise; when the thermostat is turned up, the metabolism is up, and you feel more energy. So, when people feel they have more energy, they will be able to do more, which will also help them to utilize fat. The brown fat cells are unique in their mitochondria. The mitochondria are the cell’s energy source, or power plant. In the brown fat cells, the unique mitochondria help create energy. The brown fat cells are responsible for maintaining core body temperature. They are real energy burners. In some respects the problem of human obesity has less to do with eating habits than it does with brown fat cell deterioration. An example of thermogenesis can be easily seen in figure 1.3 where activity is increased at the cellular level of the fat cells. Overactive thyroid (Hyperthyroidism) Overactivity of the thyroid gland may be caused by a functioning growth or tumor, such as a benign nodule or cancer, a self-limited inflammation of the gland from a probable viral infection, or Graves' disease (the commonest form). Graves' disease appears to be an autoimmune problem, caused by the production of thyroid antibodies, which have a stimulating effect on the gland. This same process causes the deposition of a thick substance within the skin, behind the eyes, and elsewhere. Clinical manifestations are the result of an increased metabolic rate, especially excessive body heat, increased neuromuscular and cardiovascular activity, and hyperactivity. For example: • Nervousness, emotional hyper-excitability, irritability, apprehension, sleeplessness. • Difficulty in sitting quietly. • Rapid pulse, at rest as well as on exertion (ranging between 90 and 160); palpitations. • Low heat tolerance; profuse perspiration; flushed skin (e.g. hands warm, moist) ©2011 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing All Rights Reserved. -6- Western Materia Medica II Metabolic By Terry Willard Lesson One • Fine tremor of hands; change in bowel habits – constipation or diarrhea. • Increased appetite and progressive weight loss. • Muscle fatigability and weakness; amenorrhea. • Bulging eyes (exophthalmos) which produces a startled expression. Chakra (fifth) It is important to remember that each of the endocrine glands also corresponds to a chakra in several Eastern medical systems. The thyroid represents the fifth chakra, the one associated with communication. I have often seen patients come in with various thyroid issues, who later realize that it may partially arise from “swallowing their words” in various relationships. Of course the quality of communication in this case is the perception of the individual, not necessarily that of the wider community or particular culture they are in (though this can heavily influence it). We will see excessive communication in overactive thyroid often and under communication in underactive thyroids. Flower Essence, along with counseling will often help here. It is also important to note that in over 80% of the cases hyperactive thyroid will result, sooner or later, in hypoactive Fig 1.4 Fifth Chakra thyroid. Specific Remedies: Overactive thyroid has a specific remedy, Bugleweed (Lycopus virginicus or L. europaeus). The herb is a useful relaxing nervine but in addition has a sometimes dramatic effect in reducing the mix of symptoms associated with hyperthyroid conditions. I have seen no figures on thyroxin serum levels in patients using Lycopus, and thus cannot say that improvement is due to the herb directly impacting the hormone, but something is definitely going on. ©2011 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing All Rights Reserved. -7- Western Materia Medica II Metabolic By Terry Willard Lesson One The herb Motherwort (Leonurus carciaca), according to authorities from the German Commission E, has also shown benefit in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. This herb has been particularly helpful in alleviating some of the symptoms of hyperthyroidism such as: excessive sweating, palpitations, nervous anxiety, and tiredness. There have been no reported safety issues related to the proper usage of this herb. The dosage would be 10 to 15 drops of tincture up to 3 times a day. If you use the liquid extract form of the herb, take between 2 and 4 milligrams daily. Ganoderma (Reishi) has also been effective in this area. Another option to consider would be a combination formula of the following herbs: Take 4 parts Bugleweed (Lycopus spp.), 2 parts Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca), 2 parts Skullcap (Scutellaria spp.), and 1 part Hawthorn (Crataegus spp.) in tincture form three times daily. Before using this or any other herb or nutritional supplement, I would advise that you first consult with your primary physician or health care provider. THYROID STRESS: DEPRESSIVE An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can be cause by deficiencies, but is often caused by stress. As stated above, it is very commonly preceded by hyperthyroidism. Stress on the thyroid is often ongoing, with imbalances occurring only so long as the pituitary responds to the hypothalamus (and is essentially functional). It is common for thyroid-stress people to manifest a sort of manic-depressive duality, a metabolic bipolarity. If they respond to agitation with elevated metabolism, they may respond to depression with a decrease of thyroid stimulation. It may be difficult to perceive their current depression as part of a bigger cycle, unless they have had extended periods in the past when they have clearly been in excess. You often need some fairly extensive interviewing before seeing the patterns. To further confuse matters, the thyroid-stress person will often perceive the physically-depressed end result, but understandably flail about for some external explanation, such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Fibromyalgia (FM). These people will usually have thyroid deficient phases which are very susceptible to subtle, lingering pathologies. But until ©2011 Wild Rose College of Natural Healing All Rights Reserved. -8-