Effective Natural Digestive Remedies: Heal Your Gut Naturally

HI U OLE PATOOTS DOIN,,,,,,,,,, went to our Anti Aging Doctor to learn of our health status. She always phases my Tractor Driver and chastise's me. I am fair to middlen, but in addition to all my other heath problems, I now have a gut problem. I can't get too far from the potty.

She put me on a bone food product that can only be ordered by a physician. It is made from the bone marrow of cattle. She says she is having great success with folks with all kinds of bowel problems. She is even treating other MD's that have given up on Big Pharma.

I have only been on it for two days and can see a difference. She says it will take a week or two. I did a little research and learned that lots of countries for centuries have cooked bone soup to help digestion. Why do we not heed what has been passed down from our ancestors? Guess they did not wear a white frock, huh?

Would like to hear what others say about cooking bones for your health. Think it will be an interesting thread.

=======ORH======

Hello ORH, I am glad you are talking broth! It was my mother in law who taught me how to put together a good broth. She was a well to do woman, but very thrifty, as is often the case. I would like to share the recipe: Put the carcas and bones of a chicken in a medium or large pot. It does not matter if some bits of meat are still on them. To the pot add a quartered onion, 2 quartered carrots, 3 ribs of celery, a quarter bell pepper, 2 TBSP each of thyme and rosemary. Then I fill the pot with filtered water and add 2 TBSP cider vinegar. I have found the best pot for this job is the newer crock pot with clamps to hold the lid down, and that is because it holds in the vinegar odor, which can be too strong for my husband. Day 1; simmer all day and cut off at night. It can be left sitting on the counter and no, it won't make you sick. Next morning, replace evaporated water, simmer all day and cut off again at bed time. On day 3, add water again and simmer. At day's end, taste for salt and pepper. I then use my large wooden spatula to push down on the bones until they break up easily. Stir it all up well and go to bed. The 4th day of simmering gets more bone cooked into the broth. Toward the end of the day, I strain it all into two pitchers. I then pour it into canning jars and freeze them with the lids loose. The next day, the jars are frozen solid and I tighten the lids. These vegetables and seasonings are just my suggestion. Really, I just add what I think will taste good. I use it a lot in cooking, and not just for soup. There's nothing like a warm mug full on damp days. I wish I could say this broth alone cured my arthritis pain, but truthfully, I had to quit eating wheat flour and granulated sugar. I don't know why, but the sugar in fruit doesn't make us ache at all, so our deserts are just a plate of mixed fruit; as we learned to do when we visited Turkey. There's a book around here somewhere by Sally Fallon and it's called "Nourishing Traditions". As I recall it, Miss Fallon believed our grandparents were better nourished than we are today because they were too thrifty to waste organs and bones. Best wishes to you.

HI U IOWAMA,,,,,,,,,, my tractor driver just finished your recipe for bone broth. Wow, she ended up with 8 jars of this wonderful stuff.

You right, it is full of fat. At my stage in life, I relish what good it does for me. All know that this is a new trek for me. Seems that lots of EC wemmin folks have been down this trail before.

I thank you for your counsel. Lord knows I need it.

======ORH=======

HI U IOWAMA,,,,,,,,, yep, we save all our jars that have a seal in the cap. They are far bettern canning jar lids. We have olive jars that we have resealed and used for at least 10 years.

I thank you for your compliment, but sometimes I think I'm preaching to the choir. My dooms day projection is not what folks want to hear. If all my kin and friends show up when the ship hits the sand, then some are going to sleep on pallets. Know you have been down this trail. Told all to bring a hoe.

That was a great time when we went to my Mississippi PawPaw's back in the early 40's. There would be three families there and the men went to the fields before daylight to pick vegetables. They brought them in by the tub full and all the men and kids shelled them on the front porch. The wemmins canned them over a hot wood stove. It was an all day affair. Heard many a tall tale while shelling butter beans and the like.

Betcha, you did the same thing in Iowa.

Yo gardening buddy, =====ORH=======

HI U IOWA-MA,,,,,,,,,,,,, how did you get into this cooking project, and why do you cook the bones for 4 days? Got a feeling that this is something passed down by yo kin. There has to be a reason. Think hard and let us all know. Never heard of this topic on EC before. Got a feeling these waste bones can cure lots of ailments. Ain't that sumpin?

Your Buddy,,,,,,, ====ORH======

HI U IOWAMA,,,,,,,,,,, guess you hit a nerve, because my Tractor Driver said to copy your recipe. Wow, I hope you take that as a compliment.

I am just a new boy on the block as far as bone broth is concerned, and you experienced cooks are teaching me and others how to straighten out our bowels.

I (we) thank you.

====ORH====

You can get food intolerance tests yourself, you do not need your doctor's permission. Most doctors are clueless about diet, even when it is connected to gall bladder and digestion. Do it off your own back. You are the one who benefits. And such tests are not that expensive.

Thanks for this, ORH! I have been making and drinking bone broth made from free ranged chicken bones for several years. I haven't put much effort into locating a good source of beef bones, but now I will do that. My broth cooks for 4 days, usually, and contains cartlege, marrow, and the dissolved bone, as well as vegetables that I add for flavor. Good stuff, and I never thought of it's role in gut health, although mine seems in good shape. It sure helps knock out any dab of joint pain that shows up.

I read many yrs ago bone broth was good for arthritis, helps the joints. I use to make my own, now it's hard to find grass fed cows & free range chickens. You don't want GMO fed or antibiotics. If you have organic turkey, boil it too after finishing the turkey. Makes the best soup. Taste great & good for you!

HI U EARTHLING,,,,,,, just got off the phone with the local processing plant trying to get grass feed cow bones. The owner said that bone broth is now quite the thing these days. The trick is to avoid GMO fed cattle. I have helped her with her arthritis and she will be on the look out for bones from grass fed cows.

Maybe folks are now thinking more about their health. Let's hope so. Thanks for your URL.

===ORH====

Bone broth is the latest craze and purists will probably scoff at buying it but I tried making it and it just didn't work out for me. I buy it powdered and I think it helps me a lot. I have never been able to digest anything. It comes out just like it goes in. (Sorry) Bone broth is definitely helpful. Also some gut health supplements.

Recently my daughter and I tried raw honey for our impaired digestion and the results blew me away! We take about 1/2 teaspoon with each meal and all our bloating and discomfort is now gone. We both have struggled with candida in the past but much to our continued surprise, raw (unprocessed) honey also kills candida. We also found articles which told of studies of how raw honey lowered blood sugar for diabetics. I have struggled in the past with keeping my blood sugar under control but since I started taking raw honey my blood sugar has come down to an acceptable level. I did not believe this could possibly work until I tried it myself. We have found that Raw Honey seems to work the best. Avoid the runny stuff in the honey bears. That stuff has been heated so that all the beneficial properties get destroyed. We are now total believers. Also, my energy level has soared since adding raw honey to my diet. I have found I feel best taking less than 1/2 teaspoon while my daughter feels best taking a generous teaspoon with each meal. Give it a try and see if this works for you!

Hello all, I for years thought I had a bad/sluggish gall bladder. I even tried the oil/lemon flush. It got so bad I went and had an ultrasound done, it was perfectly clean on the screen. The ultrasound tech even said there was no small sand/sludge in there. So I then had nuclear dye shot into me and then something to make my gall bladder pump, they said it was working normally. So I then soon after had an endoscope, small hiatal hernia, but nothing else.

So I got noticing, when I eat, sometimes I can eat whatever, and after an hour or a few, everything digests, but if I go to the bathroom and make myself vomit, it is PURE OIL. So I got thinking that it wasnt the food so much, but something in the oils, and that my body must not like it, an allergy. So as I experimented, I got noticing that everytime I eat something that contains SOYBEAN OIL, my body doesnt like it, will digest the food around it, but leave the oil! Any of the fast "food" meats generally have it, as does anything with a batter on it at these places, or fried (fries). So does mayonaise, salad dressings, cheese dips, and even ice cream and soda (brominated "vegetable" oil)! "Vegetable oil" is usually a code word for "soy or has soy in the blend of cheap oils we use". It is a rotation crop grown after corn, and is dirt cheap and therefore they use it as a "filler" for lots of foods!

If I stay away from soy/soybean oil (vegetable oil), my body does pretty well. ALSO, if you have a hiatal hernia, stay away from carbonated drinks! On an empty stomach, this causes me problems alone, but mixed with food, causes bloating in the stomach that pushes everything around and makes life bad.

So, if you have stomach problems, watch what you eat and look for SOY and see if there is a connection that you can avoid

P.S. On the nights when I have sushi and nothing else, my stomach does great. The only thing in it is rice, crab, avacado, and cream cheese. I think that there might be something soothing/healing in the rice, but am currently not sure what mechanism it might be. If I eat rice with a "something helper" or out at a mexican place and both have tons of soy in it, it has little effect to negate the soy. So look towards a diet with rice possibly if you dont have a problem with it. Also, cheeses and sugars can cause me indigestion, so look at these as being removed if you want to make things better.

Adequate Chewing of Food

During a battle with candidiasis, I learned just how important it is to REALLY chew up your food.

"Human saliva is composed of 98% water, while the other 2% consists of other compounds such as electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds, and various enzymes." - Wikipedia

Digestion begins in the mouth. This is very important. Since I put proper chewing into practice, I found that I eat much less, and that I've become more lean and have more energy! Also my stomach is flatter, either from eating less, or from not being blocked up anymore. It's a very simple practice that everyone can improve upon. If you think you already chew enough, chew more! Perhaps this could have it's own remedy page...?

VERY true! Chewing 40 times instead of the average 15 times can help aid you in weight loss by up to 12% fewer calories and absolutely does fill you up faster. Twelve may not seem like much, but when you realize this is incredibly easy and the least you could do if you're interested in losing weight, it's really a shame if you don't!

I have had digestive issues for about 3 years now, irregular movements of diarrhea. Prior to that I went once a day in the morning without fail. I would get terrible gas and sometimes constipation. I never felt that I a fully evacuated.

Now I heat up a cup of water in the evening and add a teaspoon of slippery elm powder and let it steep for a few minutes.

A few sips before bed and a couple more first thing in the morning and I am regular again. I can not believe the difference this has in my digestive health. No more gas and bloating. Complete evacuation every morning.

No side effects, would not be without it again.

You may find it easier to get chicken bones than cow (or any animal). I've read that you should 'roast' the bones first, get them browned on the grill or in the oven, then put them in the stock pot to simmer. Also said to add a splash of vinegar. The first time I did that, I was shocked at how much fat came out of the bones. Anyway, the broth was delicious. Bear in mind that fresh broth doesn't keep very long-it's the stuff they use to make agar that grows bacteria in labs. If you must keep it, put it in the freezer. This is what I made when DH got out of the hospital and was so weak--had him drink it often. For the elderly it's especially good, gets those trace elements. I don't know that it's a cure, but it sure can't hurt!

HI U NAMAW,,,,,,,,,,,,, wife, Tractor Driver, is baking a hen for Easter and will use these bones as you say. All this bone nutrition stuff is new to me, but it has hit home with lots of the folks on EC. Where have I been for the last 79 years?

You say you from Bama and I assume you talking Alabama. Was in the military at Redstone in Huntsville in '61 and worked in Selma in the paper industry in the 80's. Two daughters went to Auburn, so I'm on your side.

======ORH=====

Wow, wow, wow! It is always exciting to have something work well for an ailment, especially when you didn't think it would. :)

I have used apple cider vinegar for years and it was so great for heartburn and gall bladder attacks.

In recent months though, my digestion has seemed worse, even with ACV. Everything I was eating seemed to be bothering me, even foods that had never bothered me before, and foods that I didn't think should bother anyone. I was having frequent gall bladder pain and a ridiculous amount of burping.

I have read about Betaine HCL with Pepsin here on EC. I knew it was something I should try, especially reading that digestion can slow down as you get older. I ordered some and took it with skepticism. I started to take one capsule with lunch and one with dinner. I don't take one with breakfast since I tend to eat a light breakfast. To my great shock and delight, foods are no longer bothering me and burping is greatly reduced!

Why or WHY do you people just have to have meat??? My god, they eat 20 lbs of carcass every day in this country *USA*, , , and unless you are eating strictly organic, and hopefully non-GMO, WITHOUT THE MEAT, , , well, let's just ask, do you wonder why everyone in the USA is literally dying of Cancer every day?? They have poisoned the entire food supply for MONEY, GREED and if you don't take your health into your own hands and eliminate what needs to be eliminated *such as MEAT and animal products*, , well then you will suffer the consequences. Sorry, but it boggles the mind how the population at large in the USA is so dumbed down…stuffing their faces with McDonalds and all other kinds of filth (also found in regular supermarkets) and wonder why they have a myriad of health issues….including CANCER EVERYWHERE!!! You don't HAVE TO HAVE meat or animal products…you choose!!!!!!!!

Here's a simple tip to help your digestion out. You can make a digestive tonic out of pineapple and thin air!

Simply get a fresh pineapple, cut it into bite-sized chunks and place them on a plate out of direct sunlight. You may want to cover them just in case.
Every day, eat a piece of pineapple (or two... Or three). It's easy as that!

After a few days if it starts tasting strange/bad or looks that way - don't eat it. Otherwise, bon appetit!

The idea behind this is that raw pineapple contains a bunch of digestive enzymes called bromelain. If you leave it out in the air, it will slowly and gently culture with wild yeasts in the air - these also contain digestive enzymes. It's not going to cure any big digestive problems, but it is gentle, simple, effective, cheap and natural.

Pineapple is also a great anti-inflammatory, anti-histamine and diuretic.

Hello Lak; It seems possible that you have a situation that many of us may have, myself included. The stomach lining is troubled, and the stomach acid is low. For 3 months now, I have been adding the equivalent of a box of "knox" gelatin to my soup once daily. I was greatly encouraged by reading Ken's post that he had healed his knee damage with this practice, but that it took 1 year. I am having good results as of now, but I will continue to have gelatin daily for as many months as it takes to heal my small hiatal hernia.

Gelatin is not a complete protein, but it is high in proline and glycine, from which we form collagen that strengthens our tissues. If anyone objects to the animal nature of gelatin, they could try an amino acid supplement, and possibly add extra proline and glycine to it. Some supplements are bound with HCL, so care must be taken along with them. Foods and herbs with mucilage are also soothing to the stomach. Marshmallow root, Slippery Elm, and fresh Aloe Vera leaves are my favorites. Maybe this can help. Connie

Update from Carolyn with product names.

1. Intestinew by Renew Life.
2. Any brand of Vitamin E(400 IU) per day.
3. Vitamin C, Nutriobiotic is best, get buffered.
4. Digestive enzymes by Enzymedica, one before each meal.
5.GSE by Nutriobiotic, 5 to 12 drops morning and night.
6.Fish oil, any kind. Take at night before dinner.
7. Make and drink a green smoothie and drink for breakfast. In it I put 1 banana, 1 apple, greens (usually the dark green greens) 1 rounded T. chia seeds(these are so important because they keep things moving through you and have 8 times more omega 3s than fish oil), and I rounded T. brown rice protein powder.
8. I take2 Michael James mineral capsules each day.
9 I take 2 Michael James potassium capsules each day.
10. I changed my diet to a whold foods diet. No meat but fish occasionally, maybe once a week. I roast my veggies in the oven, eat lots of potatoes, and brown rice.

The above protocol has changed my life.

I order all of my products on line. Vitacost is a great place to shop and you save tons of money. I know this is a lot of supplements to take but I'm telling you I don't think I would be alive today without each of them and now I feel good and I am living life again. God Bless and God Bless Earth Clinic.

Carolyn

P.S. I bought fresh, large aloe leaves in Lubbock at a United Store over there. That fresh aloe has really helped. It kills out h. pylori, mold, etc. I cut 1 inch off, skin it, put the gel in a blender with 1 c. water and 1 T. concentrated pomegranate juice from the health food store to help kill the bitterness. I can't tell you how much that fresh aloe has helped me. Soooo much better than the bottled.

Just a quick note in response to Robin; the cause for indigestion could be either too much or too little acid in the stomach. Here's an indication on how to differentiate: if you feel better after eating food, you probably have too much acid in your stomach. In that case it would be beneficial to alkalize your system (i.e. by taking ACV, which is alkaline, not acidic). If you feel worse after eating, you probably produce too little acid. Do not take ACV in that case, but HCl. Digestive enzymes are always beneficial.

RE: Robin's post... people with diverticular disease should NOT use the tea which comes with ___ program as it has Senna in it and is not safe. I know this because I've used it and wound up in the hospital with peritonitis! Also, most fruit is exactly what we DO need for healthy digestion/colons - the majority IS alkalizing.

Hello VCO & activated charcoal users. I just wanted to submit my experience. I have a long history of having a too slow digestive system. The whole process randomly seems to just stop...and then all the follow-up symptoms/problems start to happen, which is a miserable condition that effects mood, work, and life in general. This goes on for weeks and weeks. I have tried many things, including activated charcoal capsules. Charcoal seems to be the only thing that helped the middle-of-the-nigh horrible stomach aches, but then the slow/sluggish digestion really did not improve. I found out only recently that activated charcoal exacerbates that particular problem. So, I went on to try something else.

I have used VCO a little in the past, but never consistently. Well, lately I have, by taking 1-3 teaspoons via mixed in with herb tea at night. This tastes good and works great me for getting things moving along, and I have had no adverse effects at all. IMO only...taking 3 to 5 tablespoons seems like a lot to take, especially just starting out. Maybe start with a much smaller dosage to prevent negative side-effects. Also, I have personally experienced die-off also by taking other detoxing agents, so I know that it is a realistic and genuine condition to have. - Cheers to everyone bettering their lives through natural means and positive attitudes.

Praise God! I am not alone. I have been diagnosed with over 11 different health issues all related to my digestive tract----GERD, Hiatal Hernia with gastroparesis, autoimmune issues and neurological issues. However, there is hope after reviewing and reading your stories. I have been drinking Aloe, coconut water, spring water, and doing a 20 minute swap with coconut oil daily since February 2015. I will add to the coconut swap and swallow, instead of sipping it out. I am unable to tolerant any raw vegetable without having a reaction. I have to take Miralax twice daily and I will replace the 1 tsb of olive oil with the coconut oil to assist me with my digestion.

Thank God for this website.

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

Hi, been taking apple cider vinegar for terrible digestive problems for 1 week and I think it is helping, only thing in the past 2 days I've experienced burning, sore skin. Could it possibly be the ACV? I'm hoping not, I've been taking 1 teaspoon in a glass of warm water before each meal 3x a day.

For those who have relatively low stomach acids and get stomachaches from burgers (especially the more cooked ones), Moru a south Indian spicy yogurt drink (I make it here in the Bay area with Kefir or Fil Mjolk) relieves it magically.

Recipe:

Yogurt/Kefir diluted with spring water

Add to this:

Powdered cumin

Mashed serrano/jalapeno/thai chilis

Mashed coriander

Diced and mashed ginger

Sea salt

Shake, keep in fridge and drink as an appetite stimulant, protein digestor, general digestive before, during or after a meal. It is also delicious.

I have some type of irritable digestive disorder. I get headaches and a burning feeling in my stomach if I eat certain food. I begin to feel a vague burning sensation in my stomach, like if you held your hand under really hot water. I notice I am scowling and my face feels scrunched up. My vision seems blurry. Gradually my head begins to hurt a little. It progresses to a massive gigantic horrible pounding throbbing migraine - like your slamming your head against a wall - and is relieved nearly instantly by taking the following:

• A tall glass of water, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon of psyllium husk, mix the baking soda into the water first so you can see it's all dissolved, then add the psyllium, mix it well and drink it right away before the psyllium husk gets really thick in the glass.

Some foods give me severe pain in my legs when I lay down, it's fine when I'm standing or walking around. I go leg lifts to get the circulation going, that helps sometimes, too. I used to think I had cystitis of the bladder because sometimes I'd get a burning feeling like if you had a bladder infection, but no blood. The same remedy works for both conditions, but you have to wait for it to go all the way through you. I was amazed at how much better I feel after drinking this, I had no idea how crummy I felt.

A health book I read drew a connection between lack of protein, headaches, and ammonia in the brain. I've read that turmeric and clove both help with detoxification, so do ginger and peanut butter due to the lysine and arginine in them. I've been semi vegetarian for years, so this makes sense. I've also read that if you stop eating meat you can lose the ability to digest it, you have to work your way back into it slowly.

Foods that bother me are sugar, wheat, coffee, chocolate, crushed black pepper corns, apple cider vinegar, possibly tomatoes.

Foods that seem helpful are generous amounts of raw red cabbage, apples, lemon juice, cantaloup, cucumbers, hemp seed powder, kelp powder, spirulina, spinach and oranges smoothies, and a combination of ginger/peanut butter/curry powder. Probably beans and bone broth would help too since it's probably a combination high inflammation, low potassium and high uric acid or purines. I took glutamine powder for a while, it only seemed effective one day, probably I took something complimentary by chance that day. I also tried a low acid diet which was marvelous.

And an olive oil liver cleanse, that was wonderful, too:

• fast all day or drink only water with apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp per glass
• take Epsom salt water at 6 pm - 1 large glass water, 1 teaspoon Epsom salt, dissolve thoroughly
• drink olive oil mix at 8 pm - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, juice from one lemon, 1 or more crushed cloves of garlic, mix all
• immediately go to bed and lay on right side, laying on back seems to work, too

Anon

CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) is not mentioned much as a digestive aid but more as a weight loss thing but I found a few other people who have noticed the same thing. CLA helps with digestion of food for some reason.

btw

As an aside, I think many people who take CLA for weight loss don't realize how it works so they think it failed even if it is working. They run to their weight scale to ascertain the results. Success is lower weight. That is a big MISTAKE because they will be gaining weight due to gain in muscle mass.

Selini from Florida. Thank you for your courageous post on meat eating. I have often been tempted to write on this as well as I cannot understand how one can have good health by eating a carcass and become a walking cemetery. It is after all taking in the energy of death. Why is the bull so strong? He is a vegetarian. The subtle part of suffering torture does go into one's psychological make up. The milk of cows is poisoned not only from all the drugs added but because the cow mothers know when their child is being bludgeoned to death . Many children born in this time are natural vegetarians even if the family is not. Is this not surprising?

This world will not change unless there is reverence for all life. Even the vultures die from ingesting human corpses in India, as people take pharmaceutical drugs that have a poisonous effect, ultimately on the entire planet. That is, vultures become scarce.

To take the life of an innocent animal is tantamount of blatand savagery. Thus we have wars, epidemics, murder and irreverence for sacred life. Only HE can give and take life.

Hence the powers that manage the huge numbers of degenerate diseases, thereby becoming immensely rich, which creates a pathological condition of non caring and living on the misery of the afflicted. But every single human has a conscience. We cannot change others except ourselves. As you eat so you think. Love, Om

I like the Native American Indian mentality on this issue. The meat of Fish, Deer, Bison, to-mention-a-few was critical to their survival, BUT (for many or most tribes) the attitude wasn't one of pleasure at killing (which is the real sin and source of bad karma), it was one of reverence and thanks to the gods and provider spirits. Often, when I eat meat (which is almost daily) I give thanks to the creature for the sacrifice of it's life so that I may live. To further legitimize meat-eating, one should live and honest, just, and grateful life that leads to religious or higher consciousness. Human's eating meat not as in pride at being the top predator, but as a vehicle of higher or divine consciousness. Being proactive in environmental & wildlife conservation is also a method of reverence & gratitude to the sanctity of the creatures.

Hello Friends, I have digestion problems. I have chronic constipation and cannot eat wheat. Whenever I eat wheat it makes my constipation problems worst. I am taking milk thistle two times a day 750mg is my dose. My question is that it is safe to take milk thistle everyday and what is the safe dosege for milk thistle?

Milk thistle is helping me in my digestion problems and even if I eat little beat wheat I was ok too.