Digestive Wellness: Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease Through Healthy Digestion, Fourth Edition (48 page)

White willow bark: 60 to 120 mg; use as needed. White willow bark may cause stomach upset for some people, but it’s less likely than with aspirin or other NSAIDs.

Devil’s claw: Used as a digestive stimulant for digestive issues and pain and arthritis; 600 to 4,500 mg of powdered devil’s claw daily or 200 mg of devil’s claw standardized extracts up to three times daily.

Use of immune-supportive foods such as whey products, colostrum, or transfer factor may be helpful for healing. Whey can be consumed as a drink. Colostrum or transfer factor at levels of 1 to 2 teaspoons or more daily offer protective effects. Drinking raw cow’s or goat’s milk often can help healing for many people.

In herbal therapies, there is a group of herbs and foods called demulcents. Demulcents have a soothing effect on the GI system. Some of the most common demulcents include the following:

Almonds

Barley

Borage: Available as a tea or a green

Burdock root: A food also known as gobo root, can be found in grocery and Asian stores

Chickweed: A spring green easy to find in yards, it is terrific in a salad

Coconut oil

Coltsfoot: Typically is used as a tea or in cough syrups or lozenges

Comfrey root: Used in teas

Fenugreek: Best as a tea

Figs

Flaxseed

Hops: Available as a tea or dried in capsules