Poop; to pass solid waste from the body
This word or expression often elicits one of two responses in people; one of a humorous nature or one that indicates discomfort with its mentioning. As herbalists and individuals focused on healing ourselves and the people we love, it’s a part of life that is crucial to become quite comfortable with. When viewed through a clinical lens, it can be a gateway to understanding more about the body; especially in relation to digestion, assimilation, and many other happenings within our organ systems. Today we are going to break down the basics for you, so you can bring a better understanding and awareness to your body and strengthen that connection, helping yourself and those around you.
Made by Paige Hill, CH
Above we have pictured a chart made for easy reference guide to different changes in stool and frequency, paired with some herbs and suggestions to help.
Many different factors and organ groups can affect bowel movements. A few of the major ones we often reference are the Chinese Elements of Earth, Metal, and Wood. The Earth element correlates to the stomach and spleen, which play a large role in nutrient absorption within the body. It often plays a role when a person has urgency with bowel movements or excess mucus and undigested food in the stool. When people struggle with conditions such as diarrhea or bowel incontinence, this is one of the first things we look at. When this is a concern we recommend herbs that work with the spleen and stomach to tonify and stimulate absorption in the stomach. A few of those herbs are Astragalus, Blackberry, and Elecampane. If we are looking to settle the stomach after eating, or are needing to release gas and bloating, we will use Chamomile, Ginger, and Catnip - Catnip being a Prairie Star Employee favorite.
The Metal element covers the Lungs and Large intestine. On a metaphorical level the Metal element deals in elimination. This can be physical, emotional, and mental for different people, but its activation helps us to keep the important things, and allows us to let go of the rest that does not serve us (ex. waste). Think, your lungs cleaning the air you breathe through its own filtration system and the final stage of digestion with your large intestine; letting things go. In duality with Earth, Astragalus is also a good fit for this category. Astragalus can help stimulate the lungs and get them working with the rest of the body. Wild Bergamot may also be a good fit, as it pulls energy from the lungs, down into the lower parts of the body. There’s less of an archetypal bowel movement connected to this imbalance and it more so deals with general bowel health. If Earth and Wood are affected, often metal is as well. If you find yourself waking up in the early hours of the morning, between 3am-6am or experiencing feelings of avoidance or shame on the topic of bowel movements, this may be a good topic for you to dive deeper into.
The Wood element governs the Liver and Gallbladder which affects metabolism, appetite, and often plays a big role in food sensitivities. Constipation, odd colors, and fragrances often fall into this category. When the liver is weak or stagnant, often our first steps of digestion become affected. Not having enough bile to break down and moisten the food we consume can result in cramping, intense smells, or oily compounds in waste. When we have bloody, hot, or fragrant bowel movements, we tend to look at cooling and bitter herbs to help our liver produce the bile we need. This is where Digestive Bitters blends, Angelica, Yellow Dock, Yarrow, and Fringe Tree can come in handy. On the flip side, when we experience very dry, painful or colorless bowel movements, we need to fuel the liver with more nutrients and move stagnation that may be building up. We use Yellow Dock, Bupleurum, and Stoneroot to get things moving and happy again.
During the Fall season, the Element of Metal is most active, and we are seeing a lot of people experience digestive ups and downs as of late. Our goal is to bring awareness and understanding to these organ systems, so something that we all experience regularly doesn’t have to rule our lives. In order to encourage awareness of the topic, we are making it the focus of our content through the season!
During this time, starting Monday, September 22nd, we will be including poop collection cards in each package purchased. Each card showcases one of 4 poops listed on our Stool Assessment Chart. The first customer to collect one of each, will be rewarded Free Shipping for an entire year's time! We encourage you to take part in this event, and come along with us in our content and focus this season to bring education to this often disregarded topic on human health. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out! There will be more information and guidelines sent through email to our mailing list. If you’re interested, don’t forget to sign up for updates!
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