Southern Folk Medicine

by Phyllis D. Light

  The skin is waterproof, both keeping out water and at the same time minimizing internal water loss. It protects underlying structures such as the heart, blood vessels, muscles, nerves, and organs. The skin is a sensory organ that lets us touch and be touched and feel it. It helps regulate body temperature and helps us sweat out impurities. And most importantly, it helps us make just the right amount of vitamin D.

  Epithelial tissue also forms the lining for most internal cavities and hollow organs, including the digestive system and other mucous membrane tissues. This is also the major tissue of glands. The function of epithelial tissue includes protection, secretion, diffusion, sensory perception, absorption, and filtration.

  One of the hallmarks of epithelial tissue is that, as long as it receives good nutrition, it will repair and regenerate very fast. Another characteristic is that it contains no blood vessels but lots of nerve tissue. If you damage epithelial tissue, you might not bleed, but you’ll sure feel it.

  Nerve Tissue

  The signals are sent and the signals are received. Nerve cells form the structure that carries information from the body to the brain and from the brain to the body. The role of the nervous system was discussed in detail in the chapter on air or sour blood.

  Nerve cells form the basis of our five senses, which allow us to interface with our environment and with each other. There is a dedicated organ for each sense: eyes for sight; ears for hearing; tongue for taste; skin for touch; and nose for smell. These are the traditional senses, but there are lesser ones, including the sense of balance, temperature, kinesthetic sense, and pain. The sense of balance keeps us upright and not falling down every few minutes. As we age, many people begin to lose this sense and are more prone to falls. Continued physical activity and practice will help keep this sense strong. The sense of temperature helps us determine if the environment is hot or cold. When we touch a hot plate with our fingers, we immediately know that it is hot and painful, another of the senses. Kinesthetic sense helps us determine the weight of an object in our hands or one that we are about to pick up. It also helps us determine our body position and feel the relationship between parts of our body. The science of kinesiology has developed from the investigation into this sense.

  The nervous systems of earth folks aren’t as sensitive as those of their opposite, air. Dominant-earth people seem to have a really “thick skin” that offers protection from hurtful words uttered in the heat of the moment by loved ones. They are quite forgiving and patient with others, a trait the other three elements might cultivate.

  Stem Cells

  Every structure, every building, must have a blueprint for its design and instructions on how to put it together. In the human body, our blueprint is our DNA, our genetic treasury. But we also need the proper materials for the structure being built. Our bodies are no exception. For our bodies, the ultimate earth, the origin of every cell, the source of our structure, and the basic building material is the stem cell. Deep, deep in the body, totally protected by the strong walls of our bones, is the manufacturing facility of our cells—the bone marrow. Here, in this protected place, our bone marrow produces stem cells, which are young, immature cells, and turns them into the type of cell we need. From stem cells we make hair, skin, nails, muscles, bone, red blood cells, white blood cells, and complete organ systems. Whatever type of tissue we need, whenever we need it, the stem cell is ready and able.

  The bone marrow is the soft and spongy tissue found in the hollow spaces in the interior of bones. If you’ve ever cooked roast beef, the fatty material in the center of the bone is the marrow. Indigenous peoples ate the fatty marrow from the cooked bone to make their bodies stronger and improve their fat intake because wild game often has very little fat. Cultures from around the world have recipes utilizing bone broth for both its tasty appeal and its contribution to good health. Bone broth is the latest superfood and can be found on grocery store shelves and in some restaurants.

  In babies, all bone marrow makes stem cells; however, by the time we are adults, the active marrow is generally confined to the large bones such as the hips. There are two types of marrow: red marrow and yellow marrow. In babies, most all the marrow is red and produces red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. In adults, about half the marrow in the body is yellow and produces bone cells, fat, and cartilage. Neural stem cells have been found in the brain; epithelial stem cells in the lining of the digestive tract; and skin stem cells in the basal layer of the epidermis. Mesenchymal stem cells provide the connection between the circulatory, immune, endocrine, and nervous systems—the ultimate mind/body connection.

  The stem cell is the progenitor of all our earth. It is a blank slate, an undifferentiated cell, and with just a signal, we turn that blank slate into the type of cell we need the most, whether bone, blood, or fat. It’s a truly remarkable system and I am continually amazed by human physiology.

  The Nature of Earth

  Earth is associated with the humor or body fluid of black bile, the color black, and the taste of sweet. It governs structures in the body including the neck, throat, vocal chords, intestines, belly, abdomen, skin, bones, knees, skeletal system, and teeth. It also, to some extent, governs the structure of the glands, organs, and nervous system, as well as the structure of the blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. The earth element is also known as sweet blood in the Southern blood types.

  Earth is composed of both organic and inorganic substances. Any substance in the Earth, such as minerals, fall under the domain of earth. Any plant growing in the soil falls under the earth element. Even salt is an earth mineral whose main action is on water. Our body takes the earth, metabolizes it, and creates living tissue. This is true of humans, or animals, and to some extent plants. There would be no food without the earth, no plants without the earth. With care and attention to food combining, most people can get all they need to be healthy from the earth. All our primary nutrients—fats, carbohydrates, and proteins—are available from the earth. There isn’t a process in the body that isn’t influenced by earth.

  We’ve discussed in detail the role that earth plays in the body’s structures, but there’s more. To understand the nature of the earth element, it is important to understand the nature of carbohydrates and the taste of sweet, and how the body makes and uses energy from the point of view of the fuel and not the process (fire and air) as was discussed previously.

  There has been some debate over the centuries concerning exactly what black bile might be. It has been described as consisting of poisons or toxins that are eliminated through the feces or urine. Or, it could be a deranged form of yellow bile that has visible blood in it. Alternatively, this type of bile might be the visible results of internal bleeding eliminated through any orifice. Some authors associate black bile with the gallbladder and others with the kidneys and spleen. Menstrual blood might also fit this description. Actually, any tissue breakdown could fit this description.

  The body fluid associated with black bile is not as clearly distinguished as that associated with blood, yellow bile, or water. But the main disorder in Southern Folk Medicine associated with earth is sweet blood and its humor black bile is quite obvious: sugar in the blood, also known as diabetes. But more on that later.

  I hope that you can continue to see the interrelationship of the elements in the body.

  The Sweet Taste of Earth

  The taste of sweet is one our most preferred tastes—just ask any child. It is the taste we all love and some crave. Our craving, our need for the taste of sweet, has led to wars, slavery, and obesity.

  A sweet food in our mouth creates a bit of mucus on the tongue but relaxes the mouth and the whole body. This is one reason dessert comes at the end of the meal: It is relaxing and calming.

  This is also the reason we sweeten cough syrups with sugar or honey; the taste itself is relaxing and, in a pinch, a bit of sugar water can often stop a cough. Another reason that the Western custom of dessert occurs at the end of the meal
was due to limited access to sweeteners. Today that isn’t an issue. Sugar is accessible, even overaccessible, to everyone, and we could have dessert all day long, but I don’t think most people’s digestion could handle it, nor would it be very healthy for the body.

  Sweet is the taste of sugar, the taste of carbohydrates in food. It’s the taste that lets our body know that the food will be a quick source of energy. It is naturally found as fructose in fruit or lactose in dairy products. Our ancestors had to work hard to capture this taste in food, but we don’t; it’s just a trip to the nearest supermarket.

  Foods high in carbohydrates are the source of the glucose needed by the body to perform day-to-day activities. All carbohydrates have to be converted into glucose because this is the only form of sugar the body uses. The three types of carbohydrates we eat are sugar, starch, and fiber. The carbohydrates that contain sugars are classified as either simple or complex.

  Simple carbohydrates, found in fruits, milk, vegetables, and processed foods, are broken down quickly for energy. Starches, found in peas, potatoes, and breads, are also turned into glucose. Complex carbohydrates, found in whole grains, root vegetables, fruits, and legumes, provide energy and are an excellent source of fiber. Lovely fiber makes us feel full quicker, helps moderate blood sugar and cholesterol, and helps keep the colon healthy and functioning properly.

  Our ancestors had to work very hard for their food. It wasn’t cheap, easy, and plentiful the way it is today. Fruits and root vegetables were the most common sweet foods among poor Western Europeans. Only the wealthy could afford honey or spices to sweeten their food. In the New World, fruits, sweet herbs, and maple syrup were the most common sweeteners used by Native Americans.

  But all that changed when humans began cultivating the grass known as sugarcane and processing it into a form that could be easily transported. Originally native to Southeast Asia, the first recorded processing of sugarcane into crystals took place in India. The sugar crystals were tasty, sweet, and in great demand. European countries built vast numbers of plantations in the Caribbean, worked by African slaves, to grow and process sugarcane. When I was a child, here in Alabama, we grew our own sugarcane, and the men in the community came together in the fall to make cane syrup and molasses. I remember running barefoot on the grass sucking on a sliver of sugarcane. We also grew sorghum, a high-sugar grass from Africa, and made “homemade syrup” or sorghum syrup in the fall.

  But let’s not stop there. In our food culture, we are being overwhelmed with earth. In addition to honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, sorghum syrup, molasses, and table sugar, let’s not forget all the other sources of sugar on the market, such as guava syrup, agave, rice syrup, barley malt, brown sugar, date sugar, beet sugar, palm sugar, coconut sugar, powdered fructose, apple syrup, and yacon sugar. We could also mention sweet herbs such as stevia and licorice, which can be easily added to sweeten beverages and other foods. Quite a list! And then there are the artificial sweeteners and sugar substitutes, aspartame, sucralose, and saccharin.

  Humans definitely have a love affair with sweet. It is a taste that we crave, satisfying more than our energy needs. It’s the taste most often eaten in times of stress and emotional distress. It’s the taste of special occasions and celebrations, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and family reunions. Sweets are so important to us, so important to our taste and psyche, that we named a whole category of foods to honor them: desserts. The sweet taste of food and beverages has become our reward, emotional balm, and favored food, especially in times of unhappiness.

  Because of our love affair with sweets and the inability of so many people to control their consumption, sweets have been blamed for obesity, poor health, poor eating habits, and poor teeth. But do keep in mind, there is a huge difference between eating foods with natural sugars, such as fruits and root vegetables, and eating foods made with processed sugars. The effect is very different in our bodies.

  In general, earth constitution is drawn to sweet foods. These are the folks who can eat a doughnut and coffee for breakfast and have a good time. Not so for air and fire constitutions, or even water. These are also the folks who like a sweet snack before bedtime and keep cookies, cakes, pies, or ice cream handy for their sweet tooth. As long as earth people eat sweets in moderation and keep active, they may not experience any detrimental effects or excessive weight gain. They’ve just got to keep moving.

  Producing Energy—Vitamin C, Citric Acid, and Glucose

  We’ve discussed energy production by the Krebs or citric acid cycle in the chapters on fire and air, and now we’ll continue the discussion here. It takes the influence of all three of these elements to produce the energy our body needs to function. This is a further illustration of the complexity and interaction of the elements. Carbohydrates drive the cycle, but fats and proteins are also required, as is, importantly, citric acid. And yes, it’s the same citric acid that is found in citrus fruits, but we make our own. Don’t confuse vitamin C and citric acid. Though they may be found together in foods, they are not the same thing.

  Nutrients needed for the Krebs cycle include thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin C, pantothenic acid, vitamins B6, B12, and folate, calcium, magnesium, and trace minerals. Our bodies extract or make these nutrients from our food. One nutrient is especially vital in our diets because we can’t store this nutrient for any length of time: vitamin C. We must have a steady supply for good health.

  Most animals make their vitamin C from glucose, but not humans, bats, primates, or guinea pigs. We must receive this essential nutrient from our food. And it is essential because without adequate levels of vitamin C, we’ll die, and pretty quickly—hard-core information to think about. The lack of vitamin C is called scurvy, which plagued sailors on long voyages, though any folks who are eating a highly processed diet or in a poor socioeconomic status might also be susceptible to a deficiency.

  Our best sources of vitamin C are raw fruits and vegetables and fermented foods. Old-time mariners had to figure out a way to carry vitamin C–rich foods on long voyages, and fruits and sauerkraut were often the best choices. We can’t store vitamin C for more than a few weeks, which means that at some point in the history of the human race, we had access to vitamin C–rich foods on a regular basis, which points to a tropical environment.

  In nature, vitamin C and natural sugars are found together, and so fruit was our ancestors’ first food choice for both of these vital substances. Vitamin C is needed to build connective tissue (earth), and signs of vitamin C deficiency can include bleeding gums, mouth ulcers, loose teeth, anemia, and lack of energy. All signs of deficient earth. The cardiovascular system has a high requirement for vitamin C, and a deficiency can lead to high blood pressure, easy bruising, and lax vessels, among other issues. Vitamin C can help prevent atherosclerosis and lower high cholesterol. The blood is just a very specialized form of connective tissue, and all connective tissue requires vitamin C. Also, without adequate levels of vitamin C, we have a poorly supported immune system with poor wound healing and reduced ability to fight off infection. Are you beginning to see how important this nutrient is to our health?

  Vitamin C is an antioxidant, which plays a role in collagen and amino acid formation. It’s required for the formation of stress hormones and helps us deal with stress in a healthier manner. Vitamin C can help reduce cholesterol levels and is needed for the uptake and utilization of iron. It helps keep vitamins A and E potent, and aids in the absorption of iron and calcium. Vitamin C helps vision in the elderly.

  If vitamin C and glucose share a relationship, then so do vitamin C and insulin. Vitamin C follows insulin into a cell, much the same way that water follows salt. An important receptor activates in response to insulin to allow both glucose and vitamin C to enter the cell. Because glucose has a greater affinity for the insulin receptor, more glucose will enter the cell than vitamin C. If the person has high circulating blood sugar, then limited vitamin C enters the cell. Certain systems require high amounts of vi
tamin C for efficient operation, such as white blood cells. These cells have more insulin pumps than others in order to allow enough vitamin C into the cell to function as an antioxidant. If too much glucose is circulating in relation to vitamin C, then the cells won’t have the antioxidant capacity needed. This is one way that high blood sugar reduces immune functioning. High blood sugar is excess earth in Southern Folk Medicine, and we’ll talk more about this shortly.

  But we need glucose, and ultimately, when pertaining to dietary intake, it’s all about wise food choices. Glucose, from carbohydrates in the standard American diet based on processed sugar, is quick, easy, cheap fuel for most of the body’s processes. Once a carbohydrate food has been digested, the resulting glucose goes from the small intestine to the liver and then enters the bloodstream to make its way around the body, providing immediate energy to needy cells. Once glucose leaves the liver and enters the bloodstream, it needs insulin, a protein hormone, to penetrate the cells. Without adequate insulin, glucose stays in the bloodstream and glucose levels rise. Beta cells in the pancreas monitor blood levels of glucose and signal the pancreas to produce insulin in response. Insulin is released from the pancreas into the bloodstream to unlock each cell to uptake glucose.

  In addition, insulin stimulates muscle and liver cells to produce glycogen, the storage form of glucose. It also stimulates fat cells to make fats. And insulin stimulates the liver and muscles to make proteins from amino acids. Unlike fat, which can be stored in unlimited quantities, carbohydrates and proteins are fuels that the body can only store in limited amounts. Any glucose not immediately used or needed is taken to the liver for storage as glycogen. Any leftover glucose that can’t be either used or stored is now stored as fat for future energy needs.