Herbal Expert Mills Urges Shift From Antibiotics to Plant Therapies

草药专家Mills呼吁从抗生素转向植物疗法 抗菌素耐药性构成了关乎生存的健康危机，需要回归植物药并优化肠道微生物群以恢复免疫韧性。 在这场深入的对话中，资深草药医师Simon Mills阐述了传统植物药与现代科学如何相结合以建立系统性韧性，而非仅仅掩盖症状。Mills批评了对抗生素和质子泵抑制剂等常见药物的过度使用，指出了其长期健康风险及对肠道微生物群的影响。他详细介绍了切实可行的植物疗法——从生姜、大蒜和姜黄，到黑巧克力、绿茶以及红榆等缓和剂——用于应对感染、慢性疼痛、高胆固醇和胃酸反流。讨论最终强调，应通过优先重视植物多样性、肠道微生物学和代谢完整性来恢复人类健康。 过度依赖质子泵抑制剂（PPI）和抗生素等常规药物会带来严重的长期风险，包括抗菌素耐药性和全身性副作用。 (0:00) 英语圈国家（英国、美国、加拿大、澳大利亚和新西兰）在全球尤为特殊，因其系统性地忽视了草药作为一线临床护理手段的地位。 (9:42) 在工业革命期间，西方医学史为了迅速抗击城市水传播流行病，从温和的植物药转向了强效化学药物。 (4:34) 慢性健康问题需要针对肠道健康、肝脏清除和肾脏过滤等系统性根本原因进行治疗，而不是掩盖孤立的症状。 (12:24) 对病毒感染过度使用抗生素会严重耗竭肠道微生物群，并加速全球抗菌素耐药性，进而危及现代外科手术与医学。 (27:35)

Herbal medicine pioneer Simon Mills argues that modern healthcare overuses synthetic pharmaceuticals that suppress essential bodily defenses, urging a return to botanical medicine to restore systemic resilience and gut health. Critique of Conventional Pharmaceuticals and Resistance Risks (0:00) Mills cautions against treating biological responses like inflammation or acid secretion as mechanical errors. He highlights proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like omeprazole, which suppress stomach acid needed for sterilizing food and protein breakdown, noting that long-term use presents risks of severe rebound effects, dementia, and cancer. Similarly, overusing antibiotics strips gut biodiversity and drives antimicrobial resistance. Citing World Health Organization data, Bartlett notes that antibiotic resistance caused 1.27 million direct deaths and contributed to roughly 5 million deaths globally in 2019, with at least 30% of 236 million US prescriptions in 2022 estimated to be unnecessary. The Microbiome as the Body's Central Regulator (23:41) Mills describes the gut as an autonomous sensory network governing systemic health across roughly 22 to 23 feet of intestines, carrying 100 times more genetic capacity than human cells. Plant compounds interact with this environment as prebiotics and postbiotics. For example, raw curcumin from turmeric has only 1% to 2% bioavailability in human blood; its therapeutic benefits occur primarily because gut bacteria ferment it into bioactive postbiotic metabolites that modulate systemic inflammation. To maintain diverse microbial ecosystems, Mills advises consuming approximately 30 plant varieties weekly. Botanical Mechanisms for Circulation, Respiration, and Digestion (39:42) Rather than masking symptoms, botanical remedies engage specific physiological pathways. Pungent spices such as ginger trigger reflex hyperemia, stimulating blood flow to mucous membranes to clear respiratory cilia. To relieve acid reflux without disabling digestion, Mills employs the 'raft principle' using mucilaginous botanicals like slippery elm, aloe vera, or seaweed alginates (found in Gaviscon) to float atop stomach contents. For liver and cardiovascular health, bitter herbs like dandelion root and artichoke leaf stimulate bile flow to excrete cholesterol, while hawthorn leaf tea and 50g to 100g daily of 75%-plus dark chocolate support arterial dilation and the neurovascular unit. Clinical Applications and Distinguishing Research Quality (84:21) Drawing from treating over 10,000 patients across 50 years, Mills reports that roughly a third of his practice involves chronic inflammatory or autoimmune conditions, and 25% to 33% involves supportive cancer care aimed at improving vitality during chemotherapy. For acute upper respiratory defenses, alkylamide-rich *Echinacea angustifolia* extract stimulates local lymphatic tissues, indicated by an intense tingling sensation on the tongue. Mills cautions, however, that consumers must separate laboratory cell or animal data from human clinical trials, warning that most preclinical leads fail to demonstrate human efficacy. Mills advocates for the integration of validated botanical therapies into clinical practice while noting that lifestyle interventions—such as intermittent eating and extended fasts—must be carefully calibrated to an individual's metabolic and organ capacity to avoid unintended physiological strain.

英国资深草药医学专家Simon Mills指出，现代常规医学过度依赖质子泵抑制剂和抗生素等化学药物，往往在压制症状的同时破坏了人体固有的防御与微生态系统；他主张将经验性植物智慧与现代生理学相结合，通过滋养肠道菌群与针对性的植物成分干预，激活机体的自愈力与系统性抗逆力。 常规药滥用代价与炎症机制反思 (0:00) Mills对现代常规药物的长期依赖提出警告。例如在英美被广泛处方用于胃食管反流（GERD/GORD）的质子泵抑制剂（如奥美拉唑），通过强行关闭胃酸分泌来掩盖症状，但胃酸本身承担着食物杀菌和蛋白质分解的生理防线；长期使用该药不仅存在停药反弹难题，还被认为与癌症和认知障碍等远期风险相关。同时，抗生素滥用正在加剧全球抗菌素耐药性（AMR）危机。世界卫生组织数据显示，2019年AMR直接导致127万人死亡并间接关联约500万死亡病例；美国2022年开出的约2.36亿张抗生素处方中至少30%属于不必要开药（常被误用于自限性病毒感染），这种无差别杀菌会持续破坏肠道微生物多样性。 在疼痛与炎症控制上，Mills强调不可盲目压制生理反应。非甾体抗炎药（NSAIDs）虽源自植物水杨酸，但其通过强行切断炎症通路发挥作用。Mills将急性炎症比作机体调动中性粒细胞等“海军陆战队”清理受损组织与病原体的高级防御机制；一味依赖布洛芬等药物阻断炎症，相当于剥夺了身体自我修复的进程。临床更应探寻引发炎症的底层诱因，而非单纯消灭炎症信号。 肠道微生态与多酚代谢调节机制 (23:41) Mills指出肠道是草药与食物发挥药效的核心枢纽。约20英尺长的小肠与2至3英尺长的大肠布满了数以百万计的化学受体，构成了独立自主运作的感知网络；人体肠道菌群的基因容量约为人类宿主细胞的100倍，几乎调控着心、脑、肾等所有脏器的机能。Mills倡导每周摄入约30种不同植物的“彩虹饮食”，利用丰富的植物多酚为微生物提供益生元养料。特别是紫胡萝卜、甜菜根等深色蔬菜中富含的花青素，已被证实有助于修复微血管内壁、维护血脑屏障并支持认知与血压调控；而根茎类蔬菜的高纤维和芸苔属蔬菜的有益成分，则能稳固代谢与激素平衡。 姜黄素的药理悖论进一步印证了菌群的重要性。高纯度姜黄素在人体血液中的原生吸收率仅有1%至2%（即使添加黑胡椒碱也仅微升至2%至3%），且过高浓度进入血液可能产生毒性。其真正的抗炎机制在于充当肠道益生元：有益菌群分解利用姜黄素并将其转化为高活性的后生元（Postbiotics），随后经由血液循环调控全身炎症。2016年一项随机对照试验的荟萃分析显示，姜黄素在缓解关节炎疼痛方面的临床效果与布洛芬相当，但若患者肠道菌群因抗生素遭受严重破坏，其代谢转化效果将大打折扣。 呼吸道与反流的天然草药干预方案 (35:37) 针对常见急性症状，传统草药学提供了机制明确的物理与感官干预手段。在呼吸道病毒性感染初期，人体常出现恶寒反应；Mills主张采用生姜与锡兰肉桂等温热性香料，通过激活口腔与咽喉的神经纤维受体诱发反射性充血（Hyperemia）。这种血管扩张促使新鲜血液涌向黏膜，激活呼吸道纤毛的“黏液电梯”以加速排出痰液。他推荐使用拇指大小的新鲜生姜擦丝，搭配多层卷曲的锡兰肉桂冲泡热饮；但若偏头痛等症状表现为喜冷畏热（约占偏头痛人群的30%），则应避免使用温热性生姜。 对于上呼吸道及局部感染，狭叶紫锥菊（Echinacea angustifolia）根部含有的烷基酰胺能引发舌部强烈的麻刺感，直接激活扁桃体和咽喉区域的淋巴前线免疫反应；而大蒜素作为强力天然抗菌剂，可在肠道菌群失调或肺部感染时采用生蒜密集方案（4小时内分次吞服8瓣切碎生蒜），其挥发油能通过肺部呼气和汗腺排泄抑制病原体。针对胃酸反流问题，Mills提倡“木筏原理”（Raft Principle）：利用红榆皮、海藻酸盐（如胃藻胺Gaviscon）、芦荟或西莲壳等富含黏液质的多糖植物，在胃内容物上层形成一层物理性漂浮胶状屏障，在防止酸液灼伤食道的同时完好保留胃酸的消化杀菌功能，从而辅助患者逐步摆脱奥美拉唑依赖。 心脑血管保护与肝脏代谢调节 (98:03) 现代医学逐渐将心血管疾病视作血管系统的长期慢性炎症。Mills推荐饮用山楂叶与花茶以增强血管壁韧性；高纯度黑巧克力（建议每日摄入50至100克、可可固形物含量不低于75%）富含黄烷醇，临床研究证实其可在数十分钟至一小时内显著改善动脉血流。在大脑健康方面，研究重点已从淀粉样蛋白沉积转向神经血管单元（NVU）的微循环保护；绿茶多酚能直接调节NVU功能，而碾碎吸入迷迭香的新鲜挥发油，可通过鼻腔顶部的嗅叶直达边缘系统，临床试验证实其能切实提升老年人的认知敏锐度与思维表现。 针对普遍依赖他汀类药物降低胆固醇的现状，Mills从生理源头提出重估：胆固醇由肝脏合成，是构建细胞膜与激素的核心能量物质，高胆固醇血症本质上常是肝脏代谢过载或胆汁排泄不畅的警示信号。相较于单纯服药强行降脂，通过植物性膳食配合洋蓟叶（Cynara scolymus）和蒲公英根等苦味草药，能够刺激胆汁分泌流动，促使多余胆固醇自然随消化道排出。此外，在Mills的长期门诊中，有25%至33%的患者为癌症群体；他明确指出草药并非替代传统肿瘤切除或化疗手段，而是通过改善消化、睡眠与免疫耐受力，减轻放化疗副作用并维持患者生活质量。 Simon Mills总结指出，草药医学并非全盘否定现代急性创伤抢救与专科手术，而是旨在纠正慢性病领域“过度标准化制药与压制生理本能”的偏差。他强调在农业种植中应尽量选择有机或野生采集植物，因为缺少人工农药庇护的植物在自然抗逆过程中会生成更具药用价值的高浓度多酚；同时提醒长周期断食或重症患者需在专业指导下评估代谢耐受力，主张公众通过家庭烹饪、回归本土社群与亲近自然来重建身心稳态。

## Background 该内容由知名播客频道 The Diary Of A CEO 于 2025 年 8 月 11 日发布在 YouTube 平台上。视频简介指出，拥有近五十年临床经验的资深草药医学专家西蒙·米尔斯（Simon Mills）在此次对谈中深入剖析了现代抗生素耐药性危机、肠道与慢性疾病的深层根源，并揭示了常被主流医学忽视的多种天然植物药与日常饮食调理方案。 ## TL;DR 节目围绕现代医学过度依赖药丸与抗生素耐药性危机展开，西蒙·米尔斯系统阐释了传统草药与现代生理学相契合的自愈哲学。他详细解析了脑-肠轴、肠道菌群与慢性炎症的相互作用，指出绝大多数慢性病症实际上是身体自我修复未竟的信号，而非单纯需要用药物掩盖的敌人。对谈中深入探讨了生姜、肉桂、大蒜、松果菊、姜黄素、高纯黑巧克力及苦味植物在应对感染、关节炎、多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）及心脑血管健康方面的确切机制与临床实证，并对质子泵抑制剂（如奥美拉唑）与他汀类药物的滥用提出了基于植物黏液屏障与保肝利胆的天然替代思路。 ## Atmosphere & style 整场对话洋溢着沉稳而引人入胜的探索氛围，在理性科学剖析与古老植物智慧之间架起了一座温和的桥梁。西蒙·米尔斯神态从容睿智，带着英国长者特有的幽默与近半世纪行医沉淀的宽厚，将生涩的药理学与人类演化史讲得妙趣横生；主持人史蒂文·巴特利特则展现出高度的求知欲与坦率，频频结合自身与伴侣的真实生活经验及现场亲口品尝草药提取物的强烈反应，推动对话层层递进。从开篇直面抗药性危机的严肃警醒，到中间现场研磨生姜、品尝小豆蔻的生动体验，再到尾声关于家庭与人与自然连接的温情升华，整期节目既有发人深省的思想冲击，又充满了治愈与接地气的生命力量。 ## Bulletin - [26:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=1589s) 全球面临严重的抗生素耐药性（AMR）危机，世界卫生组织数据显示仅2019年就有127万人直接死于耐药菌感染；临床上多达30%的门诊抗生素处方完全没有临床必要。 - [02:02:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7374s) 现代制药中处方量极大的质子泵抑制剂（如奥美拉唑）存在停药反弹陷阱与长期副作用风险，草药学建议使用滑榆、芦荟及海藻胶等植物黏液构建物理“筏架”阻隔胃酸反流。 - [01:20:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=4824s) 生酮饮食与控糖能显著改善胰岛素抵抗，进而有效规范女性月经周期并缓解多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）症状。 - [01:39:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5990s) 天然姜黄素高达98%至99%滞留于肠道内，其抗炎和抗氧化益处主要依赖肠道微生物群将其深度代谢转化为活性后生元（Postbiotics）分子。 - [01:51:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6677s) 可可固形物含量在75%以上的纯黑巧克力在临床试验中被证实能在服后几十分钟内显著改善脑血流与心血管微循环。 ## Key takeaways - [02:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=133s) 草药医学的核心使命不是消灭所有病原，而是为机体打造更坚固的“小船”，通过系统调理增强自我代偿与修复能力。 - [06:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=400s) 许多草药在摄入后几分钟到一小时内即可引起显著生理反应，打破了草药见效必须极其缓慢的认知偏见。 - [09:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=591s) 英语五国（英、美、加、澳、新）在现代医学中严重排斥边缘化天然草药，而欧洲大陆、东欧及亚洲主流医疗则长期保持草药整合传统。 - [23:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=1421s) 肠道神经系统与共生菌群拥有高度独立自主的调节功能，其基因组信息量达到人类自身基因库的近百倍。 - [33:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=2013s) 抗生素滥用正在指数级筛选耐药菌突变，对于普通感冒和呼吸道病毒感染，抗生素完全无效且破坏肠道微生态。 - [36:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=2197s) 以拇指大小的生姜搭配肉桂冲泡热饮，可利用植物活性成分刺激痛觉神经反射以扩张外周血管、促进深层黏液排毒。 - [39:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=2353s) 草本治疗基于寒热辨证：喜热畏寒者选用生姜、肉桂温通；体表高热者采用苦艾、无糖浓缩咖啡等苦味剂引血归腑、恢复消化机能。 - [55:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3322s) 大蒜中的挥发精油具备卓越的广谱抑菌与益生元特性，呼吸道排出的蒜油挥发物对低度呼吸道与肠道感染有强效支持作用。 - [59:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3597s) 关节缺乏丰富血液循环如同水槽U型弯易沉淀代谢废物，外敷辣椒素膏或黄芥末溶液浴能促进局部充血从而缓解疼痛。 - [01:06:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3968s) 急性炎症是嗜中性粒细胞清除体内废物的正常防御机制，盲目滥用布洛芬等消炎药强行切断防御会阻碍组织自我修复。 - [01:12:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=4373s) 绝大多数慢性炎症发端于肠道前线，倡导摄入深色紫蓝果蔬以补充花青素多酚，滋养菌群并改善神经血管单元（NVU）。 - [01:24:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5091s) 狭叶松果菊根提取物在口腔引起的剧烈麻刺感，代表其烷基酰胺类化合物正在直接激活咽喉淋巴前线白细胞的防御警戒。 - [01:30:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5427s) 乳香与没药等古老树脂具有极佳的消炎与成膜保护功效，与松果菊和甘草协同可构建强大的上呼吸道防御屏障。 - [01:44:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6254s) 临床前动物与试管研究不能直接等同于人体临床效用，看待姜黄素等植物分子的防癌或抗衰数据需保持理性审慎。 - [01:48:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6527s) 迷迭香挥发油经嗅球通路可直接触达边缘系统改善认知，而长期饮用富含儿茶素多酚的绿茶有助于预防阿尔茨海默病。 - [01:57:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7048s) 高胆固醇往往提示肝脏脂质代谢与胆汁分泌迟滞，洋蓟叶汁与蒲公英根等苦味利胆植物有助于促进胆固醇排泄。 - [02:07:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7657s) 无农药逆境生长的有机或野生植物，为了自我防御会合成更高浓度的多酚类活性成分，其药用与营养价值显著优于集约化单一种植作物。 ## Detailed walkthrough ### [00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=0s) 药物滥用危机与桌面上的天然良药 对话开篇直指现代药物依赖的深层隐患。英国乃至美国处方量最大的药物——质子泵抑制剂（PPI，如奥美拉唑等），长期服用引发的副作用名单正在触目惊心地延长，严重者可引发癌症和痴呆；更棘手的是，患者一旦服上这类药物便极难停药。与此并存的是抗生素的严重滥用，由于耐药性感染导致死亡的人数正在急剧上升，已构成极其严峻的公共卫生危机。针对主持人关于桌面上摆放的天然植物是否真能作为替代药品的提问，草药学先驱西蒙·米尔斯（Simon Mills）给出了坚定的肯定答复，并强调其中绝大多数植物在摄入后能产生立竿见影的效果。 在近半个世纪的时间里，西蒙·米尔斯一直在重塑大众对自然医学的认知。桌上看似普通的日常食材，实则蕴含惊人的药理作用： - **黑巧克力**：被列为守护长期大脑健康与心血管健康的最佳天然药物之一。 - **大蒜**：在世界上某些地区甚至被用来替代青霉素；过去甚至有实验证明，人在摄入充足大蒜后，仅仅对着培养皿呼气，呼出的气息便足以杀灭多种病原体。 - **降胆固醇与护眼植物**：现场还展示了能够降低胆固醇水平、显著改善视力、促进全身血液循环及滋养肠道与心血管系统的草本植物。 - **迷迭香（Rosemary）**：针对长期大脑健康备受关注的植物。相关临床试验证明，无需复杂处理，只需将其轻轻揉捏并深吸其挥发气味即可起效。 - **咖啡**：广大受众极其关心的日常饮品，其深层健康机制同样令人瞩目。 --- ### [02:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=133s) 打造更坚固的“小船”：草药医学的使命与演变 作为互补医学（Complementary Medicine）概念的提出者以及全球最具声望的草药学实践者之一，西蒙·米尔斯拥有逾五十年的临床经验。在谈及个人毕生使命时，他运用了一个生动的航海比喻：外面的世界波涛汹涌，医生无法平息大海的风浪，但草药医学的意义在于帮助每个人“打造一艘更好、更坚固的小船，让它在风浪中平稳航行”。人类自古以来便与植物共同进化，植物一直都是疾病治疗的核心来源。米尔斯的终极目标，正是将古老流传的植物智慧置入现代严谨的科学框架中，使其与主流常规医疗体系无缝接轨。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 医疗模式的演变与草药智慧的流失 accDescr: 展现从乡村草药传统到城市集中化、强效矿物毒素、现代药物工业化，再到如今倡导草药科学重塑自我赋能的过程。 subgraph S1["传统农耕时代"] A["亲近自然 / 乡村社区"] --> B["社区知晓草药者多为女性<br>提供温和、天然的草药救治"] end subgraph S2["城市化与医学转向"] B --> C["人口高度密集 / 恶性流行病滋生"] C --> D["传统温和草药被认为药力不足<br>转而采用强效矿物与毒物"] D --> E["专业医师垄断危险药物控制权<br>草药传统被弃用"] end subgraph S3["现代制药工业"] E --> F["粉末压制为药丸 / 商业品牌专利化"] F --> G["过度依赖抗生素、抑酸剂与消炎药<br>身体本能去技能化"] end subgraph S4["科学草药回归"] G --> H["植物疗法 Phytotherapy 科学验证"] H --> I["激发身体内在奇迹 / 实现健康自我赋能"] end ``` 西蒙·米尔斯在专业领域的权威资历深厚： - 曾任英国草药医学会（British Herbal Medicine Association）理事会成员； - 担任由英国前首相亚历克·道格拉斯-霍姆（Alec Douglas-Home）在议会启动的互补替代医学理事会（Council for Complementary and Alternative Medicine）首任主席； - 曾领导一项涉及欧洲20多个中心的重要欧盟委员会草药研究项目； - 担任欧洲植物疗法科学合作组织（ESCOP，European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy）秘书长。他特别幽默地解释道，“植物疗法（Phytotherapy）”实际上就是现代学术界对“草药”一种文雅而体面的称呼。 --- ### [04:34](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=274s) 智慧的遗失：从草本传统到制药药丸 对于现代西方人为何将“医学”等同于“药丸”，而将草药视为原始部落或古老中医专属的疑问，西蒙·米尔斯剖析了历史变迁的脉络。过去人们生活在乡村、贴近自然，每个村落社区通常都有一位熟知各种植物药性的女性照料大家的健康。然而随着工业化与城市化进程，大量人口挤在恶劣环境下，共用甚至污染彼此的水源，催生了烈性传染病与瘟疫。在那种极端环境下，温和舒缓的传统草药显得力不从心。 为了应对烈病，医生开始动用矿物质以及原本具有毒性的剧烈物质。最初医师这一职业的诞生，恰恰是因为他们是唯一掌握危险药物配伍、敢于操作常人无法安全使用之猛药的人。久而久之，温和的植物被贬为“软弱无力”并逐渐遭到边缘化；这些矿物与合成粉末随后被制成药丸，制药工业随之跟进，注册专利并进行品牌化商业运营。人类自此彻底脱离了“走到绿篱旁、花园里或厨房中随手采摘良药”的自给自足传统。除却因生存地理限制而少有植物可选的爱斯基摩因纽特人外，世界上大部分传统文化至今依然将植物作为首要医疗防线。 --- ### [06:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=400s) 击破偏见：植物的即刻疗效与现代快餐式医疗 现代人普遍存在一种认知偏差，认为草药起效极其缓慢，需要服用数月甚至半年才能见效。西蒙·米尔斯凭借五十年临床经验指出，事实恰恰相反，许多草药在摄入后几分钟或一小时内就能产生显著的生理变化。在他接诊患者时，最常提出的一项要求便是：“请明天就打电话告诉我感觉如何”，因为药理反应来得极其迅速。 西蒙·米尔斯尖锐地将现代医学的某些现状比作“外卖快餐配送”： - **健康能力的“去技能化”**：正如人们因便利而频繁点外卖，结果连基本的下厨技能都退化殆尽（如同他80年代在纽约发现很多公寓甚至没有厨房一样），现代医学让普通人丧失了倾听、理解与照料自身身体的能力。 - **过度压制人体的天然防御**： - 针对胃食管反流，盲目滥用奥美拉唑等 PPI 类药物，其中绝大部分处方根本毫无必要； - 随意大剂量滥用抗生素，破坏体内微生态平衡； - 一旦身体某处疼痛，立刻服用消炎药强行压制，却从不探寻疼痛的根源，更忽视了炎症本身实际上是人体至关重要的一道防御机制。 - **重构健康观念**：在草药医学的视角下，身体展现出的诸多所谓“病症”，实质上都是身体在进行自我疗愈时“等待支持的解决方案”，而绝非应该被一味掩盖和消灭的敌人。这构成了食物与药物之间最本质、最深刻的交融哲学。 ### [09:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=591s) 食物即药物的光谱与五大英语国家的草药认知盲区 西蒙·米尔斯指出，食物与药物之间并不是非黑即白的对立关系，而是一个连续的光谱。覆盆子的红色、西兰花的绿色、以及各类蔬果中明艳的橙色，这些天然植物色素不仅仅是视觉上的点缀，更是对人体血液循环、肠道菌群与大脑机能具有极高调节价值的生物活性物质。现代生命科学正逐步证实两千五百年前古希腊先贤希波克拉底的名言：“让食物成为你的药物”（Food be thy medicine）。 当被问及中国是否在草药领域尤为突出时，西蒙强调，事实上全世界绝大多数地区都有深厚的草药传统，唯独五个国家构成了极其特殊的反例：英国、美国、加拿大、澳大利亚与新西兰——这五个原本由白人主导的英语国家构成了草药医疗的认知盲区。跨过英吉利海峡来到法国，绝大多数药房货架上摆放的药品主力都是植物制剂；在德国部分地区，药剂师必须通过专门的草药学考核才能获得行医执照；在东欧与前苏联地区，当年因无力承担高昂的跨国制药巨头专利药，更是全面依赖本土草药医学体系。在亚洲特别是中国，医院里的执业医师、中药学家与针灸师彼此默契协作。尽管随着经济繁荣，部分亚洲年轻一代开始盲目追赶西方生活方式，误认为草药是“老一辈才用的陈旧之物”，但整个亚洲社会对植物疗法的群体认知底蕴依然远非西方英语世界所能企及。 - **五大英语国家对草药的文化排斥**：英国、美国、加拿大、澳大利亚、新西兰在现代医学体系中长期边缘化天然草药。 - **欧洲大陆与东欧的草药传统**：法国药房常备草药为主要药物；德国执业医师与药师须考取草药资质；东欧历史上高度依赖本土植物医药体系。 - **中国及亚洲的整合医疗现状**：主流医疗体系内中西医并驾齐驱，医生在日常诊疗中常规开具植物药物处方。 --- ### [12:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=746s) 为何布洛芬失灵时，草药能提供身体机能的“微调” 针对史蒂文提出的现实疑问——既然家中常备布洛芬、止咳糖浆和感冒药，普通人为何还要关心草药？西蒙以自己每周固定坐诊三天的临床经验作答。走进他诊室的患者，绝大部分都已经在常规医疗系统里“撞得头破血流”。他们常年饱受慢性复杂疾病折磨，身体疼痛、精疲力竭、能量耗尽，西医大夫在做完所有化验扫描后往往两手一摊：“化验单显示一切正常，我们无法再给你开更多药了，别无他法。” 西蒙形容，这就是“大厦将倾、幻想破灭”（the cookie crumbles）的时刻——人们终于意识到，布洛芬和那些追求立竿见影的速效西药已经彻底失灵，身体深层存在更大的机能漏洞亟待修复。面对患者，西蒙从不将目光局限在“关节炎”或“皮肤病”等表层病名上，而是细致追溯患者过往的生理轨迹：许多人看似突发的顽疾，根源往往可以追溯到3岁时得过的一场重症肺炎，或是15岁时感染过的腺热（单核细胞增多症），身体的运作轨道自那时起便悄然偏离。西蒙的工作是通过调理消化道、肾脏排毒、肝脏转化和脑部微循环，一步步反推并修复那些数十年前遗留的系统损伤。他将自己的角色定义为“人体性能的微调与升级者”，专注于纠正身体内部失序的行为表现。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 慢性疾病的发生发展与草药逆转路径 accDescr: 展示从早期未愈感染导致系统失调，再到西药掩盖症状最终失效，最终通过草药回溯并修复机能的过程。 subgraph Origin["远期诱因与机能失调"] A["幼年/青少年期未愈感染<br/>(3岁肺炎 / 15岁腺热)"] --> B["核心代谢与排毒器官受损<br/>(消化道黏膜 / 肝肾循环)"] end subgraph Conventional["传统对症治疗瓶颈"] B --> C["慢性复杂病症显现<br/>(关节炎 / 自身免疫 / 皮肤病)"] C --> D["依赖速效西药与止痛片<br/>(布洛芬 / 镇痛药掩盖表象)"] D --> E["药效耐受失效与器官疲竭<br/>('无药可开'的临床困境)"] end subgraph HerbalApproach["草药生理性能微调"] E --> F["回溯数十年病史线索"] F --> G["多靶点复合植物干预<br/>(修护肠道黏膜 / 疏通肝脏)"] G --> H["全面恢复系统代偿能力"] end ``` --- ### [14:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=886s) 逾万名患者图谱：从癌症支持到复杂自身免疫性疾病 在近五十年的行医生涯中，西蒙接诊过的患者累计超过一万人。每次初诊，他都会与患者进行长达一小时的深入长谈，彻底拆解其生命史与疾病图谱；在任何一个给定的时间段内，他手头都保持着约两百名处于积极干预周期的长期病患。当史蒂文询问他的病患主要患有哪些具体疾病时，西蒙风趣地反问：“你手边有《医学大百科全书》吗？” 在西蒙的诊所里，各种现代医学难以根治的慢性顽疾几乎无所不包： - **肿瘤与癌症群体**：占就诊患者的约四分之一（25%）。西蒙明确指出，草药治疗的目的并非直接消灭肿瘤细胞，而是全面提振机体活力，改善生存质量，帮助患者更有尊严、更有抵抗力地应对抗癌治疗的巨大消耗。 - **慢性炎症与自身免疫疾病**：占就诊患者的三分之一以上（超33%）。包括克罗恩病（Crohn's disease）、溃疡性结肠炎（ulcerative colitis）、银屑病（psoriasis）等机制错综复杂的疑难病症。植物干预跳过末端症状，集中修复诱发免疫系统紊乱的内分泌与消化源头。 --- ### [16:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=988s) 案例分析：海瑟（Heather）与多形红斑——从肺部和胃肠切入的治愈 西蒙强调，草药治疗绝非单次见效的“灵光一闪”，而是一场陪同患者蜕变的漫长旅途。因为每个人的生理故事都是独一无二的，患者离开诊室时通常会带走由五至八种植物调配而成的复合方剂。在诸多病例中，65岁女性患者海瑟（化名）的康复历程格外引人注目。海瑟被确诊患有极其顽固且令人痛苦不堪的多形红斑（erythema multiforme），这是一种伴随剧烈瘙痒与损容性皮疹的严重皮肤病，到西蒙诊所求医时已持续发作了三四年。 通过病史回溯，西蒙锁定了海瑟数十年间累积的深层隐患： 1. **呼吸道慢性破坏**：年轻时曾患严重肺炎，后确诊为支气管扩张（bronchiectasis）和慢性阻塞性肺病，病原学筛查提示肺炎支原体（*Mycoplasma pneumoniae*）潜伏感染；感染严重的新冠病毒后，全身系统全面崩溃，皮疹集中暴发。 2. **胃肠道自身免疫紊乱**：海瑟同时患有恶性贫血（pernicious anemia），其胃黏膜细胞因自身免疫攻击无法分泌内因子，导致维生素 B12 吸收障碍。 西蒙没有针对发红瘙痒的皮肤涂抹任何药物，而是直击根源，开具了针对“胃黏膜屏障修复”与“肺部慢性炎症清除”的复方草药。几乎在一周之内，折磨海瑟数年的剧烈皮肤瘙痒便显著消退。数月之后，这例复杂的全身性多形红斑彻底痊愈。海瑟最终高兴地对西蒙说：“我再也不需要你的草药了。”西蒙感慨，能够让患者彻底告别药物、回归健康常态，正是草药医学带给医者的至高褒奖。 --- ### [19:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=1193s) 案例分析：凯伦（Karen）与惊恐发作——肝脏功能紊乱的全身投射 随后，西蒙分享了另一位37岁女性患者凯伦（化名）的病例。凯伦因长期剧烈的惊恐发作（panic attacks）和重度焦虑症前来求诊。然而，在西蒙深挖其过往病史后，一个极为关键的转折点浮出水面：凯伦在20岁时曾因严重黄疸（jaundice）住院抢救，提示存在病毒性肝炎或急性肝损伤的既往史。 西蒙解释，肝脏是人体最为奇妙的核心枢纽，它不仅是整个消化道吸收物质的代谢关口与解毒工场，更是神经内分泌、免疫反应与情绪处理的关键承载器官；同时，肝脏具有非凡的自我修复与代偿潜能，只要给予正确的植物学引导，便能迅速自我纠偏。黄疸病史在凯伦体内留下了长达十余年的功能性损伤阴影： - **消化与代谢抑制**：食欲极度减退，进食极易出现早饱腹胀； - **持续性肝源性恶心**：频繁出现胃肠恶心感，这是肝脏解毒超负荷的典型生理警讯； - **脂肪与能量失衡**：极易发胖并出现代谢阻滞； - **内分泌紊乱**：雌孕激素转化受阻，导致月经周期极度紊乱。 西蒙指出，凯伦表现出的心理层面惊恐与神经系统高度过敏，其病理本质正是肝功能衰退与代谢废物蓄积诱发的躯体化神经失调。 ### [20:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=1256s) 焦虑与新陈代谢的演化关联：凯伦病例的草药干预 西蒙·米尔斯（Simon Mills）继续深入剖析患者凯伦（Karen）的病历。她在恐慌发作全面爆发前曾感染过早期的 COVID-19，那场感染对她的身体造成了沉重打击。西蒙以此说明，大脑中发生的精神状态与消化道底层的生理活动存在着深刻的联动。从人类演化的视角来看，远古穴居人最安全的地方莫过于洞穴内，因为外面险象环生，而唯一能迫使人走出洞穴的本能动机就是饥饿。深入细胞内部机制会发现，控制焦虑的生化系统与调控食欲、处理食物代谢的系统在本质上是同一套机制。因此，将焦虑情绪与身体新陈代谢直接挂钩，属于生命科学的基础逻辑。 正因如此，西蒙为凯伦开具的草药配方完全没有针对神经焦虑本身的成分，全部着眼于新陈代谢、抑制糖瘾与恢复肝功能。该配方包含了水飞蓟（Milk Thistle）、小檗（Barberry）、东方传统草药柴胡（Bupleurum）、洋蓟叶（Artichoke Leaf），以及被称为“糖分破坏者”的印度传统草药匙羹藤（Gymnema，能显著抑制对甜食的渴望）。在几个星期到几个月内，随着糖瘾平息和肝功能改善，她的整体状态逐渐稳定下来。 随后，问题的核心转移到了月经周期上——凯伦的情绪崩溃大多集中在经期前后。西蒙随即调整方案，加入了调理女性荷尔蒙起伏的草药。经过三个月——即女性生理周期完成系统性重置的常见周期——她的月经周期恢复平稳，其余所有困扰她的症状也随之烟消云散。西蒙指出，如果凯伦求助于传统常规医疗，她大概率只会领到一堆镇静安神类药物，而草药医学则从底层生理机能入手解决了根本问题。 - **匙羹藤（Gymnema）**：在草药学中素有“糖分破坏者”之称，核心作用在于阻断对甜食的渴求。 - **治疗策略**：未采用任何直接抑制神经焦虑的药物，仅通过调理肝脏代谢、控制糖瘾及平衡生理期激素，耗时约三个月彻底化解顽固惊恐发作。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 焦虑与肠道代谢相互作用机制 accDescr: 展示穴居人演化本能、细胞代谢通路与草药干预如何相互关联并解决神经症状 subgraph Evolution["演化与生理基础"] Hunger["饥饿驱使出洞"] --> CellMachinery["细胞调控机制共享"] CellMachinery --> BrainGutAxis["脑-肠轴互动 (Brain-Gut Axis)"] end subgraph Pathology["病理表象"] BrainGutAxis --> SugarCraving["糖瘾与代谢紊乱"] BrainGutAxis --> PanicAttacks["恐慌发作与神经焦虑"] SugarCraving --> PeriodDistress["经期激素剧烈波动"] end subgraph HerbalTreatment["代谢与激素草药干预"] MetabolicHerbs["代谢组方: 水飞蓟、柴胡、洋蓟叶、匙羹藤"] HormonalHerbs["女性调经草药"] MetabolicHerbs --> |稳定肝脏与血糖| SugarCraving HormonalHerbs --> |平复周期起伏| PeriodDistress PeriodDistress -.-> |根治底层诱因| PanicAttacks end ``` --- ### [23:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=1421s) 肠道的独立智能与庞大的微生物群落 主持人史蒂文·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）顺着话题追问，为何西蒙总是将手指向腹部，并将其视为一切健康问题的出发点。西蒙解释道，草药最先抵达的地方就是消化道。人们习惯性地认为所有智慧与决策都发生在大脑中，但现实情况是：食物一旦被吞咽下去，在最终排出体外之前，人的意识对消化道内部的运作几乎毫无控制权。这是一条极为漫长的管道——约 20 英尺（约 6 米）长的小肠曲折盘绕，后接 2 至 3 英尺（约 0.6 至 0.9 米）长的大肠。在人类习惯久坐之前，整个消化周期大约需要 18 个小时。 在这漫长的旅途中，消化系统每时每刻都在自主做出高度精密的决定。肠道内壁密布着无数感受器（受体），它们不断捕捉化学信号，对食糜成分的改变以及肝脏注入的胆汁迅速做出反应，从而精准调控一系列代谢、荷尔蒙分泌与免疫级联反应。这完全是一场在人类毫无知觉情况下有条不紊上演的“体内交响乐指挥”。 更令人震撼的是肠道菌群（Microbiome）。西蒙回忆自己几十年前修读医学课程时，医学界仅把肠道细菌看作辅助消化、合成维生素 K 的次要附属物；然而现代科学发现，肠道菌群几乎掌控着全身大局。不管是心脏、肾脏还是大脑的功能运作，都必须依赖与微生物群的协同配合。人体内的微生物细胞数量远超人体自身细胞，其所携带的基因容量大约是人类自身基因库的 100 倍。西蒙形象地打趣道，从生物学数量来看，人类在某种意义上就是“会行走的细菌大军”或“行走的肠道容器”。 - **肠道物理跨度**：小肠长约 20 英尺，大肠长约 2 至 3 英尺，布满密集的化学感受器。 - **基因与数量悬殊**：肠道共生菌群的细胞总量超过人体自体细胞，基因组信息量高达人类自身基因组的近 100 倍。 - **彩虹饮食（Eat the Rainbow）**：五颜六色的蔬菜和水果富含植物多酚与天然色素，是滋养肠道菌群多样性、促使其高效运转的核心养料。 --- ### [26:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=1589s) 抗生素滥用与全球耐药性危机 西蒙将话题切入现代医学面临的最严峻威胁之一：抗生素与微生物多样性的毁灭。由于人类在自身医疗以及畜牧养殖中无节制地倾倒抗生素，肠道微生态的生物多样性正遭受毁灭性清洗。尽管残存的菌群仍在尽力维持机体运转，但全球范围内的抗生素耐药性（AMR，Antimicrobial Resistance）已经演变为一场近在咫尺的灾难。西蒙直言，世界卫生组织（WHO）等全球权威卫生机构对此陷入了极度担忧：耐药菌株蔓延导致院内感染无药可用，在不久的将来，哪怕去医院做一台常规手术都可能演变成致命的生命冒险。 耐药危机愈演愈烈的核心根源在于严重的过度使用与误用，尤其是拿抗生素对付病毒性感染。西蒙强调，抗生素对任何病毒完全无效，对于感冒和普通呼吸道感染，唯一的方法是等待人体自身免疫系统将其清除。然而在现实门诊中，疲惫不堪的医生面对焦躁索药的患者，往往顺从地开出抗生素。在英国国民医疗服务体系（NHS）的诊室里，到处张贴着“抗生素无法治疗病毒感染，请勿向医生索要”的宣传海报。西蒙此前曾与有机草药品牌 Pukka 展开大规模合作项目，旨在推广用天然厨房香料（针对咽喉上呼吸道的天然抗病毒草药）替代不必要的抗生素使用。 史蒂文当场调取了世界卫生组织的权威数据以核实危机的严重程度： - **美国门诊滥用情况（2022 年）**：全美医生共开具了约 2.36 亿张抗生素处方，相当于每 10 个人中就有 7 张处方。研究表明，在诊所和急诊室中，至少有约 30% 的抗生素处方完全没有临床必要。 - **英国处方数据（2020 年）**：英国开具了约 3000 万张抗生素处方，其中 0 至 14 岁的儿童占了 360 万张。 - **全球死亡负担**：世界卫生组织在 2023 年将耐药性列为全球最高级别健康威胁之一；早在 2019 年，全球直接死于耐药性感染的人数就达到 127 万人，间接导致近 500 万人死亡。 西蒙补充指出，2019 年的数据如今已被大幅刷新，死亡数字正在急速攀升。雪上加霜的是，由于抗生素在多国属于低价或免费配发药物，大型制药企业缺乏足够的利润回报预期，导致全新抗生素的研发管线近乎干涸，人类正在迅速耗尽对抗超级细菌的防线。 ### [31:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=1909s) 抗生素滥用的代价与微生物组危机 在医院等场所，患者面临着感染致命性超级细菌的真实风险，若遭遇无药可治的耐药菌，后果将不堪设想。Simon Mills 澄清，他绝非主张全面废除抗生素，而是强调必须“谨慎用药，只在真正需要时使用”；事实上，大多数负责任的医生同样希望患者不要动辄主动索要抗生素。Steven Bartlett 总结了滥用与过度使用抗生素带来的三大核心隐患：毁灭肠道微生物群、加剧全球抗生素耐药性，以及导致长期患病者的自我疗愈机制受损。 长期滥用抗生素对肠道环境的破坏尤为深远。Simon 指出，肠道微生物群的失衡与下消化道恶性病变存在极为紧密的病理关联。克罗恩病（Crohn's disease）、溃疡性结肠炎（ulcerative colitis）以及结直肠癌的高发，均与微生态环境恶化休戚相关。对于面临严重肠道或其他全身性感染的重症患者，抗生素确实不可或缺；但若将其滥用于普通的呼吸道病毒感染，不仅毫无疗效，反而是对抗机体自愈力的徒劳之举。 - **过度使用抗生素的隐患**：破坏肠道微生物多样性、促成超级细菌进化、削弱人体自愈潜能。 - **肠道健康与疾病链条**：微生态紊乱直接诱发或加重克罗恩病、溃疡性结肠炎乃至结直肠癌。 --- ### [33:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=2013s) 自然选择的进化陷阱与生姜的历史传奇 抗生素对抗感冒或流感病毒不仅“完全没有任何用处”，更会直接加速耐药性突变。Simon 以微观自然选择过程举例：假设体内有 1000 个细菌，抗生素杀死了其中的 999 个，剩下的那 1 个躲过劫难的幸运儿只需 20 分钟就能分裂成 2 个，40 分钟分裂成 4 个，迅速演变为全新的耐药菌群。这意味着“每一次滥用抗生素，我们都在亲手筛选并培育耐药菌”。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 抗生素耐药性产生机制 accDescr: 展示滥用抗生素如何通过自然选择快速筛选并繁殖耐药菌群 subgraph Selection ["自然选择过程"] A["1000 个细菌种群"] --> B["抗生素消灭 999 个易感细菌"] B --> C["仅留存 1 个耐药突变个体"] end subgraph Expansion ["指数级快速增殖"] C --> D["20 分钟分裂为 2 个"] D --> E["40 分钟分裂为 4 个"] E --> F["形成全新的高耐药菌群"] end ``` 面对普通感冒，传统医学关注的是身体的主观感受。古人没有实验室、没有穿刺与化验，唯一的诊断依据就是体感——感冒（cold）之所以得名，正是因为人会感到发冷、寒战、渴望添衣裹毯并浸入热水。在这种状态下，身体需要的是“温热”。作为调理圣品的生姜（Ginger），在古罗马时期就因过度采伐而在其原生亚洲野外灭绝，此后千百年间全靠无性根状茎繁衍。生姜曾是价值超越黄金的顶级天然商品，甚至驱动了欧洲人开启大航海时代、殖民亚洲以控制香料贸易。 - **耐药菌倍增速度**：残存的耐药单菌以每 20 分钟翻倍的速度极速重建菌群。 - **生姜的历史地位**：原产于亚洲，干姜在古代曾贵逾同等重量的黄金，也是西方早期香料贸易与远东扩张的关键诱因。 - **生姜种质特性**：由于野生种子植物早已绝迹，现存生姜品种完全依赖根茎切片人工分株繁殖。 --- ### [36:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=2197s) 现场冲调：大拇指姜块与锡兰肉桂的协同妙用 在演播室现场，Simon Mills 演示了一款简单却极其高效的驱寒饮品制作方法。确定生姜用量有一个最朴素却契合个体的标准——“根据自己大拇指的大小取一块新鲜生姜”。大拇指是身体量体裁衣的天然量尺，身材高大者拇指大则用量稍多，身形娇小者拇指小则用量稍省。将拇指大小的鲜姜在研磨器上细细擦碎并直接落入杯中，随后加入绝配香料——肉桂（Cinnamon）。 ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: 鲜姜肉桂热饮制作流程 accDescr: 从选取拇指大小鲜姜到研磨、配比肉桂、冲泡滤渣的完整步骤 A["取拇指大小鲜姜<br/>（依体型因人而异）"] --> B["生姜擦碎入杯"] B --> C["加入 1 茶匙高品质肉桂粉<br/>（推荐多层薄卷皮）"] C --> D["注入滚烫开水冲泡"] D --> E["使用滤网过滤姜渣与碎屑"] E --> F["趁热饮用，感受温阳发散"] ``` 肉桂的选用同样大有讲究。Simon 特别指出，市面上常见来自中国的肉桂（Cassia，常呈单层厚卷状厚皮），而更优质的选择是质地细腻、由层层纤薄卷皮复合而成的高香肉桂。在研磨好的姜末中加入约一茶匙肉桂粉，注入沸水冲泡，再借助滤网滤除杂质与粗渣，便得到一杯清亮、辛香四溢的温阳热饮。Steven 品尝后立刻感叹不仅口感怡人，而且“瞬间就能感觉到一股暖流在体内化开”。 - **鲜姜推荐剂量**：以自身大拇指截面大小为基准量，贴合个体差异。 - **肉桂选材鉴别**：相比厚硬的单卷中式肉桂（Cassia），更推荐芳香层次丰富、内含多层细腻薄卷纹理的高品质肉桂。 - **冲泡操作细节**：沸水冲泡后建议使用细滤网（sieve）过滤沉淀物，以获得更顺畅的口感体验。 --- ### [39:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=2353s) 灼热的错觉：神经反射、充血与寒热辨证 生姜、姜黄、黑胡椒和辣椒等温热类草药并不会真正“灼伤”消化道黏膜。即便是食用极其辛辣的马德拉斯（Madras）辣椒，口腔黏膜也不会受到器质性物理损伤。人之所以产生强烈的灼痛感，是因为植物活性成分激活了分布在黏膜组织中的痛觉传入神经纤维。这种刺激随即触发神经反射机制，促使局部血管舒张充血（Hyperemia），带来充沛的温热血流，并刺激黏液细胞分泌更加稀薄的黏液以冲刷黏膜污垢。 这一反射还会激活呼吸道的“黏液纤毛电梯”（Mucociliary escalator），促使肺部与深部呼吸道中的顽痰与废弃物顺利上浮排出。Simon 强调，这类疗法的核心在于“以热治寒”的传统辨证思维：无论是头痛、关节痛还是痛经，只要患者直觉上渴望热敷或热水袋，它就属于“寒性问题”，生姜肉桂组合便能显著起效；相反，如果患者偏好冰敷（例如约 30% 的偏头痛患者本能排斥热敷而渴望冷敷），则绝对不能使用生姜，而必须转向凉性草药。 - **生理学反应机制**：辛辣成分激活痛觉纤维 $\rightarrow$ 引起充血反射（Hyperemia） $\rightarrow$ 增加微循环血流与黏液流动 $\rightarrow$ 驱动呼吸道黏液纤毛系统排除毒素废物。 - **寒热辨证分水岭**：喜热喜温（渴望热水袋、热敷）即为“寒证”，适用温热草药；喜冷喜凉（偏好冰敷）则需使用清凉类植物制剂。 - **偏头痛临床规律**：临床观察表明，约 70% 的偏头痛患者倾向于热敷缓解，另外 30% 则渴望冰敷，用药方向截然相反。 - **个体禁忌注意**：少数胃黏膜过度敏感或体质偏热易亢奋者不耐受生姜，需尊重个体差异调整用药。 ### [43:16](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=2596s) 温热与寒凉：用草本茶探索自身体质 在探讨缓解身体不适的天然草药时，西蒙·米尔斯首先提到了厨房中最具热性的香料——辣椒。辣椒作为极端的温热刺激剂，在历史上曾扮演着特殊的角色。美洲大陆被欧洲人发现之前，欧洲人的餐桌上完全没有辣椒和番茄，现代意大利菜中标志性的番茄与辣椒风味在当时根本不存在；在美洲本土传统中，辣椒正是当地原住民用来替代生姜、实现驱寒温通效果的等效药材。当史蒂芬·巴特利特询问如果有人前来求医，该在何时将辣椒当作药物使用时，西蒙非常坦率地回答：“在没了解具体情况之前，我并不知道。” 面对线上或电话端远距离咨询的患者，西蒙从不直接开具一成不变的处方，而是引导患者通过最低剂量的草本茶自行探索身体反应。古老传统医学体系无论在东方还是西方，核心均将药物与病理状态划分为两大基本类别：“温热”（现代生理学可理解为促进外周血液循环）与“寒凉”（现代生理学可理解为增强胃肠消化功能）。如果患者偏好温热类调理，可以选择生姜茶、茴香茶、肉桂茶或各种芳香辛香料；患者对温热或寒凉草本的直观口感偏好，正是草药师判断其体内失衡方向的关键线索。 - 辣椒是美洲传统中对标旧大陆生姜的强效温热药材，两者的核心功能都在于发散驱寒与刺激循环。 - 草本茶因其浓度与剂量极低，是患者自行安全测试身体对“温热”或“寒凉”属性偏好与耐受度的理想起点。 ### [45:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=2720s) 小豆蔻的温补调养与薄荷的清爽测试 在众多温热类辛香料中，小豆蔻是西蒙个人最钟爱的药材之一。西蒙在录音棚现场拿出了整颗小豆蔻荚，剥开外壳露出里面细小的黑色种子，递给史蒂芬让他直接咬碎品尝。史蒂芬咀嚼后立刻辨认出这种味道在印度菜肴中非常熟悉。西蒙解释道，小豆蔻在中东地区常被研磨后加入咖啡中调味，在印度饮食中无处不在；而在中医传统里，小豆蔻更被视为一种极具价值的“病后调补剂”。当患者经历长期重病、身体极度虚弱、胃肠消化系统彻底瘫痪无力时，小豆蔻能在温和驱寒的同时滋补脾胃、固本培元，其温润补益的特性远胜其他过于燥烈的香辛料。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 草本特性的二元自测逻辑 accDescr: 解释温热草本与寒凉草本在人体生理机制上的差异与对应植物代表 subgraph Warming["温热草本 (促进外周血液循环)"] W1["生姜 / 辣椒 / 肉桂"] W2["小豆蔻 (温脾胃、病后虚羸调养)"] end subgraph Cooling["寒凉草本 (引血归腑、强化消化)"] C1["辣薄荷 / 留兰香 (清凉芳香)"] C2["苦味植物 (苦艾 / 蒲公英 / 浓缩咖啡)"] end SelfTest{"患者自主口感偏好测试\n(低剂量草本茶)"} --> Warming SelfTest --> Cooling ``` 与温补药物形成鲜明对比的是寒凉类草本。在所有广为人知的凉性植物中，薄荷类（尤其是辣薄荷与留兰香）以其沁人心脾的清凉香气闻名。西蒙指出，给患者做一个最简单的二选一测试：“你此刻更想喝生姜茶还是薄荷茶？”仅凭这一个直觉倾向，就能迅速将治疗路径收窄。而在整个人类医药历史的源头，无论身处世界哪个文明角落，各大传统体系公认最核心的寒凉药材并非薄荷，而是口感极其苦涩的“苦味剂”。 - 小豆蔻常用于消化系统低迷、病后体虚康复期，兼具温中行气与培补消化道机能的双重优势。 - 临床上通过让患者在生姜茶（温热）与薄荷茶（寒凉）之间做出口感直觉选择，即可作为判断体质冷热倾向的高效筛查工具。 ### [47:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=2834s) 苦味药的生理机制：发热与“引血归腑” 所谓“寒凉”，在医学应用中最直接的体现是退热与解热。西蒙以老一辈人常说的生活禁忌打趣：“吃完大餐后千万不要马上下水游泳”，尽管史蒂芬自嘲自己根本不会游泳，但这条经验背后有着严肃的血流动力学依据。进食大餐后，消化系统需要耗费巨大的“血液投资”前往胃肠道分解食物、吸收营养；此时若剧烈运动，流向四肢的血液就会与消化道争夺血供。人体在消化状态下的本质，就是将血液大规模调集至核心内脏。 发烧则是身体的主动防御机制。当核心体温上升两到三度时，人体白细胞的游走和杀灭活性会飙升两至三倍，犹如派出王牌军队全力迎敌。然而人体系统存在一个微妙的机制冲突：大量发热反应最初源自胃肠道感染，但在剧烈发热时，血液却疯狂涌向体表与外周循环，导致胃肠核心反而陷入缺血、机能低迷的状态。此时服用苦味植物，其苦味分子触碰舌面受体，通过硬连线的神经通路即刻诱发胃部释放特定激素，强行将充斥在体表外周的血液重新引流回消化系统核心。 ```mermaid flowchart LR accTitle: 苦味剂对发热状态的生理调节机制 accDescr: 展示苦味受体如何通过神经与激素信号将体表发热的血液重新引导至消化道核心 A["苦味物质触碰舌部受体"] --> B["神经反射触发胃肠激素释放"] B --> C["体表外周血流回引至胃肠核心"] C --> D["消化腺分泌增加 / 胃肠血供恢复"] D --> E["外周亢进的虚火与体表高热得以平抑"] ``` 在欧洲传统中，最强效的苦味植物之一是苦艾。苦艾在法语中对应着“Vermouth”（苦艾酒），它在西方历史上正是作为餐前开胃酒使用。低剂量的苦艾、蒲公英根以及牛蒡，能够极其迅速地唤醒食欲、促进消化液分泌，帮助病后虚羸者恢复胃口。这种通过激活口腔受体、引血归腑来压制外周虚热的机制，正是古人赋予苦味植物“寒凉清热”美名的科学本质。 - 体温轻度上升可使免疫白细胞的工作效率成倍激增，是机体抗击感染的天然免疫防御手段。 - 苦味化合物通过口腔味蕾受体反射性促发胃肠激素释放，将外周过剩的血流拉回胃肠核心，从而在平抑体表高热的同时恢复消化功能。 - 苦艾是欧洲极具代表性的药用苦味剂，蒲公英与牛蒡同样因其突出的苦味健胃特性而被广泛应用于传统饮料与药剂中。 ### [50:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3040s) 无糖浓缩咖啡与消化苦味剂：快速见效的草药反馈 苦味健消的应用在世界各地的古老生活智慧中随处可见。西蒙举例说，在缺乏现代冷藏设施的中东沙漠地带，人们食用的羊肉可能存放时间较长、品质堪忧。当地人在吃完油腻且存在卫生隐患的肉食后，习惯直接将阿拉比卡咖啡豆研磨成浓稠的粉渣，不加任何糖分，仅注入少许热水冲煮后一饮而尽。这种未过滤、不加糖的极苦浓缩咖啡就是最直接的消化苦味剂，能强力调动消化液分泌以分解粗粝油腻的食物。 现代医学常常轻视这些源于古代甚至中世纪的草药认知，将其视为荒谬的迷信，但西蒙在临床实践中始终坚持以身体的实际反馈为准绳。无论是生姜、肉桂带来的温热通达感，还是苦味剂进入口咽后对内脏机能的调动，患者在服下药剂后往往只需几十分钟到一小时，就能清晰感知身体状态的转变。 - 不加糖的浓缩咖啡在生理机制上本质属于苦味消化剂，通过刺激胃肠道激素分泌来帮助机体应对难以消化的油腻肉类。 - 草药对机体的温热刺激或苦寒清泄效应具备显著的即时性，患者通常在服药后一小时内即可获得明确的生理反馈。 ### [53:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3222s) 构筑天然免疫防线：维生素与锌的作用 在谈及过度依赖抗生素带来的耐药性危机时，史蒂芬向西蒙询问，维生素D、维生素C和锌等基础微量营养素是否能够作为抗生素的直接替代品。西蒙明确澄清了这一常见认知偏差：这类微量营养素并不是在细菌感染急性爆发时与抗生素进行一对一替换的救急手段，它们的核心价值在于未病先防，通过扎实的日常补充显著增强机体自身的天然抵抗力，从而从根源上降低感染发生与恶化的风险。 - 维生素D、维生素C与矿物质锌的主要作用机制在于激活并强化宿主固有的免疫防御屏障。 - 这些营养素应被视作构建机体日常抗病能力的基石，而非急性严重细菌感染发生时直接替代抗生素的应急方案。 ### [53:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3237s) 补充剂的迷思：维生素D与机体韧性 谈到增强抵御感染的韧性时，讨论自然延伸到了常见的营养补充剂。现有证据表明，维生素D、维生素C以及锌作为补充剂，确实能够在面临病原体侵袭时提升人体的抵抗力。主持人史蒂文·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）表达了自己的顾虑：作为深肤色人群，常年生活在缺乏日照的英国阴沉气候中，他极度担心自己无法合成充足的维生素D。面对“是否存在人人必备的补充剂”这一提问，西蒙·米尔斯（Simon Mills）给出了干脆甚至有些出人意料的回答：“没有任何一种是每个人都必须吃的（None）。” 西蒙进一步澄清，没有普适的必选品，并不意味着没有特定情境下的需求。在像英国这样日照稀缺的高纬度阴冷国家，维生素D缺乏症极为普遍，且绝非仅限于深肤色人群。如今越来越多的医生也开始建议民众在日照尤为匮乏的冬季补充维生素D。不过，西蒙指出，即便仅在户外接受15分钟的日照，人体也能自行合成相当可观的维生素D。当被问及自己是否服用营养补充剂时，西蒙坦言自己从不服用，因为他“尚未察觉到自身有此需求”，但这并不妨碍他会在患者真正出现需求时推荐补充。 - **维生素D的日照合成**：在阳光充足时，仅需在户外暴露约15分钟，就能刺激机体产生足量的维生素D。 - **个体化需求原则**：草药学与自然疗法强调因人而异，“没有一种补充剂对所有人都是必不可少的”，需根据日照条件、生活环境及身体反馈灵活判断。 --- ### [55:22](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3322s) 大蒜的药用智慧与“大蒜强化疗法” 在厨房常见食材中，大蒜拥有极其深厚的抗感染历史。在青霉素问世之初供应极为紧缺的年代，大蒜因其卓越的抗菌能力被称为“俄罗斯青霉素”（Russian penicillin）；早在第一次世界大战期间，军医就曾广泛使用大蒜来防治士兵在恶劣战壕泥泞中患上的“战壕足”（trench foot）。从现代微生物学视角来看，生大蒜（raw garlic）是一种极具威力的益生元（prebiotic），对肠道菌群中的“有益菌”大有裨益。西蒙强调，当患者的肠道微生态严重紊乱、遭遇呼吸道感染或急需天然抗生素支持时，生大蒜便是他屡试不爽的杀手锏。 然而，生大蒜辛辣刺激且气味浓烈，如果使用不当，不仅容易刺激食道胃壁，还会让周围的朋友退避三舍。为此，西蒙分享了一套名为“大蒜强化疗法（garlic intensive）”的独门秘方。该疗法建议在周五傍晚开始进行，这样可以利用接下来的整个周末进行代谢与休养： ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 大蒜强化疗法执行流程 accDescr: 展示周五傍晚开始服用8瓣生大蒜的具体步骤与时间间隔 subgraph Prep["准备阶段（周五日间）"] A["白天减少饮食摄入<br/>保持胃肠道相对排空"] end subgraph Intake["服药阶段（晚18:00 - 22:00）"] B["剥取1瓣生大蒜并切成细小颗粒"] C["直接温水吞服，切忌咀嚼"] D{"静候30分钟观察胃部耐受情况"} E["耐受良好：每隔30分钟重复切碎吞服1瓣"] F["至晚间22:00累计服下8瓣大蒜"] end subgraph Night["代谢与杀菌阶段（夜间）"] G["独自就寝休息<br/>（体表孔隙与肺部开始渗出蒜精油）"] H["呼吸道：呼出蒜油挥发物强力杀灭病原菌"] I["消化道：抑制有害菌，滋养有益菌，重塑微生态"] end A --> B --> C --> D D -- 无明显不适 --> E --> F --> G G --> H G --> I ``` 西蒙风趣地提醒，完成8瓣大蒜的摄入后，当晚最好“独自就寝”，因为大蒜精油会从全身每一个毛孔散发出来，呼吸间更会喷涌出浓烈的蒜香。在早期实验室测试中，大量食用大蒜的人对着培养皿呼气，呼出的挥发性蒜油甚至足以杀死皿中的致病菌。在下消化道中，肠道有益菌十分青睐大蒜，而致病菌则对它退避三舍，宛如古老传说中大蒜驱逐恶魔一般。这一周末冲击疗法对低度肠道或肺部感染尤为见效，但由于药力刚猛，西蒙建议“绝大多数人一生中尝试一次这样的强化疗程就足够了”。 --- ### [59:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3597s) 慢性疼痛的根源与关节的“沉淀弯头”机制 对于大蒜能否止痛，西蒙解释说这取决于疼痛的根源：如果是咳嗽或胸部感染引起的牵涉痛，大蒜极其对症；部分人也用它应对关节炎，但由于病因各异，植物药物并非万能神药。草药疗法的核心原则是“你才是自己的主宰（You're the boss）”，专业从业者只是基于经验提供尝试方向。史蒂文随即抛出关于慢性疼痛的严峻现实：仅在美国，就有约5,160万人生活在各种各样的慢性疼痛中，其中最常见的是关节炎、偏头痛、下背痛以及神经损伤，大约75%至85%的美国人在一生中都经历过不同程度的背痛。 西蒙从病理机制剖析了关节与背部疼痛的本质。在医学术语中，后缀“-itis”代表发炎（例如关节炎 arthritis、膀胱炎 cystitis、支气管炎 bronchitis、胃炎 gastritis）。关节之所以反复发炎，本质上是因为代谢废物（“体内垃圾”）不断沉积在关节处。关节组织主要由软骨构成，处于骨骼相互挤压的高压受力点，生理结构注定了其内部血液循环极差： > “关节由于缺乏良好的血液循环，就像水槽下方的‘U型存水弯（U-bend）’一样，任何管道中的污垢杂质都极易在这些死角沉淀下来。” 当代谢废物堆积时，机体不得不通过“发炎”这种简单粗暴的自我防御手段，强行调动血液涌入关节进行清洗排毒。这种发炎过程伴随着剧烈疼痛（“hurts like Billy-o”）。 --- ### [01:02:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3750s) 外敷辛香疗法与“跳舞治愈背痛”的奇迹 既然机体发炎是为了强行引入血流冲洗废物，那么传统植物智慧便可以通过外力代劳，免去发炎带来的痛苦。自古以来，人们就学会使用具有强效发赤作用（rubefacient）的植物贴剂：北美原住民传统上常用卡宴辣椒（Cayenne pepper，即辣椒素 capsicum）制作药膏外敷关节，现代药房中售卖的辣椒止痛贴膏正是基于这一原理；而在欧洲，民间则普遍采用辛辣的黄芥末（mustard）制作芥末贴剂。 这些贴剂贴在患处外表皮后，能迅速扩张局部血管、直接引流血液进入关节深层。当血液循环被人工加速后，免疫系统便无需再通过剧烈的炎症反应来强行充血，从而显著降低疼痛水平。西蒙分享了一个极佳的家庭护理妙招：若是手指患有关节炎，只需将双手浸泡在温热的稀释黄芥末溶液中做“芥末浴”，手指僵硬与疼痛便能不可思议地迅速缓解；若是髋关节受累，则可使用芥末敷布外贴。这些方法在西蒙数十年的临床实践中屡获患者好评。 谈及史蒂文因长期久坐而十分担忧的下背痛，西蒙笑称自己也曾深受严重腰背痛折磨，但他治愈背痛的方法却完全没有借助任何草药——而是一场音乐奇迹。当年他饱受腰背剧痛困扰时，去现场观看了一支名为 Osibisa 的著名西非高生活（Highlife）阿芙罗摇滚乐队的演出。演出中欢快澎湃的非洲节奏深深浸透了他的身心，令他不自觉地彻底放松并疯狂舞动起来。不可思议的是，那场舞蹈瞬间解开了他背部深处多年紧绷的顽固神经与肌肉痉挛结节（“unlocked a knot”），困扰他已久的严重背痛在音乐与舞动中不药而愈，并且在此后数十年中再未复发。 ### [01:04:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3877s) 身体的松弛与布洛芬：被广泛滥用的抗炎药 对关节与身体不适的干预并不局限于植物草药。当音乐在体内流淌、身体随节拍自然摆动时，体内郁结的许多硬结便会随之松开。西蒙·米尔斯（Simon Mills）解释说，自己的治疗体系涵盖呼吸调节以及患者可以自我实践的动作锻炼；很多时候关节疼痛源于关节“被卡死或锁死”，通过寻找合适的方式恢复其活动度，僵硬与疼痛便能迎刃而解。 然而在现代社会，人们面对疼痛时最习惯的反应却是伸手去拿布洛芬（Ibuprofen）。主持人提到，网络搜索趋势数据显示布洛芬的关注度正在爆炸式攀升。作为西方国家使用最广泛的药物之一，布洛芬之所以风靡，是因为它立竿见影。这类药物的本质源于一种名为水杨酸（salicylic acid）的植物成分——它正是阿司匹林的来源，也是后来所有非甾体抗炎药（NSAIDs）的基础分子原型。布洛芬的作用机制简单粗暴：它直接强行切断炎症反应的生化途径，让炎症迅速消退。 ### [01:06:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3968s) 炎症不是敌人：免疫系统中的“海军陆战队” 很多人理所当然地认为，只要能消除疼痛就是好事，但西蒙提出了一个更根本的追问：“为什么机体一开始需要启动这种炎症？”在现代医学和大众认知中，人们习惯将炎症直接视为敌人甚至视同疾病本身，但这种看法从根本上是颠倒的。炎症实际上是人体所拥有的最强大、最健康的自主防御机制与内部清洁程序，它本身只是底层问题的外在结果，而非病因。 为了更通俗地阐释免疫机理，西蒙形象地将体内的嗜中性粒细胞（neutrophils）等白细胞比喻为“海军陆战队（Marines）”——当它们运作良好时，就像训练有素的士兵一样接到警报直接空降现场、二话不说投入战斗并迅速解决问题，既不废话也不多作犹豫。炎症反应的本质，就是加速并全力调动这支“陆战部队”奔赴前线消灭隐患。如果只是因为战场出现酸痛红肿，就盲目使用布洛芬去压制和禁言这群士兵，无异于强行终止机体至关重要的自我清洁流程。只有当体内的“代谢废料”持续堆积、战斗迟迟无法收尾时，这些陆战队员滞留不去才会演变成新的灾难。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 炎症的防御机制与药物干预对比 accDescr: 展示组织损伤后嗜中性粒细胞清除垃圾的正常路径，以及滥用布洛芬强行切断防御造成的后果对比。 subgraph Normal["健康的急性免疫反应"] A["上游问题 / 组织损伤 / 异物"] --> B["启动炎症反应"] B --> C["嗜中性粒细胞（海军陆战队）出击"] C --> D["清除代谢废料与外来病原"] D --> E["炎症自然消退，部队返回营房"] end subgraph Suppressed["单纯药物压制机制"] F["上游问题持续存在"] --> G["服用布洛芬等 NSAIDs"] G -- "强行掐断" --> H["抑制炎症防御途径"] H --> I["虽然缓解表面疼痛，但废料依旧滞留上游"] end ``` ### [01:08:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=4136s) 急性与慢性炎症：足球赛前的脚踝拉伤抉择 区分急性炎症与慢性炎症是判断是否需要介入的核心标准。主持人分享了自己的亲身经历：两个月前他在老特拉福德球场参加“Soccer Aid”慈善足球赛前夕不慎扭伤了脚踝韧带，整只脚踝肿胀不堪。当时他得到了两派截然相反的专业建议——一位物理治疗师坚持要他立即冰敷并服用消炎药以消肿备赛，另一位则极力反对，认为急性肿胀正是组织自我修复的必经阶段，贸然干预会破坏修复。 西蒙指出，如果有迫在眉睫的比赛，为了达到“上场标准”进行应急干预情有可原；但从长期生理学来看，面对割伤、扭伤等短期的“急性炎症（acute inflammation）”，压倒性的医学共识是**绝不要轻易抑制它**。红肿乃至渗出脓液都是身体自愈奇迹的一部分，一旦海军陆战队把创口的脏污杂质清理干净，士兵就会整队归营，组织自会平复如初。真正需要医学警惕和辅助治疗的，是废弃物持续涌入、自愈程序被迫卡死、长期无法退场的“慢性炎症（chronic inflammation）”。 - **急性炎症的生理法则**：属于机体自愈奇迹的自然展现，短期内红肿发热均属正常清理过程，非极端必要不建议用药扑灭。 - **慢性炎症的本质风险**：并非防御机制本身出错，而是上游持续施压导致自愈程序无法终止，免疫细胞长期盘踞破坏局部组织。 ### [01:10:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=4233s) 溯源肠道：大部分免疫系统所在的前线战场 当面对慢性炎症时，盲目在疼痛下游使用止痛药治标不治本，临床上必须“溯流而上（upstream）”探查根源。西蒙明确指出，绝大多数慢性炎症的始作俑者都潜伏在**肠道**之中。 从解剖学角度来看，消化道是人体与外界异物接触面积最大、吞吐外部物质最多的通道。正因如此，人体的绝大多数免疫细胞并没有分散在各处，而是高度密集驻扎在距离肠黏膜上皮仅仅数毫米的组织深处。肠道黏膜与其伴生的庞大微生物群（microbiome），构成了人体抵御外界入侵的最前沿哨所。一旦肠道屏障受损或菌群失调，下游的代谢负荷与免疫警报就会迅速传导至全身各处（例如加重关节炎患者关节处的代谢废物沉积）。 在改善肠道健康与慢性炎症方面，饮食结构是第一道防线。西蒙强调，除了极少数特殊病例外，肠道最渴望的是多样化的植物性食物： - **每周 30 种植物原则**：当前营养学界提倡每周摄入多达 30 种不同类别的植物。由于现代医学尚无法精准测定每个人确切匮乏哪一种微量元素或菌群基质，尽可能提高植物种类的丰富度是最高效的策略。 - **打破“健康饮食昂贵”的迷思**：健康饮食并非中产阶级的特权。在印度及亚洲许多传统地区，人们只需花费极少代价，通过混合烹饪扁豆（dahl）、各类块根蔬菜，并撒上一小撮传统香料，就能制作出既美味又让肠道菌群“欣喜雀跃”的抗炎大餐。 ### [01:12:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=4369s) “吃出彩虹”：多酚、肠道菌群与深色蔬菜的力量 过去家长总是唠叨孩子“多吃绿色蔬菜”，而现在的健康倡导已全面升级为“吃出你的彩虹（Eat your rainbow）”。食物中天然呈现的每一种斑斓色彩，都对应着特定的植物化学成分，其中最核心的一大家族便是**多酚（polyphenols）**。 多酚类物质对人体的多维益处高度依赖于肠道菌群的精密配合： 1. **作为益生元（Prebiotics）**：多酚直接充当肠道有益菌的养料，促进优势菌群繁衍。 2. **微生物群的生物转化**：多酚分子体积较大，人体小肠本身无法直接吸收它们；只有经过大肠内有益微生物的酶解发酵与破壁转化后，其活性代谢产物才能进入血液循环。 3. **全身靶向保护**：进入血流的多酚代谢物具有已被充分证实的健康机制，能有效维护全身血管内皮平滑肌的弹性，甚至能穿越精密脆弱的血脑屏障（blood-brain barrier），对脑神经系统发挥抗炎抗衰作用。 针对市面上各类添加人工合成色素的垃圾食品，主持人打趣这是否是食品工业在试图欺骗大脑的视觉本能，西蒙直言“合成色素永远无法替代天然活性物质”。在各类果蔬的选择偏好上，西蒙给出的黄金法则是：**颜色越深越好，紫色往往处于顶峰**。许多人以为橙色胡萝卜是天然标准，实际上从原生玉米（maize）到远古时期的胡萝卜，大部分古老原生蔬菜最初都呈现深沉的浓紫色，这些深色表皮正是高浓度花青素与复合多酚力量的天然印记。 ### [01:14:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=4492s) “缺紫”现象与花青素的神奇功效 西蒙·米尔斯（Simon Mills）指出，美洲许多原生农作物最初其实都是紫色的，但人类在繁育改良过程中逐渐淘汰了紫色，仅仅因为紫色看起来“不那么令人有食欲”。他半开玩笑地提出，现代人很可能普遍处于一种“缺紫状态”（purple deficient）。在日常饮食中增加紫色与蓝色食物对健康极为关键，因为这类色泽源自花青素（anthocyanins），这是一种非常强效的多酚类物质（polyphenols）。 花青素对人体的血液循环系统尤为有益。西蒙强调，仅仅通过增加生活中的紫色植物摄入，就能显著改善视力、大脑认知、心血管循环以及血压控制。他在现场指着桌上的食材建议，甜菜根（beetroot）、各类浆果（berries）以及红葡萄都是极佳的选择，其中红葡萄所含的多酚远比青葡萄丰富，想要改善循环健康应当首选红紫色系果蔬。 - **花青素（Anthocyanins）核心功效**：改善微循环与血液供应、保护视力、促进脑部健康、辅助调节血压。 - **代表性食物**：甜菜根、各类浆果、红葡萄、紫甘蓝、紫西兰花。 --- ### [01:16:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=4563s) 推荐蔬菜：根茎类益生元与十字花科 当史蒂文·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）询问有哪些首选推荐的家常蔬菜时，西蒙建议首先从根茎类蔬菜入手，包括胡萝卜、甜菜根、欧防风（parsnip）等。这类蔬菜虽然并非所有人的心头好，但富含特殊的膳食纤维与抗性淀粉，具备极其强效的益生元（prebiotics）特性，是肠道有益菌群赖以生存的核心养分。 其次是深绿叶蔬菜与十字花科，特别是西兰花及甘蓝类蔬菜。西蒙提到市场上如今也能买到紫色的西兰花，兼具花青素与十字花科的双重营养。整个甘蓝家族含有多种活性成分，对机体代谢、肠道屏障、激素平衡以及血管舒缩都有广泛裨益。此外，日常主食中的杂粮、小扁豆（lentils/dahl）、豌豆与豆类同样至关重要。西蒙坦言，即便是专家也无法精准预知每个个体在特定时刻究竟缺乏什么，因此最稳妥、最科学的营养策略就是尽可能追求“饮食多样性”。 - **根茎类蔬菜**：胡萝卜、甜菜根、欧防风，提供强效益生元淀粉，滋养肠道菌群。 - **十字花科蔬菜**：普通西兰花、紫西兰花、羽衣甘蓝、卷心菜，支持代谢排毒、激素调节与血管健康。 - **豆类与谷物**：全谷物、小扁豆、豌豆等高纤维豆类，为微生物组提供多样化发酵底物。 --- ### [01:17:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=4647s) 生酮饮食与代谢机制：精力充沛与潜在风险 在谈及个人饮食时，西蒙表示自己属于杂食者，摄入人类传统食谱中广泛多样的天然食材。他并不排斥纯素食（Veganism），认为成年人在做好营养补充（如维生素 B12）的前提下可以生活得很健康。然而，人类作为杂食动物具有极强的适应性：“北极的因纽特人传统上几乎见不到蔬菜，全靠海豹肉、鲸肉和脂肪生活，难道他们就比泰国全靠米饭和蔬菜生活的人更不健康吗？” 史蒂文随即透露自己目前正在严格践行生酮饮食（Keto Diet），采用极低碳水化合物、基本杜绝添加糖的进食模式，并询问西蒙的专业看法。西蒙对此持开放认可态度，指出糖分和高升糖碳水往往会拖累机体代谢速率，迫使器官超负荷运转；一旦通过断糖与控碳将其剔除，身体便会释放出大量可用能量，许多生酮践行者最直观的体验就是思维敏捷度大幅提升。 不过西蒙也提醒，长期缺乏植物性成分可能给肝脏与肾脏带来代谢负荷，尤其是大量摄入动物性蛋白与脂肪时，肾脏过滤副产物的压力会明显增加。因此长期生酮者必须定期监测肝肾指标。而在肠道菌群方面，早先学者曾担忧生酮会饿死益生菌，但现代菌群检测却发现，生酮状态下会有另一些有益菌群应运而生，其影响好坏参半，归根结底不存在适合所有人的万能食谱。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 生酮饮食对人体代谢的双向影响机制 accDescr: 展示生酮饮食通过极低碳水和无糖摄入，在提升能量与胰岛素敏感性的同时，也对肝肾代谢带来潜在挑战。 subgraph INTAKE["饮食模式调整"] A["极低碳水化合物 + 彻底戒断精制糖"] end subgraph BENEFITS["代谢正面效益"] B["消除高糖引发的代谢滞缓"] --> C["大脑神经清晰度与精力显著提升"] D["逆转早期胰岛素抵抗"] --> E["恢复激素节律与排卵平衡"] end subgraph RISKS["长期潜在隐忧"] F["植物膳食纤维摄入偏低"] --> G["部分菌群结构发生位移"] H["动物蛋白/脂类占比过高"] --> I["加重肝脏与肾脏代谢排泄负荷"] end A --> BENEFITS A --> RISKS ``` --- ### [01:20:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=4824s) 胰岛素抵抗：生酮饮食如何规范月经周期与改善 PCOS 史蒂文分享了一段来自伴侣的真实经历：他的女友同样在进行生酮饮食，并在过去两年中进行了多次严格的自身对照测试（A/B testing）。结果令她大为震惊——只要她坚持极低碳水、彻底断糖的生酮状态满 6 周，原本极其紊乱的月经周期就会恢复得如同钟表般精准，甚至能提前预测生理期降临的准确日期；而一旦回归普通饮食，周期又会重新变得飘忽不定。 西蒙解释了这背后的核心病理生理机制：生酮饮食最卓越的功效之一就是显著降低胰岛素抵抗（insulin resistance）。胰岛素是将循环血糖压入组织与肝脏储存的关键激素，现代社会中大量摄入高糖与精加工碳水，导致胰岛素长期超负荷分泌，机体受体产生耐受与衰竭。当切换至低碳或生酮饮食后，身体对胰岛素的敏感性重新恢复，这也是早期糖尿病可被饮食逆转的原因。 这种胰岛素的动态变化深刻左右着女性生理节律： 1. **激素精密编排**：女性月经周期是由下丘脑-垂体-卵巢轴（HPO 轴）严密指挥的“奇妙编舞”，对微小的代谢紊乱极其敏感。 2. **多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）交织**：卵巢产生多个囊肿并异常分泌雄激素，现代医学证实其根源正与高胰岛素血症及胰岛素抵抗高度挂钩。 3. **消除干扰源**：过量游离胰岛素会直接刺激卵巢组织紊乱分泌激素；断糖与生酮移除了这块“绊脚石”，使受扰的内分泌轴得以自我复位，月经节律与排卵功能随之恢复正常。 --- ### [01:23:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=4990s) 糖的历史负担与“草药宝宝”的生育奇迹 史蒂文补充道，他查阅的数据显示多达 80% 的 PCOS 患者存在不同程度的胰岛素抵抗，哪怕体重完全正常、毫不肥胖的女性也不例外，而他已公开讨论过病情的女友正是典型案例，这也直接关联着排卵障碍与不孕困境。西蒙感叹道，现代人背负着沉重的进化错位代价：在人类历史长河中，蔗糖直到 140 至 150 年前工业化量产及美洲蔗糖种植园兴起后，才从极少数权贵专属沦为大众日常廉价消费品。人类的基因蓝图根本不具备代谢当今这种天量糖分的能力，胰岛素首当其冲成为了进化缺陷下的牺牲品。 针对史蒂文提到两人目前正在积极备孕的现状，西蒙斩钉截铁地告诫：“如果这是阻碍受孕的因素，第一步必须尽全力削减糖分摄入。”在近 50 年的临床生涯中，西蒙花费了大量心血通过植物药诊治女性不孕症，并自豪地提到自己已经接生了大约 13 位“草药宝宝”（herb babies）——这些母亲此前均被严重受孕障碍困扰。通过草药复方与饮食调理稳定生理周期、使易孕排卵窗口期更加饱满规律，往往能打破生育僵局。 - **高糖的进化断层**：人类祖先仅能偶尔接触天然微量果糖，现代工业添加糖泛滥不过一个半世纪，彻底打破了身体的代谢耐受阈值。 - **PCOS 与备孕关键**：即便体重正常，胰岛素抵抗也是抑制正常排卵与受孕的核心推手。 - **草药医学方案**：西蒙展示了诊疗桌上的深色定制草药提取液药瓶，通过天然调经植物复方与断糖控脂协同，帮助多位难孕女性成功怀上“草药宝宝”。 ### [01:25:19](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5119s) 强效草药提取物：茴香与狭叶松果菊的舌尖冲击 西蒙·米尔斯在桌前展示了几款专业草药医生专属的高浓度提取液。他首先拿出茴香（Fennel）提取物，让史蒂文闻其浓郁的气味，指出这类专业级制剂浓度极高，普通人往往以为自己熟悉茴香，但闻到真正的药用级高纯度提取物时才会惊叹其力量，仅仅一茶匙就蕴含着极为强大的药效。紧接着，西蒙拿出了真正能让人直观体验草药力量的代表——狭叶松果菊（*Echinacea angustifolia*）根部提取物。 为了证明药液安全，西蒙先在自己的手指上试了试，打趣说“免得以为我要毒害你”，随后在史蒂文的手指上滴了一小滴，让史蒂文直接舔掉。史蒂文舔下后，最初觉得味道很像烹调用的美极鲜味汁（Maggi seasoning），但仅仅过了数十秒，强烈的麻刺感在整个舌面迅速炸裂扩散，甚至过了一分多钟后强度还在不断攀升。西蒙形象地将其形容为“就像口腔里在放烟花”，史蒂文也直呼这种持久且激烈的感官冲击令人难以置信，甚至一度强烈到让人难以顺畅开口说话。 - **专业级制剂**：属于草药医生专用（Practitioner supplies），浓度远高于市售普通保健品。 - **狭叶松果菊根提取物（*Echinacea angustifolia*）**：入口呈现独特的剧烈麻刺与灼热感，药理活性成分迅速直接刺激口腔黏膜。 --- ### [01:26:46](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5206s) 女性草药调理与北美药用植物 西蒙谈到，他的诊所架子上常年备有约上百种植物提取液，像松果菊这样药效立竿见影的草药只是其中一个典型。许多因生育问题或月经失调前来求助的女性患者，最终都会带走由数种植物依个体情况调配而成的药方。西蒙强调，历史上很多这类药物本身就是由女性历经千百年经验积累研发出来的“女性良方”，尤其北美大陆孕育了大量极其强效的妇科草药。 深入研究这些植物的现代科学成分时会发现，它们常含有植物界的类固醇类似物（Phytosterols）。虽然它们并不是真正的激素类固醇，但能够精准地与人体自身的激素调节机制产生交互作用。其中某些草药在重新校准和规律月经周期方面效果极其出众，甚至在传统草药学中留有明确的警告禁忌：“除非女性已经做好了怀孕的准备，否则绝不可服用某些草药”，足见其激发排卵与调节生育机能的威力。 --- ### [01:28:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5292s) 松果菊对免疫“先锋部队”的作用机制 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 松果菊对上呼吸道与免疫细胞的作用机制 accDescr: 展示松果菊活性成分如何直接激活咽喉淋巴前线并辐射全身防御 subgraph OralTissues["咽喉与上呼吸道防线（免疫军营）"] T["扁桃体 (Tonsils)"] A["腺样体 (Adenoids)"] N["颈部淋巴结 (Neck Nodes)"] end E["松果菊活性成分<br/>(产生强烈麻刺感)"] -->|"直接化学信号对话"| WBC["白细胞 / 巨噬细胞<br/>（前线战斗部队）"] WBC -->|"激活免疫巡逻"| OralTissues OralTissues -->|"抑制扩散 / 辐射效应"| Body["全身抗感染防御<br/>(包括下呼吸道及肠道上端)"] ``` 关于舌头上炸裂般的麻刺感，西蒙用形象的军事比喻解释了背后的生理逻辑。人体内负责冲锋陷阵的免疫白细胞就像是“精锐海军陆战队”，而它们的兵营主要设在咽喉部位——包括扁桃体、腺样体以及沿颈部两侧分布的淋巴结。当我们遭受感染时，这些腺体往往会肿大，正是免疫部队正在激烈交火的信号。狭叶松果菊中独特的烷基酰胺类化合物（alkylamides）直接与这些前线白细胞发生“生化对话”，瞬间点燃它们的活力，调动免疫系统进入最高戒备状态。 西蒙指出，松果菊之所以被广泛用于上呼吸道感染，关键在于它守住了人体的“前哨大门”。虽然松果菊在市面上也有片剂或胶囊形式，但如果想要获得最直接、最快速的免疫激活效果，必须要有这种在口腔和咽喉黏膜引发剧烈麻刺感的液体提取物。无论是鼻窦炎、中耳炎、咽喉肿痛、牙龈问题还是口腔微生态失衡，这种直接刺激前线免疫细胞的方式都能迅速扼杀感染苗头，甚至对更深层的消化道感染也能起到连锁协同的防御功效。 - **核心作用区域**：扁桃体、腺样体及颈部淋巴结所组成的咽喉淋巴环（Waldeyer's ring）。 - **起效标志**：口腔内强烈的麻刺与神经免疫感官反馈，标志着活性成分直接接触并活化白细胞。 - **主要适应症**：上呼吸道感染、急性咽喉炎、鼻窦炎、中耳炎、牙龈炎症及口腔黏膜感染。 --- ### [01:30:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5427s) 古老树脂的奇效：乳香与没药的上呼吸道防御 除了松果菊，西蒙还重点介绍了富含天然树脂（Resins）的药用植物。他向史蒂文展示了齿叶乳香（*Boswellia*，即 Frankincense）片剂，药片呈现树脂研磨后特有的天然黄绿色。西蒙解释道，树脂就像松树皮分泌出的那种黏稠胶质，而人类历史上最珍贵的两款药用树脂早已在《圣经》东方三博士朝拜耶稣的故事中被明确记载：黄金代表世俗财富，而另外两件厚礼——乳香与没药（Myrrh），则是无价的良药。 西蒙在临床中常使用液体形式的没药。当液体没药涂抹或含漱于口腔时，树脂成分犹如在黏膜表面刷上了一层致密的保护涂层，能让人清晰地感觉到黏膜组织被激活收敛。追溯历史，这些树脂需要长途跋涉从东非沙漠穿越商路运往地中海，当年的示巴女王之所以富甲一方，正是因为她牢牢控制了东非与阿拉伯半岛的乳香和没药贸易通道，所罗门王迎娶示巴女王亦有极为深远的商业与医疗战略考量。西蒙总结道，将狭叶松果菊、没药、乳香再辅以甘草（Licorice）进行调和配伍，是现代草药临床中抵御咽喉、鼻窦及口腔顽固感染最强效的天然组合之一。 - **齿叶乳香（Boswellia / Frankincense）**：古老消炎树脂，强效抗炎并镇静黏膜。 - **没药（Myrrh）**：具有极强的抗菌、收敛与黏膜成膜保护功能，液体剂型可直接修护口腔与喉咙。 - **经典协同配方**：松果菊 + 没药 + 乳香 + 甘草，四者合力构建上呼吸道防御屏障。 --- ### [01:32:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5553s) 赞助商插播：网络安全与 DOAC 核心会员圈 史蒂文在此处插入了两个赞助与社群公告： 1. **ExpressVPN**：史蒂文谈到，许多人出门前会本能地锁好家门，却在咖啡馆、机场或酒店毫不犹豫地连接缺乏防护的公共 Wi-Fi 登录银行账户，面临个人密码、私人信息甚至身份被窃取的严重风险。ExpressVPN 通过一键建立高强度加密隐私通道，防止黑客与第三方窥探数据，为跨国移动办公提供坚实保障（通过专用链接可获额外 4 个月免费服务）。 2. **DOAC Circle（首席执行官日记内部圈子）**：史蒂文正式推出仅限首批 10,000 人加入的封闭式私人社群。圈内成员可获取未公开的访谈备忘录、删减片段、幕后花絮以及从未播出的访谈内容，并能与史蒂文直接互动，共同参与决定节目未来的采访嘉宾与对话选题。 --- ### [01:34:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5678s) 纯水断食与人类演化史的生理契合 回归对谈后，史蒂文向西蒙提问：如今备受追捧的纯水断食（Water fasts）以及长达 7 天的延长断食，在现代医学与自然疗法中究竟算不算一种有效的“良药”？ 西蒙给出了他的底层思考逻辑：每当面对这类健康机制的疑问时，他习惯从人类演化史中寻找根源。在人类漫长达三四十万年的狩猎采集时代中，规律的三餐并不存在；相反，食物的匮乏和不稳定性是常态，尤其在换季或猎物短缺时，人类经常被迫经历连续数日的极度饥饿，随后在捕猎成功时再迎来丰盛的大餐。因此，西蒙指出，人体的生理系统和基因构成在漫长的进化中早就天然适应了间歇性断食（Intermittent fasting），间歇性断食早已深深烙印在人类的基因蓝图之中，本就是机体自我重置与修复不可或缺的演化机制。 ### [01:35:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5731s) 断食的隐患与癌症患者的草药支持 断食的基本原理固然具有科学依据，但西蒙·米尔斯（Simon Mills）提醒，如果个体的代谢机能、消化系统或内分泌激素并未处于良好状态，断食——尤其是长时间断食——反而可能对身体造成损害，因此在尝试前务必寻求专业建议。谈及自身近半个世纪的临床执业经历，米尔斯透露，他接待的患者中有四分之一到三分之一都是癌症患者。他特别强调，现代医学的巨大进步使得癌症在今天呈现出全新面貌：几十年前大多数患者一旦确诊便很快离世，而现在越来越多的人能够在患癌后长期生存。 在癌症照护领域，草药学的核心价值并非声称替代正规疗法，而是双重赋能。一方面在于前端的生活方式预防；另一方面则在于确诊后，帮助患者在经历化疗及各种手术后更好地生活，调节消化吸收、改善睡眠障碍并加速元气恢复。当史蒂文·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）询问防癌是否最关键在于“我们吃进肚里的东西”时，米尔斯给予了完全肯定的答复。除了香烟和加工肉类等公认的高风险致癌物，他指出最普遍的隐形杀手其实是现代人整体恶劣的饮食结构——通常是高脂肪、精制碳水和糖分同时严重过量，给人体带来前所未有的代谢重负。 - **断食风险**：若基础代谢、内分泌或消化系统虚弱，长时间断食可能弊大于利。 - **癌症共存**：约 25%~33% 的就诊者为带瘤生存者；草药介入重点在于缓解化疗副作用、调节睡眠与肠胃。 - **饮食与癌症**：高脂、高糖与高精制碳水化合物的复合摄入，是引发细胞恶变和身体代谢超负荷的根源。 --- ### [01:38:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5883s) 心血管疾病的本质：慢性炎症与草药防护 心血管疾病长期稳居发达国家乃至全球的“头号死因”，且随着西方生活方式的外溢，在其他发展中国家也迅速蔓延。米尔斯指出，缺乏运动与不当饮食是催生该病的关键推手，但现代心脏病学界正日益达成一项共识：心血管疾病并不仅仅是单纯的胆固醇沉积或高血压问题，它的底层机制本质上是一种持续性的“慢性炎症”。 面对心血管保护的需求，米尔斯强调最根本的基石依然是日常膳食，但传统草药同样提供了卓越的辅助方案。例如山楂（Hawthorn / Mayflower）的花与叶，过去常作为家庭常备茶饮用于退烧与各种调理，而现代研究发现，长期适量饮用山楂叶茶对维护心血管功能具有显著的预防功效。此外，生姜、肉桂等厨房常见辛香料均具备出色的血管舒张与循环保护益处，是他日常极为推崇的心血管防护辅助品。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 心血管疾病病理与生活方式干预机制 accDescr: 展示不良饮食与缺乏运动如何诱发慢性血管炎症，以及食物与草药的干预路径。 subgraph RiskFactors["诱发因素"] A["不良西方饮食<br>(高糖/高脂/高加工)"] B["长期缺乏运动"] end subgraph Pathology["核心病理机制"] C["全身性慢性低度炎症"] D["血管内皮损伤与硬化"] end subgraph Interventions["草药与饮食调节"] E["山楂叶花茶<br>(Hawthorn)"] F["循环辛香料<br>(肉桂、生姜等)"] end A & B --> C C --> D E & F -.->|"调控炎症 / 保护血管"| C ``` --- ### [01:39:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=5990s) 姜黄素的吸收悖论与肠道菌群转化 史蒂文现场切开了一块新鲜的姜黄根，露出了鲜艳夺目的橙黄色截面，并谈到自己曾在脚踝韧带拉伤时服用姜黄素（Curcumin）作为抗炎补充剂。米尔斯借此厘清了概念：他之所以不喜欢用简单的“抗炎（anti-inflammatory）”一词，是因为炎症本身是身体疗愈必不可少的好伙伴，更准确的表述应当是“调节、支持与管理炎症”。市面上充斥着标榜高吸收率、高生物利用度的姜黄素补剂，但这里存在一个鲜为人知的生理事实：天然姜黄素极难被人体吸收，摄入后约 98%~99% 会原封不动地滞留在肠道内。 这种“难以吸收”并非大自然的疏忽，而是一种精妙的自我保护，因为高浓度的游离姜黄素进入人体血液实际上具备毒性。即使添加黑胡椒提取物（胡椒碱），吸收率通常也仅仅是从 1% 微幅提升至 2%~3%，这与人们在吃一顿普通咖喱时吃下的量相比微不足道。那么姜黄是如何发挥强效作用的？米尔斯揭示了背后的核心机制：姜黄是肠道微生物群最强大的调控剂之一。在肠道微生态中，姜黄滋养着有益菌，而有益菌反过来将姜黄及其姜黄素发酵分解为活性更高、对人体友好的次生代谢产物；它的大多数调控炎症的效果，正是通过微生物转化后的产物巡行全身来实现的。如果一个人滥用抗生素破坏了菌群，姜黄的健康功效也将大打折扣。 - **吸收率悖论**：口服天然姜黄素仅约 1%~2% 能直接进入血液循环，绝大部分留在肠腔内。 - **高剂量毒性**：姜黄素高浓度直接入血具有细胞毒性，滞留肠道是机体的保护机制。 - **微生物互动**：姜黄一方面作为益生元促进有益菌增殖，另一方面依赖有益菌代谢生成生物活性分子。 --- ### [01:42:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6144s) 益生元、益生菌与“后生元”新前沿 顺着肠道微生态的话题，史蒂文领悟到肠道实际上是各类植物药发挥功效的“核心加工中心”；如果膳食失衡、缺乏植物多样性导致菌群紊乱，再好的草药也无法被充分代谢转化。米尔斯对此高度赞同，并系统梳理了微生态制剂的三大概念：首先是益生菌（Probiotics），如酸奶、泡菜和开菲尔（Kefir）等发酵食品中的活性微生物，它们必须经历胃酸杀菌的严酷考验才能侥幸存活抵达肠道；其次是益生元（Prebiotics），即专门滋养肠道良性菌群的植物纤维与营养物。 随后米尔斯着重介绍了近年来的新概念——“后生元（Postbiotics）”。工业界常将其狭义定义为灭活的菌体成分制剂，但从生理学本质来看，后生元是指肠道细菌在代谢底物过程中所产生的一切有益物质。越来越多的现代医学证据证实，人类吃下的植物性食物——包括各种色彩斑斓的多酚（Polyphenols）和天然色素——在很大程度上并非由人体自身直接吸收，而是由肠道菌群将其深度发酵加工为能够治病强身的“药用分子”。多酚对心血管与抗衰老的诸多神效，实质上正是后生元在人体内发挥作用的典范。 --- ### [01:44:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6254s) 临床验证与临床前实验的辨析 史蒂文援引了大量实证研究：2007 年的研究证实姜黄素能上调人体自身的抗氧化防御系统并下调氧化应激水平；2016 年针对多项随机对照试验（RCT）的荟萃分析更指出，在缓解骨关节炎和关节疼痛方面，姜黄素的效果足以媲美非甾体抗炎药布洛芬（Ibuprofen）。米尔斯回应道，这恰好回答了关于关节炎与疼痛治疗的疑问——姜黄与姜黄素确有确凿的临床证据支持，而大众之所以感到困惑，是因为普遍盲目迷信“唯有吸收入血才算起效”，忽略了通过肠道微生物群转化的关键路径。 针对近年来关于姜黄素在抗癌和保护大脑健康方面的大量早期报道，米尔斯给出了理性而克制的专业审视。他指出，许多令人振奋的研究目前仍处于“临床前阶段（Preclinical studies）”，这仅仅意味着它们是在试管、细胞培养皿或大鼠等动物模型中完成的。在制药工业的历史上，数以万计看似前景大好的临床前明星分子，一旦进入人体试验，往往因潜在毒性或人体代谢不耐受而彻底折戟沉沙。因此，面对实验室里看似神奇的抗癌和健脑数据，大众与临床医生必须保持客观审慎的态度，不可将试管中的假说与经临床验证的人体疗效混为一谈。 - **临床实证**：2016 年 RCT 荟萃分析证实，姜黄素在缓解关节炎疼痛方面的疗效与布洛芬相当。 - **抗氧化调节**：2007 年研究表明姜黄素通过调控细胞通路增强机体自身抗氧化防御。 - **审视临床前研究**：体外与动物试验仅代表可能的研究线索，绝不能等同于最终在人体内的实际效用与安全性。 ### [01:45:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6331s) 大脑健康与神经血管单元（NVU）：绿茶的多酚守护力 在探讨天然植物药时，西蒙·米尔斯（Simon Mills）强调自己最看重的是人体临床试验，因为只有人体数据才真正具有指导意义。当前社会正面临严峻的大脑健康危机，阿尔茨海默病及各类痴呆症的患病率持续走高，给无数家庭带来了巨大的痛苦。过去，医学界普遍将阿尔茨海默病归咎于脑内异常蛋白质的异常沉积；但如今，前沿研究的焦点正转向大脑的供血状况——即血管对大脑的影响。 人们熟知的“血脑屏障”（Blood-Brain Barrier）过去常被看作是一道单纯阻挡有害物质进入大脑的物理屏障。但现代神经科学发现，它其实是一个高度动态、复杂的交互界面，如今被称为“神经血管单元”（Neurovascular Unit，简称 NVU）。令人振奋的是，越来越多的研究证实，真正能够滋养并调节 NVU 正常运转的正是植物成分。例如，来自茶树（*Camellia sinensis*）未经发酵加工的绿茶，富含大量的多酚类植物色素，规律饮用绿茶已被证实对维持大脑认知功能、延缓衰老退化极具益处。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 神经血管单元与植物成分保护机制 accDescr: 展现从植物摄入到血脑屏障/神经血管单元的大脑保护路径 subgraph PlantSource ["植物活性物质"] A["绿茶多酚 (EGCG等)"] B["迷迭香挥发油"] C["黑可可黄烷醇"] end subgraph Transmission ["吸收与传递路径"] D["血液循环系统"] E["嗅球 / 边缘系统 (直接吸入)"] end subgraph BrainTarget ["大脑中枢与血管"] F["神经血管单元 (NVU / 血脑屏障)"] G["脑血流灌注与认知改善"] end A --> D C --> D D --> F B --> E E --> G F --> G ``` --- ### [01:48:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6527s) 迷迭香与银杏：直通中枢神经的气味与记忆良药 除了茶多酚，迷迭香（Rosemary）同样展现出惊人的护脑潜能。米尔斯现场让主持人揉搓迷迭香的新鲜叶片并深嗅其气味。这一动作绝非单纯闻香，而是在吸入高浓度的挥发油。人体的嗅球位于鼻腔顶端，是大脑中极少数直接与外界环境相连的结构，吸入的气味分子能够跨越物理屏障，瞬间直达大脑边缘系统。 米尔斯援引莎士比亚经典剧作《哈姆雷特》中奥菲莉娅的著名台词：“迷迭香，那是为了记忆”（"Rosemary, that's for remembrance"），指出古代人早已凭直觉认识到迷迭香对认知功能的助益。米尔斯在马里兰工作期间曾主持过一项临床试验，测试迷迭香对年长者解字谜游戏能力的影响，结果发现它显著改善了老人的认知表现。此外，在欧洲被列为心血管与脑血管处方药的银杏（Ginkgo biloba），也通过类似机制改善微循环、保护神经元。米尔斯随后倒出一壶微带草绿黄色的现泡绿茶，并贴心地加入了一点薄荷调味，以中和部分人不易接受的涩味。 - **嗅觉通路的生理特质**：鼻腔顶端的嗅球直接与大脑边缘系统相连，使挥发油的吸入成为影响中枢情绪与认知最高效的无创途径之一。 - **绿茶与薄荷的搭配**：绿茶富含儿茶素等多元多酚，搭配少许薄荷不仅口感宜人，还能提供协同的抗氧化与抗炎支持。 --- ### [01:51:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6677s) 纯黑巧克力的药用价值：几十分钟内逆转血流的“心脏神药” 谈及绿茶与健康饮食，主持人史蒂芬·巴特利特（Steven Bartlett）感叹自己的女友在健康认知上总是比前沿科学快上两三年：整天喝绿茶、饮用生姜肉桂水、吃全彩虹饮食，并且对纯黑可可（Cacao）推崇备至。米尔斯斩钉截铁地宣告：“黑巧克力就是一味药，无可争议（Chocolate, dark chocolate is a medicine. End of）。”他指出，临床上表现最出色的处方剂量是每日摄入 50 至 100 克、可可固形物含量在 75% 以上的高纯度黑巧克力。 针对年轻健康志愿者的临床试验显示，摄入富含黄烷醇的高纯度可可后，在短短几十分钟至一小时内，受试者的脑血流与全身微循环便出现了极其显著的良性变化，因此它被许多传统疗愈师称为真正的“心脏之药”。巴特利特提到，女友在巴厘岛创办的呼吸疗愈营中，每场疗程开始前都会为全球女性学员现煮一杯热纯可可，饮用后学员的情绪和身体状态立刻变得敞开、温和。米尔斯解释，可可不仅改善循环，还含有类似咖啡但更柔和的温和中枢兴奋成分，能够自然提振心神。 --- ### [01:53:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6820s) 秘鲁巧克力工厂的震撼：警惕伪装成巧克力的“高糖糖果” 米尔斯特别强调，这里所说的药用可可绝非超市里冲调的速溶甜热可可粉，核心在于“糖和脂肪越少越好”。75% 甚至 85% 到 90% 的纯黑巧克力虽然口感微苦、药感较重，但这才是活性多酚密集的关键。米尔斯经常向患者开出“每日摄入 50 克高纯黑巧克力”的生活方式处方。 巴特利特回忆了自己在秘鲁旅行时参加的一次手工巧克力制作课程，那段经历彻底改变了他对巧克力的认知。当时导师递给他一个巨大烧杯并要求加入白糖，巴特利特倒了一点后，当地导师大笑着纠正，直接将整整 60% 至 70% 容积的白砂糖倾倒入杯中，随后仅加入少量可可脂和油类，这让他惊愕地发现白巧克力本质上完全是高糖油脂混合物；牛奶巧克力的含糖量同样高达近 50%；唯有黑巧克力才真正保留了高比例的可可原浆，仅需极少量的糖调味。自那之后，巴特利特彻底戒除了白巧克力。米尔斯也打趣地附和，早在多年前欧盟制定食品标准时，就曾严肃提议不应将某些高糖的英式牛奶巧克力称为“巧克力”，而应当如实标注为“巧克力风味糖果”。 ### [01:55:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6941s) 绿茶与抹茶：对抗认知衰退与阿尔茨海默病的植物力量 主持人 Steven Bartlett 提到了绿茶与预防阿尔茨海默病之间令人振奋的研究关联。Simon Mills 指出，医药界目前正在全力寻找治疗认知障碍的化学药物，但现阶段大多数积极的数据反而来自植物性成分，这进一步印证了植物与天然香料对大脑健康的重要价值。Steven 查阅了相关研究并念道：2008 年的一项研究证实绿茶能够改善认知功能、记忆力与注意力准确度；而发表在 2011 年《营养生物化学杂志》（*Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry*）上的论文更表明，长期饮用绿茶与降低认知衰退和阿尔茨海默病风险显著相关。 面对这些确凿的科学证据，Steven 惊讶地感叹自己过去对此一无所知，并十分懊悔以前伴侣每次给他泡绿茶时他都屡屡拒绝。Simon 幽默地打趣道：“现在去道歉也来不及了。”Steven 随后列举了绿茶在心血管健康、脂肪代谢、癌症早期预防、血糖与胰岛素敏感度以及肠道和口腔健康等方面的全方位益处，并询问起抹茶（Matcha）的效果——Steven 本人碰巧是欧洲最大抹茶品牌的早期投资人。Simon 解释说，抹茶相比普通绿茶保留的有效成分更加纯净、粉质更为细腻，因此理论上它的健康益处很可能比普通绿茶更为显著，尽管目前针对抹茶的独立临床证据仍有待进一步丰富，但所有迹象都表明它是一种极佳的选择。 - 2008 年研究发现绿茶提取物可有效提升认知功能、记忆广度与注意力集中度。 - 2011 年《营养生物化学杂志》长期随访研究指出，日常摄入绿茶与延缓大脑衰老及阿尔茨海默病风险下降直接相关。 - 抹茶由于整叶精细研磨与遮光种植，保留了更高浓度的茶多酚与抗氧化活性成分。 --- ### [01:57:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7048s) 胆固醇、他汀类药物与肝脏支持：洋蓟与蒲公英的调理智慧 对话随后转向了胆固醇这一许多人既熟悉又恐慌的健康指标。Steven 提到多年前医生曾因他的饮食结构指出他存在高胆固醇问题。Simon 澄清说，很多人以为生酮饮食（Keto Diet）必然会导致胆固醇飙升，但临床上的反应其实因人而异、相当复杂。他用生动的比喻打破了对胆固醇的污名化：胆固醇本质上是肝脏合成的重要脂质，是合成人体核心类固醇激素的基础原料，堪称人体精力与行动力的“油箱里的老虎”（"the tiger in the tank"）。在过去人类从事繁重体力劳动的年代，充足的胆固醇是支撑机体高强度运转所必需的；然而在现代久坐不动的生活方式与高脂饮食的双重夹击下，血液中堆积的低密度脂蛋白胆固醇便演变成了心血管疾病的重大诱因。 当体检单上亮起红灯时，现代医学最常规的处理手段就是直接开具他汀类降脂药（Statins）。然而 Simon 透露，他汀类处方在临床上遭到的患者抵触比几乎任何其他药物都要多，许多人担心出现肌肉酸痛、乏力以及运动耐受力下降等副作用。从宏观公共卫生的角度来看，他汀类药物对整体人群绝对生存寿命的提升其实相对有限。因此，更理性的做法是“重新定义胆固醇的处境”——高胆固醇往往不是单纯的数值问题，而是肝脏代谢负荷过重与胆汁淤积的外在信号。 对于不想过度依赖药物的人群，Simon 推荐了经久验证的草药调理方案。其中首推洋蓟叶（Artichoke leaf），这在法国民间与自然医学中被广泛用于改善脂肪肝及肝胆迟滞，Simon 在自己近五十年的临床诊疗中经常让患者直接饮用鲜榨洋蓟叶汁。另一种核心草药是蒲公英根（Dandelion root），它能有效刺激胆汁分泌与排泄，将血液中过量的脂质代谢废物通过肠道顺畅排出体外。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 胆固醇管理与肝脏代谢循环 accDescr: 对比现代生活方式导致的胆固醇淤积与天然草药促进胆汁排泄的良性机制 subgraph Problem ["代谢失衡与传统对策"] A["久坐不动 + 高脂饮食"] --> B["肝脏代谢负荷过重"] B --> C["血液胆固醇升高 / 心血管风险"] C --> D["常规处方: 他汀类药物 (Statins)"] D -.可能引发副作用.-> E["肌肉酸痛、肌无力与服药抵触"] end subgraph HerbalApproach ["草药学整体调理通路"] F["高纤维植物饮食 + 规律运动"] --> G["增加代谢消耗"] H["洋蓟叶汁 (Artichoke Leaf)"] --> I["修复肝细胞活力与代谢"] J["蒲公英根 (Dandelion Root)"] --> K["强效刺激胆汁分泌与流动"] I & K --> L["通过胆汁将多余胆固醇排入肠道排出"] L --> M["恢复健康的血液脂质谱"] end ``` - **胆固醇的生理意义**：细胞膜稳定剂、性激素及肾上腺皮质激素合成的前体物质。 - **洋蓟叶（Artichoke Leaf）**：富含洋蓟素（Cynarin），临床常用于清除肝脏脂质沉积与增强胆汁流动。 - **蒲公英根（Dandelion Root）**：传统的苦味利胆剂，辅助肝胆系统排毒与脂质代谢。 --- ### [02:01:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7315s) 健康饮食昂贵吗？“像亚洲人一样做饭”的低成本智慧 针对许多大众抱怨“多吃新鲜果蔬和高品质草药太昂贵、普通人根本负担不起”的顾虑，Steven 询问这是否构成了践行植物疗法的现实门槛。Simon 极为果断地给出了自己的答案：“像亚洲人那样吃（Eat Asian）。” Simon 解释道，亚洲传统饮食在控制膳食成本上展现了极高的生活智慧。只要善于利用小扁豆（Lentils）、各类杂豆、应季蔬菜以及厨房常备的天然香料，就能以极其低廉的花费做出一顿兼具风味与丰富抗炎营养的慢炖大餐。西方现代人之所以觉得健康饮食昂贵，很大程度上是因为丧失了在厨房中慢工细作的烹饪习惯，转而依赖快餐或过度加工的半成品。虽然有些西方外卖餐厅提供的亚洲菜为了迎合口味添加了过多劣质油脂，但只要人们愿意重新拿起厨具在家里自己动手，以豆类、蔬菜和辛香料为核心的饮食不仅成本极低，更能从根本上改善心血管和代谢健康。 --- ### [02:02:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7374s) 处方之王奥美拉唑与胃食管反流：被误解的胃酸与其反弹陷阱 在被问及本次对谈中最不容忽视却尚未提及的话题时，Simon 毫不犹豫地提到了奥美拉唑（Omeprazole）。Steven 承认自己从未听说过这种药，Simon 笑着表示 Steven 属于极少数的幸运儿，因为奥美拉唑是目前英国乃至全美处方量最大的药物之一，主要用于治疗胃食管反流病（GERD/GORD）。Simon 还幽默地调侃了英美两国的拼写差异：美国人拼作 esophagus，缩写为 GERD；而英国人拼作 oesophagus，因而读作 GORD。 更为荒谬的是，在当前的现代临床医学中，胃食管反流病往往是“靠治疗手段反向确诊的”——只要患者服用了奥美拉唑后烧心症状缓解，医生便认定其患有该病。奥美拉唑这类质子泵抑制剂（PPI）的作用机理是强行关闭胃壁细胞的胃酸分泌功能。然而 Simon 严肃指出，胃酸在人体消化系统中承担着至关重要的防御使命： 1. **灭菌屏障**：食物中带有大量环境微生物，强酸环境能杀灭绝大部分病原体； 2. **免疫保护**：通过胃液将异体蛋白质充分分解为安全的氨基酸与小分子肽，防止异体蛋白进入体内触发严重的免疫变态反应。 Simon 澄清道，绝大多数反流患者的病因**并非体内胃酸分泌过多**，而是贲门括约肌松弛导致胃内容物物理性地反流进入没有保护层的食管粘膜。长期滥用奥美拉唑人为切断胃酸分泌，正在引发一系列严重且不可逆的下游病症，最新临床证据已将其与消化道癌症、认知障碍（老年痴呆）及营养吸收不良明确联系在一起。更具毒性的是该药极其强烈的“反弹效应”（Rebound effect）：一旦患者尝试停药，失去抑制的胃壁细胞会爆发式地狂涌胃酸，引发剧烈灼痛，迫使患者在痛苦中重新恢复服药。为了帮助患者摆脱对抑酸剂的长期依赖，自然疗法采用了一种名为“筏板原理”（Raft principle）的纯天然物理屏障替代方案。 ### [02:05:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7554s) 植物黏液屏障与胃食管反流的物理疗法 Simon Mills 探讨了许多富含黏液（mucilage）的植物在应对胃食管反流时的独特机制。他以北美著名的滑榆（Slippery Elm）为例，指出其粉末外观很像填补墙缝的腻子粉（Polyfilla），一旦遇水搅拌，就会形成黏稠的糊状物。虽然直接吞咽这种糊状物口感较差，通常建议制成片剂服用，但一旦进入胃部，它就会生成一层厚实的保护性黏液层。 除了滑榆，英国市面上常见的非处方药嘉胃斯康（Gaviscon）本质上也是利用海藻胶（海藻提取物）搭配特定矿物质制成。正如其电视广告所宣传的“筏架”（the raft）原理，在咽下最后一口饭后服用，它会在食物上方形成一层黏液浮层。当胃内容物向上推挤欲反流进食道管（gullet）时，这层黏液屏障便如筏子般将其牢牢挡住。这种碳水化合物屏障在两小时左右即可被身体自然消化，完全不需要依赖强力药物干预，纯粹属于物理性隔离。Simon 在临床中帮助患者逐步戒除奥美拉唑等抑酸药时，会常规使用芦荟（Aloe vera）、滑榆或海藻胶等植物黏液构建“物理筏架”，从根本上缓解反流带来的食道损伤。 ```mermaid flowchart TD accTitle: 植物黏液对抗胃酸反流的物理屏障机制 accDescr: 展示餐后摄入富含黏液的植物提取物在胃内形成保护层并阻止胃酸反流的过程 subgraph INGESTION["摄入与激活"] A["进食完毕 (最后一口食物)"] --> B["摄入含黏液植物/成分<br/>(滑榆 / 芦荟 / 海藻胶)"] B --> C["在胃液中吸水膨胀<br/>形成黏稠凝胶浮层"] end subgraph BARRIER["物理屏障 (Raft 原理)"] C --> D["覆盖于胃内容物顶端<br/>形成天然物理筏架"] D --> E["阻挡酸性食糜上逆<br/>保护食管黏膜免受反流灼伤"] end subgraph DIGESTION["自然代谢"] E --> F["约两小时后碳水化合物分解消化<br/>无药物蓄积或长期化学副作用"] end ``` - **代表性黏液植物与替代品**：北美滑榆（Slippery Elm）、海藻胶（如 Gaviscon 主要成分）、芦荟（Aloe vera）。 - **作用原理**：通过在胃内容物顶层形成类似漂浮筏的黏液凝胶层（the raft），提供纯物理屏障，阻止胃酸和食糜逆流至食道。 - **代谢特点**：属于植物性碳水化合物，约两小时后即被肠道正常消化，不干扰人体正常的胃酸分泌功能。 --- ### [02:07:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7657s) 现代农业工业化对药用植物品质的侵蚀 主持人 Steven Bartlett 谈及 Simon 对植物的深厚感情，并询问他对现代人类对待植物的方式有何担忧。Simon 直言，随着药用植物需求的大增，工业化生产不可避免地带来了单一种植（monoculture）以及大量除草剂和杀虫剂的使用，这正在破坏植物的“自然天性”。 Simon 提到自己曾工作过的有机草药品牌 Pukka Herbs，并通过研究证实：在无农药、有机或野生环境下生长的植物，必须独立面对自然界的害虫与逆境，因此会主动合成更高浓度的多酚类物质（polyphenols）作为自我防御机制。反之，依赖农药保护的人工种植作物缺乏生存压力，其内部的有效抗氧化成分反而大幅下降。Simon 强调，无论是在德文郡（Devon）跟随野外采集专家（forager）利用路边灌木树篱中的野生植物做出一顿大餐，还是选择有机种植的食材，越贴近自然源头的植物，药用与营养价值就越纯粹。尽管大部分工业化种植的植物仍具有一定价值、“聊胜于无”，但回归野生和有机无疑是摄取植物疗愈力的最佳途径。 - **多酚合成逻辑**：多酚是植物自身的免疫防御系统；植物在野外遭遇虫害与逆境时，为求生存会激发合成更多多酚。 - **农药的副作用**：化学杀虫剂剥夺了植物对抗自然挑战的机会，导致有效次生代谢产物（如多酚等抗氧化成分）显著减少。 - **野生采集（Foraging）的价值**：野生与树篱灌木丛中自然生长的植物保留了最完整的药性基因与防御分子。 --- ### [02:09:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7760s) 面对飞速变化世界的解药：回归人与自然的连接 针对播客上一位嘉宾留下的传统盲盒问题——“世界正在飞速变化，你如何保持跟上步伐？”，Simon Mills 给出了极具温情与哲思的回答。他承认当今世界瞬息万变、甚至令人感到恐惧，但在纷繁变幻的表象下，唯有一条恒定的真理：“在日常生活中，真正至关重要的，只有你以及你身边的那些人。” Simon 坦言，自己如今越来越乐于留在埃克塞特（Exeter）的诊所安心接诊，而不是在世界各地奔波。他认为，世界越是让人不安，人与人之间紧密相依、背靠背（back to back）共同面对外界挑战的连接就越显珍贵。重新与最亲近的人紧密联结，同时重新与身边的自然界建立沟通，是他所知应对飞速变化最有效的解药。当 Steven 问及他生命中最核心的人是谁时，Simon 幸福地提到自己的妻子 Rachel 以及两人庞大的家庭——他们一共拥有 10 个孙子/孙女。虽然家人们分布在世界各地，但借助电子日历的协调，彼此守望相助的家庭纽带成为了他最坚实的精神支柱。 - **核心应对原则**：不随外界噪音起舞，将注意力收束回最核心的真实人际关系与自然环境。 - **家庭连接**：Simon 与妻子 Rachel 共有 10 位孙辈，依靠紧密的家庭情感与现代数字工具维持跨地域的亲情网络。 --- ### [02:11:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7881s) 传播草药智慧与播客尾声 在对话尾声，Steven Bartlett 对 Simon Mills 表达了由衷的敬意，称赞其渊博的草药知识彻底改变了自己的认知，并开玩笑说等不及要回去告诉女朋友“她所坚持的草药理念全都是对的”，Simon 则幽默地回应：“那我等她给我塞十英镑报酬（slip me the tenner）”。 Steven 向听众强烈推荐了解 Simon 的著作、个人网站以及他每月举办一次的草药交流专栏“Herb Hour”。Simon 补充道，听众可以通过他的网站进一步访问“Herbal Reality”这一极具权威性的草药资源平台，其中凝聚了大量经受住时间检验的人类传统经验与严谨研究，绝非 TikTok 等社交网络上凭空捏造的噱头信息。Steven 总结道，Simon 正在引领一场让人性回归自然本质的运动，并呼吁更多媒体与播客平台邀请 Simon，让古老植物医学的智慧触达更多大众。节目最后，Steven 照例向听众呼吁，若喜欢本期深度对话，请点击订阅支持播客频道。 - **权威学习渠道**：Simon Mills 的个人网站及他深度参与编撰的 Herbal Reality 资源库，提供基于长期临床经验与实证的草药知识。 - **定期互动专栏**：Simon 运营的每月“Herb Hour”，为大众解答植物药理与身心调理问题。 ## Notable quotes > [02:13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=133s) 打造一艘更好、更坚固的小船，让它在风浪中平稳航行。 — 西蒙·米尔斯 > [06:40](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=400s) 请明天就打电话告诉我感觉如何。 — 西蒙·米尔斯 > [09:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=591s) 让食物成为你的药物。 — 希波克拉底 > [53:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3237s) 没有任何一种是每个人都必须吃的。 — 西蒙·米尔斯 > [59:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=3597s) 关节由于缺乏良好的血液循环，就像水槽下方的‘U型存水弯’一样，任何管道中的污垢杂质都极易在这些死角沉淀下来。 — 西蒙·米尔斯 > [01:14:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=4492s) 现代人很可能普遍处于一种‘缺紫状态’。 — 西蒙·米尔斯 > [01:48:47](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6527s) 迷迭香，那是为了记忆。 — 威廉·莎士比亚 > [01:51:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=6677s) 黑巧克力就是一味药，无可争议。 — 西蒙·米尔斯 > [01:57:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7048s) 胆固醇是油箱里的老虎。 — 西蒙·米尔斯 > [02:01:55](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7315s) 像亚洲人那样吃。 — 西蒙·米尔斯 > [02:09:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w&t=7760s) 在日常生活中，真正至关重要的，只有你以及你身边的那些人。 — 西蒙·米尔斯 ## Mentioned 西蒙·米尔斯 (Simon Mills), 史蒂文·巴特利特 (Steven Bartlett), 亚历克·道格拉斯-霍姆 (Alec Douglas-Home), 希波克拉底 (Hippocrates), 威廉·莎士比亚 (William Shakespeare), 奥菲莉娅 (Ophelia), Osibisa 乐队, 英国草药医学会 (BHMA), 互补替代医学理事会, 欧洲植物疗法科学合作组织 (ESCOP), 世界卫生组织 (WHO), 英国国家医疗服务体系 (NHS), Pukka Herbs, Herbal Reality, ExpressVPN, Shopify, DOAC Circle, 嘉胃斯康 (Gaviscon), 奥美拉唑 (Omeprazole), 布洛芬 (Ibuprofen), 阿司匹林 (Aspirin), 狭叶松果菊 (Echinacea angustifolia), 《哈姆雷特》 (Hamlet), 《营养生物化学杂志》 (Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry) ## Video description Is the root of every illness your gut? Could 5 simple herbs replace your medicine cabinet? Natural remedy expert Simon Mills reveals the herbal medicines that doctors overlook, and the herbs, spices, and daily habits to use instead! Simon Mills is one of the most respected herbal practitioners of our time, with nearly 5 decades of clinical experience treating patients. He created the term ‘complementary medicine’ in the 1970s, has served as a special advisor to the UK House of Lords, and currently works as an Advisor and Author at Herbal Reality. He explains: ▪️ How antibiotic resistance could kill millions and what natural remedies can do instead ▪️ The #1 hidden cause of chronic illness (that no one’s talking about) ▪️ How a common kitchen spice could kill 99% of cold viruses ▪️ The 8 plants that are threatening Big Pharma’s bottom line ▪️ The ancient medicinal plants we’ve been lied to about, and how to use them 00:00 Intro 02:15 The Power of Medicinal Plants 06:05 Why Medicinal Plants Help Like Paracetamol Does 07:22 How Western Culture Is Getting It Wrong 12:24 Why People Should Care About Medicinal Plants 14:46 Helping 10K+ People With Plants 14:48 Patients Simon Has Helped 16:28 Case Study: Healing Through Plants 23:41 The Gut Controls Almost Everything 27:35 The Dangers of Becoming Antibiotic Resistant 33:28 Alternatives to Antibiotics 39:42 Alternatives to Cold Drugs 52:36 Vitamin D and Zinc for Infection Protection 56:27 Garlic Benefits 59:57 Remedies for Chronic Pain 1:03:02 Arthritis Relief Medicinal Plant 1:09:15 Should We Take Anti-Inflammatory Pills? 1:12:49 The Superpower of Purple Vegetables 1:17:27 Your Diet Recommendations 1:18:23 Keto Diet and Sugar 1:20:24 Keto Diet and the Menstrual Cycle Link 1:22:58 Can PCOS Symptoms Increase From Sugar? 1:24:21 Medicinal Plants to Increase Fertility 1:27:41 Healing Benefits of Echinacea, Frankincense, and Myrrh for the Upper Body 1:34:38 Water Fasting and Long Fasts 1:35:58 Cancer Prevention 1:38:03 Cardiovascular Health Improvements 1:39:50 Benefits of Turmeric Consumption 1:42:24 Prebiotics, Probiotics, and Postbiotics 1:44:14 The Shocking Benefits of Curcumin 1:51:17 Cocoa Powder Healing Benefits 1:55:34 Shocking Link Between Alzheimer’s and Green Tea 1:57:28 Cholesterol and Statins — Is There an Alternative? 2:02:54 Omeprazole 2:09:19 How to Keep Up With a Fast-Changing World You can follow Simon, here: ▪️ Instagram - https://bit.ly/4mmYAOh ▪️ Herbal Reality Instagram - https://bit.ly/4fA1jRF ▪️ Herbal Reality Website - https://bit.ly/46KVgaz You can read a selection of articles by Simon Mills, here: ▪️ What is herbal medicine? - https://bit.ly/45iYvDF ▪️ Are herbs safe? - https://bit.ly/453v35U Research document: https://stevenbartlett.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/DOAC-Simon-Mills-Independent-Research-further-reading.pdf The Diary Of A CEO: ⬜️Join DOAC circle here - https://doaccircle.com/ ⬜️Buy The Diary Of A CEO book here - https://smarturl.it/DOACbook ⬜️The 1% Diary is back - limited time only: https://bit.ly/3YFbJbt ⬜️The Diary Of A CEO Conversation Cards (Second Edition): https://g2ul0.app.link/f31dsUttKKb ⬜️Get email updates - https://bit.ly/diary-of-a-ceo-yt ⬜️Follow Steven - https://g2ul0.app.link/gnGqL4IsKKb Sponsors: Shopify - https://shopify.com/bartlett ExpressVPN - Go to https://expressvpn.com/DOAC and find out how you can get 4 months of ExpressVPN free [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jk5XCLAr6w)

[2:13] 西蒙·米尔斯: 打造一艘更好、更坚固的小船，让它在风浪中平稳航行。 [6:40] 西蒙·米尔斯: 请明天就打电话告诉我感觉如何。 [9:51] 希波克拉底: 让食物成为你的药物。 [53:57] 西蒙·米尔斯: 没有任何一种是每个人都必须吃的。 [59:57] 西蒙·米尔斯: 关节由于缺乏良好的血液循环，就像水槽下方的‘U型存水弯’一样，任何管道中的污垢杂质都极易在这些死角沉淀下来。 [74:52] 西蒙·米尔斯: 现代人很可能普遍处于一种‘缺紫状态’。 [108:47] 威廉·莎士比亚: 迷迭香，那是为了记忆。 [111:17] 西蒙·米尔斯: 黑巧克力就是一味药，无可争议。 [117:28] 西蒙·米尔斯: 胆固醇是油箱里的老虎。 [121:55] 西蒙·米尔斯: 像亚洲人那样吃。 [129:20] 西蒙·米尔斯: 在日常生活中，真正至关重要的，只有你以及你身边的那些人。

[2:15] Simon Mills: I can't do anything about the sea and the waves, but I can help you to build a better boat that can sit better in the water. [6:05] Simon Mills: A lot of medicine is a bit like fast food delivery. You know, we have a meal brought in because it's convenient, but that also deskills us. [16:58] Simon Mills: They walk out with five or six or eight different plants, and the reason I put them together is because they have a unique story. [16:58] Simon Mills: If you can find the right button, then quite big things can happen. I was lucky to find the right button. [16:58] Simon Mills: She said, 'I don't need your herbs anymore.' That to me is my biggest reward, that they can move on. [23:41] Simon Mills: As soon as you swallow something until it comes out the other end, we have no control over what goes on down there. [23:41] Simon Mills: We're basically... walking gut bags. We're walking bacteria. [27:35] Simon Mills: Antibiotic resistance... is the biggest threat we have. Soon going into a hospital and getting an operation will be a real risk. [27:35] Simon Mills: For viruses, mostly you just have to wait for the body to get rid of it, but giving an antibiotic is actually of no use at all. [33:28] Simon Mills: Every time you take an antibiotic, you're growing a small population of that species of bacteria... who are resistant to that. It's natural selection. [33:28] Simon Mills: In former times... all we could know is what it felt like. And when you've got a cold, you often feel cold... and what you needed to do was to heat up. [55:22] Simon Mills: You usually go to bed, and I would suggest you go to bed alone at this point because you're not very friendly... you're oozing garlic. The aroma of garlic is coming out of all your pores. Incidentally, it's also coming out of your lungs... you could kill them just with your breath. You know, it's the oil of garlic is a powerful antiseptic. [65:09] Simon Mills: Inflammation is a defense... it's one of the most powerful defenses we have in the body. And whenever someone is saying 'I need ibuprofen,' my next question is: what can we do to reduce the need for the inflammation? [84:21] Simon Mills: When you smell it, you realize that they are strong... A teaspoon of that is really powerful. [105:37] Ophelia: There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. [127:37] Simon Mills: A plant that grows organically that doesn't have pesticides needs to fight its own battles more... A plant that's grown in wild or organically without chemicals has more polyphenols because the polyphenols are part of the plant's defense mechanism.

[0:00] that is the most widely prescribed drug [0:02] in this country and I believe in the US [0:03] also. But the list of problems acrewing [0:06] from long-term use is beginning to grow [0:08] and is serious cancers, dementias. But [0:11] the other thing is is that once you're [0:13] on it, it's really difficult to come off [0:15] it. And that's not all. We use far too [0:17] many antibiotics and that's coming a [0:19] serious health issue now because the [0:21] number of people dying from antibiotic [0:23] resistance infections is beginning to [0:25] rise dramatically. It's quite [0:27] frightening. So, are there alternatives [0:29] on this table that I should also [0:31] consider as a form of medicine? [0:32] >> Oh, yes. And most of these ones I'm [0:34] going to be talking about have a pretty [0:36] immediate effect. Now, have a bite of [0:38] this. [0:39] >> Wa. For almost 50 years, Dr. Simon Mills [0:42] has pioneered how we think about natural [0:44] medicine, earning global recognition as [0:46] one of the most respected and [0:48] influential herbal practitioners of our [0:50] time. [0:51] >> These things have medicinal properties. [0:53] So, let's start with dark chocolate. In [0:55] terms of long-term brain health and [0:57] cardiovascular health, it's one of the [0:59] best medicines around. [1:00] >> Really? [1:01] >> Oh, yes. The next one is garlic. And in [1:03] some parts of the world, they use garlic [1:05] instead of penicellin. In fact, there [1:07] was an old trick where if you had enough [1:08] garlic, breathe on a petri dish and you [1:10] could kill various pathogens just by [1:12] your breath. [1:12] >> Wow. [1:13] >> And then there's this to reduce your [1:15] cholesterol levels. This can really help [1:17] with your eyesight. This is your blood [1:18] flow, gut health, cardiovascular health. [1:20] Now, this is one of the ones to watch in [1:23] terms of long-term brain health. [1:24] Rosemary, we actually did a clinical [1:26] trial on this, and all you need to do is [1:28] press it and sniff. So, you can see why [1:31] some of this stuff already is powerful. [1:32] Now, we have more to go through. And [1:34] this is where it gets interesting. [1:35] There's a lot of people listening who [1:37] will want to hear this coffee. [1:38] >> Oh god, what do I need to know? [1:40] >> So, [1:42] I see messages all the time in the [1:44] comments section that some of you didn't [1:46] realize you didn't subscribe. So, if you [1:47] could do me a favor and double check if [1:49] you're a subscriber to this channel, [1:50] that would be tremendously appreciated. [1:52] It's the simple, it's the free thing [1:54] that anybody that watches this show [1:55] frequently can do to help us here to [1:57] keep everything going in this show in [1:58] the trajectory it's on. So, please do [2:00] double check if you've subscribed and uh [2:02] thank you so much because a strange way [2:04] you are you're part of our history and [2:06] you're on this journey with us and I [2:08] appreciate you for that. So, yeah, thank [2:09] you [2:13] Simon Mills. You are a pioneer by all [2:18] accounts in what is called complimentary [2:20] medicine, but you're also one of the [2:22] most respected herbal practitioners in [2:24] the world. You've been doing this for [2:26] more than 50 years. I've actually never [2:28] spoken to somebody that has a [2:30] comprehensive understanding of herbal [2:32] remedies and herbal medicine. So, I'm [2:34] super excited to have this conversation [2:35] with you today. What is the what is the [2:37] mission you're on and why do you think [2:40] it's important? [2:41] I think my main mission is to do what I [2:45] can to help people get stronger. I [2:47] sometimes say that, you know, the world [2:51] is pretty rough out there. I can't do [2:53] anything about the sea and the waves, [2:56] but I can help you to build a better [2:57] boat that can sit better in the water. [3:01] And I think people relate to that that [3:03] if they were felt a bit stronger in [3:05] themselves, they would be able to cope [3:09] better with what life throws at them. I [3:13] chose plants because people have always [3:16] used plants as their primary source of [3:18] medicine. People have always grown up [3:20] with plants. They've evolved along with [3:23] plants. And what I aim to do is to put [3:26] the old wisdoms into some scientific [3:28] framework and then make it fit with [3:31] conventional norms of healthcare. [3:34] You were a board member of the British [3:36] Herbal Medicine Association. You're the [3:38] first chair of the Council for [3:39] Complimentary Alternative Medicine [3:41] launched in Parliament by former Prime [3:43] Minister Alec Douglas Hol. You led a [3:48] major European Commission project on [3:49] herbal medicine involving over 20 [3:51] centers across Europe. You're the [3:54] secretary of the European Scientific [3:56] Cooperative on [3:59] >> Phytootherapy. [4:00] >> I was not able to say that word [4:01] >> which is the which is the polite way of [4:03] saying herbs. Okay. [4:04] >> So, it's phyto plant therapy. [4:07] >> Well, I think when people think about [4:08] herbal medicine and using plants as a [4:10] form of medicine, they think of tribes [4:13] and they think of I don't know sort of [4:16] ancient Chinese traditions. And I think [4:19] you know the modern westerner thinks of [4:21] pills. [4:22] >> Yes. when they think of medicine. [4:24] >> Yes. [4:25] >> What What is it that we've lost? Is [4:27] there like a lost wisdom? [4:29] >> Yes. [4:30] >> And how did that happen? And what what [4:32] is it we've lost? [4:34] >> When we lived in the countryside, when [4:35] we lived close to nature, that was very [4:38] much around us. And and in every little [4:40] community, there'd be someone, usually a [4:41] woman, who would know their way around [4:43] the plants and would, you know, help you [4:45] out when you had a illness and a [4:46] sickness. I'm not saying that there's a [4:49] golden age, but when we moved into [4:51] cities, we lost a lot apart from [4:54] anything else. We were living on top of [4:55] each other. We had to drink each other's [4:57] water. You know, there was a lot of new [4:59] illnesses, sicknesses, pestilences, and [5:01] so on that only came in cities. In that [5:04] world, the herbs couldn't cut it. So, we [5:07] needed stronger stuff. So, they started [5:09] using minerals. They started using [5:11] things that were poisons. [5:13] And the original physician's job was to [5:15] be the only guy who could handle [5:18] medicines that other people would not be [5:20] safe to use. And so you got your [5:23] training to use these much more powerful [5:25] medicines. And it was thought that the [5:26] old plant things were too soft and [5:30] gentle and so they were generally [5:32] discarded. And then you developed these [5:35] medicines into pills because often they [5:36] were powders anyway. And you know then [5:38] the pharmaceutical industry came in and [5:40] branded and and made um proprietary [5:43] materials from them. And that drifted a [5:45] long way from just going down to a [5:47] hedro, going into the garden, going to [5:48] the kitchen and picking up remedies. [5:52] >> A lot of cultures around the world still [5:53] use plants as the first form of [5:57] medication for a variety of different [5:59] sort of illnesses and diseases. Right. [6:02] >> They do. Yes. I mean, most do. I mean, [6:04] if you were Inuit and Northern [6:07] Territories in Canada and so and Alaska, [6:10] you would probably not have very many [6:11] plants to choose from, but for most [6:13] other people, they surrounded by plants. [6:16] That's their world. [6:18] >> I think, you know, cuz I'm what, 32 [6:20] years old, so I've not really grown up [6:22] with the wisdom of plants and how they [6:25] can be used to treat some of the [6:27] illnesses that I have from a very young [6:29] age. I'm taking cough syrup and I'm [6:31] taking paracetamol when I have a [6:33] headache and all these kinds of pills [6:35] and medicines, but plants were never a [6:38] really a part of that conversation. [6:40] >> And I guess that makes me think that [6:42] they don't work or [6:43] >> that's what most people would now think. [6:46] And one of one of the points of this [6:48] conversation now is to point you to ways [6:51] in which they can and to show you how [6:52] you can figure that out within a minute [6:54] or an hour. Most of these ones I'm going [6:57] to be talking about have a pretty [6:59] immediate effect. So it, you know, we [7:01] now think, oh, if you take a herb, it [7:03] may take months before anything happens. [7:05] When I see a patient, my usual request [7:09] to them is, can you call me tomorrow to [7:12] let me know how it's going because [7:14] things happen so fast? And if you're up [7:17] for it, you can do a couple of taste [7:18] tests and you can see why some of this [7:19] stuff really is powerful. [7:22] What is it that that you know from the [7:25] 50 plus years of work that you've done [7:26] working with plants as a form of [7:28] medicine that the average person on the [7:30] street doesn't know [7:33] >> how close we are to being to having uh I [7:37] I think life is a miracle as I said in [7:39] that early encounter um and we can [7:44] realize the miracle within us if we just [7:47] trust it. I've got a few guys to what I [7:49] call health empowerment. Things that you [7:52] can do yourself at home just to begin to [7:54] understand what's going on in here and [7:56] to nourish it. Uh and the plants are the [8:00] in my world the one of the most [8:02] effective ways of supporting that inner [8:05] miracle that we have uh to nourish our [8:08] health to empower us. [8:10] I I sometimes think that you know [8:12] medicine is extraordinary. I mean we now [8:15] live with cancer. you used to die with [8:17] it. Uh almost all the major illnesses of [8:20] the past have now had treatments for but [8:23] you know if you've got a chronic [8:25] condition you still left with yourself [8:28] and you're maybe not feeling so good in [8:30] yourself. I sometimes think that a lot [8:32] of medicine is a bit like uh fast food [8:35] delivery. [8:36] You know we have a meal brought in [8:38] because it's convenient but that also [8:41] desklls us. [8:43] you know, we we've stopped learning how [8:44] to cook even. You know, I remember going [8:46] to New York back in the 80s and [8:48] surprised to find that so many [8:49] apartments in New York didn't have [8:51] kitchens because everyone went out to [8:53] eat. And I thought, gosh, you're losing [8:55] all those skills of making food and [8:58] enjoying it and sitting it down over a [9:00] over a table. Um I think medicine, you [9:03] know, we use far too many antibiotics. [9:05] We use, you know, these um PPI things [9:08] called azole for our acid reflux, the [9:10] most widely prescribed drug in this [9:12] country. And I think USL also mostly [9:15] unnecessary. Uh we use a lot of uh [9:19] anti-inflammatories just because it's [9:21] sore without asking why is it sore and [9:25] why are we suppressing one of our body's [9:27] main defenses because inflammation is a [9:30] defense. So these are things that you [9:33] learn as you get into this world that a [9:36] lot of what we think are problems are [9:38] solutions waiting for support [9:41] >> because I think most people would think [9:43] that is medicine and [9:46] >> that is a food. [9:47] >> That's food. [9:47] >> Yes. Well, you're right. [9:48] >> Medicine food. [9:49] >> Yeah, you're quite right. That's [9:51] medicine. That's a food. What I'm saying [9:53] is that there's a spectrum. [9:55] And we may talk about that raspberry [9:58] because it's red. And we might talk [10:00] about the broccoli because it's green [10:02] and there's oranges uh colors there. All [10:05] of these colors actually have properties [10:07] that are actually quite valuable [10:10] properties for our circulatory health, [10:12] for our gut health, our brain health. Um [10:16] and when the more the science is looking [10:18] at it, the more amazing it's looking [10:20] these things have medicinal properties. [10:23] >> So you're saying that this is medicine [10:25] as well? [10:25] >> Yes. [10:27] Food be thy medicine is what old [10:29] hypocrates said [10:31] 2,000 years ago, [10:33] >> 2 and a half thousand years ago. [10:35] >> Is it the Chinese that are particularly [10:37] big on herbal medicines? [10:38] >> Yes. Almost any other anywhere. I mean [10:42] there's there's only five countries in [10:44] the world that are not big on herbal [10:46] medicines and I'll tell you who they are [10:47] and you can see if you can draw your own [10:49] conclusions. UK is one, [10:51] >> US is the second, Canada is the third, [10:54] Australia and New Zealand. Now, can you [10:57] think of something that combi com binds [10:59] them all together? They're originally [11:01] white Englishspeaking countries. [11:04] >> If you go across to France, the channel [11:06] here, go to any pharmacy, most of the [11:09] medicine stocks on the pharmacy are [11:11] herbal. If you go to some parts of [11:13] Germany, you have to sit a herbal exam [11:16] to get your license. And further east in [11:19] the old Soviet uh block where they [11:21] couldn't afford the pharmaceutical [11:22] industry, they had homegrown primarily [11:25] plant-based medicines much more widely [11:28] going to Asia. It's the majority by far [11:32] and doctors and people working with [11:35] plants and acupuncture in China work [11:38] together without thinking about it. And [11:41] many doctors use plants in their med as [11:44] their medicines. [11:45] >> Yeah. How different, cuz I've never [11:47] really spent a significant amount of [11:48] time in China. How different is the [11:50] perception of herbal medicines there [11:53] than it is out on the streets of London? [11:55] >> They don't think twice about it. It's [11:56] what they grow up with. Um they like a [12:00] lot of people, we would say regretfully, [12:02] do seem to want to do more things like [12:05] the west does. Um so they'd adopt more [12:08] western habits and as soon as you earn a [12:10] bit of money you tend to adopt more [12:12] western lifestyles and think that the [12:14] herbal thing is for your parents and [12:16] grandparents. So there's still that [12:18] trend even in Asia um but they start [12:21] from a much broader base of experience. [12:26] >> Why why should anyone care? You know I [12:30] have ibuprofen at home. I have medicine [12:32] that I can have in the the cupboard. I [12:34] have, you know, cough syrups if I get [12:36] sick. If I get the flu, I have some flu [12:38] pills that I brought from the pharmacy. [12:40] Why should anyone care about what we're [12:42] going to talk about today? I suppose the [12:44] answer is in my practice. So, I see [12:47] patients three sessions a week. And [12:50] these are people almost most of them [12:52] have been around the block. They've had [12:54] treatments for their conditions [12:56] sometimes for many years. They're often [12:58] living with chronic complex conditions [13:00] and they're sore. They're tired. their [13:03] energyy's gone. You know, they've been [13:04] told that we can't just keep taking the [13:07] pills. You know, we've done all the [13:08] tests, there's nothing else we can do. [13:10] Time and time again, that's when the [13:14] cookie crumbles [13:16] because then you realize the ibuprofen [13:19] and the quick pills ain't doing it [13:21] anymore. There's a bigger health need [13:25] that needs somehow fixing. And that's [13:28] when they come to me as a practitioner [13:31] >> and I give them things that they can see [13:33] improving their health, their sleep, [13:35] their eating, their whatever it is [13:37] that's not their energy levels, whatever [13:39] it is that's not playing properly. We I [13:43] see myself as fine-tuning or upping the [13:46] performance. Uh I'm not when someone [13:50] comes to me and they say I've got [13:51] whatever it is, arthritis or skin [13:53] disease or whatever, uh I will politely [13:56] take all the notes down. But that's not [13:58] what I'm interested in. I'm interested [14:00] in where that came from. What is the [14:02] misbehavior? What is the poor [14:04] performance? Uh that explains why all [14:08] this happened. And often you find they [14:11] had pneumonia at the age of three or [14:12] they had glandular fever at the age of [14:14] 15 or 16 and things took a turn then and [14:18] you can see the trail and often what I'm [14:21] doing is going backwards and fixing [14:23] things that weren't fixed back a long [14:26] time ago working on digestion [14:28] particularly because that's where we [14:29] work uh kidney function uh liver [14:32] function you know circulation [14:35] you know up to the brain where we're [14:37] dealing in that area. Um, so we're [14:40] looking at the performance of the body [14:41] and it's only when it doesn't behave [14:43] that you notice the need to doing it. [14:46] >> How many patients have you seen in your [14:48] career, do you think? Thousands of [14:49] patients, [14:50] >> I would say upwards of 10,000 each for [14:54] an hour or so at a time to start with. [14:56] So we get deep into the story and then [14:59] rolling on at any one time I've got 200 [15:02] running you know I'm actively treating [15:05] and two couple hundred [15:07] >> and what are the range of illnesses or [15:10] conditions that those patients have had [15:12] and when you think about the most [15:14] remarkable or most interesting case [15:15] studies the most [15:18] reliable case studies that you have what [15:19] are the conditions that are at the [15:21] center of those case studies [15:23] >> have you got a medical encyclopedia [15:25] anywhere [15:25] >> I'm going I'm going to write down the [15:26] key ones. [15:27] >> No, no. I mean, it's literally I've I [15:30] don't know if I've seen everything in [15:31] the medical encyclopedia, but I've seen [15:33] most things. I mean, literally [15:35] everything comes in because mostly is [15:37] chronic anyway when they come and see [15:39] me. And it can be anything. I mean, [15:41] about a quarter of my patients are [15:45] living with cancer. So, we that's one [15:47] big group. I'm not treating the cancer. [15:49] I'm helping them to live better with [15:51] whatever it is they're dealing with. [15:54] about another [15:56] at least a third a bit bit more living [15:59] with chronic inflammatory disease, [16:01] autoimmune diseases, Crohn's, ulcerative [16:04] colitis, psoriasis, [16:07] um things that are more complicated than [16:10] you can shake a stick at. And again, you [16:13] know, we're not dealing with the end [16:15] result. We're looking at what may be [16:17] leading up to that and seeing if we can [16:19] improve underlying functions. But [16:22] literally [16:23] anything can come by. [16:26] >> Is there particular case studies of [16:28] patients that you've worked with that [16:30] stand out to you that you're most proud [16:32] of or that were Eureka moments in your [16:35] own sort of journey? [16:38] >> Most of my stories are like journeys. So [16:41] you see little steps and you you're with [16:45] somebody often for a long time and you [16:46] just see changes in the way that they um [16:49] they change over the weeks and months. [16:52] So you know to say I've got an instant [16:55] Eureka moment. I' I pulled together a [16:58] few stories just you knowing I was going [17:01] to come to them and you know just [17:03] they're a mly mix and in fact I made [17:06] notes because it was sometimes better to [17:08] remind myself of the sort of things I [17:09] did because each of these patients [17:14] will walk out with five or six or eight [17:16] different plants and the reason I put [17:20] them together is because they have a a [17:22] unique story. Um, so probably the one [17:26] with the most complex one is someone, [17:28] all the names are changed by the way, [17:29] someone called Heather who's 65 and she [17:32] had a really severe complex condition [17:34] called irrima multififor which is a [17:37] complex skin disease that's really [17:40] distressing, very upsetting. [17:42] What we know about it is is that it's [17:44] linked possibly to other infections. Um, [17:47] so we actually spotted myopplasma [17:49] pneumonia is likely implicated. She had [17:53] previously had a lot of lung damage um [17:55] in her youth. She had early pneumonia [17:58] and she was diagnosed with a chronic [18:00] obstructive pulmonary thing, [18:02] bronchiacasis as it happened. Then she [18:04] got CO badly and most of her trouble [18:06] started after that. [18:09] She also had vitamin B12 deficiency, [18:11] pericious anemia we call it, which is a [18:14] autoimmune problem. The gut lining stops [18:16] the vitamin B12 being absorbed. Those [18:19] were in her background story. [18:22] the lungs because it was the earliest [18:24] and probably the main factor were first [18:27] my focus and the second was what was [18:30] lining the stomach because most [18:32] inflammatory problems start down here. [18:35] So I ended up giving her something that [18:37] was a combination of remedies for the [18:39] gut lining and for the lungs [18:43] and [18:45] almost within a week or so the itching [18:49] of the her skin [18:52] subsided. I just happen to think that [18:54] was the reason I remember it because [18:55] it's it's unusual to get such quick [18:58] results in such a complex condition. But [19:00] it's a reminder that if you can find the [19:02] right button, [19:04] then quite big things can happen. I was [19:06] lucky to find the right button. And [19:09] progressively over the ensuing [19:13] few months, the skin problem [19:16] disappeared to the extent that she was [19:19] my dream patient. She said, "I don't [19:20] need your herbs anymore. [19:22] That to me is my biggest reward that [19:27] they can move on. They don't need help [19:29] anymore. [19:31] It sticks in your mind because it was a [19:34] hugely demanding condition that got [19:38] better without and it had been going for [19:40] a long time. It had been going three or [19:42] four years by the time she saw me. Um, [19:45] and it resolved very quickly with what [19:48] seemed to be totally irrelevant [19:50] treatments. But they there was a [19:52] rationale for them. Karen 37 panic [19:56] attacks, major anxiety problems. [20:00] Heaven knows there's a lot of that about [20:03] uh it turns out that um and when she she [20:07] was hospitalized when she was 20 with [20:08] jaundice which is a liver liver problem. [20:12] All the processing all the detox [20:15] processes are in the liver. Uh it's the [20:17] gateway from the digestion. It handles [20:20] emotions. It handles the immune system. [20:22] It It's an amazing organ. It's [20:24] self-correcting, by the way. So, it [20:26] fixes itself very quickly if you give it [20:29] the right nudge. She had jaundice. So, [20:31] immediately a little bell goes off [20:34] because and at a age when that could [20:36] mean long-term liver damage, hepatitis. [20:40] Uh she's ended up with very little [20:42] appetite. uh she feels full easily, [20:45] gains weight easily and often feeling [20:47] nauseous which is definitely a sign of [20:50] liver distress still [20:53] menstrual cycles very erratic. [20:56] She had early COVID again another big [21:00] hammer hammer blow and this that the CO [21:03] was before her main symptoms of panic [21:05] attacks set in. Uh so I use that as an [21:09] example of the way in which what goes on [21:11] up here in the brain is linked with what [21:14] goes on lower down in the gut. [21:18] You know interesting point when we were [21:21] living in caves [21:23] the best place to be was in the cave [21:26] >> cuz outside was dangerous. The only [21:28] thing that got you out hunger. [21:31] And when we look at the way in which the [21:33] cells are [21:36] the the machinery inside the cell, we [21:38] find that the mechanisms managing [21:41] anxiety are the same as the system [21:46] managing appetites and and food [21:49] processing. So the idea of linking [21:51] anxiety with metabolism is basic. This [21:56] was an ex exact answer. So the mix of [21:58] herbs that I gave her had nothing for [22:01] the anxiety at all. It was all to do uh [22:04] with metabolism. And so the included [22:06] milk thistle, barbar, uh an oriental [22:09] herb called bup plurum, artich choke [22:11] leaf and an Indian remedy called gynema [22:14] which is called sugar destroyer which [22:15] which reduces your uh hank hankering for [22:19] sweet. [22:21] First goal was to manage her sugar [22:22] cravings because that seemed to be a key [22:24] part of what she was saying. uh and to [22:27] improve her liver functions. This was [22:29] very quick and she became more settled [22:32] over several weeks and months. Then the [22:35] next thing that happened was her [22:35] menstrual cycles became clearly the [22:38] where the trouble was and she was most [22:39] likely to be distressed around the [22:41] period. So we shifted to include women's [22:44] remedies which were then included in the [22:47] mix to help manage the the hormonal e [22:52] and flow around the menstrual cycle. and [22:55] um 3 months, which is the normal time [22:58] for cycles to begin to turn, her cycles [23:00] began to steady and so did the rest of [23:03] her symptoms. [23:05] Nothing to do with anxiety, just dealing [23:07] with these core functions. So, there's a [23:10] couple of examples of, you know, how we [23:13] approach things differently. [23:15] You know, if Karen had gone to most [23:17] other practitioners, she would have had [23:20] something for her nerves. [23:23] I do really want to talk about you use [23:25] the term wi women's herbs. [23:28] >> Women's Yeah, [23:29] >> women's herbs. I do want to talk about [23:30] that and I I do also want to talk about [23:31] fertility and the menstrual cycle and [23:33] things like PCOS because I'm super [23:34] interested in that which might surprise [23:36] some people. But obviously there's women [23:38] in my life that struggle with those [23:39] things. So I do want to get on to that. [23:41] I think a second ago you pointed at the [23:42] stomach when you said that we treat down [23:44] here. [23:45] >> Yes. [23:46] >> Is that really the place to start to [23:47] understand? [23:48] >> Well, it's place to start plants cuz [23:50] that's where you that's where they go. [23:52] So tell me why what do I need to know [23:53] about [23:54] >> this region the stomach the gut? [23:56] >> Wow. [23:58] >> In order to have a sort of foundational [24:00] knowledge so that we can then start [24:01] talking about ibuprofen painkillers [24:03] fevers all these kinds of things. [24:05] >> Well very simply we think [24:08] >> our intelligence is up here. [24:10] >> You know we got a brain. [24:11] >> Yeah. [24:13] >> As soon as you swallow something until [24:15] it comes out the other end. We have no [24:18] control over what goes on down there. [24:20] decisions are being made as the food [24:23] traverses down the tube and it's a long [24:25] tube. It's about 20 feet of small [24:27] intestine that has to go around and then [24:29] like another 2 or 3 ft of large [24:31] intestine. It used to take about 18 [24:34] hours to go through and we now because [24:36] we sit and drew it take longer. But all [24:39] that time intelligent decisions are [24:41] being made by the digestive system. what [24:44] to do with this, what to do with that. [24:47] And the lining of the gut is full of [24:51] sensors, [24:53] receptors we call them, that are picking [24:55] up chemical cues [24:57] and responding. So, as the food changes, [25:00] this is digested. As the bile from the [25:02] liver comes in, it's picking off these [25:06] signaling devices and switching on a [25:08] whole series of metabolic hormonal all [25:12] sorts of other functions. All controlled [25:15] major choreography going on here, you [25:17] know, without us even knowing about it. [25:20] And then just when you thought this was [25:23] wonderful, you had something called the [25:24] microbiome. [25:26] Now when I was at school and it was a [25:28] long time ago when I was doing medical [25:29] sciences, oh yeah, there was there's the [25:31] bowel flora and they help with [25:33] digestion, vitamin K, one or two other [25:35] things, you know, they might be quite [25:36] useful. Now [25:39] the microbiome runs the show and it's [25:42] it's huge. You know, we thought we knew [25:44] what the kidney did. We thought we knew [25:46] what the heart did. We thought we knew [25:47] what the brain did. We know they only do [25:49] it because they work with the [25:50] microbiome. It's it's running a show. [25:54] And the microbiome is the the billions [25:56] of bugs in our gut. [25:58] >> You've got more of those little critters [26:00] than we have of our own cells. So much [26:02] more. So they are huge. They got about [26:04] 100 times as much genetic capacity as we [26:07] do. [26:08] >> We've got more bugs in our gut than [26:10] cells. [26:10] >> Yes. [26:11] >> So we're basically [26:12] >> we're we're walking gut bags. Yes. [26:16] >> We're walking bacteria. [26:17] >> Yeah. [26:18] >> Yeah. There's there's more bacteria than [26:20] there are us. I mean this is it's a bit [26:22] of a gobsmacking thought and you know [26:24] obviously people want no no I mean the [26:26] bugs will keep them there one of the big [26:29] issues of the day are antibiotics [26:33] which we know are becoming a serious [26:35] health issue now you know the world [26:38] health organization and others say very [26:40] seriously that antibiotic resistance you [26:42] know antimicrobial resistance as they [26:44] call it is the biggest threat we have [26:46] soon going into a hospital and getting [26:48] an operation will be a real risk Because [26:51] hospital-b born infections are [26:52] increasingly resistant to antibiotics. [26:55] You know, we we're piling them in to us, [26:58] but also to the animals that we grow. Uh [27:01] a lot of them are full of antibiotics. [27:03] And that means that the diversity [27:06] of the microbiome [27:08] is is being reduced. We've losing we [27:11] call biodiversity. There's a [27:13] biodiversity issue in here. But even [27:16] with the diminished um flora that we [27:19] have, they still pretty much run the [27:22] show. And a lot of the fruits and [27:24] vegetables, particularly the ones with [27:26] colors in them, actually feed those guys [27:30] down there and help them to perform [27:32] better. And one good reason to, as we [27:35] say, eat the rainbow, just get those [27:37] colors in. But yes, I mean, as you can [27:40] see, if I start talking about the gut, [27:42] I'm not going to stop for the next [27:43] month. [27:45] On that point of antibiotics, they the [27:48] mechanism is that they kind of kill [27:49] bacteria, right? So they're killing good [27:52] bacteria as well in the process. Often [27:54] >> they have different range depending on [27:55] the antibiotic, but yes, they will be [27:57] cutting a sway through your gut flora [28:00] for sure, some more than others. I mean [28:03] the point about antibiotics and we we [28:05] did a big project with this ironically [28:08] just before co uh when I was working [28:10] with pucker that uh tea people we put a [28:14] campaign together to find natural [28:16] approaches to managing [28:18] antibiotics or reduce the use of them. [28:21] Antibiotics are useless for anything [28:23] viral. They don't do anything for a [28:26] virus. But unfortunately people with [28:29] viral problems will still be given [28:30] antibiotics mainly by a harassed doctor [28:33] who just you know because they say give [28:35] me something doc you know for viruses [28:38] mostly you just have to wait for the [28:40] body to get rid of it but giving an [28:42] antibiotic is actually of no use at all. [28:45] Don't take my word for it. Everyone [28:46] knows this and you get NHS you know in [28:49] this country um posters saying [28:52] antibiotics are no good for viruses. [28:54] Please don't ask your doctor for them. [28:57] So for many of these things, coals and [28:58] respiratory problems for example, there [29:00] are many spices, I mean some of the [29:03] things on that plate there are [29:04] particularly good for coals and viruses [29:07] up here. And so we put that all together [29:10] in the package and said we can encourage [29:12] people not to ask the doc for an [29:14] antibiotic and use some of these home [29:17] easy free or sometimes uh treatments um [29:21] to um uh to to uh use instead of the [29:27] antibiotics. [29:27] >> When you say antibiotics are the most [29:30] urgent health issue of the moment. Um, I [29:34] want to fully understand why you think [29:35] it's so so urgent because we're going to [29:39] develop a resistance which means that [29:41] we're more susceptible to disease. [29:43] >> It's already happening and it's not me [29:45] that's saying this is these are the guys [29:46] who look after our health care for us [29:48] like the double the World Health [29:49] Organization who are really getting [29:52] close to panic about this issue uh [29:55] because already the number of people [29:58] dying from antibiotic resistance [30:00] infections is beginning to rise. [30:04] dramatically. [30:05] And new antibiotics, unfortunately, [30:09] there's less financial incentive to [30:11] develop them because they're often [30:12] handed out free by in various countries. [30:15] So, you don't get the margins back and [30:17] uh the the uh pipeline of new [30:20] antibiotics is not good. Uh so, all you [30:22] need to do is check on the World Health [30:24] Organization to get the chapter and [30:26] verse on that. It's it it's it's [30:29] actually quite frightening. [30:31] I'm on the World Health Organization [30:33] site now and um I found a definition of [30:36] antibiotic resistance. It's when [30:37] bacteria stops responding to antibiotics [30:40] and is mainly caused by overusing or [30:42] misusing antibiotics. In 2022, US [30:45] doctors gave out about 236 [30:48] million anti [ __ ] it. What? [30:53] US doctors gave out 236 million [30:56] antibiotic prescriptions. [30:59] roughly seven prescriptions for every 10 [31:02] people. Studies show that at least [31:04] roughly 30% of antibiotic prescriptions [31:06] in the US aren't needed, especially in [31:08] places like doctor's offices and [31:10] emergency rooms. In 2020, about 30 [31:13] million antibiotic prescriptions were [31:15] given out in the UK. Children aged 0 to [31:17] 14 made up 3.6 million of those. And in [31:21] 2023, the World Health Organization [31:22] declared antibiotic resistance one of [31:24] the top global health threats and [31:26] estimated that it is responsible for [31:29] 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and [31:32] and contributed to almost 5 million [31:35] deaths. [31:36] >> That was 2019. I can tell you uh that [31:39] the figures have risen dramatically [31:41] since then. [31:44] So that's what people think you know and [31:46] just on a personal basis you know you go [31:49] and you need an operation [31:52] and you know that that's going to [31:53] involve exposure to hospital infections [31:56] which is one of the most serious of the [31:58] ones in the average hospital you know [32:01] it's there some of the most lethal ones [32:04] there um increasingly that is going to [32:07] be a risk [32:09] that you get something that you can't [32:10] treat. You're not saying don't take [32:13] antibiotics. [32:14] >> No, I'm saying take them carefully. [32:18] Um, use them when you need them and not [32:22] otherwise. And I'm again, it's not me [32:24] saying this is most responsible doctors [32:26] would wish that their patients wouldn't [32:28] keep asking for them. [32:31] H [32:34] so there's sort of three things that [32:35] I've I've been able to ascertain as [32:38] risks of misuse or overuse or [32:40] inappropriate use of antibiotics which [32:41] is the impact on the gut microbiome. Um [32:44] the you're contributing to the rise in [32:46] antibiotic resistance and [32:49] >> those are the main things [32:51] >> I guess even with the diseases you get [32:53] you'll be slower to heal because you're [32:56] less if you've got that resistance. That [32:59] is one of the things that we do see [33:02] particularly those who are long-term ill [33:04] you know that they lose some of the [33:06] healing capacity and that's so much of [33:08] the work I do is to aim to put some of [33:11] that right [33:12] >> and there's links to colaractyl cancers [33:14] >> yeah according [33:15] >> well that's because we're talking about [33:16] the microbiome you see so those are the [33:19] cancers in the lower gut and we know [33:21] that the microbiome is a major factor in [33:23] how well the gut is so things like [33:25] Crohn's and ulcerative colitis and [33:28] cancer of the bowel very closely linked [33:31] to the state of the microbiome. [33:33] >> Okay. So, are there alternatives on this [33:36] table or in the world of plants to [33:40] antibiotics that I should maybe also [33:42] consider um instead of just jumping [33:45] straight to antibiotics for everything [33:46] that I experience? [33:47] >> Yes, if you got a serious gut or other [33:52] infection, you may need the antibiotics. [33:54] So, let's put that straight away. But if [33:57] you've got a cold, flu, virus, repres a [34:01] viral problem, particularly the airways, [34:05] you a antibiotics will have no use at [34:08] all and b as we just said, they just add [34:10] to the risk of more because every time [34:12] you take an antibiotic, you're growing a [34:15] small population of that of of the [34:18] species of bacteria that's affected who [34:20] are resistant to that. It's natural [34:23] selection, you know. So you have a [34:25] thousand little bacteria, that's a small [34:28] amount by their terms, and you kill 90 [34:32] 999 of them. The one that survives will [34:35] then become two in 20 minutes and four [34:38] in 40 minutes and suddenly become a new [34:40] population. And you know, I I I duck [34:44] that bullet. And so that group of [34:46] bacteria will already be resistant. So [34:49] we're creating resistance every time we [34:51] use an antibiotic. So try let's try then [34:55] doing something else shall we? So let's [34:57] say you've got a cold. [34:59] You're feeling the cold. It's got a good [35:01] name by the way. So cold is one of the [35:03] things you feel when you've got a cold. [35:06] And that's interesting because in former [35:09] times we didn't have tests. We didn't [35:11] have laboratories. We didn't have [35:12] paramedics. We didn't have people poking [35:14] things in you. All we could know is what [35:16] it felt like. And when you've got a [35:18] cold, you often feel cold [35:21] and you feel chills and you want to wrap [35:23] up and you want hot water or you want to [35:26] have a hot bath. All that in the old [35:28] language meant that you were cold and [35:32] what you needed to do was to heat up. [35:34] Now you take [35:37] this fella. This is ginger. [35:41] It's grown widely around the world. in [35:43] its original Asian form. It was made [35:46] extinct around the time of the Romans. [35:49] So popular was it and ever since all the [35:52] ginger sense of this species uh has got [35:56] going from rootstock because it no [35:57] longer seeds itself. So this has been [36:01] the most valuable natural commodity ever [36:04] in its dried form worth more than its [36:06] weight in gold. And you know the reason [36:08] why all those Europeans ended up in Asia [36:11] running India and South the Dutch and [36:13] the Indonesia and so on is because [36:15] that's where these things came from. [36:17] That's where the spices came from. And [36:19] so we decided you know like good [36:22] capitalists to go and u control the [36:24] business. So ginger became very popular [36:28] over here because we don't have nothing [36:30] like it over here. The nearest thing we [36:32] got is horseradish which I promise you [36:33] is no substitute for this. So, how do we [36:37] use this? We got a knob of ginger here [36:39] about the size of your thumb. That's [36:41] about a good dose. You grate it, fresh [36:45] ginger into a a a mug. [36:48] >> Can you do that for me? [36:50] >> We got a great I've got a grater for [36:51] you. [36:52] >> So, um we've got here a piece of ginger [36:55] the as I say about the size of your [36:57] thumb. The thumb's a good measure [36:59] because it's your measure. So, if you're [37:01] a small person, you'll have a small [37:03] thumb, but I'm a bigger person. So, I'm [37:05] going to use And you literally, it's [37:08] making a bit of a mess here, but you're [37:11] doing this at home, you don't mind a bit [37:12] of mess. So, you're literally grating [37:14] grace nicely, doesn't it? Into a mug. [37:17] And let's say that was the whole thumb. [37:19] I don't want to take up too much time on [37:21] this. And then [37:24] the one thing that works brilliantly [37:26] with ginger is cinnamon. [37:29] Now, this is cinnamon you buy in any [37:31] shop. It comes in different forms. [37:34] There's one from China called Cassia, [37:37] which looks like one big curled bark. [37:40] >> Yeah. [37:41] >> If you look at this one, you'll see that [37:43] it's tightly wrapped with lots of little [37:46] curl, lots of little filaments in it. [37:48] That's the one you go for. It's got it's [37:49] more aromatic. [37:50] >> And you either grate that with, if you [37:53] got a spice mill, or [37:56] >> you take a teaspoon of it. Um, let's say [38:01] that's a teaspoon full. And you put that [38:03] in your [38:06] mug. [38:07] >> So that's ginger and cinnamon. [38:09] >> Ginger and cinnamon. That's it. [38:12] Then you add your hot water [38:14] that there. [38:21] >> You're going for real one, right? [38:22] >> Going for the real one. [38:24] >> Good on you. Uh, at this point, a civ is [38:26] useful. [38:28] >> Why? What for? cuz it's going to be it's [38:30] full of [38:31] >> oh bits [38:32] >> bits [38:33] and then let's say this is this is a [38:36] nice Japanese green tea mug but let's [38:38] say this is your mug and we'll pour a [38:42] little bit [38:45] in there. You see all the stuff that you [38:47] leave behind. [38:49] >> Oh yeah. Okay. [38:54] And if you don't mind sharing a mug. [39:00] >> So, what's in here? This is [39:01] >> just ginger and cinnamon. [39:02] >> Just ginger and cinnamon. [39:04] >> It's It's fairly weak. [39:06] >> Oh, it is nice, though. [39:08] >> It's nice, isn't it? [39:08] >> It is nice. [39:09] >> Now, can you feel it warming already? [39:11] >> Yes. Straight away. [39:12] >> It's really nice. [39:13] >> Yeah. Now you see what what's happening [39:15] there is that you [39:17] I mean ginger is an is an example of a [39:21] group of remedies which includes [39:22] turmeric by the way and that's other [39:24] root the other root there that's [39:26] turmeric [39:28] >> um which normally you see in a yellow [39:29] powder we might talk about that later [39:32] >> and black pepper and chilies we got a [39:35] chili here [39:38] which when you take them [39:41] you think you're burning your mouth [39:42] don't [39:43] The interesting thing is that [39:46] there's no burning. [39:49] You can actually have full madras level [39:54] uh chili and no harm will be done to [39:58] your lining because there's no burning [39:59] going on. What you're doing is you're [40:01] stimulating the pain fibers. [40:04] So you got pain fibers all the way [40:06] through the lining [40:08] >> of the mouth. When you take a hot thing [40:10] like ginger, [40:12] it's stimulating the pain fibers and [40:14] immediately there's a what we call a [40:17] reflex response which opens up the blood [40:20] vessels. It's called hyperemia. More [40:23] blood and the vessels lining these [40:26] mucosa, the ones that you just swallowed [40:29] and including a little bit up in the [40:31] nasal passages are opening up. the mucus [40:35] cells producing mucus will loosen up and [40:38] you get more runny mucus which is [40:41] helping to flush through the uh the grot [40:45] on the mucosa and the main thing you [40:48] feel is the warmth. [40:49] >> Mhm. [40:50] >> And if you're dealing with something [40:52] down here in the lungs, you'll actually [40:53] start bringing up more gunk up the [40:57] airways. It's there's a natural [40:59] escalator that we use to that the body [41:01] uses to get stuff out of the lungs that [41:03] stimulated And the mixture of cinnamon [41:05] and ginger was created I think in [41:07] heaven. I mean I think that it's such a [41:10] natural compliment and anybody can do [41:12] that. [41:14] And the point about it is that it's [41:17] warming and in the old days that was the [41:20] key thing. You would didn't matter if [41:23] you had a headache or a joint pain or a [41:27] menstrual cramp. If you wanted to put a [41:30] hot water bottle on it or heat it up, [41:32] then that was a cold problem [41:36] and putting a heating medicine would [41:38] begin to make the difference. So, you [41:40] can use the same thing if you have a [41:42] headache and you want to put a hot pack [41:44] on it. If you got a menstrual cramp and [41:46] you want to put a hot water bottle on [41:47] it, if you got a joint pain and you want [41:49] to put a a heating [41:52] linament on it, you can use the same [41:54] thing. ginger [41:56] >> just because it's heating [41:58] >> and that's simple old medicine. [42:02] >> So, so when you're experiencing [42:04] different types of pain or a cold then [42:06] cinnamon and ginger are a good I think [42:09] my [42:10] >> well only if it responds to heat. Now, [42:13] if you want to put an ice pack on, I [42:15] mean the old doctors when someone came [42:16] with a migraine would say, "Tell me, [42:19] would you prefer a hot packer or an ice [42:21] pack [42:22] >> for your migraine?" And migraine [42:24] sufferers generally split 7030 [42:27] preferring heat to 70, but a third of [42:31] people with migraines actually want a [42:33] cold pack. You don't use ginger for [42:35] that. You use cooling remedies, which we [42:38] might come on to later. [42:39] >> Okay. My girlfriend, she drinks ginger [42:42] tea all the time, almost every day. [42:44] >> Yeah, she likes the heat. [42:46] >> She likes the heat. [42:48] >> Yeah, [42:48] >> she she drinks it before bed as well. [42:50] >> Can help with sleep if that's the way it [42:53] goes. I mean, everyone people are [42:55] different and there are some people who [42:58] can't take ginger at all because their [43:00] stomach objects [43:02] um or because it, you know, literally [43:04] heats them up too much. They get [43:06] stimulated by it. Um, but that's where [43:09] the individuality comes in. [43:11] >> Okay. So, any any condition where I [43:13] might be looking for heat, ginger and [43:16] cinnamon, [43:16] >> the first place to go. [43:17] >> First place to go. [43:18] >> Yeah, you could, if you wanted to be [43:20] Texmex, you can take the chilies. Um, [43:23] you know, well, you know, that's a we [43:25] think of them as a much more extreme [43:27] version of the heating. and you know [43:30] remind ourselves it was only when the [43:33] Europeans discovered Americas that [43:38] chilies became used over here. You know, [43:41] can you imagine an Italian meal without, [43:43] you know, without tomatoes and chilies? [43:46] But in the old days there were none of [43:47] those because they all came from [43:49] America. Um but yeah, chilies were the [43:53] American equivalent of ginger used for [43:55] the same purpose. [43:57] So if someone comes to you and they say, [44:00] "Simon, when shall I use chilies as a [44:04] form of medication?" What what would you [44:05] say? [44:06] >> First of all, I don't know yet. [44:09] >> And you know, if I'm dealing with [44:10] someone at a distance, you know, online [44:12] or on the phone or something, and they [44:13] say, you know, what should I try? I [44:14] said, the first thing to do is you [44:17] figure it out. You can start with herbal [44:20] teas. [44:23] You are, are you? I'm going to drop it [44:25] into the I'm going to drop it into here. [44:27] Is that a bad idea? [44:28] >> Yeah. Yeah. No, go for it. But you'll [44:30] you'll you should notice that's should [44:32] be quite a hot one. Uh I will ask [44:35] suggest that they start with herbal teas [44:37] because herbal teas are a very low dose. [44:39] >> Mhm. But they'll allow you to figure out [44:41] what suits you. And you can divide, as I [44:46] hinting at earlier, old medicines were [44:48] often divided into those that were more [44:50] warming, that we would now call [44:52] stimulating circulation, and more [44:54] cooling, which we would now translate as [44:57] stimulating digestion. [45:00] And depending on which of those you [45:02] prefer would really give me a clue. So [45:05] if you were looking at warming remedies, [45:07] it could be ginger tea, it could be [45:09] fennel tea, you know, that's a warming [45:11] remedy. Or it could be cinnamon or um [45:14] any of the spices. Cardamon is one of my [45:17] favorites, by the way. Um this is I use [45:20] cardamon. This is the cardamon pods [45:23] inside a little black seeds. [45:26] Absolutely lovely taste. Do you know [45:28] him? Do you know cardamon? Have you [45:29] tried it? [45:29] >> Not really. No. [45:30] >> Oh, have a bite of that. [45:31] >> Just bite the seed. [45:32] >> Yeah, just bite into it. You don't just [45:34] just get a hint of the taste. [45:37] In many parts of the Middle East, [45:39] cardamon is one of the main flavors. [45:42] Things like coffee and so on. [45:44] >> Reminds me of um Oh, I was going to say [45:46] Indian food that I've had. [45:48] >> Yes. Used a lot in India. [45:51] >> And in China, it's a convolescent tonic. [45:54] So, they use it when people building up [45:56] their digestion after being ill for a [45:58] long time. They will often use cardamon. [46:01] It's one of my favorite remedies for [46:02] that. when people really run low, their [46:05] digestion isn't functioning. It was [46:07] appeared in one or two of these stories [46:08] I've got here because I prefer that to [46:11] most of the other spices when I need [46:13] warming, as I said before, but also [46:17] sustaining and nourishing. [46:20] So, you ask them, do you prefer teas [46:23] that are warming or would you like [46:26] something more cooling? You know, one of [46:28] the most cooling remedies that people [46:31] know about is this, which is mint. [46:37] >> That's spearmint. The best one is [46:39] peppermint. [46:40] >> It's got a lovely smell, hasn't it? [46:42] >> Yeah. [46:43] >> That has always been thought of as [46:45] cooling. [46:47] And it's a simple test. Would you prefer [46:50] ginger or peppermint tea? And already [46:52] you're beginning to narrow things down a [46:54] bit. [46:54] >> Mhm. The main cooling remedies [46:57] throughout history from you know the [47:00] very beginning and in every part of the [47:03] world you'll find them saying exactly [47:04] the same thing. The main cooling [47:07] remedies so-called are the bitters [47:10] and they taste really bitter. [47:14] >> When you say cooling you mean I feel hot [47:18] so I want something to cool me down. [47:19] >> That's right. [47:20] >> And there's certain conditions where I [47:21] will feel I'll feel hot. [47:23] >> Fever. fever fever [47:25] >> and they were often used to fever manage [47:27] fever [47:28] >> and u what h you remember when we were [47:32] young we were told if you've had a big [47:34] meal don't go swimming [47:37] >> you weren't told that [47:39] >> I can't swim so [47:40] >> there you go if that was one of the [47:42] things that you know some of us in my [47:43] generation at least were always [47:44] remembered we were told you know if you [47:46] got a big meal it's not a good idea to [47:48] go swim because you the blood's moving [47:51] into the digestion and you won't get [47:54] nearly as much as you want where you [47:56] need it in the limbs. Uh and that's you [47:59] know it is true when you are digesting a [48:01] lot of blood investment shall we call it [48:04] is going into the digestive system [48:06] because there's a lot of work needed to [48:07] break down this food turn it into [48:10] something useful it is an investment you [48:12] put a lot in get much more out but what [48:14] it means is is that um [48:18] uh digestion is all about I'm just being [48:21] a bit loose here with the language but [48:23] it's not about language it's like [48:24] bringing blood into the core [48:27] when you got a fever, [48:30] the blood's all charging around and your [48:32] body temperature is going up, which is [48:35] great because fever actually is a [48:37] defense measure. You know, when our body [48:39] temperature rises by a couple of [48:41] degrees, are the white blood cells, the [48:43] ones that are doing the leg work two or [48:46] three times as active. So, fever is what [48:49] the body uses when it needs to bring out [48:51] the big guys, bring out the fight. [48:54] There's a slight design problem. It was [48:56] almost as though you know the creator [48:59] put a you know a purposeful fault in the [49:02] system because a lot of fever comes from [49:04] the gut you know they get gut infections [49:07] you know that's one of the main places [49:09] and at that moment all the blood's going [49:11] out here and you want more of it going [49:14] in more digestion if you like. So when [49:17] you take a bitter, [49:19] when you're taking a bitter, you're [49:20] actually triggering taste buds up here. [49:22] >> A bitter [49:23] >> a bitter something that tastes bitter. [49:25] >> Is are there any plants that are bitter? [49:28] >> Yeah, a bitter plants are very common [49:30] and were highly valued in the old world. [49:35] Um, in our times, probably the most [49:38] bitter plant that people used in [49:40] European terms was something called [49:42] wormwood. [49:44] Now you may not be familiar with that [49:46] word but the French for wormwood is [49:48] vermouth [49:49] and you think of the use of a drink [49:52] before a meal. [49:53] >> The idea was it was they used to call it [49:55] an apperitif something that stimulated [49:57] your appetite. [49:59] >> So they would use bitters to improve [50:02] your appetite and a low level of [50:04] wormwood would be one of them. Dandelion [50:07] and boerdo of two other bitters which we [50:12] now have as a soft drink you know [50:14] >> particularly in America [50:17] >> and we know that bitters do switch on [50:19] the appetite so we sometimes use them [50:21] when appetite is poor [50:23] >> and you know there's all sorts of [50:26] reasons why you got a low appetite but [50:28] bitters can really help particular if [50:30] you're recovering from an illness um [50:32] they can help with um getting the dig [50:35] digestion juices flowing and the [50:37] appetite up [50:38] >> because they bring blood to the [50:39] digestive system. [50:40] >> Well, they do all sorts of things [50:41] actually. When you switch on these [50:42] receptors in the mouth, these taste [50:44] buds, they hardwired and they produce [50:46] hormones down here in the stomach that [50:49] switch on all sorts of things and [50:51] effectively increase digestive activity [50:53] which involves more blood coming into [50:55] the area. So, yes, [50:58] let's imagine you're living in some part [51:00] of, you know, the the desert area in the [51:02] Middle East. you know, you're eating a [51:05] sheep or something that hasn't seen a [51:07] refrigerator and it's a bit dodgy, you [51:09] know, and you think after a meal, you [51:13] turn to something [51:15] easily available in that part of the [51:17] world. It's a plant called cafe arabica, [51:20] we call it coffee. You ground the coffee [51:23] into a sludge at the bottom, pour a bit [51:26] of hot water, and drink that straight. [51:29] That's a bitter. So if you ever had an [51:31] espresso without sugar, that's a bitter. [51:35] >> Okay? And that was used as a digestive. [51:38] In other words, after you're eating, it [51:41] would help cope with some pretty rough [51:43] food. So bitters were always seen to be [51:47] good for your digestion and appetite. [51:50] And in fever, that actually meant [51:52] lowering your body temperature. And [51:53] that's we can see that happening. you [51:55] know it it means that you some of the [51:57] anger out here just gets [52:00] sublanimated into digestion. So that was [52:02] where the bitters got their cooling [52:05] reputation. And we can now laugh at this [52:07] is all medieval nonsense. But the point [52:10] that I keep coming back to when I'm [52:12] seeing patients, I start with that blank [52:14] sheet of paper [52:16] is because the only test of what these [52:19] do to you is to take it. And as you [52:23] notice with your ginger and cinnamon, [52:25] you don't need long. [52:26] >> You've got it there straight up. And you [52:29] know if I give a bitter to somebody uh [52:32] and you know someone is really bitter [52:35] they will know within an hour or so what [52:37] effect it's having. [52:40] If you're starting a business that means [52:42] you're one person doing the workload of [52:44] probably about 50 people. When I first [52:46] founded this podcast I had no idea that [52:48] I was about to step into a hundred [52:50] different roles that I'd never trained [52:51] for. Things like researching and [52:53] production and scheduling and branding [52:54] all of it all at once. And this [52:56] experience isn't unique to me, but for [52:58] millions of founders around the world, [53:00] the tool that changes all of that is our [53:02] sponsor, Shopify. Shopify now powers 10% [53:06] of all US e-commerce from names like Gym [53:08] Shark and Mattel to firsttime founders [53:11] just getting started. It's like having [53:12] your very own design studio, content [53:14] creator, and marketing team in one with [53:17] hundreds of online store templates, AI [53:19] tools to create product pages, and easy [53:21] to launch email and social media [53:22] plugins. Behind the scenes, Shopify [53:25] manages your inventory, international [53:26] shipping, and even your returns. So, if [53:29] you're ready to sell, sign up for your [53:31] $1 a month trial at shopify.com/bartlet. [53:36] That's shopify.com/bartlet. [53:38] $1 a month. No way. [53:42] On this point of antibiotics, um I've [53:44] heard you talk about vitamin D, vitamin [53:46] C, and zinc [53:48] >> as a potential alternative to jumping [53:51] straight from [53:51] >> not not straight alternative, but in [53:53] improving your natural resistance [53:57] particularly to viruses and such like. [53:59] >> Okay. Um then there is evidence for both [54:03] vitamin D and vitamin C but also zinc as [54:06] backups in ter in sub form supplement [54:08] form uh that do seem to add to your [54:12] resilience in the face of infections. [54:15] >> I'm quite concerned because you know I'm [54:16] a I've got dark skin and uh in the [54:20] weather that we live in here in the UK [54:22] when I am in the UK I worry that I won't [54:24] get enough vitamin D. Are these quote [54:27] unquote supplements important do you [54:29] think? What are the supplements that you [54:30] think are imperative? [54:33] >> None. [54:33] >> None. [54:34] >> Not for mo for everybody, but there are [54:37] certain situations. I think vitamin D is [54:40] a good one. And it's not just people [54:41] with dark skin that have a vitamin D [54:44] deficiency is pretty widespread in in [54:47] darker countries if we can call our [54:49] weather and that um we know where [54:51] there's not enough sun. uh vitamin D [54:53] deficiency is quite widespread and [54:55] increasingly doctors do suggest you have [54:57] vitamin D supplementation through the [54:59] winter particularly [55:01] even just having a 15-minute outdoors [55:04] with the sun will give you a fairly [55:06] hefty amount. [55:07] >> Do you supplement? [55:08] >> Not myself. [55:10] No, I don't. I I don't haven't spotted a [55:14] need. Uh but that doesn't mean that I [55:17] don't recommend supplements to people. [55:19] Well, there is a need. [55:22] and garlic. We've got garlic there that [55:24] has a antibiotic role. Well, this is [55:28] yeah garlic uh what used to be called [55:30] Russian penicellin and when after [55:32] penicellin was invented they because [55:34] some parts of the world they use garlic [55:37] instead of [55:39] penicellin which was hard to come by [55:40] originally and it was used in places [55:43] like the first world war to avoid some [55:45] of the French foot and other problems [55:47] that soldiers would get in those lousy [55:50] conditions. Garlic, when talking raw [55:53] now, is a very powerful prebiotic. In [55:57] other words, it helps the gut flora, the [56:01] good guys down here in the microbiome. [56:03] And there's evidence to show a lot of [56:06] these other ones do as well, but garlic [56:07] is particularly strong. And uh when I'm [56:11] dealing with a disrupted gut flora, a [56:14] microbiome, I will sometimes refer to [56:17] raw garlic as a treatment. [56:21] But you need to do it with a little care [56:24] because you know you don't want to lose [56:26] too many friends. [56:28] >> Why what's wrong with g is it [56:31] >> is the aroma you give out afterwards. So [56:34] you know your your friends will be very [56:36] polite but they'll rather wish you [56:37] hadn't. Um and some people find that it [56:41] does upset you know when they swallow. [56:45] But I have a little trick which I call [56:47] the garlic intensive which is when [56:50] everything is down the gut is in the [56:52] state you maybe got a lung infection or [56:55] whatever and there's a lot of need for [56:58] if you like an antibiotic type of [57:01] treatment [57:03] raw garlic what you do is and for all [57:06] sorts of reasons the Friday evening is [57:08] the best time to do this because you got [57:10] the weekend ahead of you. You take one [57:13] of those cloves. [57:15] It will first of all on that day you [57:18] haven't eaten so much. So you don't have [57:20] so much on the way. Then you take one of [57:22] these cloves, you peel it, chop it up [57:25] small pieces and swallow it with water. [57:28] You don't chew it. Just chop it up and [57:30] swallow with a little bit of water [57:33] and wait for half an hour just to make [57:35] sure that that's okay. Your stomach's [57:38] okay to go ahead. If it is, take another [57:41] clove, [57:43] chop it up, swallow it. Another half [57:45] hour later, take another clove. And if [57:48] you start at 6:00, by 10:00 in the [57:51] evening, you've got eight cloves inside [57:53] you. [57:54] >> Eight. [57:55] >> And And what's that going to do? [57:57] >> Well, that's the point. You You usually [57:59] go to bed, and I would suggest you go to [58:01] bed alone at this point because you're [58:02] not very friendly at this point because [58:04] you're oozing garlic. The aroma of [58:07] garlic is coming out of all your pores. [58:09] Incidentally, it's also coming out of [58:12] your lungs. And you know, there was an [58:15] old trick where you used to be able to, [58:17] if you had enough garlic, breathe on a [58:18] petri dish in a laboratory with various [58:20] pathogens and you could kill them just [58:22] with your breath. You know, it's the oil [58:25] of garlic is a powerful antiseptic. [58:28] But what it's doing in the lower [58:30] digestion is it seems the good guys down [58:33] there quite like it, but the bad guys, [58:36] you know, in the old days we had garlic [58:38] was, you know, against the devil and it [58:40] looks as though the bad guys down there [58:42] don't like garlic. So just doing that [58:45] over a weekend can make a big difference [58:48] to your good the good guys in the [58:52] microbiome. And if you got a low-level [58:54] gut or lung infection, that can be [58:57] really helpful. But that's, you know, [59:00] something you can do at home, but you [59:02] don't want to do that too often. In [59:03] fact, I would suggest that one garlic [59:05] intensive is probably enough for most [59:06] people. [59:07] >> So, prebiotic effects. It has an anti- [59:10] microbial properties [59:13] um which are is it good for pain? Called [59:16] it Russian penicellin. Is it? [59:18] >> Yeah. Well, it depends where the pain's [59:19] coming from. Um, but if your pain is a [59:22] cough or a chest infection, yes, [59:25] particularly particularly good for chest [59:26] infections. Some people do use it for [59:28] arthritic problems. Uh, it will depend [59:31] on what's causing the arthritis. I, you [59:33] know, and I, it's very hard for me to [59:36] say [59:37] one of these things will do it for [59:38] everybody. It won't. It will do for in [59:40] certain situations. And what we learn [59:44] when we're dealing with plants is that [59:46] you're the you're the boss. You find out [59:48] for yourself. All people like me do is [59:51] say, "Well, give this a try. This is [59:53] worth trying. This is valuable. Why [59:56] don't you give it a go?" [59:57] >> How do you think about chronic pain? [59:59] There's so many people living with a [60:00] variety of different types of chronic [60:02] pain. It affects 51.6 million people, I [60:05] believe, just in the US alone. [60:08] >> And the most common forms of chronic [60:10] pain are conditions such as arthritis or [60:12] migraines or lower back pain or other [60:14] types of nerve damage. Roughly 75 to 85% [60:18] of Americans will experience some form [60:19] of back pain during their lives. When I [60:22] think about this big array of plants [60:24] that are in front of me and other [60:26] plants, what is what is the first place [60:28] to go in your mind if you're dealing [60:29] with chronic pain? [60:31] >> It depends again where it is. But let's [60:33] take joints and back. Um you know where [60:35] you've got a joint that's causing and [60:38] it's because it's inflamed. [60:40] >> Yeah. So when you have inflammation, you [60:44] add itis to the name of the plant. So [60:46] this is arthritis because it's the [60:49] inflammation of the the joint. Um you [60:52] you have cyitis which is the bladder. [60:55] You have bronchitis if it's the lungs, [60:57] gastritis if it's the stomach. So itis [60:59] tells us there's an inflammation and [61:01] mostly with arthritis is an [61:03] inflammation. [61:05] And briefly, it's because there's junk [61:09] being dumped on the joint. The joints [61:13] have got very poor circulation by design [61:15] because, you know, this surfaces being [61:18] pressed against each other. And so the [61:20] tissue in the joint is cartilage, [61:23] gristle in in if you're eating it. Um, [61:26] which is designed to survive with very [61:28] poor circulation because you know when [61:30] you've got two things pressing in, [61:31] there's not much room for blood than [61:33] there. [61:35] So if there is metabolic waste, let's [61:38] call it junk in the system, it's more [61:41] likely to come out in these places where [61:44] there's poor circulation. Sometimes [61:46] things is a bit like a U bend under a [61:48] basin. You know, if there's any stuff in [61:50] the sink, it's going to come deposit [61:52] there. So I think of joints as a bit [61:54] like a U bend. [61:56] So the first thing that people did with [61:59] a joint pain and inflammation of the [62:01] joint was to help to clean the joint, [62:04] bring more blood into the area. And [62:07] that's what the inflammation is doing. [62:09] It's hurts like Billy Ho. But what it's [62:14] doing is bringing more blood in by brute [62:16] force to do what I was just saying. But [62:19] if you were to put on a mustard plaster [62:23] or a Cayenne plaster, [62:25] >> a Cayenne pepper plaster [62:26] >> which you simply put on on the X [62:28] outside. [62:29] >> Mhm. [62:30] >> And you can buy these inarmacies and so [62:32] on. It's called capsicum. Okay. So [62:34] capsent pig button. Um it's a standard [62:38] prescription [62:39] dressing for a pain. What it does is it [62:43] brings the blood in directly [62:46] and that means the inflammation doesn't [62:48] have to do it and the inflammation is [62:50] sore. What you're doing isn't. So by [62:53] definition you're reducing the pain [62:55] level. [62:55] >> Mhm. [62:56] >> That's an example of using plants in a [62:59] creative way which people always did. [63:02] >> They they used to do that back in the [63:04] day. [63:04] >> Oh yes. Yeah. I mean, if you go to North [63:06] America, the native populations would [63:09] regularly use Cayenne as their salve for [63:14] bad joints. In Europe, it was mostly [63:17] mustard. Um, we're talking the yellow [63:20] mustard, the one that's strong, used as [63:22] a plaster over a joint. And if you've [63:25] got arthritis in your fingers, and this [63:27] is something anyone can do with, you [63:29] know, suffering the pain here, use a [63:31] mustard bath. put your fingers into a [63:34] dilute warm solution of mustard and it's [63:38] amazing how quickly they ease up or you [63:41] could put a plaster on the hip or [63:42] whatever. Um people always did this. [63:46] >> Have you seen this work in your [63:48] practice? [63:48] >> Oh yes. And I often recommend it to [63:50] patients and they keep reporting back. [63:52] It's really makes a difference. [63:55] I think I worry about lower back pain [63:56] because I spend so long sitting down and [63:58] >> I've got low back pain too. [64:00] >> And I didn't use herbs very much for [64:03] that. [64:04] >> What did you do? Well, it was a long [64:06] story, but there was a very good uh West [64:09] African combo called OCBSA, which I saw [64:13] back in the day when I had really bad [64:15] back and I got the music got so into me [64:18] that I loosened up and began to jive and [64:22] dance around and realize that my back [64:23] had gone and it stayed gone for decades. [64:26] It's just unlocked a knot. So, that [64:29] wasn't any herb. That wasn't any plant. [64:32] >> Dancing. dancing. I mean, letting the [64:35] music get into you. [64:37] >> What's the difference? [64:38] >> Well, you know, when you feel the music [64:41] running through you, you know, you're [64:42] just moving in with the beat, you know, [64:46] >> that loosens up a lot of knots. You [64:48] know, I don't just do plants. I, you [64:50] know, I talk about breathing. I talk [64:52] about exercises that you can do for [64:54] yourself. And uh sometimes when you got [64:58] a joint pain, it's all about it's locked [65:01] and you can find ways of [65:04] loosening [65:06] that joint. [65:09] >> Ibuprofen. [65:10] >> Yes, [65:10] >> people reach for this all the time. I [65:12] mean, I was looking at some of the [65:14] search trend data for ibuprofen and it [65:17] is absolutely exploding. [65:19] >> Yes. [65:20] >> Um that's the the search graph [65:21] ibuprofen. Yeah. [65:23] >> Um [65:24] >> it is but is one of the most widely used [65:26] drugs in this country. M um it's [65:29] obviously because it works and it's [65:31] based on um a plant substance called [65:36] salic salicylic acid um which gave us [65:40] aspirin [65:43] and we still use the basic molecule to [65:46] create the what we call nonsteroidal [65:48] anti-inflammatory drugs or nsaides and [65:50] ibuprofen is one of the most widely used [65:53] of those and basically they cut the [65:56] inflammatory [65:58] process [66:00] just cut it and so the inflammation just [66:04] diminishes which is good right [66:08] >> well if it gets rid of the pain it is [66:10] but there's a always a follow up [66:12] question why was that inflammation [66:14] necessary because inflammation is a [66:17] defense it's one of my most powerful [66:20] defenses we have in the body [66:22] and whenever someone is saying I'm on I [66:25] need ibuprofen My next question is what [66:28] can we do to reduce the need for the [66:30] inflammation? So when I was talking [66:32] about the arthritis I was saying this [66:36] junk shall we say being dumped on the [66:38] joint can we help to relieve that? Can [66:41] we go upstream and reduce some of the [66:43] metabolic strain? You know people eat [66:45] sometimes the wrong food and sometimes [66:47] increases arthritis. Uh you can improve [66:50] your arthritis by have switching to more [66:52] plants very often. Um but there are [66:54] other things that we can give that seem [66:56] to help reduce some of those pressures. [66:59] But the pain might be somewhere else. It [67:01] might be linked to a full-blown disease, [67:05] you know, and in that case, you know, [67:08] using anti-inflammatories is the only [67:10] thing you can do. But if there is a way [67:13] in which we can help reduce the need for [67:15] that inflammation in the first place, I [67:18] would much prefer to do that than just [67:20] suppress a natural defense. We we tend [67:23] to think of inflammation as the enemy. [67:25] >> We do. And I think we're wrong. [67:27] >> We think of it as the disease itself. [67:30] >> We are wrong. It's the consequence of a [67:34] problem. And it's inflammation itself is [67:36] a healthy response. It's when we bring [67:38] out, you know, I sometimes use military [67:41] language here. And there's a bunch of [67:43] white blood cells that I liken to [67:45] Marines. You know, these these are guys [67:48] who when they're working well, they just [67:51] go in and do the job. They don't sort of [67:53] figure it out. They don't ask questions. [67:54] They just go and do the job. We got a [67:57] whole bunch of white blood cells that [67:58] are bit like that. They just we call [68:01] neutrfils. There's various others of [68:04] that group and they just go in and whack [68:06] them. [68:07] Inflammation is bringing those guys out [68:09] faster and harder. So, we're bringing in [68:12] more of the marines if you like to [68:15] finish the job. What's wrong with that? [68:17] You know, that's what we want to do. It [68:19] happens to be sore. [68:22] Then [68:24] if they don't do the job and the junk or [68:27] the problem keeps piling in, then the [68:29] marines become the problem and then we [68:31] use the ibuprofen to shut them up. But [68:34] as I said, there's always a question, [68:36] you know, why are we what's what's the [68:39] consequence of stopping this internal [68:42] cleansing process that uh is so [68:46] important. So inflammation is not the [68:49] enemy. Inflammation is the defense [68:52] measure that can sometimes overstay its [68:54] welcome. I had an injury in my ankle a [68:57] couple of couple of months back because [68:58] I I pulled some some of the ligaments [69:00] down there and my ankle was swelled up [69:03] and I was getting conflicting [69:05] information from people about the [69:06] inflammation because I had this big [69:07] football game coming up this for this [69:09] charity match called soccerate at Old [69:10] Trafford and I had one of my physios [69:13] telling me to apply the ice thing and [69:16] take anti-inflammatories and I had [69:17] another one telling me something else [69:19] about the inflammation that actually I [69:20] didn't want to combat the inflammation [69:22] because it was doing its job and so I [69:25] it's quite difficult to navigate whether [69:28] one should let inflammation stay or if I [69:31] should be taking anti-inflammatories or [69:33] ibuprofen. Um [69:35] >> well if you got a match to you sometimes [69:37] need something just to get you match fit [69:39] or match acceptable. Um but if it's a [69:42] short-term we call it acute inflammation [69:45] then overwhelmingly the advice is don't [69:48] suppress it because in the short term [69:51] you know we get a cut get a bit of dirt [69:53] it gets swollen maybe a bit of pus and [69:55] so on and after a while it sorts itself [69:58] out that's this miracle I called talked [70:00] about earlier the body heals itself all [70:02] the time that's inflammation doing its [70:04] job properly cleaning out the marines go [70:08] in clear all the stuff out back to their [70:11] barracks [70:11] back to normal. That's great. It's only [70:15] if, as I said, the junk keeps piling in [70:19] and the job doesn't get finished and we [70:20] call that chronic inflammation. [70:22] That's when you sometimes need a bit of [70:25] help. [70:26] >> And chronic inflammation is often caused [70:29] by something further upstream, right? [70:31] >> So, you try and think about what's [70:32] causing it upstream. [70:33] >> Exactly. So, [70:34] >> and what tends to be the perpetrator [70:35] upstream? [70:37] The gut is where most of these things [70:39] begin because when you think about it, [70:42] that's where we take most foreign [70:45] material. Almost all of it has to be [70:47] dealt with by the gut. So that's where [70:50] most of our immune system is. You know, [70:51] we talk about the immune system, but you [70:53] know, the majority of the immune system [70:54] is a few millimeters away from the [70:57] lining of the gut because that's where [70:58] the action is. That's where all the [71:00] foreign stuff is. So if there's a [71:02] disruption there, it's that's the first [71:06] place to begin and because it's usually [71:08] the best place to begin. Uh and if we [71:10] add the what we talked about the [71:12] microbiome as another big factor, then [71:15] there's plenty to work be done with down [71:18] there. So if it's a chronic [71:20] inflammation, I will spend a lot of time [71:22] looking at what might be going on down [71:24] there. [71:25] >> And what's the typical suggestion if it [71:27] is a a gut related problem? Well, the [71:30] first thing is to do is to u get the [71:33] best food you can down there, which is [71:35] mostly plant-based. Um, I mean, there [71:38] are exceptions to that. Uh, but in if [71:41] we're looking at restoring your good [71:43] health down here, the gut does seem to [71:46] like plants at this point. Um, so we [71:49] talk about, you know, having a wide [71:51] range of plants. you know the the [71:54] current uh advice from one or two people [71:57] is that you would aim to have 30 [71:59] different types of plant per week you [72:01] know just to get the diversity because [72:03] we don't know which one you need so why [72:05] don't give as much difference as you can [72:08] and you know there [72:11] you know people think you can't afford [72:14] to eat healthily all I would suggest is [72:17] that you go and travel to somewhere like [72:19] India or anywhere in Asia where they eat [72:23] pretty much a lot of plants, mostly [72:25] plants for pennies. You know, you can [72:29] make a healthy meal by if you know how [72:31] to cook by just mixing some of these [72:33] simple the dahs and the the root [72:36] vegetables and the other vegetables [72:38] easily mixed together. A few spices in [72:41] there absolutely delicious and your gut [72:46] and your microbiome will be jumping with [72:48] glee. [72:49] >> You talk about eating your rainbow. [72:51] >> Yes. What does that mean? [72:53] >> Means as many colors as you can fit in. [72:55] Um, literally because each color is [72:59] cause is produced by a constituent of [73:01] plants. Many of them we call polyphenols [73:06] which we know have a range of effects on [73:10] all sorts of [73:12] mainly on the microbiome again because [73:14] they're all in different ways prebiotic. [73:16] They all help good guys prosper down [73:19] there. But then after the microbiome is [73:22] processed them, which is interesting, [73:23] the microbiome is is critical for [73:28] processing polyphenols, [73:30] they don't get absorbed unless the [73:31] microbiome breaks them up already. So [73:35] the benefits of the colors depend on the [73:37] good guys down here. M [73:39] >> when they get into the blood they start [73:41] doing all sorts of wonderful things to [73:43] the lining of the blood vessels for [73:44] example up into the brain where we got a [73:48] what we call bloodb brain barrier which [73:50] is actually a very exciting interface. [73:53] The polyphenols the colors all have [73:59] wellestablished mechanisms that improve [74:02] the health all around the body. So [74:05] simple. If you got a child who used to [74:07] say, "Eat your greens." We now say, "Eat [74:09] your rainbow. The more different colors, [74:11] the better." [74:12] >> I wonder if that's why they put so many [74:14] artificial dyes in junk food. [74:16] >> Well, I wish they wouldn't [74:17] >> to try and trick our brains into [74:18] thinking it's I don't know. [74:20] >> No, there's nothing quite like the [74:21] original. [74:22] >> In terms of fruit, [74:24] >> what are your favorite fruits to sort of [74:27] recommend people to eat and why? [74:28] probably the the if you wanted to have a [74:31] you know a top list the darker the color [74:34] the better. So, we talk about purples [74:36] and I'm pleased to see that uh your team [74:39] has found a purple carrot there [74:43] and we remind ourselves that most [74:45] vegetables were purple once upon a time. [74:48] If you think of maze, you know, in the [74:50] the sweet corn and the maze that you [74:52] grow in the Americas, that mostly was [74:54] originally purple and we bred the purple [74:57] out because it didn't look so [74:58] appetizing. And we're probably purple [75:01] deficient. [75:02] Uh I think we could do with more purple [75:05] in our lives because the [75:07] purple and blue color is a something [75:10] called anthocyanins. These are types of [75:13] polyphenol and they're particularly [75:15] powerful particularly with the blood [75:17] supply. And we're talking about things [75:19] like eyesight and brain health and [75:22] circulatory health, blood pressure [75:25] control and all those sort of things can [75:27] be improved just by having more purple [75:30] in our lives. So we got beetroot. [75:31] That'll do. We got the berries. Uh, red [75:35] grapes are probably more We got the [75:37] Yeah, we got the red grapes here. That's [75:39] got more of these than the yellow that [75:41] the grapes do. Um, so I would start with [75:44] the reds and purples. [75:45] >> You said you think we're purple [75:48] deficient. [75:48] >> Yeah. I mean, just, you know, think of [75:51] something interesting to say, but it's [75:54] probably something in there. [75:58] And in terms of vegetables, what are [76:00] your favorite go-to vegetables that that [76:02] you'd recommend I eat? [76:03] >> Uh, start with the roots. The root [76:05] vegetables, the carrots, the beetroots, [76:07] the parsnips, [76:08] the the various other root vegetables [76:10] out there, not all of which are people's [76:12] favorites, but they have uh fiber uh [76:17] sort of starch in them which is [76:19] particularly prebiotic [76:22] and some of the most powerful prebiotics [76:24] are the root vegetables. So those are [76:27] definitely worth having the greens [76:29] obviously and broccoli and interestingly [76:32] I found a purple one uh which are easily [76:34] enough to get. So you know you can get [76:36] the purple or the green you know [76:38] obviously there's a value in the in the [76:40] purple there. Uh but any broccoli, any [76:42] of the cabbage family is full of all [76:45] sorts of other ingredients uh that have [76:48] their own benefits in all sorts of ways, [76:51] metabolism, gut, hormonal, blood supply. [76:56] So greens, roots, and the big one in [77:01] most people's lives are the grains. you [77:03] know, wheat for example, but cereals, [77:07] lentils, dahl, uh, peas and beans, uh, [77:11] all of these have their own benefits, [77:14] particularly for the microbiome. [77:17] You know, again, I don't know exactly [77:19] what even I need, let alone what anyone [77:22] else needs. So, the best thing to do is [77:24] to have as much diversity as possible. [77:27] >> What is your diet? Are you mix a vegan? [77:30] Do you eat meat? [77:31] >> Yeah. have um you know I just have a [77:34] broad range of most humans have eaten [77:36] which is a mixture of things. Uh I do [77:40] obviously many of my patients are vegans [77:42] and they can you can live quite well [77:44] with them. You have to add a few extra [77:46] things just to cover your back on a few [77:47] areas but you can live perfectly well at [77:50] least when you're grown up an adult on a [77:53] planton diet. Um, but you know, who am I [77:58] to say that an Inuit in the Arctic who [78:02] never sees any vegetable ever and only [78:05] lives on traditionally only lives on [78:08] seal and whale meat and blubber is any [78:11] less healthy than someone in Thailand [78:14] who lives only on rice and vegetables. [78:16] You know, we're all we can cope with all [78:18] sorts of variety of foods. There isn't [78:21] one food for everybody. I think we would [78:23] we were discussing before we started [78:25] recording that I'm currently on a [78:26] ketosis diet. The keto diet. [78:29] >> Keto diet. Yes. [78:29] >> Which basically means that I'm extremely [78:31] low carb in my diet. [78:33] >> Yes. [78:33] >> Basically consuming no sugar. [78:35] >> Um what do you think of the keto diet? [78:39] What's been your experience with it? [78:40] >> It can be and I think you're one of [78:43] those that would get a lot of benefit [78:44] from it. um because it I mean sugars are [78:50] you know they're in a lot of vegetable [78:51] material and of course unfortunately we [78:52] have sugar now as an added [78:55] >> um to our diets um they tend to slow [78:58] down various parts of your metabolism [79:00] they tend to make metabolism a bit more [79:02] like hard work and so if you take those [79:04] out and some of the more sugar producing [79:07] carbs then you're freeing up a lot of [79:09] energy. So, a lot of people on keto toe [79:13] diets find that, you know, they're [79:15] sharper. That's probably what you do. [79:17] Um, but there are potential downsides. [79:22] Interestingly, you know, I mean, the [79:23] first thought was, well, that can't be [79:24] very good for your microbiome because [79:26] they rely on um [79:29] vegetable material to a large part. But [79:31] when we've looked at the microbiome of [79:34] keto d after keto diets, it's not as [79:37] it's actually there's some good guys [79:38] that reemerge with a keto diet. So, it's [79:42] a mixed bag. The only thing is is that [79:45] when you don't have as many plants in [79:48] your diet, then there's slightly more [79:49] strain on things like liver and kidney [79:51] function. So, someone who's taking keto [79:54] for a long term, it's always a good idea [79:56] to check that they're okay. And some of [79:59] the more long-term concerns have been [80:01] around kidney. Um because if there's a [80:03] lot more of the animal-based material in [80:06] the in food, then that's can be more [80:10] hard work for the kidney. So it's always [80:12] worth checking that those functions are [80:15] doing well. But I come back to the point [80:17] there is no onesizefits all. We are [80:21] omnivores. We're designed to eat almost [80:23] anything. [80:24] My girlfriend, she's doing keto as well [80:27] and she noticed that her menstrual cycle [80:29] became more regular. [80:30] >> Yes. [80:31] >> Which she was like shocked by it. And [80:32] she's really done a lot of AB testing [80:34] over the the last couple of years. And [80:36] whenever she's in a ke ketogenic diet, [80:39] very low carb, very low sugar diet for 6 [80:42] weeks. She was shocked that she could [80:45] predict the day when her period would [80:47] come. And outside of that, sometimes [80:50] it's really [80:52] varying. [80:52] >> Yeah. Well, there's a very good point [80:54] about keto. One of the most effective [80:56] things that keto does is it reduces [80:59] insulin resistance, [81:01] which is something that most of us [81:02] suffer as we get older and larger, as we [81:05] get through our life. Insulin is the [81:08] hormone that packs sugar away into this [81:11] into the tissues and into the liver. And [81:15] thank God because if we didn't have uh [81:18] insulin, we would have diabetes. [81:21] um insulin [81:25] resistance is growing and that leads to [81:28] diabetes increasingly and so diabetes is [81:30] in many most parts of the world now is [81:32] becoming a another big health issue and [81:35] it's mainly because we have too many [81:36] carbs too much sugar in the diet because [81:39] whenever we eat sugar particularly sugar [81:42] there's more work for the insulin to do [81:44] so it gets more likely to get run down [81:45] and tired when you're on a keto diet [81:49] it's been observed that you're you get [81:52] more insulin sensitive. [81:55] So in other words, insulin works better. [81:57] So you can reverse early stages of [81:59] diabetes by switching to a keto for [82:01] example. Now interestingly many [82:05] menstrual problems are linked to insulin [82:09] resistance and there's something called [82:11] PCOS [82:12] which affects quite a lot of women now [82:16] uh in which the ovaries basically [82:18] produce more hormone producing cysts [82:21] polycystic ovary syndrome and that is [82:25] increasingly linked with insulin [82:27] resistance. So it affects people who are [82:30] more likely to be in the pre-diabetic [82:33] phase or putting on weight and that sort [82:35] of thing. [82:37] The insulin resistance itself switches [82:40] the hormone balance and the menstrual [82:44] cycle is a wonderful [82:46] choreography. I mean when you think [82:48] about it, you know, all around the world [82:50] is a it's a pretty predictable cycle and [82:53] it runs itself. But if there's something [82:56] insulin resistant getting in the way, [82:58] then that can disrupt the hormone. So [83:02] someone like your girlfriend might find [83:04] that switching to a keto diet abolishes [83:07] or reduces that disruptor. [83:10] >> Yeah. Yeah. I was just reading some [83:11] stats on that said 80% of women with [83:14] PCOS have some degree of insulin [83:16] resistance, even those who aren't [83:18] overweight. And my girlfriend does have [83:20] PCOS, which she's talked about publicly [83:21] before. So, it's no surprise that uh [83:24] that when she comes off, she takes sugar [83:26] out of her diet, her menstrual cycle [83:29] seems to fall back in line. And I think [83:31] there's also links to insulin [83:33] resistance, PCOS, and I guess ovulation, [83:36] infertility. [83:37] >> Yes, it is. So, I think uh I mean the [83:40] the modern woman, the modern man for [83:42] that matter, has a whole string of [83:44] burdens to carry because we have too [83:46] much sugar. I mean when you think about [83:48] it you know sugar only emerged as a [83:50] common ingredient you know 140 years ago [83:54] 150 years ago up till that time only [83:57] very rich people could afford it then we [83:59] had the industrial sugar production and [84:03] a lot of slaves over in the Americas [84:06] producing vast amounts of cane sugar [84:08] that is a modern phenomenon and our [84:11] bodies were designed to deal with the [84:13] amount of sugar that we now feed it and [84:15] it does put a stress on the system and [84:17] insulin is one of the guys caught in the [84:20] mix. [84:21] >> So if you're trying to have kids, which [84:23] we are now, I guess you want to remove [84:26] the uh [84:27] >> if that's a factor, I would be looking [84:29] at reducing your sugar intake at the [84:31] very least. Yeah. I mean, we spend I [84:34] spend a lot of time with uh women who [84:37] are having difficulty conceiving and you [84:40] know, I think I have about 13 herb [84:44] babies. you know, in other words, babies [84:47] who were born with women who were having [84:50] challenges getting pregnant. And that [84:53] was mainly, I think, because we were [84:55] stabilizing the menstrual cycle and [84:57] making the fertile phase a bit more [85:00] productive. [85:01] >> And what do you what do you say to those [85:03] women? You you what do you prescribe? I [85:06] guess [85:07] >> I do. I mean, that's my business. I will [85:09] be prescribing. So, you see there's some [85:11] bottles there. uh these are the sort of [85:13] things that we use in the practice. Um [85:16] so I've given I've got a couple here [85:19] that [85:20] um just you know the sense the smell [85:23] sense. So this is fennel which we all [85:26] think we know but these are very strong [85:30] extractions that only practitioners use. [85:32] So these are practitioner own supplies [85:35] and when you smell it you realize that [85:37] the that they are strong. [85:41] Wow. [85:42] >> So, a teaspoon of that is a really [85:44] powerful. [85:46] Now, if you really want [85:49] to [85:51] realize the power of herbs, [85:54] this is a remedy called echynia. And a [85:57] lot of people know about echgonia and [85:59] it's a major supplement. This is a root [86:03] extraction from a variety of a species [86:06] of echania called Angustifolia. [86:08] And I'm just going to put a little bit [86:09] in there. I'm going to test it myself [86:11] before I give it to you. So, I'm not [86:13] poisoning you. [86:16] So, you just take [86:18] a little [86:23] Can I put on my skin or put it on? [86:26] >> Or did you want me to shop that? [86:27] >> Just lick it. [86:30] >> Whoa. [86:32] Wow. [86:36] >> So, these are the sort of things. This [86:39] is just a particularly striking example [86:41] of the sort of things that we use in the [86:43] practice. And so some of the the women [86:47] that come to me, for example, with [86:48] fertility or menstrual problems will go [86:50] out with a mix of herbs drawn like this [86:53] from about 100 or so different plants [86:56] that I have on the shelves. [86:59] And they are often, as I said earlier, [87:02] women remedies [87:05] developed by women. Um, and [87:08] incidentally, North America is is a [87:10] prime site for some rarely powerful [87:13] women's remedies. Um, and interestingly, [87:16] when you look at them, you find they [87:19] contain plants equivalent of steroids. [87:22] They're not steroids, but they seem to [87:23] interact with our own hormone mechanism. [87:27] And some of them were particularly good [87:28] at retiming [87:30] the menstrual cycle. And the the one or [87:33] two that were particularly warned women [87:36] should not take unless they wish to be [87:38] pregnant. So effective were they? What's [87:40] that? What's that doing to your [87:41] >> still right on the edge of my tongue? [87:43] It's like it's it's more so basically [87:45] for anyone that can't see what we're [87:46] doing cuz you're listening on audio. He [87:48] put a little drop of this uh solution [87:50] >> echania [87:51] >> echania on my finger and I licked it off [87:54] my finger and at first I was like there [87:57] was this sort of taste journey which was [87:59] interesting. I think it kind of tastes [88:00] like Maggie seasoning, some kind of food [88:01] seasoning. I'm now 60 seconds later and [88:05] I can still It's like got more intense. [88:07] >> It's a bit like fireworks going off. [88:08] >> Yeah, it's like fireworks going off in [88:10] my mouth and all it was was a little [88:11] lick of it. Um, [88:12] >> now you see what we use that for is for [88:17] infections or problems of the mouth and [88:19] the throat particularly. [88:21] >> What what's it doing? Well, you know, [88:23] you have to use bit of unscientific [88:25] language here, but remember I talked [88:27] about the Marines, you know, the guys [88:29] who do all the battling for us. A lot of [88:30] them hang out. Their barracks are in the [88:32] throat. You know, we got tonsils, we got [88:34] addenoids, we got the glands that run [88:36] down our neck here that sometimes get [88:38] swelled up, you know, if we got an [88:39] infection in this area. Yeah. You have [88:42] to take something to take the [88:45] >> It sometimes gets in the way of talking [88:47] as well. And I was hesitating before [88:49] giving it to you. didn't want to stop [88:50] you in your in your steps. But what's [88:53] that that tingling [88:55] >> cut a as I said a rather confusing story [88:58] short those are constituents that almost [89:00] seem to talk directly to those white [89:03] blood cells and make them more active. [89:08] >> And so echynia [89:10] in that form particularly [89:12] works primarily on the front line shall [89:15] we call it of our immune system. these [89:19] battlers that sit up there and so often [89:23] that's where you want to start the job [89:25] and you might have an infection [89:26] somewhere else in the body but if you [89:28] can work up here with these guys you can [89:31] kick off all sorts of benefits and as [89:34] you've just discovered it doesn't take [89:35] long. [89:36] >> No m So who should be thinking about [89:38] echynasia? [89:40] Certainly if you got an upper [89:42] respiratory problem and you you do need [89:45] to get that tingle if you want to get [89:46] that particular effect. I mean you can [89:48] have echgonia in other forms pills and [89:51] tablets and so on. Uh and there are some [89:53] which don't have that that tingle [89:55] factor. They got other elements to it [89:57] but for the tingle factor it's anything [90:00] to do with an infection that has a link [90:02] to what's going on up here. And that [90:05] could be for lower down in the gut as [90:07] well because all you know our gut begins [90:09] up here as well. But it could be a sinus [90:11] problem. It could be an middle ear [90:13] problem. It could be a throat problem. [90:15] It could be a gum problem. You know, we [90:17] got all sorts of gum problems and all [90:19] sorts of problems we have with mouth. [90:22] We've got a microbiome up here as well. [90:24] Um, this can with one or two other [90:27] things. Some of the plants we use in [90:29] this form contain resins. [90:32] An example is uh frankincense. We got [90:35] some tablets there. [90:36] >> These ones. [90:37] >> Yeah. otherwise known as Boswelia. And [90:40] this just comes in a you know in in the [90:43] form of tablets. [90:45] And uh [90:47] they just look like any other tablets [90:48] except they're sort of greeny yellow [90:50] color because that's just ground up um [90:55] uh resin. Now resin we know about that [90:59] because it's the sort of thing you get [91:00] on out of pine trees. You know that very [91:02] tacky stuff. All we need to do is [91:06] remember the Bible story. [91:08] There were three gifts that the baby [91:09] Jesus got, didn't he, for his birthday [91:12] from those wise men. One was gold. Fair [91:14] enough. The other two were resins. Myrrh [91:17] and frankincense. This is the [91:19] frankincense. [91:20] I use myrrh in a liquid form. And you [91:24] almost like you're lining the mouth with [91:27] uh this resin. You know, it's [91:31] when you put some myrrh on the mouth, [91:34] you definitely feel the the mucos are [91:38] firing up. And it was most widely used [91:41] um medicine. And the reason why it was [91:44] so valued in the in those days by the [91:47] three wise men is because my was there [91:50] first of all, they had to bring it out [91:51] of Africa, you know, which is where he [91:53] comes from. Um remember the Queen of [91:57] Sheba in who married Solomon you know in [92:00] the old uh Bible story Queen of Sheba [92:03] had the trade routes of East East Africa [92:05] sorted. So Solomon married wisely by [92:08] marrying the Queen of Sheba because she [92:10] was she had the monopoly on um on myrrh [92:14] particularly and on frankincense. And [92:17] those an echgonia [92:19] maybe with a licorice to help it work [92:22] well are amazing at reducing infections [92:26] in this area in the mouth and the throat [92:29] and the sinuses and the areas around. [92:33] It completely blows my mind that most [92:35] people will lock their front door before [92:37] they leave the house, but they'll sit in [92:38] a coffee shop, connect to the public [92:40] Wi-Fi, and log into their bank without a [92:42] second thought. Every time you go online [92:45] in a shop, in an airport, or a hotel, [92:47] you're trusting the Wi-Fi is safe. But [92:49] often it's not, which makes your online [92:52] data vulnerable because all it takes is [92:54] one person with the wrong intentions to [92:56] steal everything, your passwords, your [92:58] private messages, even your identity. [93:00] So, let's talk about ExpressVPN, our [93:02] sponsor. It stops hackers from stealing [93:04] your data by creating a secure privacy [93:07] tunnel between all of your devices and [93:09] the internet in just one tap. That [93:12] tunnel also keeps your online activity [93:14] private from other third parties who [93:16] might want to get your information. No [93:18] one's getting past their encryption. And [93:20] this is important to me cuz I'm working [93:21] across multiple businesses most of the [93:23] time anywhere that I can get a Wi-Fi [93:25] connection. And that's why I use [93:26] ExpressVPN. And you can secure your [93:29] online data today by visiting [93:31] expressvpn.com/doac. [93:35] That's expressvpn.com/doac [93:38] to get up to four extra months free. [93:42] Make sure you keep what I'm about to say [93:43] to yourself. I'm inviting 10,000 of you [93:46] to come even deeper into the diary of a [93:48] CEO. Welcome to my inner circle. This is [93:51] a brand new private community that I'm [93:53] launching to the world. We have so many [93:55] incredible things that happen that you [93:56] are never shown. We have the briefs that [93:59] are on my iPad when I'm recording the [94:00] conversation. We have clips we've never [94:02] released. We have behindthe-scenes [94:04] conversations with the guests and also [94:05] the episodes that we've never ever [94:08] released. And so much more. In the [94:11] circle, you'll have direct access to me. [94:13] You can tell us what you want this show [94:14] to be, who you want us to interview, and [94:16] the types of conversations you would [94:18] love us to have. But remember, for now, [94:20] we're only inviting the first 10,000 [94:22] people that join before it closes. So, [94:24] if you want to join our private closed [94:26] community, head to the link in the [94:27] description below or go to [94:28] daccircle.com. [94:32] I will speak to you then. [94:38] Do you do you think that um things like [94:41] water fasts, people are doing a lot of [94:43] these sort of water fasts and these sort [94:45] of 7-day prolonged fasts are effective [94:48] medicines? [94:50] >> Uh my usual answer when I'm faced with a [94:53] question and and someone needed to [94:54] answer from is to think back a bit. What [94:56] did humans evolve to do? And when we [94:59] were hunter gatherers, which you know [95:01] was 3 or 400,000 years, we were hunter [95:03] gatherers. And now what we're doing now [95:05] is a tiny. But we evolved to eat [95:09] intermittently. [95:11] You know, when you're a hunter gatherer, [95:12] there are times when you're not eating [95:13] at all, especially offseason, and you [95:15] get very hungry and then you eat a lot [95:17] and you have a big feast. So I think our [95:21] systems were designed to be intermittent [95:23] fasting and fasting is probably part of [95:25] our gene makeup. You know that's what we [95:28] were in a sense meant to do. So the [95:31] fundamental principle of fasting is [95:33] probably right on. [95:36] issue is is that sometimes if your [95:39] metabolism, your digestion, your [95:41] hormones or other functions are not at [95:44] prime place, fasting, particularly if [95:48] it's extended, can actually be damaging. [95:50] So, you do need a bit of advice if [95:53] you're going down that route just to [95:55] make sure it's okay for you. [95:58] >> And at the start of the conversation, [95:59] you referenced that you deal with a lot [96:00] of cancer patients. So I think you said [96:02] one/3 [96:04] >> about a third of my a quarter maybe a [96:06] quarter to a third yeah are living with [96:09] cancer [96:09] >> living with cancer [96:10] >> which is something that's relatively new [96:12] remember because I mean that is a [96:14] testament to what modern medicine has [96:18] done because when I started out all [96:20] those decades ago most people died with [96:23] cancer were increasingly getting people [96:25] living with cancer for extended periods [96:27] of time and [96:30] you know the cancer is not I mean we [96:32] there are things we can do to help and [96:34] there is evidence to show that we can [96:36] help reduce the risk at least and if not [96:39] sometimes the um virilence of cancer but [96:43] mostly what we're doing is helping [96:45] people to function better while they've [96:48] been through chemo or various other [96:50] treatments while they've still [96:51] recovering from the cancer and its [96:52] effects and it could be digestion could [96:55] be things like sleep it could be you [96:56] know all sorts of other things that we [96:58] can do to help. So there's there's the [97:01] preventative element which is doing [97:02] things within your sort of lifestyle [97:04] choices, your diet to reduce the the [97:07] likelihood you'll get cancer. But then [97:09] once you have it, there's ways you can [97:12] use herbs and other sort of remedies to [97:14] better deal with [97:16] >> life [97:17] >> life generally. When you when you think [97:20] about cancer prevention, is it do you [97:23] think that one of the most powerful [97:24] things we can do is to focus on what [97:26] we're putting inside our bodies? [97:27] >> Yes. And you know, we've learned about [97:29] cigarettes a long time ago. And there [97:31] are other foods that have got a higher [97:34] risk of cancer. We talk about, you know, [97:37] processed meats for example has [97:38] increasingly been seen as a cancer risk. [97:41] U but I suggest that the main risk in [97:43] cancer is just poor diets generally. Too [97:46] much fat, too much carbs, too much sugar [97:49] all at once usually. Um and that strains [97:52] the body in a way it wasn't meant. And [97:55] there is evidence to show that by [97:56] correcting poor diet you can prevent um [98:00] cancer increasingly that's accepted. [98:03] >> I'm pretty sure that the cardiovascular [98:05] diseases are the single biggest killer. [98:07] Yes. Still [98:08] >> cardiovascular in the west we're talking [98:10] about so developed countries [98:12] >> catching up I'm afraid in other parts of [98:15] the world where they adopt more western [98:18] lifestyles. Uh but that's a combination [98:20] of food and poor low level of exercise. [98:24] um that we're putting our finger on [98:27] there is also cardiovascular disease is [98:30] a is another form of long-term [98:32] inflammation and increasingly that's [98:35] been understood. You know, it's not just [98:37] fat or cholesterol or blood pressure. [98:40] It's an inflammatory mechanism going on [98:43] that's causing the harm and that's [98:45] increasingly accepted by cardiologists [98:47] and such. So, if I'm if I'm trying to [98:51] reduce my chances of having some kind of [98:53] heart related issue, are there any herbs [98:55] or any products here that you think are [98:57] beneficial? [98:58] >> Mostly, it's the food. When we're [99:00] talking about long-term cardiovascular [99:02] health, uh we have plants that we use uh [99:05] to manage [99:07] cardiac cardiovascular problems. I mean [99:10] the classic that a lot of people know [99:11] about is the Hawthorne or the Mayflower. [99:14] Uh but the Hawthorne particularly the [99:16] flour and the leaf used to be a regular [99:20] home remedy that people used to use and [99:22] drink as a tea uh for all sorts of [99:24] reasons. You know managing fevers and [99:27] all sorts of things like that. But we [99:29] can we can now see regular hawthornne [99:32] consumption, hawthornne leaf consumption [99:35] as a preventative for some of the [99:37] problems of cardiovascular. Just as an [99:39] example, I would I would use spices as [99:41] my main go-to to help to fend off [99:44] cardiovascular problems because they all [99:46] have vascular benefits. [99:50] >> Spices as in as in [99:52] >> the ginger, the cinnamon we talked [99:54] about, but here's turmeric. And this is [99:56] something we don't usually see in but if [99:59] you can see there's in fact if you cut [100:02] that with your knife there [100:03] >> I've just cut it open. [100:05] >> Yeah. You'll see it's bright. Yeah. It's [100:06] bright orange. That's the kurcumin [100:11] that people use as a supplement. [100:14] >> I've got kurcumin at home. I was um I [100:16] was advised to use that when I pulled [100:18] the ligaments in my ankle. [100:19] >> Yes. [100:19] >> It's an anti-inflammatory, isn't it? [100:22] You can see a little bit why I don't [100:24] like using anti-inflammatory because I [100:26] like inflammation as a friend. So what I [100:28] prefer to talk about is they modulate or [100:30] support or manage inflammation. Uh but [100:34] turmeric is an extraordinary remedy and [100:37] here's an interesting story. We talk [100:39] about we need kurcumin that from [100:41] turmeric and you'll get a supplement [100:43] saying you know my co my turmeric's got [100:45] more kurcumin than yours and it's more [100:47] available. The the interesting point is [100:51] that kurcumin is not absorbed by into [100:54] the body at all about one or two% maybe [100:57] the rest stays stubbornly in the gut [101:02] and there's a very good reason for that [101:04] because in any high dose kuramin is [101:06] toxic. [101:08] So there's a good reason for it staying [101:09] in the gut, but there's a lot of work on [101:12] making it more bioavailable, getting the [101:14] levels up in the blood. And if you add [101:16] pepper, you might get from 1 or 2% to 2 [101:19] to 3%, you know, but it's still small [101:22] beer compared with the amount of [101:24] turmeric that we uh take uh the amounts [101:27] of kurcumin that we take in in an [101:29] ordinary curry. So what's going on? And [101:32] that what is going on is that kurcamin [101:34] and in and turmeric is one of the best [101:37] remedies we have for microbiome. [101:41] There's a conversation going on. The [101:43] turmeric is encouraging the good guys. [101:46] The good guys are breaking turmeric and [101:48] kurcumin down into more available [101:50] materials which are active. [101:53] it belongs in the gut and its [101:55] inflammatory modulating effects come [101:58] mostly from the products of the [102:01] microbiome working on the kurcumin and [102:04] moving through the body that way. So [102:07] it's a wonderful lesson in you know the [102:10] that the medicine actually relies in [102:13] this case almost entirely on a good [102:17] microbiome. [102:20] an effect that is reduced by the way if [102:22] you have a lot of antibiotics. [102:25] >> Okay, so my microbiome is really the [102:27] processing center for many of these [102:30] things. And if I have a bad gut [102:32] microbiome because I've been eating the [102:33] wrong foods and I haven't had diversity [102:35] of plants, then even if I take some of [102:38] these herbs that are good for me, I [102:40] won't be able to process them properly [102:41] anyway. [102:42] >> Not as well as you might. Yes, that is [102:45] true. We talk about uh we the the the we [102:49] got probiotics which is the yogurts and [102:51] the kimchi and the cafiers and so on [102:54] which are actually living organisms. [102:56] They have to get through the stomach by [102:57] the way which is quite a hard deal [102:59] because the stomach's job is to [103:00] sterilize foods but some of them will [103:03] get through. Those are the probiotics. [103:05] The prebiotics are what we've been [103:07] talking about here. The foods that will [103:10] encourage the good guys in the [103:12] microbiome. We got a new kit on the [103:14] block called postbiotics. [103:16] >> Mhm. [103:17] >> Which is now an industrial term used for [103:20] killed bacteria which are then given as [103:22] a medicine. But technically a postbiotic [103:25] is anything that the bacteria produce. [103:27] >> Mhm. [103:29] >> And we're learning that more and more of [103:31] what we eat, particularly from the plant [103:33] side, is converted by the microbiome [103:36] into medicines. [103:39] And all those polyphenols and the [103:40] colorings and so on are in that group. [103:43] So a lot of the benefits of polyphenols [103:45] are postbiotic benefits. [103:48] >> There was a study done in 2007 that [103:50] showed can't even say it. [103:52] >> Curcumin [103:54] >> that shows curcumin upregulates anti- [103:58] oxidant defenses and downregulates [104:01] oxidative stress. [104:02] >> Yeah. There was a study done in 2016 [104:05] which is a meta analysis of random [104:08] control trials found curcuminum [104:10] comparable to ibuprofen in terms of pain [104:12] relief. [104:14] >> Answers your earlier question, doesn't [104:15] it? [104:16] >> And there's a lot of uh lots of studies [104:18] that show that it's effective for people [104:20] that have things like arthritis [104:22] and joint pains. [104:24] >> Yeah, that was leaving the best to last. [104:29] Yeah, there there's a lot of work on [104:31] kurcamin and turmeric. As I say, a lot [104:33] of people get confused because they [104:35] think the it only works if you absorb it [104:37] into the blood. And I'm saying that [104:39] actually you don't. What you do is you [104:41] work with the microbiome to make it [104:43] useful. [104:44] >> And there's early preclinical studies [104:47] taking place around the impact it can [104:49] have with cancers. And there's promising [104:51] but early studies showing the impact [104:53] that curcumin that comes from turmeric [104:55] can have on brain health. [104:56] >> Yes. Well, that's definitely a big [104:58] story, but just on the when you say [105:01] preclinical, that usually mean that it [105:03] does mean laboratory. So that's a test [105:06] tubes and b rats and other animals. [105:09] >> None of those tell us what happens when [105:11] we [105:12] >> put it in a human. [105:13] >> Put it in the human. So all a [105:14] preclinical study will do is point to a [105:16] possible effect. And time again, [105:18] pharmaceutical companies will tell you [105:20] this. you know, a promising pre-clinical [105:22] lead doesn't lead to a medicine because [105:24] it turns out to be a toxic or doesn't [105:26] agree with humans. So, we take [105:28] pre-clinical evidence with caution. And [105:31] we're personally I'm mostly interested [105:34] in human studies because that's the only [105:37] thing that makes any sense. Um, but you [105:39] mentioned brain health because here's [105:42] one of the big gaps we have, don't we? [105:45] Because we were we've got a lot of brain [105:47] health issues right now. [105:49] >> Mhm. dementia is still going in the [105:52] wrong direction. Um it's a very [105:55] distressing thing if you have any in [105:57] your family and increasingly there's [106:00] people saying what can we do to prevent [106:03] this and Alzheimer's is all about there [106:06] being the wrong sort of protein and [106:08] deposits in the brain but increasingly [106:11] the focus is switching on to the blood [106:14] supply to the brain what we call the [106:17] vascular effects on the brain and [106:21] there's something we used to call the [106:23] blood brain barrier which you probably [106:25] heard of which is seen to be the place [106:27] where the barrier that stops a lot of [106:30] stuff entering the brain and potentially [106:32] upsetting it. We now know this bloodb [106:34] brain barrier is a very dynamic [106:37] interesting interface between the brains [106:42] tissue and the rest of us. is now called [106:44] the neurovvascular unit, NVU. [106:48] And it is so exciting. And the more we [106:52] look at it so far, the more we find that [106:55] the things that help the neurovvascular [106:58] unit, the bloodb brain barrier are [107:00] plants. And we have green tea. And you [107:04] know we can if you if you really want to [107:07] help um our brain health regular [107:11] drinking of green tea you know [107:14] it's been shown to be really useful. Not [107:16] that rather than the supplement by the [107:18] way is the drink that you have um oh I [107:21] put it in here right so we can make it. [107:26] So as you make that can you explain to [107:28] me why green tea is a good idea [107:33] >> because it contains a number of again [107:36] polyphenols [107:37] >> and polyphenols are those [107:38] >> are these colors [107:39] >> these colors yeah [107:40] >> in this case it's green obviously and me [107:42] tea is just the smoked unprocessed part [107:46] of the tea leaf so it's a plant called [107:48] chameleia senses um [107:55] so this is a nice Japanese teapot. [107:58] That's the sort of thing you'd have [107:59] green tea in. And these are the mugs, [108:01] but we've filled these up already with [108:03] uh uh ginger and cinnamon. So, let's [108:06] let's leave it for a moment. But what we [108:08] can while it's sitting there for a [108:10] while, there are a number of these [108:12] polyphenols and green tea that seem to [108:14] be particularly [108:16] effective in modulating that barrier. We [108:19] talked about the neurovvascular unit [108:21] between the brain and the rest of us. [108:24] And um there's all sorts of reasons why [108:27] regular consumption of green tea seems [108:29] to be linked to less of this sort of [108:32] trouble. [108:32] >> What what sort of trouble? [108:33] >> The dementia type problems, cognitive [108:36] decline as you get older. [108:38] >> Do they find that in cultures where they [108:39] drink a lot of green tea, they have less [108:41] dementia? [108:41] >> Yeah. But that doesn't mean there's a [108:43] cause and effect. So you need a few [108:44] other things to establish that. What [108:47] we're finding is that other plants have [108:50] very likely powerful effects in this [108:52] area. And I mentioned the rosemary. Now [108:54] all you need to do to appreciate [108:57] rosemary is to press it and sniff. [109:01] >> Oh, it smells so good. Really nice. [109:04] >> That's not just nice because what you're [109:06] doing there is you're inhaling volatile [109:08] oils, [109:09] >> the things that give the smell. [109:11] >> And when you're inhaling, [109:13] they're literally going into your brain [109:15] because part of the brain actually [109:18] reaches the outside world. It's called [109:20] the alactory lobe and it's right at the [109:22] top of the nose here. [109:23] >> And when you inhale something, it [109:25] literally moves into the brain and from [109:29] there into the lyic system. Remember [109:31] there's a line in a Shakespeare play [109:33] called Hamlet Ailia [109:36] the young lady says rosemary that's for [109:40] remembrance [109:41] >> because everyone knew that this improved [109:44] cognitive functions and when I was in [109:46] working on our campus in Maryland we [109:49] actually did a clinical trial with [109:51] rosemary in people with struggling with [109:54] their crosswords you know as they get [109:55] older and found that although it wasn't [109:58] a conclusive study there were pointers [110:00] to it improving cognitive or performance [110:03] in those people and there's been other [110:05] studies since that re that reinforce [110:07] that. I would say that rosemary is one [110:09] of the ones to watch in terms of [110:12] long-term brain health. There's another [110:14] remedy called GKO that a lot of people [110:17] know about which is used as a [110:18] prescription medicine in Europe uh for [110:22] cardiovascular problems and that's been [110:24] shown to be likely useful and using the [110:28] same sort of mechanisms as as we've seen [110:30] here and with the green tea. I'll check [110:33] it here. Yeah, that looks all right. [110:39] You see it's more yellow than green, but [110:42] uh [110:44] and this is flavored with a little bit [110:45] of mint to make it a little more [110:47] agreeable. Sometimes people find green [110:50] tea is not their favorite taste. [110:53] >> Green tea is rich in polyphenols um [110:55] which are linked to benefits ranging [110:57] from heart and brain health to fat loss [110:59] and cancer prevention. [111:04] >> It's got a nice minty flavor. [111:06] >> Yeah. [111:07] >> You could live with that, couldn't you? [111:08] >> Yeah. Yeah, [111:09] >> my girlfriend again, she she's all over [111:11] this stuff. She's always bloody right. [111:13] >> Well, you know that or learned that [111:14] lesson a long time ago. [111:15] >> I know, right? Like I say it all the [111:17] time on this podcast, but she's always [111:18] like two, three years ahead of what then [111:21] someone really really smart comes and [111:22] tells me and I spend those two or three [111:24] years in denial. I'm like, what the [ __ ] [111:25] is she like doing over there? Don't get [111:28] me started on cacao. If you start [111:29] talking to me about cacao, I'm going to [111:30] leave. No, no, no, no, no. She's been [111:32] telling [111:33] >> I'm gonna I'm gonna nail this because [111:34] there's a lot of people listening who [111:36] will want to hear this. Okay, [111:37] >> Coco. Yeah, [111:38] >> chocolate, dark chocolate is a medicine. [111:43] End of one of the best medicines around [111:47] is 50 g or 100 g of 75% or more dark [111:52] chocolate. Do you know what I've just [111:54] realized? My girlfriend, she's going to [111:55] live till she's 150 because she all she [111:58] eats 90% or something 80% dark [112:02] chocolate. She drinks green tea all day. [112:06] She has [112:08] the ginger and cinnamon drinks all day. [112:12] She eats the full rainbow. [112:14] >> She should be slipping in for you. [112:15] >> I know. I I know. Exactly. [112:18] >> No, Coco. Seriously, [112:22] brain health as well, [112:23] >> cardiovascular health. [112:26] >> I mean, they just they do studies where [112:27] they've put coco into volunteers. That [112:30] means students usually um you know so [112:33] young kids and they were able to show [112:36] changes in the blood flow within minutes [112:40] certainly within an hour of eating cocoa [112:45] >> beneficial changes in your blood flow. [112:47] >> They call it the heart medicine. [112:48] >> Yeah. Heart circulation brain. [112:53] >> So she's um my girlfriend's very [112:54] spiritual. She runs a business called [112:56] Barley Breathwork. Um hashtag ad if I [112:58] have to say that. But in her business, [113:00] one of the things she does at the very [113:01] start of the session with women all over [113:03] the world that come to her retreats is [113:05] she makes cacao for them. And [113:09] you notice instantly how people change [113:11] when they've had a hot cup of cacao. [113:14] It's and and she says it like almost [113:15] brings out their heart. And I guess [113:18] that's because of the circulation [113:19] reasons. It is, but it also of course we [113:22] know it contains a few other beneficial [113:25] stimul stimulating effects sort of [113:27] similar to the effects with coffee which [113:29] in certainly as I've already said is a [113:31] medicine as well. Uh but cocoa and [113:33] chocolate does have a uplifting effect [113:36] which is why we love it. So [113:38] >> and we have to be clear here we're not [113:40] talking about hot chocolate that comes [113:42] from a packet or something necessarily. [113:43] >> We would like it to be as dark as [113:45] possible. [113:46] >> Okay. So, [113:47] >> the less sugar, the less fat. Um, so we [113:51] talk about 75% cocoa solids, you know, [113:54] so it's dark chocolate and it tastes a [113:56] bit more medicinal, doesn't it? It's not [113:58] as sweet. Um, but I'm saying to many of [114:01] my patients, take 50 grams a day. [114:06] It's a medicine. [114:08] >> Damn, she's right. My fridge is full of [114:11] dark chocolate. I tend to avoid it, but [114:13] the drawer of my fridge has all of her [114:16] dark chocolate in and it's she she likes [114:18] it 90%. If she can get it 90%, she'll [114:20] take it. [114:20] >> Yeah. 90% is quite bitter now. [114:23] >> Yeah. Yeah. [114:25] >> I am I was in Peru and I went to a [114:27] chocolate making lesson and that [114:28] chocolate making lesson changed my life. [114:30] And it changed my life because I didn't [114:32] realize how much sugar goes into [114:36] chocolate, but specifically white [114:37] chocolate. Oh my god. They said they [114:40] gave me this big beaker which was you [114:41] know this big like a a foot high and a [114:43] foot wide and they were like right pour [114:46] the sugar in. So I poured some and [114:48] they're like they like laughed at me. [114:50] They were like no fill it like 70% with [114:53] this white sugar. And I was like there's [114:56] no way. I poured about 60 or 70% [114:59] white sugar into this massive tube and [115:01] they were like okay now put a little bit [115:02] of this and a little bit of this little [115:03] bit of oil whatever. And I couldn't [115:05] believe that it's literally like the [115:07] white chocolate is like literally all [115:08] sugar. Then milk chocolate was like 50% [115:10] sugar. And then when we did when we made [115:12] the dark chocolate, it was a tiny amount [115:15] like a tiny tiny amount. And from that [115:18] day onwards, white chocolate's left my [115:20] life. There was once upon a time we a [115:22] few years back when the Europeans uh [115:25] union, I think before we joined it, said [115:28] that we shouldn't call uh dairy milk [115:31] chocolate at all. It's a chocolate [115:32] flavor candy is what they described it [115:34] as [115:34] >> literally. Yeah. So this is So we've got [115:37] some green tea here. [115:38] >> Yeah. [115:39] >> And you're talking to me about the [115:41] association between green tea and [115:43] Alzheimer's which is really exciting. [115:45] >> Yes. [115:46] >> Um [115:47] >> there's quite a lot of work being done [115:48] now on these [115:50] and there they're obviously looking for [115:52] medications as well but so far most of [115:54] the data coming in in relates to [115:56] plant-based materials. So it suggests [115:58] that there's other reasons why having [116:00] plants and again spices come back into [116:03] the mix um seem to be helpful for brain [116:07] health. I'm having a look at the green [116:11] tea. [116:13] There was a study done in 2008 which [116:15] supports how it improved cognitive [116:18] function, memory, attention accuracy and [116:20] um long-term consumption associated with [116:23] lower risk of cognitive decline and [116:24] Alzheimer's disease according to the [116:26] Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry in [116:28] 2011. [116:30] >> It's nice to have somebody else just say [116:31] what you said. [116:32] >> Yeah, but it's it's exactly I didn't [116:35] realize. I didn't I had no idea. [116:38] I had no idea. [116:40] All those times I turned it down when [116:42] she offered it to me. [116:44] >> You can't say sorry. [116:46] >> I have literally literally I've got a [116:48] Wow. heart health, brain function, fat [116:51] burning and metabolism, cancer [116:54] prevention, early evidence, blood sugar [116:56] and insulin sensitivity, gut and oral [116:58] health. What about matcha? I'm a I'm a [117:01] big investor in um the biggest matcha [117:04] company in Europe. It's probably more [117:06] beneficial than the basic green tea [117:08] because it's it's it's more shall we say [117:12] pure. Um it's finer quality. So the [117:16] chances are that matcha will do more [117:18] than we've just said the green tea will [117:20] do. Um but there's there's a evidence [117:22] lack and a lot of these things is we [117:24] need more evidence, but it would point [117:26] to matcha being particularly helpful. [117:29] >> We haven't talked much about [117:32] cholesterol. [117:34] No, you haven't brought it up. [117:36] >> Cholesterol is a type of fat made in [117:38] your liver which travels in your blood [117:40] and can be found. What is um for anyone [117:42] that doesn't know cholesterol, what it [117:44] is and why it if it's a good or bad [117:46] thing, [117:47] >> what do I need to know about cholesterol [117:48] and is there anything in front of us [117:49] here that can help keep my cholesterol [117:51] in a healthy state? I did think I think [117:53] a doctor did actually tell me at one [117:54] point that I had high cholesterol [117:56] >> um a couple of years ago because of my [117:58] diet at the time. The keto of course [118:00] will tend to well it's interesting again [118:03] keto you think would push up your [118:05] cholesterol levels but actually there's [118:07] a mixture of effects. So it's not it's [118:09] not a done deal that it will raise your [118:12] cholesterol. It there's cholesterol is [118:14] part of a range of fats the body has. [118:18] Most of the fats that are in the body [118:19] come from the food and they come in as [118:22] heavy fats we say. And what the [118:25] digestion does is a strip down the [118:27] heaviness and it becomes more what we [118:30] call high density [118:32] uh lipop liposite [118:36] HDLs. My tongue is twisting around it. [118:39] And uh cholesterol is sort of in the [118:42] middle of that as one of the elements [118:45] within that spectrum of fats. [118:49] What cholesterol is actually a secreted [118:52] by the liver for very good reasons. It [118:53] helps with all sorts of things. It's the [118:55] basis of some of our hormones. There's [118:56] all sorts of reasons why we need [118:58] cholesterol. I sometimes have referred [119:00] to in the past as the tiger in the tank [119:02] that it sort of helps to fire up some of [119:05] our get up and go. And if we were [119:07] physically active during the during the [119:09] day working on the land or whatever, you [119:12] need a certain amount of cholesterol to [119:14] motor. [119:15] We're sitting in chairs and the [119:18] cholesterol becomes increasing a [119:19] problem. We have a highfat diet that [119:21] tends to put in more of it. And the [119:24] point is that many of us our cholesterol [119:27] levels increasingly rise and that is a [119:29] risk factor as we know for [119:32] cardiovascular disease. we we said was [119:35] still one of the biggest killer. So [119:38] cholesterol is up there as a risk factor [119:40] and so the usual thing that a doctor [119:42] will do is to hand you something a [119:44] statin basically that will reduce your [119:47] cholesterol levels. [119:49] They also know that there's more push [119:52] back on that prescription than almost [119:53] anything else because the word is out [119:55] that statins can do this that or the [119:57] other interfere with your muscle [119:59] strength and all the rest of it. Give [120:00] you little aches and pains that you know [120:03] most people have statins without a [120:05] problem but the [120:07] impact of statins is still modest in [120:10] terms of the overall scheme of things. [120:12] You know the numbers of people's lives [120:14] it saves is probably fairly minimal. So [120:16] the probably the better conversation is [120:18] to have what can we do to [120:20] recontextualize the cholesterol so that [120:23] it becomes more like it should be a good [120:25] thing rather than a risk and the first [120:29] thing is to have a more apart from the [120:32] keto have the more vegetable-based [120:35] plant-based diet because that in itself [120:37] will tend to mop up and reduce [120:39] cholesterol. [120:40] exercise becomes important because by [120:43] physical activity we can manage it [120:45] better. And then where we come in uh [120:48] with the work I do is to look at high [120:50] cholesterol is potentially a sign of [120:52] liver distress and you know we like [120:56] working with the liver and there's a [120:58] number of remedies that we use to help [121:02] reduce cholesterol levels mainly by [121:05] getting more out through the bile and so [121:07] on. So, it's a there's not a straight [121:10] answer to your question. Um, you know, [121:12] the statin is sounds like a simple pill [121:15] that fixes it. Uh, the reality is is [121:17] that we need to look at a much wider [121:19] range of things. [121:20] >> You're a fan of artichokes for [121:22] cholesterol. [121:22] >> Yes, you you must have read my mind. Uh, [121:26] the artich choke leaf uh is the one [121:28] we're talking about which is used in [121:30] France a lot for basically fat liver [121:33] related problems a lot. Uh I use it a [121:36] lot in the practice as a juice actually [121:38] just as a pressed juice. Um uh yes it's [121:41] one of them. Dandelion root is another [121:44] old familiar which seems to be helpful [121:47] here mostly by as I said flushing stuff [121:50] through the bile and there is a range of [121:53] other things that we use. [121:55] >> One of the things that you know many [121:56] people are concerned about when they're [121:58] thinking about changing their diet is [121:59] just the cost of it. they think it's [122:01] super expensive to to buy all these [122:04] fresh fruit and veg and you know [122:09] is that the case is is that a barrier to [122:11] to entry to the stuff we've talked about [122:13] today at all [122:14] >> my usual answer that is east eat Asian [122:18] because as I said if you can make a meal [122:21] with vegetables and spices and things [122:26] like lentils and so on beans for very [122:28] cheaply it's just that we got out of the [122:30] habit or we haven't got into the habit [122:32] of doing that slightly slow cooking. Uh [122:36] we will buy our Indian meals sometimes [122:39] from places that put a more fat in than [122:41] they might. Um so some of the meals we [122:44] can buy that are Asian are a bit too [122:47] fatty. But if you make it yourself at [122:48] home, which means learning how to cook, [122:51] but you can eat very cheaply. [122:54] >> What is the most important thing that we [122:56] didn't talk about that we should have [122:57] talked about? [123:00] Well, I suppose I didn't mention much [123:02] about the omerazole um because that that [123:06] >> I've never heard of this before. [123:07] >> Mezriole? [123:08] >> Yeah, I've never heard of it. [123:09] >> Yeah, they are increasingly a minority. [123:12] >> Oh, really? Arazzole is the most widely [123:15] prescribed drug in this country and I [123:17] believe in the US also. And it's for [123:19] acid reflux. [123:21] >> It's what the Americans call gird and [123:24] what we call gourd because we spell [123:26] esophagus differently. So we spell [123:29] esophagus with an OE and Americans spell [123:32] it with an E. So it's either gird or [123:33] gore depending on which country you're [123:35] in. And that means gastro esophageal [123:38] reflux disease. Gourd. [123:41] And acid reflux is a real issue with a [123:46] lot of people and they find that when [123:49] they go to a doctor, the doctor will [123:51] routinely prescribe a merazole or [123:53] something like it. [123:55] And gourd is actually diagnosed by as a [124:00] condition which is made better by [124:02] omerazol. I mean it's literally it's a [124:04] disease that is diagnosed by the [124:06] treatment. [124:08] And what a merazole does is shuts down [124:11] the acid production in the stomach. So [124:14] you don't get as much damage by reflux. [124:18] The problem is is that the acid's doing [124:21] a job. It's sterilizing your food, which [124:25] is important, isn't it? It's also [124:28] helping to break it down so that it [124:29] becomes not an immune threat, which you [124:33] know, if you have a blood transfusion or [124:35] something in the wrong blood, you get a [124:36] problem. You we're eating forest stuff [124:38] all the time. We rely on the stomach and [124:40] the juices to make it safe. So, the acid [124:44] is there to protect us. [124:47] When we're getting acid reflux, [124:49] actually, it's not because you got too [124:51] much acid. is because you're refluxing [124:53] it. It's going back up into the gullet, [124:56] the esophagus. But a merazole will put [124:59] an end to that. The problem with a two [125:02] problems. First is that the list of [125:04] problems occurring from long-term [125:06] amrazol use is beginning to grow and is [125:09] serious. [125:10] Cancers, dementias, all sorts of things [125:13] are beginning to be downstream problems [125:16] associated with long-term omerazol use. [125:18] But the other thing is is that once [125:20] you're on it, it's really difficult to [125:23] come off it and you get a famous rebound [125:26] effect. So you come off the merazole and [125:29] wow, you get much more trouble. So the [125:32] only thing to do is take more mezrazole [125:34] and people find it really hard to come [125:36] off it. So you have to do a lot of hard [125:38] work to wean people off and do it in [125:41] sorts of different ways. So what do we [125:44] do instead? Well, one simple thing to [125:46] do, and anyone can do this, and you [125:48] don't need to go very far, is to use [125:51] what we call the raft principle. So, [125:54] there are some plants that have got a [125:57] lot of mucus in them, mucelage. [126:00] The classic example from North America, [126:02] Sri Elm, it's a sort of powder that [126:05] looks like you make polyfiller to fill [126:07] the crack with, you know, it's a white [126:09] powder. When it's mixed with water, it [126:11] forms this paste, this muc mucous stuff. [126:15] You want to have it as a tablet because [126:17] you don't want all to swallow that [126:18] stuff. But when it's in the stomach, it [126:20] produces this mucus layer. You don't [126:25] need to go to slippery elm. There is a [126:27] product here in this country called [126:29] Gavaskon, which is essentially seaweed [126:32] gum with I don't have shares in it, by [126:34] the way, but it it's seaweed gum with [126:36] some minerals in there. And they [126:39] advertise it when you see the television [126:41] ads as the raft. So what they're doing [126:43] is you're putting a layer of mucus on [126:46] top of your food. So you have it after [126:48] you've had your last mouthful. You have [126:49] a bit of there. And then as the food [126:52] pushes up back into the gullet, you've [126:54] got this nice mucous coating, a raft to [126:58] stop it [126:59] >> back up. [127:01] That carbohydrate, it's what it is, gets [127:03] digested within a couple of hours. End [127:05] off. No problem. It's not even a [127:07] medicine. It's just a physical barrier. [127:11] So it could have gavasone, you could [127:12] have copium, you could have aloe vera, [127:14] there's a number of other muc mucousy [127:16] type plants that people use and that can [127:20] without any other complication at all be [127:23] one step. And I use it regularly with [127:26] with when I'm weaning people off. I will [127:28] use the raft principle to help prevent [127:32] some of the harm you get with reflux. [127:35] That's simple example. [127:37] You're very fond of these plants. They [127:40] are living organisms, aren't they? [127:46] Are you concerned about how we we treat [127:48] them? [127:49] >> I'm concerned about the nate the world [127:52] that they come from because of course [127:54] increasingly we have to produce these [127:55] industrially which sometimes mean in [127:58] monoculture. Well, it usually means a [127:59] monoulture form. They're grown in rows [128:01] and rows and they put weed killers down [128:03] to get other plants out of the way and [128:06] so they become less [128:09] uh natural. [128:11] >> And we talked about the polyphenols. You [128:14] know, PA, the company I worked for was [128:17] all organic and we were able to show [128:20] that a plant that grows organically [128:23] that doesn't have pesticides [128:26] needs to fight his own battles more. [128:28] >> Mhm. Because if you got a pesticide, you [128:30] don't need to worry about so much, you [128:32] know, the the pests and the attackers. [128:34] So, a plant that's grown in wild or [128:37] organically without chemicals has more [128:40] polyphenols because the polyphenols are [128:42] part of the plant's defense mechanism. M [128:45] >> so the more you can buy or I mean that's [128:48] where foraging comes in. You know my [128:50] colleague in Devon is a forager and he [128:52] he can walk around hedro and show you [128:54] you can make a whole meal out of plasma [128:56] people just walk past um because people [128:59] used to do that. So that's real wild [129:02] eating which must be one of the best [129:04] ways of eating. Uh but the more close to [129:07] nature you can get your plants the [129:10] better. We have to live with what we've [129:12] got and most plants are grown without [129:15] that. But they're still better than [129:17] having them not having them at all. [129:20] Simon, thank you. Um, we have a closing [129:22] tradition on this podcast where the last [129:23] guest leaves a question for the next [129:24] guest not knowing who they're leaving it [129:25] for. The question left for you is, "Our [129:29] world is changing fast. How do you keep [129:32] up?" [129:38] I think [129:41] the world is we all know getting pretty [129:44] scary out there, isn't it? [129:47] There is a a truth which is you and the [129:52] people around you are the actually the [129:55] only things that matter daytoday are [129:57] they are of closest dearest the ones [130:00] that we have invested most. [130:04] One of the reasons that I'm increasingly [130:06] happy to spend my time working in the [130:10] practice in extra rather than [130:12] chasing around the world is because [130:16] as [130:18] the world gets more frightening, [130:22] the more you realize that it's the [130:24] connections you make with each other [130:27] you put back to back if you like, you [130:29] know, face the world out there back to [130:31] back. And I think [130:35] it's reconnecting with those who are [130:38] closest to you. That is the best [130:40] antidote I know. And that also includes [130:43] reconnecting with the the nature and the [130:45] world around it. So that would be my [130:46] answer. [130:48] >> And who is that in your life? Who are [130:50] those people? [130:51] >> I have family. I have now 10 [130:54] grandchildren between us, Rachel and [130:57] myself. [130:58] >> Congratulations. And so um the uh [131:00] electronic calendar comes into its own [131:03] to keep track of all that. Uh so yes the [131:08] we've we've uh got a a no spread around [131:10] the globe. So it's a it's a widespread [131:13] thing but we've got people close by and [131:16] you know obviously your closest and [131:17] nearest are the ones that matter. [131:21] >> Simon thank you so much for doing what [131:22] you do. I highly recommend everybody [131:23] goes and checks out your work. I've [131:24] never had a conversation with someone [131:26] that knows so much about plants and and [131:28] herbs in my life. So, I was so excited [131:30] to learn more. And you have changed my [131:32] opinion on so many things. I can't wait [131:33] to go and tell my girlfriend that she's [131:35] right about everything. [131:37] >> I'll I'll slip her the I'll she can slip [131:40] me the tenner. [131:43] >> And I highly recommend um people go and [131:45] check out your your website and go to [131:47] your herb which takes place once a [131:49] month. Um, I'm sure there's going to be [131:51] lots of people getting in touch with you [131:52] to try and come and see you in person as [131:53] well, which is fantastic. Is there [131:55] anything else that if my listeners want [131:57] to take a step forward from here in this [131:59] direction and understand more about [132:00] herbs? I've got your books here which [132:02] I'm going to link below. There's the [132:03] herb hour on your website. Is there [132:05] anything else that we should be aware [132:06] of? [132:06] >> As I said, the website does link to this [132:09] wonderful resource that's not I mean I [132:11] contribute to the herbal reality one [132:12] which is where you're going to find [132:13] almost anything you want to know about [132:15] using plants. So that's I'll stop there, [132:17] but you can step through my website to [132:19] get there because you'll find a few [132:20] other things on the way. Um there is [132:22] resources out there and it's [132:24] increasingly reliable. These are not [132:27] dreamt up, you know, for a Tik Tok [132:30] video. They're well thought through and [132:31] based on a lot of human experience. So [132:34] there is stuff out there if you're [132:35] looking for it. [132:36] >> Thank you. You're very much leading the [132:38] charge to bring us all back to being [132:40] human beings and I'm a big big fan of [132:42] that and it's a journey I'm on myself. [132:45] So, thank you so much for doing the work [132:46] that you do and being a champion for for [132:48] nature in all its forms. So, um and I [132:50] really really hope that uh I really hope [132:52] that more people, more podcasters host [132:55] you so that you can get the uh get the [132:56] message out there. [132:57] >> Thank you. [132:59] >> This has always blown my mind a little [133:01] bit. 53% of you that listen to the show [133:04] regularly haven't yet subscribed to the [133:06] show. So, could I ask you for a favor? [133:08] If you like the show and you like what [133:09] we do here and you want to support us, [133:10] the free simple way that you can do just [133:12] that is by hitting the subscribe button. [133:14] And my commitment to you is if you do [133:15] that, then I'll do everything in my [133:17] power, me and my team, to make sure that [133:19] this show is better for you every single [133:21] week. We'll listen to your feedback. [133:22] We'll find the guests that you want me [133:24] to speak to, and we'll continue to do [133:25] what we do. Thank you so much. [133:30] [Music] [133:40] Hey. Hey. Hey. [133:47] [Music]