Star Anise can be used to make a tea for cold & flu symptoms.
Hey People
Today, I thought we’d start a new type of post that we’ll doing periodically and that is featuring herbs and other treatments that are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
In today’s tip, I wanted to highlight Star Anise, known as Da Hui Xiang in Chinese.
This is an herb that is traditionally combined with other herbs and used as a pain reliever, and digestive aid (it is especially effective for treating nausea and indigestion).
It has a lovely licorice like flavor and you can find it in dried form at many Hispanic and Asian markets.
Another interesting thing to note is that Star anise is the major source of the chemical compound shikimic acid.
This compound is used to make the anti-influenza drug oseltamivir(Tamiflu).
And for all you trivia fans …in 2005, a temporary shortage of star anise was caused by its use in the production of Tamiflu.
So, that means it also has anti-viral properties and can be a good tea for aiding in the prevention and treatment of the flu.
Since pain, digestive complaints and colds and flus can all be issues for people with Hashimoto’s, we recommend this as a tea that you can keep around the house and drink regularly.
How to prepare it:
Use 2 star anise per cup of filtered water.
Bring water to a boil. Add the star anise, turn down the heat.
Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes for a strong cup of tea.
Doesn’t really need sweetening, and the flavor will be quite strong when you simmer it for this amount of time.
Simmering for this amount of time will release the medicinal properties and covering it will preserve the aromatic oils.
For a gentler cup of tea, simmer for 5 minutes.
Have a great day! Unless you have other plans. 🙂
Please share with anyone you think might enjoy this.
Adapted from Chapter Seventeen of How to Heal Hashimoto’s: An Integrative Road Map to Remission, published by Hay House. 
In this post, I will show you how to use the A.P.A.R.T. System to heal the adrenals.
Not sure what that means? Click here to learn about the A.P.A.R.T. System.
Open your journal (keeping a food/behavior/reaction journal is an absolute necessity, in my opinion, if you are serious about healing your Hashimoto’s) and try to figure out which symptoms of problems with the adrenals you have (see below for a list).
Note what they are, then create a plan for addressing them.
After that take inventory of what you did. Look at what worked and what didn’t. Both will provide valuable information.
Double down on what worked, change what didn’t. Keep at it.
But don’t wait to deal with stress and heal the adrenals. They are just too important to wait.
Symptoms of Low Cortisol (Adrenal Exhaustion Phase)
Cannot stay asleep
Crave salt
Slow starter in the morning
Afternoon fatigue
Dizziness when standing up quickly
Afternoon headaches
Headaches with exertion or stress
Weak nails
Symptoms of High Cortisol (Adrenal Resistance /Alarm Stages)
Cannot fall asleep
Perspire easily
Under high amount of stress
Weight gain when under stress
Wake up tired even after 6 or more hours of sleep
Excessive perspiration or perspiration with little or no activity
In this section let’s take a look at some testing we can do for the adrenals and also to talk about the 3 stages of adrenal burnout.
Ok, so like virtually everything in our body, things don’t usually happen overnight. They develop over time and progress from ok, to sort of bad to really bad if you do’t do anything to stop that progression.
We saw this with the progression to type 2 diabetes. It goes from dysglycemia to insulin resistance to metabolic syndrome to full blown diabetes.
The same is true with autoimmune disease. It goes from silent autoimmunity to reactive autoimmunity to full blown autoimmune disease.
The adrenals are no exception. Adrenal problems also go through a progression as well.
It looks like this:
1. Alarm reaction: This happens in normal life. The adrenal glands become hyperactive to increase cortisol levels to adapt to the demands of stress.
2. The second stage is the Resistance stage: This occurs in response to prolonged stress as the body steals pregnenolone from cholesterol to make cortisol- also known as the pregnenolone steal.
When this happens, hormonal imbalances arise because there isn’t enough cholesterol to make them. It can cause PMS, infertility, male menopause, and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
3. The third stage is the Exhaustion stage: At the point the adrenals are saying “Uncle” and they can no longer adapt to stress.
The cofactors needed to make cortisol become depleted and cortisol levels drop too low. Because the adrenals no longer produce sufficient cortisol, the pregnenolone steal cycle also stops.
Basically, let me give you a quick run down of what they are.
The first is to test your blood pressure in 2 different positions: sitting or lying down and standing.
Firstly, Take and compare two blood pressure readings—one while lying down or sitting and one while standing. Rest for five minutes in a relaxed position before taking the reading.
Stand up and immediately check your blood pressure again. If the blood pressure is lower after standing, then you may have reduced adrenal gland function, and more specifically, an aldosterone issue–(Aldosterone is an adrenal hormone and hypothyroidism can lead to low levels of aldosterone in the blood.)
(Normal adrenal function will elevate your BP on the standing reading in order to push blood to the brain.)
It’s also a good idea to do this test both in the morning and in the evening, because you can appear normal one time, and not another.
The second test you can do is to check your pupils. This is called the Pupil Test and it also tests levels of aldosterone.
You need to be in a dark room with a mirror. From the side (not the front), shine a bright light like a flashlight or penlight towards your pupils and hold it for about a minute. Carefully observe what happens to your pupil.
With healthy adrenals (and specifically, healthy levels of aldosterone),your pupils will constrict, and will stay small the entire time you shine the light from the side.
The light causes them to constrict, it’s a natural response to having light shone in your eye.
In adrenal fatigue, the pupil will get small, but within 30 seconds, it will soon get larger again again or obviously start to flutter as it tries to stay small.
Why does this happen?
Because when you have adrenal insufficiency you can also have low aldosterone, which can cause an imbalance in sodium and potassium (too little sodium and too much potassium).
This imbalance is what causes the sphincter muscles of your eye to be weak and to dilate in response to light.
So the fluttering struggle to keep the pupil small may mean you have adrenal challenges.
In terms of laboratory tests, there are a couple ASI or Adrenal Salivary Index and the DUTCH or Dried Urine Test for Comprohensive Hormones. These provide the most accurate, useful and comprehensive test for the adrenals.
One important thing to understand about this test; (and this is true of a number of different tests) The most important test is the second or even third test.
One test is useless, because we are establishing a baseline and then we are going to take action. And we need to know if what we are doing is helping.
The second and third tests give us that information. We must always reassess and readjust.
And the adrenals generally respond to treatment pretty well. If they don’t you need to look for something deeper. A parasite or heavy metal toxicity, a chronic viral infection or some food intolerance.
Some times you have to be a detective and examine, step by step, all of these things.
The ASI tells us how a person’s adrenals are working throughout the day. Its a 24 hour test. Cortisol is secreted in a specific pattern over a 24 hour day and by measuring saliva at different intervals throughout the day, we can chart the cortisol levels.
Being in a chronic state of alarm or prolonged stress will mess with this rhythm. One example of this is people who are night owls, or have trouble falling, staying asleep or they wake up really tired after getting enough sleep.
Their rhythm has been disrupted.
The ASI shows abnormalities in this circadian rhythm, charts key hormone levels and pinpoints where problems arise along the way. It can be a really valuable test.
The DUTCH test, which uses dried urine, is innovative in a number of respects, and offers several benefits over older hormone tests.
For example, a conventional (liquid sample) urine test gives you metabolites you simply can’t get in a blood or saliva test, but the collection method can be quite messy and inconvenient.
One of the biggest problems with hormone testing is that some hormones fluctuate throughout the day. Cortisol, for example, rises as soon as you get out of bed and then declines as the day wears on.
If your diurnal pattern is dysfunctional, meaning you’re low in the morning and high at night, you have a serious problem. But a 24-hour urine test cannot show you this.
That’s really the advantage of a saliva test, which is done several times over the course of a day. By taking multiple samples throughout the day, you can get a more accurate measure of your cortisol pattern. The drawback is the collection method, which can be time consuming and tedious.
The DUTCH test, on the other hand, captures all of that information and more in one simple test. Simply urinate on the filter paper on the collection device and let it dry.
Those test strips are then used to give you a complete hormone panel, including metabolites, (which can’t be measured in blood or saliva), effectively replacing multiple testing methods.
Both of these tests can be useful tools for determining your next steps and identifying the type of adrenal problem that you have.
If we want to heal out Hashimoto’s, we absolutely have to heal our adrenals.
And the reality is that this whole process of healing these multiple systems is, without question going to take longer than it takes you to read this book.
I am teaching you about what is going on. Correcting it takes time, patience, vigilance and devotion.
But it is so worth it, people.
Some of the tests that you can do for the adrenals are:
1. The blood pressure test. Take 2 measurements, one seated or lying downand one standing. Compare them. If there is a big difference, this may point to adrenal problems.
2. The pupil test. Point a light at your pupils. Watch it constrict, then watch it return to normal. If it gets small and quickly goes back to normal or flutters, then, “Houston, we’ve got a problem”.
3. Lastly, the best laboratory test is the ASI or Adrenal Salivary Index. This takes multiple saliva tests throughout the day and tracks your circadian rhythm. It can be very helpful, not only for identifying the problem but also for tracking your progress in fixing it.
Not everything has the same level importance. This is what 80/20 teaches us. Some things are having more of an impact than others. Figure out which they are (the positive feedback loops) and then make a plan to fix them.
What does that mean when it comes to the adrenals? Check kidney and adrenal function. Adrenal health is very important if you are taking? thyroid replacement hormone.
The warning label for Synthroid states:
“Patients with concomitant adrenal insufficiency should be treated with replacement glucocorticoids prior to initiation of treatment with levothyroxine sodium.
Failure to do so may precipitate an acute adrenal crisis when thyroid hormone therapy is initiated, due to increased metabolic clearance of glucocorticoids by thyroid hormone.”
What this means, in plain English, is that in cases of hypothyroidism, the adrenals need to be evaluated before putting patients on thyroid replacement hormone. And if they aren’t and you give them thyroid hormone anyway, this may cause an acute adrenal crisis. Not good.
How many people with Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism do you think have adrenal insufficiency? A lot.
And how many were tested for adrenal insufficiency before they were put on thyroid hormone? Very few.
Clearly, evaluating and treating the adrenals, if necessary, is a major priority.
Once you have evaluated your adrenals, and you’ve established a plan, the you need to act on that plan. Here’s a some of the actions you can take.
Adaptogenic Herbs:
There are quite a few herbs that have adaptogenic properties, meaning that they help your body adapt to stress.
But as with everything, there is a risk/benefit analysis that must be done with them, especially when autoimmunity is involved. You must be cautious about stimulating the immune system when taking adaptogenic herbs.
Here’s a list of herbs that can be helpful, it may be best to introduce them one at a time rather than in a mixed formula. That way, if you have a reaction, you’ll know which herb was responsible:
Acanthopanax
American gensing
Ashwaghanda (this plant is a nightshade and may cause a reaction)
Cordyceps
Codonopsis
Eleuthrococcus
He shou wu (also excellent for helping promote hair growth)
Holy Basil
Jiaogulan (also excellent for reducing cholesterol)
Licorice
Maca
Panax gensing
Rhodiola
Schizandra
ACTH is to the adrenals what TSH is to the thyroid. It regulates cortisol production. High ACTH may mean the adrenals aren’t producing enough cortisol. Low ACTH may mean the pituitary isn’t producing enough adrenal hormones.
ACTH Increasing:
Ginko
Panax ginseng
Tripterygium
ACTH Reducing:
Acanthopanax
Hypercium
Licorice
Earlier, we looked at symptoms for the different stages of adrenal issues. Figure out which stage you are in and try the supplements below.
1. Alarm Stage:
Balance blood sugar and support healthy response to insulin resistance: alpha lipoic acid, biotin, chromium, gynemma sylvestre, inositol, magnesium, zinc
Adaptogens: See above
Essential fatty acids: fish oil, evening primrose oil
2. Resistance Stage:
Balance blood sugar and support healthy response to insulin resistance: alpha lipoic acid, biotin, chromium, gynemma sylvestre, inositol, magnesium, zinc
Adaptogens: See above
Essential fatty acids: fish oil, evening primrose oil
Add licorice, and B vitamins (see food sources below)
3. Adrenal Exhaustion:
1. Chromium, adrenal, pancreas glands, choline bitartrate, co-enzyme Q 10, inositol, rubidium chelate, vanadium.
Adaptogens: See above
Essential fatty acids: fish oil, evening primrose oil
Add licorice, and B vitamins (see food sources below)
In cases of extreme exhaustion, consider consulting a physician or practitioner. You may benefit by adding pregnenolone and/or DHEA.
VITAMIN B1: rice bran, pinto bean, peas, millet, lentils, almonds, turnip greens, collard greens, kale, asparagus
VITAMIN B2: salmon, trout, cod, mackerel, perch, oysters, mushrooms, almonds, hijiki
VITAMIN B3: rice bran, red pepper, wild rice, kelp, sesame seed, peaches, brown rice, mushrooms, barley, almonds, apricot
VITAMIN B5 (PANTOTHENIC ACID): beef, chicken, salmon, mackerel, sardines, barley, rice, avocado, plums, raisins, almonds, dates
VITAMIN B6: banana, barley, brewer’s yeast, molasses, brown rice, liver, beef, cabbage, carrots, potato, yams
VITAMIN B12: beef liver, beef kidney, ham, sole, scallops, eggs, oats, pickles, amasake, algae, spirulina and chlorella, brewer’s yeast
FOLIC ACID: liver, asparagus, lima beans, spinach, swiss chard, kale, cabbage, sweet corn
Retest, Reassess and ask all over again. Figure out what worked and what didn’t. Double down on what worked and either eliminate or recreate a plan for what didn’t.
Try some things and reassess.
Retest your adrenals, Reorder the ASI (Adrenal Salivary Index) and see if what you did helped.
Keep doing it, keep refining, keep building on the positive results and keep looking for the remaining positive feedback loops that are causing vicious cycles.
The adrenals are a critically important part of the puzzle and given their importance for whether or not you can take thyroid hormone, it makes sense to make healing them your top priority.
Looking for help in assessing your adrenals? Do a consultation with Marc. Click here to learn more.
Hashimoto’s: The Liver and the Thyroid
Hashimoto’s can cause a host of problems all over the body, but one place in particular where we can see it’s influence is on the liver and gall bladder.
In this post we explore these relationships and explain why a healthy liver is so important for healing your Hashimoto’s.
The body is not a machine, like our earth it is a group of interacting ecosystems that all talk to one another and influence each other in both good and bad ways.
The liver and the thyroid are a perfect example of this. Here is a brief breakdown of how they interact:
* 60% of thyroid hormone is converted from T4 to T3 in the liver. Both T3 and T4 are glucoronidated and sulfated there. (More on that in a minute).
* Thyroid hormone influences the way that cholesterol and other lipids are synthesized and broken down (and where does this happen? – yes, the liver). With Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism, this is often slowed down resulting in high cholesterol and other lipids like LDL and triglycerides.
* Thyroid hormone affects detoxification pathways in the liver and affects insulin growth factor and cytochrome P450 enzymes which metabolize lots of drugs and environmental toxins. When this slows you can have toxins build up.
* On the autoimmune side, research has shown a link between autoimmune thyroid and autoimmune liver diseases.
*Very high levels of thyroid hormone (T3) can raise bilirubin levels and can actually be toxic to the liver because it damages mitochondria.
The liver has several pathways through which it metabolizes hormones, filters toxins, and cleans the blood. Byproducts from these processes are dumped into the gall bladder to help get them out of the body.
Low thyroid function slows down this whole process, making the liver and gall bladder sluggish and congested and helping to make gallstones.
Gallbladder x-rays in hypothyroid patients can show a bloated gall bladder that contracts sluggishly. This slows down the flow of bile which can lead to slower breakdown of fats and cholesterol and other toxins that are broken down in the liver.
This whole process can also lead to the formation of gall stones. Many people with Hashimoto’s have gall bladder issues.
Thyroid hormones are converted into their usable form in the liver (60% happens there), you can see how low thyroid function can create a vicious cycle.
Hypothyroidism messes with liver function and fewer thyroid hormones become active. So it goes until you have all of the common symptoms of too little thyroid hormone: fatigue, brain fog, joint pain, hair loss, weight gain, depression, etc.
Thyroid hormone is converted primarily through 2 processes:
Glucornidation and sulfation, let’s break these down:
According to Dr. Datis Kharrazian, DC, these processes are supported in the following ways:
Glucoronidation
Glucoronidation is an important process for converting thyroid hormone.
This pathway is supported by B vitamins, magnesium, and glysine, click here to learn about food sources of B vitamins and magnesium.
Sulfation
Sulfation involves binding things partially broken down in the liver with sulfur containing compounds. It is one of the major detoxification pathways for neurotransmitters, toxins, and hormones (like thyroid hormones). Vitamin B6 and magnesium are important for sulfur amino acid metabolism, as are foods containing sulfur such as: eggs, cheese, meat, poultry, nuts and legumes. Click here to learn more about food sources of vitamins and minerals.
Its important to choose animals products wisely, buy organic whenever possible because organic foods have far fewer toxins like antibiotics, hormones, and pesticides which can all cause problems of their own.
Another important point about sulfating is that it requires sulfate which is often poorly absorbed by the digestive system, especially by people with Hashimoto’s who often suffer from intestinal permeability or leaky gut syndrome. Sulfate is the oxidized, inorganic form of sulfur produced by an oxidation step called (you guessed it) sulfoxidation.
This step is made possible by an enzyme that is called sulfite oxidase which uses the essential mineral molybdenum, click here to see food sources of molybdenum. Problems with sulfoxidation can be seen in people who are sensitive to foods that contain sulfites (garlic) or dugs and food additives (in dried fruit and herbs, preservatives, in salad bars used to keep vegetables looking fresh).
(These people may also have an abnormally strong odor in their urine after eating asparagus. For these people one should consider molybdenum supplementation or organic sulfates like sodium sulfate or magnesium sulfate.)
In Chinese medicine, we view interactions in the body in the context of body, mind and spirit. This can be really helpful to see how these physical problems can affect you emotionally and psychologically.
In the book, Between Heaven and Earth by Harriet Beinfeld, L.Ac. and Efrem Korngold, L.Ac., the liver is described as something like a military commander in the body. It formulates tactics and strategies, moving blood and energy (qi) throughout the body.
The thyroid is part of the endocrine system which is viewed as qi and is derived from the yang energy of the kidneys. So the ancient Chinese recognized this relationship and how important one is for the other. The liver needs that qi to have the energy to do its job, and if it is clogged or blocked it can’t facilitate the movement of that energy throughout the body.
When the liver gets stuck or clogged, the most common emotion that people experience is anger. This can be directed outwardly at people you know (usually people closest to you: family, co-workers, or friends), or this anger can be directed inwardly and result in depression and feeling of self-hatred and low self-worth. Or sometimes you have a combination of these two.
It is also interesting to note that in Chinese medicine the nervous system, tendons and ligaments and the eyes are thought to be part of the sphere of influence of the liver. So many people with Hashimoto’s also have issues in all of these areas: eye problems, tendon issues, and cognitive issues affecting the brain.
Gall Bladder Issues Make You Unable to Make Decisions
The Gall Bladder stores and secretes bile, this stimulates flow through the stomach and intestines and is very important in helping us to absorb and eliminate different foods as well as different ideas and concepts.
So proper bile flow and production also help us with proper judgment, clear thinking and decision making. If there are Liver/Gall Bladder issues we can end up taking actions without thinking them through, or making decisions and not following through on them or simply getting stuck, unable to decide what to do.
Here are some important herbs for helping the liver and gall bladder.
Ginger: this common food contains chemicals that have been shown to increase bile secretion and to reduce cholesterol levels by up regulating an enzyme responsible for bile acid production (cholesterol-7-alpha-hydorxylase).
Dandelion: The root of this common weed promotes the production of bile and its delivery to the gall bladder. It causes the gall bladder to contract and release bile.
Milk Thistle: This herb increases the solubility of bile and has been shown to significantly lower cholesterol concentrations in the gall bladder. It has potent anti-oxidant activity which supports detoxification and it prevents depletion of glutathione in the liver, which is often depleted in people with Hashimoto’s. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and it promotes protein synthesis to replace damaged liver cells.
Panax ginseng:This herb has been shown in several studies to have numerous positive impacts on liver function. It has been shown to reverse fatty liver in animals and can be really helpful in cleaning toxins out of the liver. It also has really important benefits for the immune system like promoting Kupffer cells (specialized immune cells located in the liver) and can be beneficial in balancing the immune system by increasing key proteins like IL-8.
Herba sargassi, Laminaria Kun Bu: These seaweeds have important detoxification properties and can be used to treat metabolic toxicosis with arthritis, rheumatism, dermatitis and psoriasis. They are quite mild and have very few if any side effects. In addition, they are rich in trace minerals and are helpful in reducing swelling, particularly in the lymphatic glands.
A word of caution with seaweeds: They contain iodine which can be problematic with some Hashimoto’s folks.
Fructus Gardeniae: This herb is the seed pod of the gardenia plant. It has potent anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties and can be used to reduce liver and gallblader congestion and infections.
Caution: Liver infections can be quite serious, consult a trained physician if you suspect that you have any form of hepatitis or liver disease.
Rhubarb Root: This herb is a potent laxative that can be used to treat acute gall bladder and pancreatic infections. It has potent anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties.
Dosage is critical with this herb and too much can cause gastric pain and diarrhea. Never use during pregnancy or lactation or with gout, hemorrhoids or oxalic acid stones. Consult a trained professional before using this herb.
Herbs That Help With Anger and Irritability
There is a very effective herbal formula in Chinese Medicine whose name is translated as Rambling Powder. The name comes from the title the first chapter of a book by Zhuang Zi, “Rambling Without A Destination” that includes stories about wandering freely with an open mind. It is a reference to how this combination of herbs can help one feel less constrained emotionally, feel happy and less stressed.
It has several variations and contains a number of herbs that are very helpful for the liver including buplerum, mint, atractylodes and more. With modifications, it has also been used successfully to treat eye issues, hypertension, hepatitis, anemia, depression, irritability and anger.
Hashimoto’s has so many moving parts and affects so many systems of the body that you really need to have a treatment strategy that looks at all these different areas and gives you solutions for all of them.
That’s why I developed my program: Healing Hashimoto’s: The 5 Elements of Thyroid Health. In in we explore the 5 major systems of the body and learn how they impact us physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Because true healing requires more than simply taking a few pills or herbs. It requires a complete overhaul of your body, mind and spirit. And it is a tremendous opportunity for growth and for healing all aspects of your life. Click here to learn more.
Between Heaven and Earth, Harriet Beinfeld, L.Ac. and Efrem Korngold, L.Ac., Ballantine Books, New York, 1991
Chinese Herbal Medicine Formulas and Strategies, Dan Bensky & Randall Barolet, Eastland Press, 1990
Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal? Datis Kharrazian, DC, Morgan James Publishing, 2010
The Thyroid, A Fundamental and Clinical Text, Ninth Edition, Lewis E. Braverman and Robert D. Utiger, 2005 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins
Severe hyperthyroidism induces mitochondria-mediated apoptosis in rat liver.
Upadhyay G, Singh R, Kumar A, Kumar S, Kapoor A, Godbole MM.
Source: Department of Endocrinology, Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow, India.
Laukkarinen J, Kiudelis G, Lempinen M, Raty S, Pelli H, Sand J, Kemppainen E, Haglund C, Nordback I. Increased prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism in common bile duct stone patients. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Nov;92(11):4260-4. Epub 2007 Aug 28
Inkinen J, Sand J, Nordback I. Association between common bile duct stones and treated hypothyroidism. Hepatogastroenterology. 2000 Jul-Aug:47(34):919-21