Herbs that increase appetite - to normalize the food balance

Food is one of the strongest stimulants of metabolism, and loss of appetite becomes a serious obstacle to the intake of the necessary nutrients in the human body and leads to a violation of the food balance. Long since to solve these problems, people have used herbs that increase appetite.

Even the court physician of the Persian rulers, the famous medieval scholar Avicenna, wrote in his treatise "The Canon of Medical Science" that there is need only with appetite, and also "not to restrain appetite when it inflames." With the second statement, modern nutritionists are unlikely to agree, well, but about the first issue does not arise. 

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Herbs to improve appetite

According to Ayurveda, a bitter taste (which in itself is very unpleasant) restores a person's sense of taste, "helps fight inflammatory diseases and gives tone to the skin and muscles, reduces fever and thirst, fires up the digestive fire." That is, the herbs that stimulate appetite should be bitter. Indeed, all medicinal plants that are widely used in official medicine for the purpose of improving appetite and stimulating the production of gastric juice are attributed to bitterness (in Latin - amara), and by chemical structure - to terpenoids. In the course of studying the biosynthesis of terpenoids, it was found out: these compounds have analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and even immunomodulating action.

Herbs for improving appetite, due to their bitter taste, act on the taste receptors as a mulelet bullfighter ... That is, bitterness excites receptors in the oral cavity, and the receptors obediently transmit a signal of the "eat" type to the lateral (lateral) nuclei of the intermediate brain (hypothalamus) , where a person has a "center of hunger". In addition, these signals reach the stomach, which starts to work more actively. Here is a "bullfight" is obtained!

So, which herbs increase appetite?

Air

The rhizome of calamus (Acorus calamus L.) from the family of aroids, in addition to 2-4% of essential oil, has in its composition alkaloids, calamine and amarin, tannins, ascorbic acid, saccharides, starch, choline, phytosters and mucus. But the increase in appetite is exerted by the bitter glycoside acorin. It affects the endings of the taste buds, strengthens the reflex compartment of the gastric juice, activates the process of biliary excretion and leads to a tonus of the gallbladder.

To prepare the infusion from the root of the calamus, you need 10 g (dessert spoon) of the crushed dry root to pour a glass of boiling water, boil for 10 minutes, let it brew. The broth should be drunk warm - 50 ml 3 times a day for half an hour before meals.

Sagebrush

Wormwood (Arthemisia absinthium L.) is referred to the family of astroids, and thanks to its composition in alternative medicine, this plant is used in the treatment of many diseases. In official medical practice, wormwood bitter - in the form of infusions, tinctures, extracts and as a part of fees - is used as a bitter taste to stimulate appetite and improve digestion. In this case, the effect of the azulene glycosides of this plant - absintine and anabsintine is used.

Preparation of wormwood bitter: teaspoon of dry herbs brew like tea with two glasses of steep boiling water. Insist 20 minutes, drain. Take a quarter cup for 30 minutes before meals 2-3 times a day.

Arable land

The umbellate centaurum (Centaurlum umbellatum gilib) is a member of the gentian family and is valuable in the content of glycosides such as gentiocycrine, erythaurin and erythrocentaurin, which stimulate appetite, promote the formation of bile, and also have antihelminthic (antihelminthic) action.

The umbrella is used in the form of infusion or decoction to improve appetite and increase motor GIT, as well as to get rid of heartburn.

To prepare the infusion from this medicinal plant take 10 g of dry grass, pour 200 ml of boiling water, insist under the lid for half an hour, filter. Ready-made infusion should be consumed on one tablespoon for an hour and a half before meals 3 times a day.

Dandelion

A representative of the family of astroids - a dandelion medicinal (Taraxacum officinale Wigg.) - in medicine was entrenched in its roots. I mean, for therapeutic purposes Radix Tagaxi is used - the roots of this plant (which are extracted from the soil in autumn). Their chemical composition contains triterpene compounds, sterols, flavonoids, saponins, pectins, tannins, resins. And in the increase in appetite involved bitter glycoside dandelion - Taraxacin, which simultaneously increases the secretion of saliva and bile secretion.

In general, the roots of dandelion help to normalize the metabolism (their broth is recommended for drinking with diabetes), and also to adjust the intestine (with chronic spastic and atonic constipation).

Boiling appetite is prepared from the calculation - a teaspoon of roots for 250 ml of water: poured boiling water and again brought to a boil, insisted for at least 60 minutes (under the lid). Procedure: on a tablespoon three times a day for half an hour before meals.

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Trifol

She is a three-leaved watch, she is a shamrock of a water family (a family of shift workers). For medical purposes - as bitterness to improve appetite - the leaves of this plant are used (Folium Menyanthidis). They contain monoterpene bitterness - loganin, menianthin, mentifolin, which contribute to increased gastrointestinal secretion (with gastritis with reduced acidity).

To prepare the broth you need a tablespoon of dry vegetable raw material, which is poured 200 ml of boiling water and infused for an hour. The broth should be drunk 30 minutes before meals - one tablespoon (3 times a day).

Gentian

Gentiane luteae L. (Gentianae luteae L.) in its roots - among other things - contains bitter-iridoidy gentsianin and gentsiopikrin, which protect plants from eating herbivores and pests. And in humans these substances

Improve appetite and stimulate the process of digestion. Therefore, without a bitterness, no complex bitter tincture can do. However, this herb in large doses suppresses the secretory function of the stomach, although it helps well against worms.

The recipe for the gentian gilding is golden: a tablespoon of the crushed dry plant roots, pour 250 ml of boiling water, close the container tightly and insist for two hours. Take 20-25 minutes before meals 1-2 tablespoons 3-4 times during the day.

The recipe for tincture of gentian gold: about 50 g of root pour 0.5 liters of vodka, insist 10 days. To fix, adding 30 drops of water to 50 ml of water - three times a day before meals. You can make this tincture on wine, then you need to insist it for at least three weeks (or better a month). Take before meals on a tablespoon twice a day.

Icelandic Cetarium

Icelandic Cetraria (Cetraria islandica) or simply Icelandic moss grows far beyond Iceland - on sandy soils in young pine forests throughout Europe. Just in Iceland, once this lichen was harvested, ground and added to the bread ...

In its composition, this medicinal plant contains starch lichenin, vitamins, mucus, phenolic acids, iodine, as well as lichenic acids (protolyichesterin, paralygesterin and protocetraric). The most bitter of them is paralyzesteric acid and it stimulates appetite.

Prepare an infusion or a decoction of Icelandic moss is very simple, enough 30 g of dry ground moss pour one liter of boiling water and pour on low heat for 30-40 minutes. It is recommended to divide the whole broth into three equal parts and drink it (in a warm form) during the day - about 30 minutes before a meal.

Horseradish

If the Icelandic moss was mentioned, it is impossible to ignore such a healing perennial herbaceous plant of the Cruciferae family, as an ordinary horseradish, which flaunts in every Ukrainian garden.

The medicinal product is the whole plant, but the main "utility" is concentrated in the root, which contains a mixture of essential mustard oils, glycoside sinigrin, sugars, phytoncides, ascorbic acid and many other valuable substances.

The burning-bitter taste of horseradish root stimulates the appetite and stimulates the secretion of gastric juice due to the presence of the essential oil - allyl ester isothiocyanic acid, which is obtained by decomposition of the glycoside of sinigrin.

To improve appetite, you must take either fresh water diluted (1: 2) juice freshly ground, or a teaspoon of cooked on a grated gruel - for 15-20 minutes before meals (once a day). Those who have acute or chronic inflammation of the digestive system, horseradish is contraindicated.

Tarhun

Tarkhun, dragoon grass, tarragon tarragon, tarragon (Artemisia dracuncylus L.) - a close relative of common wormwood - a well-known spicy-flavor plant, widely used in cooking (as a seasoning for poultry, meat, fish and sauces). But the greens of tarragon have been used for medical purposes for a long time. Therapeutic infusion of tarragon was drunk by Indian rajas, and the physicians of Persia used a decoction of this herb to increase appetite.

In the shoots of tarhuna there are vitamins A and C, flavonoids, phenolcarbonic acids, coumarins, oligosaccharides, terpenoids, vegetable alkaloids, essential oils, resins and bitterness. As a seasoning for tahrun dishes, it improves appetite, increases the formation of gastric juice, and normalizes gastrointestinal function.

Herbs to increase appetite for children

Parents complain about bad appetite very often. But before looking for an answer to the question - which herbs increase the appetite? - it is necessary to find out the cause of poor appetite.

Maybe the baby has a stomach ache after eating? Maybe he gets tired or does not get enough sleep? Maybe it's a lack of iron or zinc? Perhaps a child does not have much outdoor activity and does not engage in physical education? Or maybe we need to pass an analysis to the helminths to make sure that the worm infestation is not involved in loss of appetite. In general, go to the doctor, dear moms and dads! Because the violation of appetite in childhood is fraught with a delay in physical development. Knowingly in pediatrics on the appetite of children make a conclusion about the state of their health.

Herbs to increase appetite for children are the same as for adults. But the child can simply flatly refuse to drink a bitter broth or infusion. Then you need to take quite a bit of a bitterness (for example, the root of ara, dandelion or herb wormwood) and add other plant components: fruits of chokeberry, dried fruit, juniper and rosehip berries, lemon crust, currant, strawberry.

If such an option does not work, then instead of bitterness, include in the equal parts the leaves of lemon balm, the flowers of marigold, the fruits of fennel and caraway. A teaspoon (with a slide) of this mixture is brewed with a glass of boiling water, brought to a boil, insisted for 30-40 minutes, then filtered and given 45 minutes before meals two tablespoons (2-3 times a day).

Reviews of herbs to increase appetite

The effectiveness of the use of grass to improve appetite is beyond question. But many lament that the preparation of infusions and decoctions of medicinal plants takes time, and it, as usual, is always not enough ...

But in addition to herbal decoctions of home cooking, you can with the same haste to use to stimulate the appetite ready-made pharmacy alcohol tinctures of herbs, which stimulates the appetite:

• Tinctura amara contains extracts of a herb of a gold-thousandth, leaves of a shamrock water, rhizomes of aira, herbs of wormwood and coriander fruits. It is recommended to take 10-20 drops for half an hour before a meal.
• Extract of wormwood (Extractum Absinthii spissum) is recommended as follows: dissolve a fourth of a teaspoon in 100 ml of warm boiled water and take three times a day before meals (30 minutes).
• Wormwood tincture (Tinctura Absinthii) is taken 15-20 drops 3 times a day - 15-30 minutes before meals.

And the doctors in their reviews of herbs to increase appetite note that they can not be used in inflammatory diseases of the stomach, especially with gastritis, which appeared against the background of increased acidity, as well as gastric ulcer with hypersecretion of hydrochloric acid.