Can you Regenerate Atrophied Areas of the Body with Herbs?

This week I was asked a question:

Is there something that can be done to recover an atrophied optic nerve? Can herbs help?

My answer can be applied to all atrophy in the body.

Have I actually seen this work? Yes I have.

There was a woman who had atrophy in various parts of the body after a severe stroke. I have personally seen the power of herbs combined with exercises that increase blood circulation to the area. I have also seen atrophy caused by malnutrition in the developing years, reversed. I have also seen atrophy caused by sitting at a desk job for 40 years, reversed.

I have also seen again and again that while doing so results in some benefits, it is ultimately the overall health and vitality levels of the body that decide what happens. A healthy body will heal and recover its atrophied parts on its own.

It’s part of life – that some parts of us atrophy for a while, and then we need that part again and the body gets it working again.

So in order of importance here are the three things one can do to recover an atrophied part of the body.

1) Drastically increase overall energy and health.

The body will start to give energy to doing things like regenerating atrophied areas only after all basic needs of the body are met. For example, if a person has chronic indigestion, or keeps catching lung infections, the energy will go there and not be available for things like regenerating atrophied areas.

This can be done with herbs about half way, but the rest requires changes to lifestyle so that the person feels the will to live, to enjoy life, to be excited about waking up every day, to do what he enjoys doing.

The herbs that help increase overall vitality are Rosehips, Pomegranate, Maritime Pine Bark, and so many others – you can take your pick of them, these are just my favorites.

2) Increase blood circulation to the area.

One cause of the atrophy is decreased or unstable blood circulation to the area.

Again herbs can help but only half way. For the rest,

– Exercises where you rub your hands together and put them on the eyes (or wherever the atrophied area is) to warm the area, increases circulation.

– Exercises which send blood to the head (or the area in question) – for example – a simple one – You lie down on the bed and lean your upper body down off the side of the bed sending the blood down to the head.

– Breathing exercises which normalize blood circulation around the body, are highly underrated.

– Massaging the area – especially with oils infused with St. John’s Wort, Cannabis Sativa, Datura and other herbs that boost circulation and supply nutrients locally

The herbs which help circulation are again many, but I would choose Mistletoe and Gingko because they balance circulation more than simply boost it.

3) Support regeneration of brain and nerve cells

This is important no matter where your atrophied area is because it’s the nervous system that manages any repair or regeneration in the body. Support the one doing the work and you support the work itself.

There are botanicals like Scullcap, Lion’s Mane Mushroom, Mugwort, St. John’s Wort, Sage, Parsley, Comfrey which have all the nutrition required to make nerve cells have energy and supplies to grow and reproduce again.

If the atrophied area is a muscle, foods with folic acid (sprouts!) and all that help muscle and tissue regeneration – Comfrey, Millet, Flaxseed, Saw Palmetto will help.

I couldn’t complete this article without at least one picture, so here’s one of this beautiful wild pink grass called Melinis Repens, with a little Pampas grass in the middle.