Look around and you’ll find them everywhere. After all, metals are a part of our lives.
They’re used in shipping, in the battery industry, in the steel industry, in metallurgy, and even in some insecticides, which in turn are used irregularly by many farmers.
Have you ever heard of heavy metals?
The adjective “heavy” is to be taken literally, because these materials are denser – that is, their atoms are closer together.
Heavy metals are considered one of the silent, invisible evils to our bodies. In most cases, they don’t cause symptoms when they first come into contact with the body, unless it’s an acute poisoning.
However, since they cannot be synthesized or destroyed, they accumulate in the cells and cause serious effects on our health. Heavy metals are present in food, contaminated water, and even in the air.
In small amounts, they don’t cause major health complications. Nevertheless, poisoning can have short-term effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, abdominal pain, and heart and circulatory problems.
The presence of heavy metals in the body can lead to much more serious complications, such as the onset of various diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, neurodegenerative diseases, anemia and even kidney problems.
The most common method to remove heavy metals from the body is the administration of chemical chelating agents.
Recently, medicinal herbs have attracted the attention of researchers as a possible treatment for heavy metal poisoning because they cause fewer side effects.
A study published in the Journal of Herbmed Pharmacology examined the potential of some foods and medicinal herbs to treat heavy metal poisoning.
Want to know what they are? Garlic Garlic (and onions too!) have been shown to be highly effective for cadmium, mercury and lead poisoning.
Studies also show that garlic absorption through the respiratory tract can limit the effects of lead. Milk Thistle Milk thistle contains flavonoids that protect the liver from iron-related poisoning.
According to researchers, silybin, apparently, has the potential to increase the excretion of heavy metals. In addition, simultaneous consumption of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and silymarin resulted in increased detoxification of lead by the liver.
Coriander Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) has been used for at least 5,000 years. Several studies have been conducted to investigate the potential of cilantro in detoxifying heavy metals.
The results of two published studies suggest that this plant may improve mercury excretion in various patients with heavy metal poisoning.
Turmeric Curcumin, found in turmeric, is a naturally occurring chemical compound capable of reducing liver toxicity caused by environmental toxins such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury.
Chlorella Green algae and some other aquatic plants are able to absorb mercury from the environment.
Chlorella in the diet is reported to increase the excretion of mercury from the digestive tract, muscles, ligaments, connective tissue and bones.
If you want to help your body eliminate these harmful, unwanted substances, you should include more of these foods in your diet.
