January 2026

Inner Ocean & Well Being

• The Inner Ocean – The Role Of Water In Growing Health
• Calendula – Wound Healing Magician
• Burdock – Nourishing & Moistening
• Red Clover – Finding Hormonal Balance

The Inner Ocean – The Role Of Water In Growing Health

The roles of water

Water is nourishing, cleansing, and transporting compounds in the body. The three systems that manage fluids in the body are the cardiovascular, lymphatic, and urinary systems.
Let’s take a closer look at what water does in our bodies.

Nourishing

In the digestive system, water provides a soapy environment that maintains the three-dimensional structure and function. It acts as a lubricant, helping break down the food and dramatically increasing the surface area available for enzymatic action.
The digestive tract manages the dramatic pH shifts needed to optimize different enzyme activities by utilizing water. In the stomach, water helps distribute hydrochloric acid evenly, while mucus (which is mostly water holding mucins) protects the stomach lining. When this acidic mixture moves into the duodenum, pancreatic bicarbonate dissolved in water neutralizes the acid, creating the alkaline environment needed for pancreatic enzymes to function.
For nutrients to be absorbed through the epithelium of the small intestines into the gut, they need to dissolve in water. When you absorb carbs, for example, you absorb monosaccharides dissolved in water or sugar juice.

The extracellular matrix

The extracellular matrix is the connective tissue that connects your cells to tissues, your tissues to organs, and your organs to bodily systems, while allowing each cell to maintain its individuality.
A dynamic organ, the extracellular matrix fluidity varies across different parts of the body and over time. For example bones are denser than blood, but blood is denser than the lymph. Sedentary lifestyle increases the viscosity of the  interstitial fluid, movement thin the fluids, improving their lubricating and transporting capacities.

The interstitial fluid plays a bunch of roles in supporting cells:

• It bathes cells in nutrients and oxygen that are essential for energy production.
• It serves as a dump truck that collects metabolic waste products from cells.
• It contains hormones, cytokines (immune messengers), and neurotransmitters that enable each cell to stay in the loop about the latest news.
• It contains a range of essential minerals for cell function, including magnesium and calcium.

About 90% of the blood-derived fluid that leaks out of arterial capillaries is reabsorbed into the capillary bed on the venous side, while the remaining 10% passes into the lymphatic vessels as lymph. This means water is constantly cycling through the matrix, bringing in what cells need and carrying away what they don’t.
Three systems directly manage water in the body:

• The cardiovascular system
• The lymphatic system
• The kidneys

The cardiovascular and the lymphatic system

The ebb and flow of blood and lymph is much like the waves of the ocean breaking on the shore and returning to the ocean.
Blood plasma and lymphatic fluids are one and the same. Blood that leaks from capillaries becomes interstitial fluid, which is absorbed by veins or lymphatic capillaries and returned to the heart.
The inner ocean of blood and lymph nourishes cells, removes waste products, and supports immune function.
The blood contains not just nutrients and oxygen, crucial for cells’ energy production, but also white blood cells.
The lymph train and house lymphocytes, your most advanced immune cells, function as surveilnce and protection mechanism.
A healthy flow of lymphatic fluids is crucial for waste products elimination and a robust immune system. You want to think of your lymph fluids like a river.  When the water is moving, it is pure and clear, but when stagnant or congested, it attracts algae and mosquitoes.

Alterative herbs

Herbs that help “move” the lymphatic fluids are called alteratives. Alteratives alter or change fluid metabolism in the kidneys, liver, and lymph. By doing so, they promote absorption and elimination of toxins.
There are two types of alterative herbs:
Altertaive decongastants
Altertaive decongastants are herbs that improve lymphatic drainage and reduce tissue congestion by targeting the slower-moving lymphatic system, which is responsible for waste removal and immune surveillance. These range from gentle herbs like violet  (Viola)or red clover (Trifolium pratense) to more pushy herbs like red root (Lachnanthes caroliana), and even toxic herbs like poke (Phytolacca americana).

Alteratives anti-ineffectives

Alteratives anti-ineffectives are herbs that combine lymphatic cleansing properties with antimicrobial actions – they’re particularly valuable for chronic infections with underlying tissue congestion or when infections keep recurring due to poor lymphatic drainage. Some well known alterative ineffective remedies are echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia) and (Sambucus nigra).

The kidneys

The kidneys play a triple role in fluid metabolism:

• Filter the fluids and eliminates all water-soluble waste products.
• Maintain fluid balance by producing renin that regulates blood pressure.
• Manage PH balance in the body by maintaing electrolyte
  Healthy kidneys filter about 1 liter of blood per hour. Most of it gets absorbed back into the body.

Diuretic herbs

Diuretic herbs increase urine output by reducing the kidneys reabsorption rate. Some examples of diuretic herbs are dandelion leaves (Taraxacum officinale), cleavers (Galium aparine), and Red clover(Hibiscus sabdariffa)

When your tissue is dry, it tends to become hot and rigid. Nutrients have difficulty reaching cells, and waste products can’t be removed. The result is an energy crisis, toxicity, and inflammation.
Hydration and movement are crucial for a healthy inner ocean. However, you can support your body with herbal teas made with alteratives and diuretics that are tonic and can be used safely long term, such as calendula, dandelion, and burdock.
In the next couple of weeks, I will be writing an extensive monograph on three alterative herbs: Calendula, Burdock, and Red clover. In my writings, you will find their history of use, pharmacology, energetics, specific indications, and safety considerations. The monographs are long and detailed. By reading them, you will learn about the herbs; in addition, you will learn how an herbalist writes a full plant monograph.