By Sayer Ji

It may come as a surprise to some, especially those with conventional medical training, but the default state of the body is one of ceaseless regeneration. Without the flame-like process of continual cell turnover within the body—life and death ceaselessly intertwined—the miracle of the human body would not exist.

In times of illness, however, regenerative processes are overcome by degenerative ones. This is where medicine may perform its most noble feat, nudging the body back into balance with foods, herbs, nutrients, and healing energies.

Nerve Regeneration Through Nutrition

There are a broad range of natural compounds with proven nerve-regenerative effects. A 2010 study published in the journal Rejuvenation Research, for instance, found a combination of blueberry, green tea, and carnosine have neuritogenic (promoting neuronal regeneration) and stem-cell regenerative effects in an animal model of neurodegenerative disease.¹ Other researched neuritogenic substances include:

• Curcumin
• Lion’s Mane Mushroom
• Apigenin (compound in vegetables like celery)
• Blueberry
• Ginseng
• Huperzine
• Natto
• Red Sage
• Resveratrol
• Royal Jelly
• Theanine
• Ashwaganda
• Coffee (trigonelline)

There is another class of nerve-healing substances, known as remyelinating compounds, which stimulate the repair of the protective sheath around the axon of the neurons known as myelin, and which is often damaged in neurological injury and/or dysfunction, especially autoimmune and vaccine-induced demyelination disorders. 

It should also be noted that even music and falling in love have been studied for possibly stimulating neurogenesis, regeneration and/or repair of neurons, indicating that regenerative medicine does not necessary require the ingestion of anything; rather, a wide range of therapeutic actions may be employed to improve health and well-being.

Liver Regeneration

Glycyrrhizin, a compound found in licorice has also been found to stimulate the regeneration of liver mass and function in the animal model of hepatectomy. Other liver regenerative substances include:

• Carvacrol (a volatile compound in oregano)
• Curcumin
• Korean Ginseng
• Rooibos
• Vitamin E

Beta-Cell Regeneration

Unfortunately, the medical community has yet to harness the diabetes-reversing potential of natural compounds. Whereas expensive stem cell therapies, islet cell transplants, and an array of synthetic drugs in the developmental pipeline are the focus of billions of dollars of research, annually, our kitchen cupboards and backyards may already contain the long sought-after treatment for type 1 diabetes. 

The following compounds have been demonstrated experimentally to regenerate the insulin-producing beta cells, which are destroyed in insulin dependent diabetes, and which once regenerated, may (at least in theory) restore the health of the patient to the point where they no longer require insulin replacement.

• Gymenna Sylvestre (“the sugar destroyer”)
• Nigella Sativa (“black cumin”)
• Vitamin D
• Curcumin (from the spice turmeric)
• Arginine
• Avocado
• Berberine (found in bitter herbs such as goldenseal and barberry)
• Bitter Melon
• Chard
• Corn Silk
• Stevia
• Sulforaphane (especially concentrated in broccoli sprouts)

Hormone Regeneration

There are secretagogues, which increase the endocrine glands’ ability to secrete more hormone, and there are substances that truly regenerate hormones which have degraded (by emitting electrons) into potentially carcinogenic “transient hormone” metabolites. 

One of these substances is vitamin C. A powerful electron donor, this vitamin has the ability to contribute electrons to resurrect the form and function of estradiol (estrogen; E2), progesterone, testosterone, for instance.² In tandem with foods that are able to support the function of glands, such as the ovaries, vitamin C may represent an excellent complement or alternative to hormone replacement therapy.

Cardiac Cell Regeneration

Not too long ago, it was believed that cardiac tissue was uniquely incapable of being regenerated. A new, but rapidly growing body of experimental research now indicates that this is simply not true, and there is a class of heart-tissue regenerating compounds known as neocardiogenic substances. 

Neocardiogenic substances are able to stimulate the formation of cardiac progenitor cells which can differentiate into healthy heart tissue, and they include the following:

• Resveratrol
• Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero)
• Red Wine Extract
• Geum Japonicum
• N-acetyl-cysteine

Another remarkable example of cardiac cell regeneration is through what is known as fetomaternal trafficking of stem cells through the placenta. In the amazing process known as “fetal microchimerism,” the fetus contributes stem cells to the mother that are capable of regenerating her damaged heart cells, and possibly a wide range of other cell types.

Cartilage/Joint/Spine Regeneration

Curcumin and resveratrol have been shown to improve recovery from spinal cord injury. As far as degenerative joint disease (ie, osteoarthritis), there are a broad range of potentially regenerative substances, including but not limited to Boswellia, fish oil, vitamin E, quercetin, burdock root, a water-soluble extract of Panax notoginseng, among others.

Ultimately, regenerative medicine is emerging as a promising therapeutic technique for regenerating and repairing injured bodily tissues. Harness your body’s capacity to heal and repair with a combination of safe and cost-effective natural products.

Join us for the Regenerate Yourself Masterclass

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Well Being Journal adapted this article from the previously published original article at greenmedinfo.com titled “6 Bodily Tissues That Can Be Regenerated Through Nutrition,” October 1, 2019.

References

1. S Acosta, et al. “NT-020, a natural therapeutic approach to optimize spatial memory performance and increase neural progenitor cell proliferation and decrease inflammation in the aged rat.” Rejuvenation Res. 2010 Jun 29.
2. N Getoff, et al. “Photo-induced regeneration of hormones by electron transfer processes: Potential biological and medical consequences.” Radiat Phys Chem 1993. Updated 2011 Aug ;80(8):890-894. PMID: 21814301