Many of us take breathing for granted. After all, if you couldn’t breathe, you’d be dead. Your lungs give you life, oxygenate your blood so you don’t go brain-dead, and protect your body from harmful substances.
Given your lungs do all this, it’s good to support them as much as you can to ensure they stay clean and clear. Otherwise, if you don’t, you could end up with different lung-related illnesses down the road, or even systemically given your lungs are so closely connected with the circulatory system.
The Circulatory System and Gas Exchange
The circulatory system consists of three independent systems that work together: the heart (cardiovascular), lungs (pulmonary), and arteries, veins, coronary and portal vessels (systemic). This system is responsible for the flow of blood, oxygen, nutrients, and other gases, as well as hormones that shuttle between cells.
The cells of our body need energy to do their work. They get energy by combining sugars or other food materials with oxygen, thus allowing us to function as a living, breathing human being.
During this creation of energy, carbon dioxide is formed. However, too much carbon dioxide could poison a cell, so instead, the blood brings oxygen (from the lungs) to the body cells and takes away their carbon dioxide. The blood that travels back to the heart and lungs is dark red – meaning it has picked up carbon dioxide from the body cells, leaving most of its oxygen with the cells.
The carbon dioxide in the blood is exchanged for oxygen in the alveoli. These tiny air sacs int he lungs are just one cell thick, and are surrounded by capillaries that are also only one cell thick. Blood from the heart flows through these capillaries and collects oxygen from the alveoli. At this same time, carbon dioxide passes out of the capillaries and into the alveoli. When you breathe out, you get rid of this carbon dioxide.
The bright red, oxygen-rich blood then returns to the heart and is pumped out to different areas of the body.
How Chemicals Enter The Body via The Lungs
There are four major ways that chemicals enter the body:- Inhalation (breathing)
– Skin (or eye) contact
– Swallowing (ingestion or eating)
– Injection
The most common way that chemicals enter the body is via inhalation. Air is drawn through the mouth and nose, and then into the lungs. Each of the 12 breaths brings in about 500 mL of air, corresponding to 6 litres of air per minute, together with any contaminants present in the air (1).
As these chemical vapours, gases and mists reach the alveoli in the lungs, they also pass into the blood and are distributed throughout the body.
This was demonstrated in one controversial study where volunteer participants inhaled gold nanoparticles, which were found in their bloodstream and urine as much as three months later (2). The study wanted to prove just how dangerous air pollution really is, and that not only our lungs, but our entire body, is affected as an outcome.
Even The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified particulate mater and outdoor air pollution as carcinogens, and claimed air pollution as “the most important environmental cancer killer (3).”
Many products used in the home can also interfere with proper lung function. Household cleaners, talcum powder, stuff we track in from outside, fabric softeners, cologne, air fresheners, scented candles, dust, and animal dander are common irritants.
So if the air we breathe is filled with disease-causing substances, what can be done to strengthen and revitalize your lung’s health?
While I highly recommend investing in an air-purifier like Intellipure to keep the air in your home clean from potential bacteria, viruses and micro-particles, you can also utilize food as medicine to heal the lungs.
15 Lung-Cleansing Herbs
These 15 lung-cleansing herbs can be easily integrated into your diet. Whether you incorporate them into a salad, drink them as a tea, or take them as a tincture, these herbs will be sure to keep your lungs healthy and happy.
1. Thyme
Thyme is one of the most lung-healing herbs out there. It supports the health of the respiratory tract and fights bacterial infections like pneumonia. One study from 2016 concluded that thyme, without a doubt, is one of the most protective and supportive herbs for the bronchial pathways of the lungs. They explain that thyme possesses expectorant, mucolytic, antitussive and antispasmodic properties. Moreover, when thyme extract was evaluated in a H460 lung cancer cell line, it was demonstrated to induce cell cytotoxicity in addition to reducing inflammatory cell signals (4).
Thyme can be taken as a tincture, as a tea, or used as an essential oil in a diffuser.
2. Mullein
Mullein is an incredibly effective plant for clearing your lungs of mucus, phlegm and inflammation. Mullein acts as an expectorant, meaning is helps the body remove excess mucus from the lungs, and soothes the mucus membranes with its emollient properties. It can help with bronchitis, heavy coughing, chest colds, and even asthma.
My favourite way to take mullein is in a tea by adding 2 teaspoons dried mullein leaves and/or flowers and steeping it in 1.5 cups of water for 15 minutes.
