Digestive System
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THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
AND
ITS DISORDERS
1. The digestive system is a process from “mouth” to stomach to intestines to rectum, where the food is broken down into nutrients (which are absorbed in the blood and then supplied to all parts of the body) and wastes (which are execreted through bowels, urine, sweat and breath). Proper nutrition is essential for functioning of the body. However Ayurveda emphasises that mere nutrition without proper digestion is meaningless.
2. The Digestive Tract (Alimentary Canal) — The digestive tract is a long tube consisting of the mouth (pharynx), foodpipe (oesophagus), stomach, small intestine, large intestine (colon) and rectum.
3. The Mouth (Pharynx) — The digestion of food begins in the mouth for which Nature has endowed the body with 3 pairs of salivary glands. The largest pair of glands in front of the ears secretes large quantities of watery saliva to moisten and to soften the food for easy chewing. The other two pairs of glands under the tongue and under the lower jaw secrete saliva to make the food slippery for easy swallowing. Which of the glands will produce the most saliva depends on the nature of food. If we bite a juicy apple, our lower glands will function to make the food slippery, as it need not be moistened. If we eat dry crackers, the glands in front of the ears will work to produce large quantities of watery saliva. The nerves in our lips, tongue, teeth and jaw muscles send messages to the brain about how cold or hot our food is and whether it is rough or smooth, hard or soft.
4. The smell, and even the thought of food causes the salivary glands to increase the production of saliva and so to say, our “mouth starts watering”. Saliva contains digestive enzymes (juices) that breakdown starches and other complex carbohydrates in food. Therefore proper chewing is necessary to increase the surface area of food available for contact with digestive juices in the mouth as well as gastric juices in the stomach. For maximum effect each mouthful should ideally be chewed to a creamy state before swallowing.
