The food-body connection

Many ancient civilisations regarded whole foods as medicine and fuel for the body, mind and soul. The medicine men or elders in these communities would look at a plant or crop and know intuitively what area of the body it helped to balance or repair.

We have become disconnected from this wisdom in our Western fast-food culture. The healing power of nature and whole foods has become like an old folk tale. Fortunately, current research is starting to substantiate the principles and methods from ancient times.

In centuries past there was a philosophy commonly referred to as the “doctrine of signatures”. The doctrine of signatures has been an idea of herbalists dating back perhaps to the time of the Romans, but it was popularised in the early 1600s by the writings of Jakob Bohme (1575-1624), a master shoemaker in the small town of Gorlitz, Germany.

At the age of 25, Bohme had a profound mystical vision in which he saw the relationship between God and man. As a result of the vision, he wrote Signatura Rerum: The Signature of All Things. His book espoused a spiritual philosophy but was soon adopted for its medical application.

The doctrine of signatures is essentially the same as another theory known as the Hermetic Law of Correspondence. A homoeopath or herbalist is more likely to refer to the former term because the doctrine of signatures relates specifically to the similarity of plants and herbs (and their medicinal uses) to parts of the body.

In essence, however, since time immemorial, all healers (and shamans) were herbalists, alchemists and astrologers. The fundamental framework of all three disciplines is anchored in the seven Hermetic Universal Laws, one of which is The Law of Correspondence. This law, plainly visible to those with a spiritual eye, applied to food and other natural elements of the world as well as plants and herbs.

According to American whole-foodist Don Tolman, “signature” means “sign of nature”. In essence, the doctrine of signatures held that humans should be viewed as part of nature rather than separate from it.

Since humans are intimately linked to nature under this theory, it would be natural for that link to be expressed in outward appearances. Hence, how a food affects the human body could be gauged by the similarity of that food to parts of the human body. Having categorised the human body into bottom, torso and head, adherents to the doctrine of signatures they found that foods in nature corresponded to and nourished these parts of the body according to where they grew; that is, under (roots), on (stems) or above the ground (leaves and flowers) respectively.

In modern times, the doctrine of signatures has often been regarded as an esoteric or quasi-scientific principle. However, in the last decade, scientific developments have given credence to what was previously regarded as folklore. For example, TNT (Teleological Nutritional Targeting) is a modern tool backed up by nutritional research. This body of international research has allowed a marriage between science and intuition.

TNT theory contends that every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or physiological function and this pattern acts as a signal or sign as to the benefit the food provides the eater. The theory is confined to whole, natural foods, as these are foods growing and appearing largely as nature intended. Manufactured foods are not held to adhere to the same principles as they are not part of the natural “community” and will not follow its laws.

Fruit for the heart

What’s soft, red and has four chambers filled with fluid? This may sound like a riddle, but if you answered either a heart or a tomato, you are correct. The heart is critical to your health and vitality as it pumps blood around the body and helps the other vital organs to operate effectively.

The ancient civilisations knew that not only did the tomato look like a heart; it was effective in healing and balancing conditions of the heart. The stem of a tomato may also represent the pulmonary artery of the human body. Interestingly, tomatoes were once thought to be aphrodisiacs (getting the heart pumping in a slightly different way) and were called “love apples” by the Europeans.

Modern studies have revealed that tomatoes contain a substance or pigment known as lycopene (a powerful antioxidant) that works in a similar way to aspirin in preventing the blood from coagulating. The combination of lycopene and other phyto-nutrients found in tomatoes is good for the heart and important as part of an anti-thrombotic diet.

A recent Harvard study showed a tomato a day may keep the doctor away, reducing the incidence of heart disease by 30 per cent. Another study found that subjects who added tomatoes to their diet for only a week doubled the levels of lycopene in their bodies. In addition, oxidation levels in their body had been reduced and reduced oxidation is a good thing for circulation and heart function. Interestingly, a 10-year study found that organic tomatoes appear to have higher levels of flavonoids than ordinary tomatoes. The flavonoids were found to serve a protective function against heart disease.

Studies have found lycopene to have superior results to other antioxidants such as beta-carotene in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease. There is some debate as to the best way to have your tomatoes to get your best dose of lycopene. Since lycopene is absorbed better in the presence of fat, using tomato paste in cooking may aid lycopene absorption — or some olive oil on your tomato salad may do the trick. Other research suggests that lycopene may be absorbed more effectively when tomatoes are cooked rather than just eaten raw.

Grapes also appear to reduce the risk of heart disease. When you look at a bunch of red grapes, it resembles the shape of the heart and each individual grape is similar to a blood cell. Researchers in the UK have found that polyphenols in grape skins and red wine (in moderation) may help to prevent heart disease.

Among these polyphenols are oligomeric procyanidin complexes (OPCs) which have antioxidant effects that are up to 50 times as strong as vitamin C. OPCs have a range of antioxidant effects in the body but, in particular, they have been shown to strengthen blood vessels and therefore provide support for circulation as a whole. An American cardiologist also discovered there was a substance called resveratrol in dark red and purple grapes that has an antioxidant effect as well as other anti-ageing actions that are emerging at the present time.

A happy heart is a big part of disease prevention, so it makes sense to do what makes your heart sing. It’s also handy to know that including these fruits in the diet can be effective in preventing heart disease, particularly given that it’s one of the biggest killers around the globe.

Walnuts are brain food

The walnut is Mother Nature’s answer to a healthy brain. The good old walnut not only resembles the human brain but helps to prevent a range of neurological diseases. The walnut has a hard shell (like a skull protecting the cerebral cortex) and there is also the segment joining the two halves of the walnut, just as the hemispheres of the brain are joined. According to arcane wisdom, walnuts were seen as sacred; it’s said that in the Golden Age men lived on acorns and the gods lived on walnuts.

Nuts are rich in vitamins and minerals such as thiamine, B6, folic acid and magnesium that play important roles in nerve function. It’s well known that most nuts are also a good source of essential fatty acids. Walnuts contain alpha-linolenic acid which helps reduce inflammation, a process that is implicated in both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. A controlled study also found that middle-aged participants with serum levels high in linolenic acid had a reduced risk of stroke.

Walnuts also provide omega-3 fatty acids; not in the same quantities as fish, but nevertheless these brain-friendly fatty acids are present in this brain-shaped food. Your brain is 60 per cent fat and the fats it most certainly needs are omega-3 fats. It transpires then that walnuts provide a range of nutrients that can help to slow ageing and degenerative processes in the brain. This is not news, really — walnuts were regarded as brain food as far back as 2800 years ago, according to the evidence from ancient Greece.

Alpha male foods

There are many foods that may also enhance virility in the alpha male. Speaking of nuts, pine nuts are full of zinc, which may promote potency and fertility in men. Keeping in mind this is a G-rated magazine, it does not require a huge stretch of the imagination to guess what body part pine nuts may represent.

Similarly, peanuts in moderation (and perhaps not the roasted, sugar-coated ones) are helpful in preventing some cancers, including prostate cancer. Two researchers in Taiwan found that peanut sprouts have phytic acid, phytosterol and resveratrol and that this antioxidant effect can help prevent cancers.

Peanuts also contain the amino acid arginine which raises levels of nitric oxide. A popular medication for erectile dysfunction, Viagra, also works by raising nitric oxide levels. Of course, Viagra is much stronger in effect and more targeted than peanuts — still, this might partly explain why peanuts were reportedly banned by some churches in the Middle Ages.

In ancient Greece, figs were associated with fertility and lovemaking followed the arrival of a new crop of figs. In southern Europe, the tradition was to throw figs rather than rice at newlyweds as a fertility wish (no doubt couples who survived this harsh initiation were being chosen by natural selection to reproduce). Interestingly, figs are high in amino acids and are known as sexual stimulants, increasing the quantity and motility of sperm. They actually hang in twos and their sacks are full of seeds.

There are no prizes for guessing what eating bananas, asparagus, zucchinis and cucumbers will do for the alpha male. These phallic-shaped foods are reported to be conducive to sex-hormone production. The Hindus believed the banana was a sign of fertility. Maybe this is because bananas are reported to contain potassium and B vitamins that enhance sexual function and stamina.

Asparagus is reported to be high in Vitamin E which is thought to be a vitamin associated with sexual vitality. In 19th-century France, bridegrooms were fed large servings of asparagus to get them “in the mood”. You only need to look at the shape of a carrot to see that it may well be another alpha male food. At the same time, carrots may have a dual purpose. For example, if you cut a carrot into slices, the pattern resembles the human eye. Vitamin A and other antioxidants contained in carrots are vital for retina and vision health.

The super goddess foods

The strawberry (also known as a heart food) was thought to be the symbol of Venus, the mythological goddess of love. Cold strawberry soup was once a French tradition for newlyweds. Berries, which resemble nipples, are also reported to enhance reproductive health and are rich in vitamin C.

Of a similar ilk are the citrus foods, which may also be very appealing for the ladies. Oranges and other citrus fruits look very much like female mammary glands and are reported to promote healthy breast function. Citrus foods, and in particular oranges, contain substances called monoterpenes that have been shown to have anti-tumour activity and in rodent-based studies have been proved protective against mammary and other cancers.

Avocadoes are interesting in that they take nine months to develop and take on the shape of a woman’s womb. Avocadoes also contain folic acid, vitamin B6 and potassium which are reported to be critical in healthy foetal development and may help to reduce symptoms of morning sickness. The Aztecs also prevented young women from gathering and distributing the fruit at times because they believed that avocadoes were a symbol of fertility and an aphrodisiac.

So, will the guys turn into women if they start eating lots of avocadoes, berries and citrus foods? According to Don Tolman, the consumption of these foods won’t lead to a sex change — although men who are very masculine and fiery in their disposition may find they achieve more harmony and balance by including these “feminine” foods in their diet.

A Doctrine of Signatures Sample

Old is new

The doctrine of signatures is yet another example of ancient wisdom that in many instances is being borne out by the examination of modern science. You can take the simple principles that have been outlined here and apply them for yourself in seeking to understand how you connect to the world around you. In the process, you may even come into contact with layers of undiscovered intuition; at worst you will have taken time to contemplate that which surrounds you.