Human Body
HUMAN BODY.
The human body consists of a set of organs and systems, each of which has its own part in the general economy of our body and can affect the operation of all other more or less strong. Let’s see what are the main
Digestive system:
It is composed of many different organs, namely:
a)The mouth, which begins the transformation of food by chewing and saliva production, which blends beautifully with food. Through this process, the food is finely chopped and the contact with saliva exposes it to the action of many enzymes, which makes a chemical transformation of the food. The area of mucosa located under the tongue is able to absorb some drugs and phytocomplex of many medicinal plants. For this reason it is recommended to keep the liquid herbal extracts in the mouth for several minutes before swallowing.
b) The esophagus, which is a kind of channel that connects the mouth to the stomach, through a kind of valve called the cardias.
c) The stomach, which has a shape similar to that of a sack, in which several processes occur. First the stomach is responsible for chopping food and further expose them to the action of many other enzymes it produces. These proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes, ie, able to separate proteins and fats, whose action turns to the food and allows you to begin the process of absorption. In particular carbohydrates are absorbed in the stomach and also small amounts of protein and fat. The pH of the stomach is very acidic, with pH values between 2 and 3, and this is very important not only for the activity of enzymes but also to kill the germs which are always present in food. The stay of food in the stomach depends greatly on the quality of the food itself, and on average is around 3 hours. This stay ia more prolonged if the food is rich in fat. Gastric secretion is regulated by complex neural and humoral mechanisms, controlled largely by the brain and to a lesser extent by local factors and hormones produced by the same digestive system. The stomach has a mucous membrane formed by epithelial cells and contains special glands, which can produce hydrochloric acid, enzymes, histamine and gastric mucus, which protects the mucosa from the aggression of foreign substances.
d) The duodenum, where the food comes after leaving the stomach, through a kind of valve that separates the two bodies called the pylorus. It is a sort of tube with a shape that resembles a C, which hosts very important process. In fact, the food bolus is here in contact with the bile from the liver, which contains many lipolytic and proteolytic enzymes, salts and bile acids. This becomes further and prepare food bolus absorption especially of lipids, proteins, vitamins and minerals it contains. The pH in the duodenum is highly alkaline, with values ranging from 8 to 9.
e) The liver is the organ that cornerstone for what concerns the use of substances absorbed from the gut, that are transported to the liver by the lymphatic circulation. In the liver they are processed in many ways, in part to be used for the same economy of this organ and for the major part to provide the whole body of a large quantity of substances essential for its functions. The liver also produces bile, which is partly stored in the gallbladder, to be poured into the duodenum through the sphincter of Oddi, coinciding with the arrival of food bolus
f) The small intestine, which is a kind of tube coiled up on itself and whose length is approximately 5-6m., in which starts the most of the absorption of nutrients contained in food. Even in the small intestine the pH is alkaline. The intestinal mucosa consists of a single layer of cylindrical epithelial cells and of the intestinal villi, protrusions of 1-1.5 mm. which increase the surface absorption of about 10 times. In the small intestine is absorbed most of the phytocomplex of medicinal plants.
g) The large intestine also called the colon, which is also a kind of a tube about 2 m long, where a complete nutrient absorption occurs and where the bulk of the absorption of water and minerals forms the feces. Here are the so-called Peyer’s patches, which are very important for the proper functioning of the immune system. Its proper functioning is very important for proper bowel function.
h) The sigmoid colon and rectum, which constitute the final section of the digestive tract, whose function is essential for proper bowel function.