Intracellular glutathione is another detoxification mechanism that is necessary for depurative action at the cellular level.
All this confirms the additional role of St Mary's thistle as a depurative along with its traditional role as an antioxidant and hepatoprotective.
8 fold increase of intestinal P-glycoprotein (Durr 2000), therefore acting as a depurative on a number of levels.
Glastonbury (2003) concluded that even though no literature classified Hypericum as a depurative, it did have the same ability to remove zenotoxins and unwanted cellular metabolites from the cell, which meant that after examining the scientific rationale Hypericum was one of those herbs mentioned earlier that could be reclassified as a depurative.
Felter (1898) lists Oregon mountain grape for chronic skin conditions and with blood dyscrasia; Mills & Bone (2000) list golden seal as a depurative traditionally used for cutaneous diseases, especially with digestive connections; and barberry as a decoction used in the spring months as a blood purifier, especially where digestive function is compromised.
Therefore relating this to the modern day depurative use, the P-glycoprotein can transport the berberine through the cell membranes and through over expression can increase the efficient removal of the toxins from the cell that have caused the skin condition to occur.
This philosophy has continued to evolve so that now, in addition to the use of depuratives, this detoxification and elimination also involves the use of bitter digestive stimulants, bioflavonoids, anti-inflammatories antiinflammatories (both internal and external), antibacterials and bile stimulation herbs, all designed to improve elimination and destroy the manifestation of the disease (Dattner 2003).
The processes involved in applying depuratives have also evolved to include the knowledge of how glutathione, cytochrome P450 and P-glycoprotein will all act as tissue cleansers at the cellular level.
