As many doctors will tell you, the basis of your immune system lies in your gut. After taking long-term antibiotics or other pharmaceuticals (especially steroids), patients can develop severe cases of digestive imbalances, yeast or Candida Albicans overgrowth, ulcers and Leaky Gut Syndrome. This is also a perfect environment for parasites, which according to the New York Times, at least 50 percent of the population of the Western World has. The good news is that Mimosa Pudica seeds seem to be able drag these pathogens out of a person’s digestive tract without the damaging side effects of pharmaceutical antiparasitics and antibiotics.

Mimosa Pudica is a flowering, creeping perennial native to South and Central America. It is nicknamed “Sensitive Plant,” “Touch-Me-Not” and “Bashful Plant” because of its unique reaction to being handled or disturbed. When touched, the plant’s leaves fold up and recoil almost immediately and then re-open a few minutes later.

When taken in capsule form with water, the seeds of the plant expand in the gut and form an elastic, sticky paste that adheres to invaders of the intestines. Once parasites and antimicrobials are stuck to this gelatinous mass, they are dragged out of a person’s system in the next bowel movement. Because the digestive tract does not break down mucilaginous herbs like Mimosa Pudica seeds, the gel the seeds creates can pass through the entire intestinal tract intact, dragging things that don’t belong with it.

With repeated and steady use, the seeds also have the following benefits:

Anti-ulcer and gut-healing properties: Because the seed gel can adhere to ulcer-causing bacteria like H. Pylori, it can remove the cause of the ulcer while also helping heal the wounds themselves. Those who frequently take pain medications and NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) can be prone to ulcers in the intestinal tract and Mimosa Pudica seeds can help remove the acid these drugs cause and restore the mucosal integrity of the intestinal walls.

Immune Support: The fact that Mimosa Pudica seeds remove the agents that compromise the intestines is the first step to better immune system response. The second step involves Mimosa Pudica seeds’ ability to raise antioxidant levels in the body when poisonous toxins are present. 

Antidiarrheal: Patients with gut imbalances frequently have chronic diarrhea. If it persists, it can be dehydrating and eventually dangerous. Worse still, many patients take over-the-counter remedies like Imodium A-D that slow intestinal movement, creating constipation and thereby hindering the removal of the body’s toxins. Mimosa Pudica seeds contain high amounts of tannins, flavonoids and polyphenols that are natural antidiarrheals with no adverse side effects. 

Antimicrobial: In a 2015 study, Mimosa Pudica was found to have “significant activity” against the bacteria E.coli, S.aureus, B.subtilis and S.typhi. The combination of the plant’s high flavonoid levels in combination with the stickiness of the seed gel make it a formidable disruptor of microbial activity in the intestinal tract.

Gregg Kirk is a Lyme disease advocate, a former patient, and the current practitioner who runs the Lyme Recovery Clinic in Darien, CT, the Ticked Off Foundation nonprofit patient fund, and the Ticked Off Music Fest benefit concert series. He is a frequent contributor to Natural Awakenings. Connect at 203-858-9725 or LymeKnowledge.com. See listings, pages 3 and 35.