Weston Price Noted That Organ Meats Were Prized by Ancient Cultures

Animal organs have been treasured for their nutritional value for several millennia. Weston Price noticed this in his book, Nutrition and Physical Degeneration, which showed the health value of traditional diets. In it, he writes:

“For the Indians living inside the Rocky Mountain Range in the far North of Canada … I found the Indians putting great emphasis upon the eating of the organs of the animals, including the wall of parts of the digestive tract. Much of the muscle meat of the animals was fed to the dogs.1”

He cites other examples. Organ meats were highly valued in many primitive societies.

Hypothyroidism Cure Made Organ Extracts Popular

In the 19th century the use of organ extracts became popular after thyroid extract was found to be effective in treating myxedema. In 1891, the use of glandular supplements was becoming part of mainstream medicine. It was called organotherapy. By the 1940s, with the advent of steroids, it had fallen out of favor. Henry R.  Harrower, MD (1883–1934), was a leading practitioner of organotherapy, and he eventually created The Harrower Laboratory in Glendale, California, which produced, marketed, and distributed organotherapy products on an industrial scale. He also authored a series of publications entitled, “Harrower’s Monographs on the Internal Secretions” and eventually compiled them into the books, “Practical Hormone Therapy” and “Practical Organotherapy—The Internal Secretions in General Practice.”

Organ Therapy: Out of Favor With Modern Medicine

For a while, organotherapy was popular for all sorts of health issues. In the 1920s the therapy began to receive severe criticism from medical authorities. In the 1940s steroids became available, and in the 1950s synthetic thyroid became available.  Organotherapy ceased to be used in traditional medicine. Although, thyroid extract (Armour) continues to be used to this day.

In the early twentieth century, pioneering endocrinologist Harvey Cushing criticized the indiscriminate use of crude glandular mixtures and argued that endocrine treatment should be based on physiology and evidence rather than speculation. Cushing’s criticisms helped move endocrinology toward its current trajectory.

Are Organ Meats “Raw Material” for Targeted Glands?

The idea behind glandular therapy is that components of the gland can find their way to the glands of the individual consuming it. The gland provides raw materials specific to the organ consumed and these materials can help to heal and improve function of the target organ. The idea has been dismissed by many in mainstream medicine because of the belief that glandular proteins are broken down into amino acids by the digestive system. It turns out that some proteins are absorbed intact. There is evidence that they are not only absorbed intact, but they also find their way to the target organ.

Glandular tissue can be the source of nucleic acids and organ- specific enzymes. Digestion does not break these complex molecules down to amino acids. One well-researched example is pancreatin. Enzymes, such as chymotrypsin, bromelain, and amylase, can be absorbed intact [1-4]. Many practitioners can tell you that they are an effective way to reduce pain and inflammation.

There Is Some Support in the Scientific Literature

There is evidence that glandular supplements target the same organ in the consumer as produced by the animal. Dr. A. Kment of Germany demonstrated through radioactive isotope tracing that specific factors from glandular tissues are transported by the bloodstream and absorbed by the corresponding glands of the patient. This has been supported by other research [5]. For example, thymus extracts have been shown to support cellular immunity, and to  be  beneficial  to  patients  with immunodeficiency [6-7]. Another  study  found  that glandular  extracts  from  liver,  lung,  and  thyroid specifically targeted those organs [8].

Adrenal Glandular Therapy Is Fairly Common Today

Adrenal: Chromogranin-A is considered to be an anti- stress protein. It is plentiful in animal adrenal tissue [9]. Endothelin-1, also found in adrenal tissue, supports the production of steroid hormones [10]. Other components found in adrenal glandular tissue include enkephalins and analgesic peptides.

Thymus: Some of the Best Research on Glandular Therapy

Thymus extracts are among the best-researched glandular supplements. Studies have found benefits in certain patients with immunodeficiency disorders, suggesting that glandular therapy may have value beyond simple nutritional support. Click here to learn more about thymus extract.

Science is More than Controlled Studies

Scientific method begins with observation. Thousands of practitioners have observed that poor adrenal function can be a component of several chronic conditions, including asthma, allergy, fatigue, depression, and issues with the immune system. They have also observed the value of thymus tissue in addressing the immune system. Glandular supplements are available for every organ. Furthermore, there have been some studies to support these observations. Given that glandular therapy has few risks or side effects, this is an approach that is worth taking. Basically, you are treating with food. It is low risk and high gain—like most nutritional therapy.

Selected References:

  1. Miller, JM. Ophershaw. The increased proteolytic activity of human blood serum after the oral administration of bromelain. Exp Med Surg 1964; 22:277-280. Foods. 2021 Sep 23;10(10):2249
  2. Seifert J et al. Die Resorption eines protedlytischen enzyms pflanzlichen Ursprunges aus dem Magen-DarimTrakt in das Blut und die Lymphe in die Ratten. Z. Gastroenterol 1979; 17: 1-8.
  3. Gardner MLG. Gastrointestinal absorption of intact proteins. Annu Rev. Nutrition 1988; 8: 329-350.
  4. Gardner MLG. Intestinal assimilation of intact peptides and proteins from the diet. A neglected field. Biol rev 1984; 59: 289-331.
  5. Stein J Objective demonstration of the organspecific effectiveness of cellular preparations. Schmid F, ed. Cell Research and Cellular Therapy, Ott Publsihers, Thoune (Switzerland), 1967; pp295-301.
  6. Stein J Objective demonstration of the organspecific effectiveness of cellular preparations. Schmid F, ed. Cell Research and Cellular Therapy, Ott Publsihers, Thoune (Switzerland), 1967; pp295-301.
  7. Lin C-Y et al. Treatment of combined immunodeficiency with thymic extract. Annals Allergy 1987; 58: 379-384.
  8. Santoro RL, Weyhreter AF. Support of human gland/organ function with raw protein concentrate as measured by improvement in serum chemistry values. J Applied Nutrition 1993; 45: 48-60.
  9. Kumar U. Purification and characterization of chromgogranin-A from the adrenal glands of human and bovine. Biochem Mol. Biol. Int. 1996; 40: 83-91.
  10. Hall PF, Almahbobi G. Roles of microfilaments and intermediate filaments in adrenal steroidogenesis. Microsc Res Tech. 1997; 36: 463-479.