Lymphatic & Herbal Supplement Glossary

A

Aerial parts

The above-ground parts of a plant: stems, leaves and flowers. Cleavers is harvested as aerial parts, which is why a Supplement Facts panel lists it that way rather than as a root or seed.

C

Certificate of Analysis (COA)

Also called: COA, Third-party testing

A certificate of analysis is a lab report for one production batch, showing results such as identity, microbial counts and heavy metals against set limits. Reports from an independent, accredited lab carry more weight than in-house ones, and the batch number should match the one on your bottle.

cGMP

Also called: Current Good Manufacturing Practice

cGMP is the set of FDA manufacturing rules for dietary supplements (21 CFR Part 111). It requires companies to confirm each ingredient’s identity, check finished batches against specifications and keep batch records. Following cGMP doesn’t mean the FDA has approved a product.

Chyle

Also called: Lacteals

Chyle is the milky lymph that drains from the small intestine after a meal. It looks white because lymph capillaries in the gut, called lacteals, absorb dietary lipids and carry them through the lymphatic system before they reach the blood.

Cleavers (Galium aparine)

Also called: Goosegrass, Catchweed bedstraw, Sticky willy

Cleavers is a sticky, climbing annual herb in the coffee family (Rubiaceae) and the classic lymphatic herb of Western herbalism. Its aerial parts are traditionally used to support healthy lymphatic flow,* though it has been studied only in the lab, not in clinical trials.

Coumarins

Coumarins are aromatic plant compounds found in red clover, sweet clover and many other plants. Coumarin itself isn’t a blood thinner, but related compounds can affect clotting, which is one reason people on blood-thinning medicines are asked to check with a clinician before using red clover.

D

Diaphragmatic breathing

Also called: Belly breathing, Deep breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing is slow breathing that lets the belly rise as the diaphragm moves down. The pressure changes it creates in the chest and abdomen help draw lymph toward the thoracic duct, which is why deep breathing is part of most lymph-friendly routines.

Dry brushing

Dry brushing is brushing dry skin with a firm, natural-bristle brush in long strokes toward the heart. It clearly exfoliates; claims that it moves lymph are mostly anecdotal and haven’t been measured in controlled studies.

DSHEA

Also called: Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994

DSHEA is the 1994 US law that defines dietary supplements. Under it, supplements don’t need FDA approval before they’re sold: companies are responsible for safety and truthful labels, and the FDA can act against unsafe or mislabeled products once they’re on the market.

E

Eclectic medicine

Also called: Eclectic physicians

Eclectic medicine was a 19th- and early-20th-century American medical movement that relied heavily on native plants. Most herbs now sold as “lymphatic” herbs, including cleavers, stillingia and prickly ash, were described in Eclectic texts such as King’s American Dispensatory.

F

FDA disclaimer (the asterisk)

Also called: DSHEA disclaimer

The FDA disclaimer is the statement that must accompany a supplement’s structure/function claim: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.” The asterisk next to a claim points to it.

G

Glycerite

Also called: Glycerin extract, Alcohol-free extract

A glycerite is an herbal extract made with vegetable glycerin and water instead of alcohol. It tastes sweet and is alcohol-free; glycerin draws out some plant compounds less strongly than alcohol does.

Gua sha

Gua sha is a traditional East Asian practice of stroking oiled skin with a smooth-edged tool. Body gua sha uses firm strokes that can leave temporary red marks; facial versions use light pressure and are mostly a relaxing ritual, with little research behind facial claims.

I

Interstitial fluid

Also called: Tissue fluid

Interstitial fluid is the fluid that bathes your cells. It seeps out of tiny blood vessels; most of it is reabsorbed, and the lymphatic system collects the rest and returns it to the bloodstream as lymph.

Read more: What Is Lymph? · How Does Lymph Move?

Isoflavones

Also called: Phytoestrogens

Isoflavones are plant compounds shaped similarly to estrogen, which is why they’re called phytoestrogens. Red clover contains biochanin A, formononetin, genistein and daidzein, so people who are pregnant, breastfeeding, on hormone therapy or with hormone-sensitive conditions are usually advised to avoid concentrated sources.

L

Lymph

Also called: Lymphatic fluid

Lymph is the clear, watery fluid that flows through your lymphatic vessels. It begins as fluid around your cells, picks up proteins, cell debris and immune cells, passes through lymph nodes and returns to the bloodstream through veins near the collarbones.

Read more: What Is Lymph? · How Does Lymph Move?

Lymph nodes

Also called: Lymph glands

Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs along lymph vessels that filter lymph and house immune cells. You have hundreds of them, clustered in the neck, armpits, groin, chest and abdomen. A node that stays enlarged, hard or painful for more than two weeks should be checked by a doctor.

Lymphangion

Also called: Collecting lymph vessel

A lymphangion is one segment of a collecting lymph vessel, between two one-way valves. Its muscular wall contracts rhythmically and pushes lymph into the next segment, which is how lymph keeps moving without a heart to pump it.

Lymphatic capillaries

Also called: Initial lymphatics

Lymphatic capillaries are the smallest lymph vessels: thin, dead-end tubes found in most tissues. Their overlapping cells work like one-way flaps, letting interstitial fluid in but not back out.

Lymphatic drainage drops

Also called: Lymphatic drops, Lymphatic support drops

Lymphatic drainage drops are liquid herbal supplements, usually a glycerite of herbs such as cleavers, red clover, stillingia and prickly ash, traditionally used to support healthy lymphatic flow.* No combination has been tested in published clinical trials in people.

Lymphatic system

Also called: Lymph system

The lymphatic system is the network of lymph vessels, lymph nodes and lymphatic organs, such as the spleen, thymus and tonsils. It returns excess tissue fluid to the blood, absorbs dietary lipids from the gut and is part of the immune system.

Lymphocytes

Also called: B cells, T cells, NK cells

Lymphocytes are white blood cells, including B cells, T cells and natural killer cells, that are central to immune defense. Many of them live in, and travel between, the lymph nodes, the spleen and the blood.

M

Manual lymphatic drainage (MLD)

Also called: MLD, Lymphatic drainage massage

Manual lymphatic drainage is a gentle massage technique that stretches the skin in slow, rhythmic strokes toward the lymph nodes. Emil and Estrid Vodder developed it in the 1930s. Medical MLD is done by certified therapists; light self-massage versions are a wellness ritual.

Menstruum

Also called: Solvent

The menstruum is the liquid used to extract an herb, such as alcohol, water, glycerin or vinegar. It shapes which plant compounds end up in the extract and how it tastes, which is why good labels name it.

Muscle pump

Also called: Skeletal muscle pump, Calf pump

The muscle pump is the squeezing action of working muscles on nearby veins and lymph vessels. When your calves and thighs contract as you walk, one-way valves turn that pressure into flow toward the heart.

P

Prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum)

Also called: Northern prickly ash, Toothache tree

Prickly ash is a thorny North American shrub in the citrus family (Rutaceae). Its bark was used by Eclectic physicians and is traditionally used to support healthy circulation.* Chewing the bark numbs the mouth, which earned it the name toothache tree.

Proprietary blend

A proprietary blend is a mix of ingredients listed under one total amount on a Supplement Facts panel, without each ingredient’s individual amount. It’s legal, and the ingredients must still be listed in descending order by weight, but it makes products harder to compare.

R

Rebounding

Also called: Mini-trampoline exercise

Rebounding is gentle bouncing on a mini trampoline. Like walking, it rhythmically works the leg muscles, which helps move lymph and venous blood; there’s little research on rebounding specifically.

Red clover (Trifolium pratense)

Also called: Meadow clover

Red clover is a pea-family (Fabaceae) meadow plant whose flower tops are rich in isoflavones. It’s traditionally used to support healthy lymphatic flow.* Human studies have looked at menopausal symptoms and bone health with mixed results, and it isn’t for pregnancy, breastfeeding or hormone-sensitive conditions.

S

Sluggish lymph

Also called: Stagnant lymph

“Sluggish lymph” is a popular wellness phrase, not a medical diagnosis. You can’t feel lymph moving, and in healthy people it keeps flowing. Swelling that is new, one-sided, painful or lasting should be checked by a clinician rather than self-managed.

Spleen

The spleen is the largest lymphatic organ, tucked under the left ribs. Unlike lymph nodes, it filters blood rather than lymph, removing worn-out red blood cells and storing immune cells.

Stillingia (Stillingia sylvatica)

Also called: Queen’s root, Queen’s delight

Stillingia is a spurge-family (Euphorbiaceae) plant of the southeastern United States whose root was a staple of Eclectic herbalism. It was only ever used in small amounts, because larger doses cause vomiting, and it has had almost no modern research.

Structure/function claim

A structure/function claim describes how a supplement supports a normal body structure or function, such as “traditionally used to support healthy lymphatic flow.*” DSHEA allows these claims when they’re truthful, reported to the FDA and paired with the FDA disclaimer. Disease claims aren’t allowed.

Supplement Facts panel

The Supplement Facts panel is the required label on a dietary supplement. It lists the serving size, servings per container and each ingredient’s amount per serving, and botanicals must be named with the plant part used, such as cleavers aerial parts.

T

Thoracic duct

The thoracic duct is the largest lymph vessel in the body. It carries lymph from the legs, abdomen, left arm and left side of the head and chest, and empties it into the bloodstream where the left internal jugular and subclavian veins meet, near the left collarbone.

Tincture

Also called: Alcohol extract

A tincture is an herbal extract made with alcohol and water. Alcohol draws out a wide range of plant compounds and keeps extracts shelf-stable, but some people avoid it, which is why alcohol-free glycerites exist.

Sources

Cleveland Clinic. “Lymphatic System.” my.clevelandclinic.org
Cleveland Clinic. “Lymph.” my.clevelandclinic.org
OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, 21.1 “Anatomy of the Lymphatic and Immune Systems.” openstax.org
Cleveland Clinic. “Lymphatic Drainage Massage.” my.clevelandclinic.org
Cleveland Clinic. “Diaphragmatic Breathing.” my.clevelandclinic.org
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Red Clover.” www.nccih.nih.gov
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. “Botanical Dietary Supplements: Background Information.” ods.od.nih.gov
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “FDA 101: Dietary Supplements.” www.fda.gov
Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 101.36, “Nutrition labeling of dietary supplements.” www.ecfr.gov
Code of Federal Regulations. 21 CFR 101.93, “Certain types of statements for dietary supplements.” www.ecfr.gov
Federal Register. “Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packaging, Labeling, or Holding Operations for Dietary Supplements.” 2007. www.govinfo.gov
Felter HW, Lloyd JU. King’s American Dispensatory, 1898: “Galium.” Henriette’s Herbal Homepage. www.henriettes-herb.com
Penn State Extension. “Getting the Best of Catchweed Bedstraw.” extension.psu.edu