LIKE SUPPORTS LIKE

"Like Supports Like" is the ancient holistic concept that consumed organs and glands correspond to their homologous organs and glands. Historically, organs were not only valued as a source of food but also as something special. This was intuitively understood. Organ tissues contain vitamins, minerals, enzymes, peptides, and other biological compounds that differ significantly from those in muscle tissue.¹

There are countless examples of this mentioned in descriptions of traditional food cultures and their associated systems. While interpretations varied, the underlying observation remained consistent: organ meat is special and among the most nutrient-dense parts of an animal.

Organ meats were rarely absent from traditional diets. In many societies, they were considered highly valuable foods. Descriptions of the use of animal organs appear in numerous ancient medical traditions. Historical references can be found in:

• Assyrian medical tablets
• Ancient Egyptian papyri, including the Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BCE)²
• Ancient Greek medical writings
• Ayurveda texts
• Traditional Chinese Medicine

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the concept of “yi xing bu xing” describes the idea that the form of a food can complement the form or function of an organ.

Ancient Roman medicine also extensively described the use of animal substances. Physicians and scholars such as Galen, Pliny the Elder, and Dioscorides documented animal remedies in early pharmacological texts.³

Anthropological research shows that similar practices also existed outside classical medical traditions. Many cultures valued certain organs for their presumed nutritional value or symbolic meaning. Examples include:

• Inuit communities consuming seal liver for better hunting
• Native American traditions associating eating the heart with courage
• Traditional diets where specific organs were reserved for certain members of a tribe or community

These traditions were not based on modern biochemical knowledge but do reflect long-standing observations about the unique properties of organ meats and intuition.

Scientific interest in organs and glands increased significantly during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

During this period, researchers began investigating the concept of internal secretions, substances produced by glands that influence the body’s physiology. This research eventually led to the birth of endocrinology, the science of hormones.

One of the most famous early figures in this field was the Mauritian neurologist Charles-Édouard Brown-Séquard (1817–1894). In 1889 he famously reported experimenting with extracts derived from animal testicular tissue in an attempt to explore the biological activity of glandular substances.⁴

Although his work was controversial and widely sensationalized, it triggered enormous scientific interest in glandular tissues. Researchers began investigating extracts from organs such as the thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands, ovaries, and testes.

This early work, sometimes referred to as organotherapy or opotherapy, eventually contributed to the development of modern endocrinology and the discovery of hormones in the early twentieth century.

From a modern nutritional perspective, organ meats are often recognized as some of the most nutrient-dense foods in the human diet. Compared to muscle tissue, organs often contain higher concentrations of:

• Fat-soluble vitamins such as A, D, E, and K
  
• Water-soluble vitamins such as B-vitamins
  
• Minerals and trace elements such as iron, zinc, copper, and selenium
  
• Enzymes, cofactors, and peptides

These nutrients reflect the biological functions that organs perform.

Due to their functions, organ tissues often contain complex combinations of micronutrients and structural compounds. This is why organs such as liver, heart, kidney, spleen, and bone marrow are incredibly nutritious.

Modern research has also looked at smaller and more peculiar biological molecules present in organ tissues. You can think of components from the cytosol.

What are these "cytosol components"?

When you eat freeze-dried organs, you consume a complex mix of cytosol components, including

• Peptides: Short chains of amino acids. These signal peptides and enzymes are organ-specific.
  
• Nucleotides: The building blocks of DNA and RNA (such as adenosine, guanosine).
  
• Enzymes: Functional proteins that catalyze biochemical reactions.
• Amino Acids: The building blocks of proteins.
• Minerals & Electrolytes: Dissolved ions such as potassium, magnesium, and sodium.
• Vitamins & Cofactors: Vitamins and other molecules essential for the body.
  
• Signaling Molecules: Molecules that are active in the cell.
  
• Micro RNA: Small, non-coding RNA molecules that play a role in cell communication, among other things.
  
• Exosomes: Small vesicles released by cells that contain molecules such as proteins, lipids, and RNA (including microRNA).

It is known that biological molecules from organ meat can survive digestion intact and reach the bloodstream. For example, small peptides or macromolecules can cross the intestinal barrier.⁵

The same applies to microRNAs and exosomes from food. These are small biological particles known as signaling molecules.⁶

The physiological relevance of these molecules in human nutrition remains an active area of research, and scientists continue to study how nutritional biological compounds interact with the body.

1. U.S. Department of Agriculture. FoodData Central: Nutrient profiles of organ meats.
2. Ebers Papyrus (c. 1550 BCE), Ancient Egyptian medical text.
3. Dioscorides, Pedanius. De Materia Medica.
4. Brown-Séquard C.E. (1889). “The effects produced on man by subcutaneous injections of a liquid obtained from the testicles of animals.” The Lancet.
5. Lettré H. (1955). Studies on organ extracts and tissue interactions.
6. Baier SR et al. (2014). Dietary microRNAs from milk can survive digestion and enter circulation. Journal of Nutrition.