Digestion is where everything begins. Whenever we take in any food or herb, it has to first go through our digestive system. Anything we take into our body affects us in a way that either adds to or detracts from our health. And in order for any of these substances to help our body, we have to first be able to assimilate them. So essentially, it all starts here. In this article I’m going to discuss a few general ideas that have worked in my practice with clients, as well as what has worked for colleagues & their clients, & what I have learned from 25 years of working with & studying herbalism. THESE ARE GENERAL SUGGESTIONS. Feel free to try what resonates with you, & if you have a more complex issue that you would like help with, I encourage you to book a consultation. That way we can dig deeper & customize a plan that works for your specific situation. In the meantime, the suggestions below are meant to be done in the way that works best for you, without beating yourself up. Do what you can, & remember not to stress out about it, because stress is not good for digestion.
Optimum Nourishment
Let’s first talk about how to nourish a digestive system that is well, so that it stays that way. For most of us, the very first thing we think of when we talk about digestion is nutrition. Please keep in mind there are many different ways to eat, & what works for 1 person won’t work for everyone. There is a lot of conflicting information out there, but there a few general things that appear to be agreed on for the most part. (Please note I am not a dietician or nutritionist, & I will be speaking purely from my perspective as a clinical herbalist, based on my own research & personal experience with clients, colleagues, etc.)
- Vegetables. Preferably grown organically, locally grown when possible. Not everyone has access to a home-grown garden, so we do the best we can. Farm CSA shares, farmer’s markets, farm stands. Some co-ops & grocery stores carry local produce, & if you can’t get local produce, just think about what is in season & go with that.
- High Quality Protein. I am talking about minimally processed, nutrient dense protein here. That means if you are eating meat, be sure to source it organically, grass-fed, & locally raised whenever possible. Try to avoid factory farmed animal products. Local wild-caught fish is great & full of essential fatty acids, as are organic cage-free eggs if you eat them. If you don’t have issues with dairy, high quality yogurt (only ingredients should be milk & live active cultures), Greek yogurt being the highest in protein. For plant-based sources, lentils, chickpeas, beans, seeds, nuts-whole or as nut butters or fresh made nut milks. Chia & hemp are especially nutritious. Tempeh is a protein powerhouse, & tofu is good if it’s sourced well. The ones to stay away from are the overly processed TVP “fake meats”-some are ok, but the ones with the super long list of ingredients can cause more harm than good.
So basically focusing on veggies & high quality protein at each meal, whenever possible, can contribute so much to your overall wellness. Paul Bergner, herbalist & nutritionist, shared that for optimal wellness it is good to strive for 25 grams of protein at breakfast alone-that is a LOT, but doable, & in my own experience I do notice a huge difference with feeling satiated longer, quelling sugar cravings, & stabilization of blood sugar.
The next part of general optimum digestion would be to focus on pre & probiotic rich foods. Things like sauerkraut, kimchee, yogurt (dairy or nondairy), kefir, miso, & tempeh. Pickled veggies of all kinds too. If we can aim for 1 of these at each meal, we are enriching our gut flora, which not only strengthens our digestion, but our immunity as well.
Herbal Support
Digestive Bitters: Here is where we start getting into herbs. Unless you have an ulcer, or another condition in which bitters would be contraindicated, most people will benefit from bitters, especially those of us who live in the US-we tend not to get enough bitters in our diets. Taken 10-30 minutes before a meal, digestive bitters can wake up & prime the digestive system, getting the digestive juices flowing & essentially starting predigestion, so that your body is ready to receive & assimilate all that goodness. This can be done by eating a bitter green salad with lots of dandelion leaves & endives, maybe some watercress. Or it can be taken in an infused vinegar or tincture form. There are many digestive bitter tincture formulas out there, but if you want to keep things simple, you can start with a mild blend of equal parts burdock root & dandelion root. This won’t taste overly bitter, but these 2 herbs work synergistically as a tonic for digestion & also the liver. They both contain inulin, which is a prebiotic, so it helps feed the probiotics we are taking in, & our gut flora becomes happier. Generally 1 full dropperful on the back of your tongue (or a bitter green salad) 10-30 minutes before meals is a good daily practice. Because it primes our digestion, it can also sometimes prevent some uncomfortable GI stuff that happens after meals, like nausea, flatulence, belching, bloating, etc. Which leads me to the next topic…
Carminatives After Meals: There is some overlap between carminatives & bitters, but carminatives are generally taken after meals to help with issues like digestion, nausea, gas, bloating, etc. They tend to be the herbs that are traditionally taken after meals-the mints given out by restaurants for example. If you’ve ever been to an Indian restaurant, you may have noticed a seed blend that they offer after meals-usually a blend of fennel, ginger, & cardamom. Chai spices are carminative. Ginger candies are another carminative. Chamomile tea also. Sipping any single or blend of these herbs as a tea, tincture, or candy can be a tasty way to end a meal & give your digestive system some extra support.
Herbs to support Digestive Imbalances: There are many different types of digestive imbalances, more than I can cover in this article. If you are someone who has a suspected or diagnosed digestive issue, then I encourage you to consider working 1:1 with a clinical herbalist or other practitioner to help you to address the root cause & customize a wellness plan to meet your specific needs. There are a couple plants I would like to mention here though, mainly demulcents & vulneraries. Demulcents are herbs that nourish & support the mucous membranes (of which there are many in the gut), & vulneraries are wound healing. Usually, we think of vulneraries for our skin, but the gut absolutely has tissue that can easily be wounded. When we think about inflammatory conditions in the gut-gastritis, enteritis, colitis, diverticulitis, any-itis really, but also ulcers, & even GERD which burns the esophagus. Demulcents & vulneraries can be helpful in these situations. These are mucilaginous plants such as plantain leaf & marshmallow leaf or root, and vulneraries such as calendula. Add some above-mentioned carminatives & maybe some nervines (stress & tension in the nerves can exacerbate digestive distress), & you have a well rounded Gut Support Tea. Yemaya’s Apothecary’s Gut Support Tea blend is something I recommend frequently because it has been consistently helpful for many types of digestive issues. Sometimes I may need to switch up some ingredients to customize for a client’s specific needs, but generally I find that it is often a great place to start. To pick up a bag, click here.
These are some of my basic go-to herbal ideas for getting started with Digestive Wellness. If you would like to go deeper into working on supporting your own digestive or other wellness issues, I would love to work with you. Click here to learn more about my Herbal Wellness Consultations. If you are on the fence about whether we are a good fit, then I encourage you to book a FREE 15-minute connection call with me to chat, get to know each other, & get some of your questions answered. You can also check out my about page here.