Five Herbs to Aid Digestion

Chronic problems with digestion can be very disruptive and uncomfortable, and they can turn eating into a very unpleasant event. Problems such as heartburn, upset stomach, gas, and diarrhea are experienced by millions each day. Generally, most doctors instantly and readily prescribe a chemical or drug to lower the amount of stomach acid. However, oftentimes these chemicals can actually make your digestive problems worse, rather than relieve them. Physicians tend to agree that most stomach problems are usually caused by a group of associated problems, rather than a single issue.

In years past, roots and other herbs were grown as spices for food because of their helpful digestive properties. Modern digestion problems are so prevalent because of our propensity to eat mostly processed foods - foods which lack necessary nutrients. The wonderful thing is that supplementing your diet with natural herbs has been shown to be effective at relieving most of the digestion problems which affect most people. Following are five of the best natural herbs to aid digestion, and which problems each is most helpful for.

Ginger

Ginger is a powerful healing herb that has been recorded as an effective treatment in some very early medical writings. Among other things, ginger has excellent digestion properties, and has long been used to prevent and treat digestive problems. These days, ginger is mostly used to treat problems like irritable bowel syndrome - this can including helping to alleviate symptoms such as gas, constipation, nausea, vomiting, bloating, and diarrhea..

Fennel

Fennel is another natural spice that has long been utilized for its ability to help ease and prevent upset stomach. Fennel is often used to relieve symptoms such as heartburn, cramping, bloating, and general digestive issues. Many women use this herb in a tea for alleviating morning sickness, and others have used it to help calm the stomach following treatments like chemo and radiation.

Aloe

Aloe is an all-around healing herb that should be on everyone's herbal supplement list. Particularly, if you suffer from digestive problems, you should make aloe one of your required herbs. Aloe contains essential amino acids, enzymes, as well as vitamin C. It has a good ability to naturally soothe the stomach.

Gentian

Gentian is not as well known as the other herbs, but that doesn't mean it's any less effective. Gentian root has been used for many years to bolster digestive function. It works well because of its extreme bitterness - it is one of the bitterest herbs known. This bitterness helps to stimulate digestive fluids and, thereby, bolster the function of the digestive system, helping to prevent upset stomach and other digestive problems.

Peppermint

Peppermint is a wonderful herb that is used for a variety of health benefits, of which digestion is one of the main ones. The easy thing about peppermint is that there are a variety of ways to take the recommended daily dosage. Regarding digestion, peppermint has been linked to relieving symptoms common to irritable bowl syndrome including gas, bloating, nausea, diarrhea, cramping, and constipation.

The herbs on this list have a variety of potential health benefits other than just aiding digest, so taking one of them to treat digestive problems can also help improve your overall health. Taking prescription medications isn't necessarily the best solution to all medical conditions.

For more information on herbs that can aid in digestion, see 30 Digestive Herbs (Mother Earth Living).