Studies show that between 15–30% of the general population experience bloating symptoms
and symptoms of indigestion. Gut health is a key subject. So on this video, 4 key herbs
for bloating & digestion along with some tips and tricks.
So if you want to learn about herbs and the digestive system, then watch this video.
Let’s go
Let’s paint a picture, dinner 7pm, you, chew, swallow and whilst your body is going
to work in breaking down the food. After a little while you suddenly start feeling gassy,
sluggish and your stomach is slightly swollen. This is the story for many people, especially
my sisters during their time of the month.
But what actually is happening when you’re going through bloating or digestive issues.
Well the official definition of bloating is a swollen state caused by retention of fluid
or gas.
Simply put there are a few ways to bloat, one of which is swallowing air, this can be
through fizzy drinks or even drinking liquids through a straw, as this causes you to swallow
extra gas. This gas gets trapped in your stomach leading to bloating, but what's more common
is that bloating that results from food or eating. For this, you eat, chew, swallow but
digestion takes a little more than usual, you have to picture it, in your digestive
tract, it’s warm, humid, there is bile in your belly breaking down food but as this
is happening for longer, when things break down, or just sitting in your intestines,
gas is released, this gas is trapped builds up in the digestive tract and boom, you're
bloated, gassy, may even even be letting out gas more often than normal or even burp a
bit more. This can even be from disturbances in the movement of the muscles, such as how
quick food is passing through your intestines, for some people, especially though who don't
get enough fibre, this can be slower and thus lead to more bloating or indigestion
Bloating is a common feature of indigestion, indigestion is essentially the issues that
come from the difficulty in digesting food. That’s a Very simplified version but that
picture should help you understand what causes bloating and digestive issues. So, as we always
do, we’re going to first talk 4 quick tips to deal with digestions issues quickly and
then we will get onto the herbs.
So, let’s discuss 4 quick things you can do right now to help with bloating and digestive
issues
The first thing you can do is chew your food
I ran a poll on my twitter asking how many times do you guys chew on average, almost
60% of you guys said you chew between 5-10 times. and only 9% chew over 20 times. Chewing
is extremely important for digestion as well as nutrient absorption. Chewing is the first
step of digestion, food gets broken down into smaller digestible particles mixed with saliva,
this improves the digestion process and not chewing enough can lead to indigestion, guys,
slow down, enjoy your food, this is the first thing you should do to help digestion. And
as an added bonus, you can have weight loss benefits, nutrient absorption benefits and
better energy levels, just by chewing more and eating slower. Experts recommend that
you should chew around 32 times, comment below how many times you normally chew your food
The second thing you can do right now is stay hydrated
How much water do you drink each day? Water is crucial for digestion, so drink more water
and ensure you stay hydrated throughout the day. Some people don't like water much, maye
try eating more watery fruit like watermelon, or try smoothies or fresh juice?Also, a good
tip is lemon or lime juice with water first thing in the morning, this helps kickstart
the digestive system from the night before. Stay hydrated, your digestive system will
thank you for it
The third thing you can do right now is look at your diet
This is obvious but the question is, how much do you pay attention to your diet if we’re
all being honest. Are you aware of what you ate when you last had bloating or indigestion.
Some people keep a food diary for this, as some people have intolerances to certain foods,
and a process of elimination via a food diary might help or an intolerance test. Some of
these foods may just be harder to break down, so some may experience bloating after eating
some grains, if you know this then you can work around it by either eating less and you
may need you to sprout them, soak them to release some of the chemicals that are harder
to digest
Also, in general some foods can be harder to digest for some people like processed meat...
good fibre may help but also, there is this school of thought that although debated it’s
good to understand. Especially from a logical point of view, Different foods may take different
lengths to digest, for example, with simple sugars like fruits being easier to break down
whilst fats may take a little longer, then eating dates and cashews for some people,
may make digestion harder, making the food stay in the digestive tract for longer and
thus lead to gas or indigestion. This is widely debated but for me, foods harder to break
down combined with foods simpler to break down don't always go well. So it’s something
to be mindful of, experiment with your diet.
The fourth thing to try is a Probiotic
This can either be probiotic foods, herbs or supplements. We’ll discuss some herbs
later on but supplements and foods like kimchi and sauerkraut, or yogurt if you have dairy
but also, t maybe worth for some trying a probiotic supplement. Probiotic is essentially
live bacteria beneficial for gut health, also, there is prebiotic, prebiotic is plant fibres
that support the bacteria already in the digestive system. So looking into both can be beneficial,
we’ll touch on some through this video but for sure be mindful of foods, herbs and supps
to support these.
Hope this all provides some background and has been beneficial so far, if so, make sure
you drop a like, these are things you can do right now to help reduce your indigestion
and reduce bloating. Some key other things to be mindful of is stress, high stress literally
shuts down your digestive system and gives you issues but similarly a lack of sleep can
have the same effects. So be mindful.
So without further ado, let’s get into the four herbs for digestion
The first herb for digestion and of my favourites right now is lion's mane
Lion’s mane is a medicinal mushroom, lion's mane has been shown to be potentially beneficial
in improving and increasing good gut bacteria. So it's a natural prebiotic which ‘feeds’
good bacteria in the gut. But also it can help with inflammation in the digestive tract.
Antiinflammatory herbs can be beneficial for digestive health, mainly because, well I know
some people who do a number 2, once or twice a week, that's a backlog of waste in the digestive
tract. What that can do is lead to some inflammation, and it’s worth noting that Frequent bloating,
gas or digestive issues are signs of inflammation in the gut. So, anti-inflammatory herbs like
the herbs in this list and also lions may be beneficial.
I don't want to paint a graphic picture but, having a backlog of waste that sits there
for too long, that's literally just inflaming the intestinal walls, what this does is lead
to issues some of which is bloating, cramping, and over time it can lead to more serious
issues. So it's defo something you need to be mindful of.
Also, Lion’s mane is said to help regenerate cells in the digestive tract which leads to
healing of the gut. I'm not sure if you guys are away from digestive issues such as leaky
gut, this occurs when cracks or holes develop in the lining of the intestinal tract, bacteria
and other things can then get into the bloodstream through these cracks and lead to issues. This
is one of the reasons some people are taking medicinal mushrooms like lions mane.
The rest of the herbs i'll discuss will either be carminative herbs or bitters. Bitters tend
to be drunk before eating to help stimulate digestive secretions and keep the digestive
system flowing smoothly whilst carminative herbs tend to be drunk after to relax muscles,
reduce bloating, cramping and gas after eating meals. This is actually where the logic for
after dinner mints came from, you know those chocolate squares or sweets you may get at
restaurants and this is because they contain peppermint and peppermint is a carminative
herb for digestion.
The second herb for digestion is chamomile
Chamomile is one of the most popular herbal teas on the planet but sometimes when something
is popular, we may forget how beneficial it is, similar to green tea, these are powerful
herbs. chamomile can help you sleep better, lack of sleep is one of the reasons for digestive
issues. In fact it's said that quite a few gut complaints are associated with sleep abnormalities.
Also. Chamomile might have a calming effect on the gut and sleep. Leading to a potential
win, especially if consumed in the evening.
The third herb that's a good digestive aid is slippery elm
Slippery elm has been traditionally used as a digestive aid, mainly noted as a natural
remedy for digestive issues like constipation, diarrhea, and also inflammation in the digestive
tract.
One study showed participants with irritable bowel syndrome,, some of the symptoms being
bloating we're able to see benefits in 5 weeks combining this herb with other herbs. They
saw a 13% reduction in stomach pain and bloating and an increase in stool flow and frequency
but more important a 65% reduction in straining whilst going to the toilet. And straining
is something I know a lot of people deal with. And another studies showed similar results
with a reduction in gas and bloating.
Some of the reasons for its digestive benefits are it's a demulcent which can help sooth
the lining of the stomach, intestines and help reduce irritation, acting like a calmative
and in another small study it was shown to increase gut bacteria that promote a healthy
gut microbiome and it reduced harmful bacteria that can cause inflammation.
The fourth herb that's good digestive aid is turmeric
Turmeric is a carminative herb good for calming down the digestive system.Turmeric has been
traditionally used to help with indigestion, bloating and gas and what makes it great is
you can add it easily to other herbal teas. One study found that volunteers who ate turmeric
twice a day aided digestive function and helped then recover from indigestion faster. So this
is pretty positiv
I hope this video has been beneficial to you, there are many other digestive herbs such
as milk thistle, peppermint, lemon balm, marshmallow root, ginger so if you want a part 2, be sure
to let me know.
Also, I have a herby box created towards aiding digestion, just click the link the description
and use my code to get a discount.
Hope you enjoyed this video, besure to leave a like and comment and before you go, check
out this video right here and right here, it's your brother paul otote certified herbalist
and nutritionist, i'll see you on the next one.