Some herbal treatments date back hundreds of years. One of the reasons herbs have been used is to naturally aid digestion. Herbs have been, and still are, also used as natural remedies to correct digestive problems. Examples of such herbs include wormwood, peppermint, and pau d’arco.
Remedies involving digestive herbs can vary. The manner in which one person or culture uses them may not be mirrored by another person or culture, although they are used for the same purposes. Some of the digestive herbs listed below may be used alone while others are commonly mixed together.
Sometimes a person may not have a serious condition. She may just need digestive herbs that help the digestive system maintain proper functioning. Ginger root, for example, can be used settle nausea.
Aloe vera and rose hip are commonly used by naturalists to help aid digestion. Guar gum can be used to help the body absorb more nutrients from the foods a person eats. Flax seed can then be used to induce a beneficial waste elimination process.
Some digestive herbs are widely recognized as having numerous benefits. Peppermint is one of them. A person can use peppermint in a variety of forms, including supplements, commercial tea bags, or boiling fresh or dried leaves. Consuming peppermint can help relieve problems such as bloating, intestinal bacteria overgrowth, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Wormwood is another of the digestive herbs that has numerous benefits. Its use is one that dates back centuries. It has commonly been used to combat intestinal worms and liver conditions. Two of its natural components, thujone and isothujone, also act to stimulate digestion. Wormwood is usually consumed as a tincture or tea. It is not suggested that a person consume this herbal remedy daily for more than a month.
Pau d’arco is one of the digestive herbs often placed into a category known as liver tonics. Items in this group help stimulate and repair the digestive system. Pau d’arco, for example, is an herb that can be used to combat gastrointestinal problems such as colitis and stomatitis. Other herbs in the group of liver tonics include goldenseal, lemon balm, and red clover.
Some digestive problems are caused by conditions in the intestinal tract. When this is the case, digestive herbs such as plantago pysillium seed, which scrubs the intestinal tract, or senna pod, which cleanses the colon, can be used. Capsicum, also known as cayenne, can be used to treat stomach and bowel disorders. Black walnut can be used to rid the intestinal tract of parasites and toxins, which are common causes of inflammation and other disorders.