Indigestion Healing Herbs & Recipes

Indigestion

Indigestion is an upper gastrointestinal upset that may come with eating too much or eating spicy or hard to digest foods.
Symptoms of Indigestion include heartburn , belching, and unusual fullness. More discomfort, in the form of irritable bowel syndrome, can bring cramping, bloating, and gas to the lower gastrointestinal tract.

Indigestion ailments may also be caused by stress, an imbalance in good and bad intestinal bacteria, antibiotics, and illness such as diabetes and depression. You can take carminatives and other soothing healing herbs for Indigestion without alcohol, too.

Indigestion Healing Herbs

Calendula • Chamomile • Devil’s claw • Fennel • Ginger • Hops • Lemon balm • Licorice • Marshmallow • Oregon grape root • Peppermint • Plantain • Slippery elm • Turmeric • Yarrow

Hops Ginger Tea (Infusion) for Indigestion

Hops is a digestive aid, and ginger both stimulates digestion and dispels gas.

4 servings

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: 4 cups water 1 tablespoon dried ginger root 2 tablespoons dried hops ¼ cup honey, more or less, to taste

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

1. Boil the water.

2. Mix together the ginger root and hops and place them in a glass quart jar.

3. Cover the healing herbs with the boiling water.

4. Cap the jar and allow it to steep at room temperature for 4–6 hours.

5. Strain out the healing herbs and stir in the honey.

6. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, and drink hot or cold.

ALTERNATIVE: To make a quick hops tea remedy, place 1 teaspoon of dried hops in a cup, pour in boiling water, and steep for 20 minutes. Add honey to taste, and enjoy.

FENNEL DIGESTIVE FOR IBS

This legendary digestive aid is a well-known carminative.

several servings

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: 1 tablespoon fennel seeds ¼ cup leafy fennel stalk 2 cups vodka Agave nectar or honey

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

1. Place the fennel seeds and leafy stalks in a glass quart jar, and cover completely so at least 1 inch of vodka is above the herb.

2. Cap the mixture tightly, shake well, and allow it to steep at room temperature for 1 week.

3. Strain out the herb completely and measure the remaining liquid.

4. Whatever the liquid’s measure, measure out half that amount of agave nectar and stir it in.

5. Store the digestive in the freezer.

6. One recommended dose is to sip 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) after dinner.

ALTERNATIVE: For those who don’t drink alcohol, warm 1 cup of milk mixed with 1 tablespoon of crushed fennel seeds to a simmer, then strain out the herb and sip the soothing drink. Use almond milk if you are lactose intolerant.

Peppermint Massage & Scent Therapy

As a carminative, peppermint helps relieve abdominal gas.

1 application

WHAT YOU’LL NEED: 10 drops peppermint essential oil 2 tablespoons almond oil

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

1. Mix together the peppermint and almond oil.

2. Dip your fingertips into the oil and massage into your abdomen to soothe gas pain.

ALTERNATIVE: Add 6–10 drops of peppermint, fennel, or chamomile essential oils to 1 cup of water in a diffuser for soothing scent therapy.