As of late, the World Health Organization (WHO), estimated a staggering 85% of the world population is still using traditional medicines, including herbs, as their primary source of health care. Currently, a huge number of new drugs, almost 70% come from natural products, particularly plants. These new drugs are studied and tested carefully, and then reproduced rapidly in order to fulfill the demands of the consumers in the market.
Unfortunately, the daily veneration of medicinal plants in the market has been lost. However, if you want to use natural remedies to improve your health, you should know that many others are available to you. Some of these are common household items and some are general ingredients in our home recipes and so, let’s take a look at these five plants and herbs that would be essential to our digestive health:
1. Ginger
Ginger is a spice always recommend to have in the kitchen. This is not just a wonderful addition to your kitchen (especially with garlic), but it also has sufficient medicinal properties to fill a number of books.
Digestive benefits:
- Deals with indigestion
- Helps alleviate the symptoms of IBS
- Treats constipation
- Relieves heartburn
- Increases nutrient absorption
- Relieves motion sickness
2. Artichoke or (Cynara Scolymus)
The artichoke has been utilized as a digestive plant as far as the times of the Roman Empire. The artichoke belongs to the family of daisies and can grow up to six meters in height. The medicinal properties of this plant are well known. The first mention of its digestive benefits has been documented by the students of the famous Greek philosopher, Aristotle.
Digestive benefits:
- Improves appetite
- Facilitates digestion
- Treats constipation
- Deals with indigestion
- Relieves the pain from gas
3. Slippery Elm Bark or (Ulmus Fulva)
Native Americans used the inner bark in elm dust to make the plasters to extract toxins from boiling and to soothe damaged skin. Among other things, European settlers have used it for digestion to alleviate the terrible digestive problems of patients with typhoid. Nowadays, this digestive plant is a known remedy against indigestion, such as irritable bowel syndrome, acid dyspepsia, or the type of problems associated with eating food that does not agree with you.
Digestive benefits:
- Facilitates digestion
- Protects the belly
- Cures diarrhea and intestinal cramps
- Neutralizes acidity and coats the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract
4. Peppermint or (Mentha Piperita)
The Greek doctor Dioscorides, is known to have frequently worn a peppermint branch to cheer himself up. The doctors of antiquity had recognized its antispasmodic effects and thus, was well known among our more modern ancestors, who considered it a medicinal plant for digestion.
Digestive benefits:
- Calms the stomach
- Relieves colonic diarrhea
- Relieves spasms, bloating and cramps.
- Milk thistle or (Silybum marianum)
5. Milk Thistle
Another digestive herb is the milk thistle, which is also a flowering plant of the daisy family. It has been utilized for hundreds and probably thousands of years as a liver strengthener and a digestive herb. Today, it is still used to treat various liver diseases due to its important protective capabilities.
The milk thistle has been attributed to strange powers in the Middle Ages, probably because it grew in the cemeteries and gardens of the monastery.
Digestive benefits:
- Ensures the health of liver cells
- Neutralizes the extreme effects of toxins
- Improves digestion
- Facilitates the circulation of bile in the liver.
- Cures stomach ache or indigestion.
For some who would like to achieve a better digestive health, here is a short list of uncommon foods that would help improve digestion:
- Kefir
- Chia seeds
- Kombucha
- Tempeh(fermented soy beans)
- Papaya
- Beets
- Kimchi(Korean side dish)
- Natto
- Sauerkraut(shredded cabbage fermented with Lactic acid)
- Miso(soup made by fermenting soybeans with salt and koji)
Digestive issues can be challenging to some, especially if you are experiencing other health issues. It would be helpful to know about some natural remedies. These are just a few examples of plants, herbs and foods that would be helpful to you, if accompanied together with proper exercise and the right diet, you will surely have a better digestive system, and thus provide a better health. If you make these a part of your daily life, not just during the flu and cold season, but throughout the year, you can sustain a strong and a healthy immune system.
