According to a study in Saudi Arabia, various herbs are often employed for treating digestive issues. These remedies help restore normal intestinal functioning by increasing the secretion or flow of enzymes or bile, increasing nutrient absorption, and strengthening gut walls.
Long before Pepcid, Alka-Seltzer, TUMS, or any other commercial OTC medications were invented, people frequently turned to natural herbal remedies for relief of digestive distress.
Peppermint
Long before Pepcid, TUMS, or antacids hit drug store shelves, people used botanical herbs as natural solutions for digestive symptoms like heartburn, gas, bloating, and nausea. While eating healthily remains key for healthy digestion, herbal supplements may help nudge it back towards normality by stimulating or relaxing gut muscles, encouraging secretion or flow of digestive juices, and increasing nutrient absorption.
Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is one of the best-known botanical nervines, being a cross between spearmint and water mint. Aside from being consumed fresh as an herb or used dried for tea or brewed as decoction or infusion, it can also be purchased as liquid oil capsules and delayed-release, enteric-coated capsules to protect from stomach acidity degradation of its oil contents. For people living with IBS particularly, delayed release, enteric-coated capsules may protect from degradation caused by stomach acidity while providing access to its content as soon as possible - helping protect its oil content from being degraded by acidic environments within their bodies and protecting its oil content from degradation by stomach acids!
Peppermint may provide pain relief by relaxing the muscles in the gut, thus relieving spasms and abdominal discomfort. Peppermint also serves as a natural anti-inflammatory. Chamomile (Mentha annual), is another botanical nervine that soothes gut pain, contains anti-inflammatory compounds, and serves as mild sedative properties; just like peppermint, it can be taken in various forms such as tincture, infusion, or homeopathic remedy Ulcerene.
Cumin
Cumin seeds (Cuminum cyminum) have long been prized as both culinary and medicinal ingredients due to their warm, earthy flavor. One study on women who are overweight or obese found that regularly taking 3 grams (g) of cumin powder could significantly decrease total and low-density lipoprotein ("bad") cholesterol while simultaneously increasing high-density lipoprotein ("good" cholesterol levels.)
Cumin has long been used in traditional medicine to ease digestive discomforts such as bloating, abdominal pain, and irregular bowel movements. Cumin seed oil has proven especially useful as an effective treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). One recent study involved giving 20 drops of cumin essential oil daily for two and four weeks; at that point, all participants experienced significant decreases in symptoms related to abdominal pain, bloating, and other digestive concerns.
Cumin seeds offer significant antibacterial benefits. Cumin extract has been shown to inhibit the growth of various bacteria, including E. coli bacterium which normally reside within healthy bodies but can sometimes cause diarrhea in people and animals. Cumin's antibacterial compounds including carvacrol and thymol are proven to successfully destroy E. coli bacteria.
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is a tropical succulent plant, native to South America that thrives in hot temperatures by storing water as a thick gel within each leaf or fillet. Long used as an herbal moisturizer and digestive aid, aloe vera juice consumption was shown to significantly lower stomach acidity while improving bowel movements in one study.
As well as soothing effects on the intestinal tract, this herb contains several compounds with antiseptic and healing properties. Lupeol and salicylic acid act as natural disinfectants against bacteria and fungi while it also contains multiple isoprenoids (a- and b-sitosterol) known for their antioxidant effects.
In vitro tests indicate that some anthraquinones present in Aloe vera latex can be potentially genotoxic; however, evidence for this claim remains uncertain (Boudreau and Beland 2006). Furthermore, four 2-year carcinogenicity studies in rats did not find any toxicities from whole-leaf extract of Aloe vera.
Digestive discomforts like heartburn may be brought on by stress, changes to our gut flora, or diets that are too acidic or high in fats. Herbs that soothe the digestive tract such as slippery elm, marshmallow root, or meadowsweet can provide temporary relief and reduce inflammation, while Chamomile tea has antiseptic properties and may help restore balance by increasing good bacteria within our system. By taking probiotics alongside these herbs we can restore proper bacteria balance within our gut and improve digestion.
Ginger
Ginger root contains phytochemical compounds known as shogaols and gingerols which may support the production of digestive enzymes, helping reduce bloating, gas, and indigestion symptoms as well as inflammation associated with irritable bowel syndrome Herbal Products Online Pakistan.
Ginger root supplementation has also been found to effectively alleviate gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and vomiting, according to research published in the European Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In particular, elective cesarean section patients receiving ginger root supplements experienced significantly less intraoperative nausea and vomiting when compared with those receiving placebo treatment during surgery.
Ginger can also provide antioxidants that can ward off free radical damage to the GI tract. A study on rats revealed that those given ginger extract before ischemia/reperfusion experienced less oxidative stress (i.e. tissue malondialdehyde levels and superoxide dismutase activity) than untreated rats.
A survey on diet habits showed that the majority of participants were aware of herbs' ability to treat GI issues and had used herbal supplements for recurrent problems. Furthermore, anise, black tea, chamomile, and fennel were most often used in treating diarrhea and constipation respectively.
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