Herbs and herbal teas for digestion: Ayurveda's advice

Herbs and herbal teas for digestion: Ayurveda's advice

The ancient tradition of Indian Ayurveda attributes great importance to digestion.

Capable of providing all the necessary nutrients to ensure our health, proper digestion helps us feel more focused, active, and balanced.

With the hectic rhythms of daily life, we tend not to have enough time to follow a diet suitable for the needs of our body.

High levels of stress, rushed meals, and foods high in sugars and fats are the cause of the feeling of bloating and heaviness that we experience at the end of the day, often accompanied by irritability, tiredness, and intestinal problems.

The ancient wisdom of Ayurveda offers valuable help in these cases, suggesting botanicals, Ayurvedic herbs, and spices from which to derive ideal digestive herbal teas and herbal teas for stomach pain capable of restoring strength and vitality to us.

Do you want to know these wonderful plants and their properties? Keep reading!

Agni, the Sacred Fire of digestion

According to Ayurveda, to regulate the delicate mechanism of digestion is Agni, the Sacred Fire of the Indian tradition. Located between the stomach and intestines and rich in warm energy, Agni keeps our vital energy high by ensuring the correct absorption of nutrients. But that's not all!

In Ayurvedic physiology, in fact, digestion is not only responsible for transforming food into energy: everything we experience through the five senses is processed by digestion. For this reason, Ayurveda teaches that we humans are not simply what we eat but above all what we digest.

The vitality of Agni and good digestion determine our physical and psychological well-being. Not surprisingly, when Agni is in balance and digestion proceeds smoothly, we feel energetic, focused, in a good mood, and aware of our emotions.

If Agni is not in balance, however, digestion is not able to adequately absorb food and emotions. For this reason, along with the feeling of bloating, heaviness, and constipation, there are also sadness, black moods, irritability, and deep fatigue.

What are the causes of slow digestion?

In the Ayurvedic view, slow and difficult digestion is caused by an imbalance of Agni , which involves an increase or decrease in Pitta, the warm energy associated with the Fire element.

Several factors can determine the abundance or scarcity of Agni, since digestion is involved in the metabolism of food and the processing of our emotions.

A diet rich in fatty, fermented, or overly spicy foods, combined with an angry and choleric temperament, increases Pitta energy and aggravates Agni.

From a digestive point of view, this excess of warm energy causes high blood pressure, stomach acidity, diarrhea, and reflux. Irritability, mental confusion, insomnia, and impatience are instead the psychological and emotional consequences of an excess of Fire in our body.

Eating irregularly, skipping meals, or abusing astringent and cold foods, especially during periods of high stress and anxiety, instead lead to a decrease in Pitta energy and Agni.

In this case, digestion will be complicated by poor appetite, bloating, constipation, excessive abdominal gas, and water retention. Sadness, recurrent headaches, indecision, and poor concentration are the psychological consequences of lack of warm energy.

The many variables responsible for slowing down digestion make it difficult to indicate a single universal remedy capable of restoring our body's natural balance. In case of difficult digestion, it is therefore a good habit to listen to our body and our emotions to understand what we need.

If we feel resentful and overheated, herbs and digestive spices with refreshing and astringent qualities will come to our aid. If instead we are stressed, anxious, and weighed down, we will find relief in botanicals and seeds rich in warm energy and purifying virtues.

Let's discover together which are the best herbs and spices for our digestive herbal teas!

 

Herbs, spices, and teas for digestion

Digestive herbal teas, by restoring balance to our body, balance Agni and prevent sudden increases or decreases in Pitta. By ensuring a strong and regular digestive Fire, they strengthen our immune system and provide warmth and energy to all the organs involved in digestion.

We can group the most commonly used herbs and spices in the preparation of digestive teas into two main groups.

Refreshing herbs

Particularly suitable during the Summer, these are botanicals capable of reducing Pitta excess and excessive vitality of Agni. Useful in case of heartburn, acid reflux, and hot flashes, they include Mint, Gentian, Lemongrass, Pineapple stem, and Dandelion.

Warming herbs and spices

These are botanicals rich in warm energy that increase Pitta energy when Agni is weakened. We can enjoy their benefits especially during Winter and cold months, but they are also useful in Spring and Autumn, when sudden temperature changes decrease the strength of Agni.

Perfect in case of loss of appetite, confusion, and constipation, these herbs include Ginger, Turmeric, Oregano, Cardamom, Mustard, Angelica, Fenugreek, Star Anise, and Cloves.

Rich in draining, antioxidant, and purifying virtues, these botanicals can be mixed to create tasty digestive teas suitable for the needs of our body. Fenugreek tea is also one of the teas useful for improving the baby's digestion during breastfeeding.

How to prepare a digestive tea

If we feel like experimenting with the aromas and flavors of digestive herbs, we can choose to prepare a tasty tea using the spices and plants that resonate most with our needs and our energy quality.

Since digestion also influences emotional well-being and our immune system, we can use digestive herbs and spices in combination with other plants with adaptogenic virtues (Passionflower, Tulsi), anti-inflammatory (Calendula, Linden), and purifying (Milk Thistle, Mint, Dandelion).

To obtain an effective infusion, it is recommended to not use more than 4 digestive herbs in the same blend: this way we will keep the active principles of each plant intact and fully enjoy their therapeutic effects.

An excellent digestive tea can be prepared by combining the adaptogenic and warming properties of Tulsi and Rhodiola with the digestive virtues of Cinnamon, Cardamom, and Ginger. A pinch of Licorice and Cloves, excellent natural antibiotics, will give the infusion a enveloping flavor.

After letting our herbs infuse in boiling water for about 10 minutes, we enjoy the tea after filtering it and letting it cool for a few minutes.

Indeed, drinking digestive teas when they are too hot risks further increasing the excess heat in our body. This is why it is important to savor our digestive infusions only when lukewarm.

Finally, it is a good habit to not consume digestive teas immediately after main meals. Consuming a large amount of water after eating, in fact, slows down the digestive process and prevents the correct absorption of nutrients. Instead, it is preferable to drink our teas half an hour before meals, to strengthen our digestive Fire.

If instead we suffer from bloating, heaviness, and lethargy at the end of lunch or dinner, we can facilitate digestion through essential oils. A few drops of Fennel essential oil, pure or dissolved in a glass of water, facilitate digestion and offer immediate relief from abdominal bloating.

 

Digestive Teas from Terza Luna

If we are looking for ready-made infusions to strengthen our Agni, Terza Luna offers a selection of digestive teas suitable for our needs.

When dealing with intestinal inflammations, colitis, and gastroesophageal reflux caused by an excess of Pitta and Agni, the Tisana del Sottile is definitely the right choice for us.

Based on Calendula, Anise, Linden, Licorice, and Chamomile, this infusion rich in adaptogenic and relaxing properties has an anti-inflammatory and protective action on the gastric mucosa, providing concentration and mental clarity at the same time.

Try the Tisana del Sottile

If instead, after meals, we feel an annoying sense of heaviness, accompanied by drowsiness and anxiety, we need to feed Agni and strengthen our warm energy.
With Fennel, Anise, Mint, and Linden, the Tisana Digestiva restores Pitta's balance thanks to its anti-fermentative, diuretic, and thirst-quenching properties. This infusion is also a beneficial skin tea, purifying against pimples.

Discover the Tisana Digestiva Terza Luna

Finally, to boost the natural defenses of our organs and stock up on warmth during the cold months, we can take advantage of the sweet and spicy taste of Tulsi Spicy Chai. Combining the adaptogenic action of Tulsi with the warming and digestive virtues of Cinnamon, Ginger, Cardamom, and Cloves, this tea gives our body the warmth and energy it needs.

Try the Tulsi Spicy Chai

Now that we know the digestion herbs suggested by Ayurveda, all that's left is to listen to our bodies to discover which digestive tea is most suitable for our needs.

But let's not forget that a balanced diet, a good meditation routine, connection with nature, and regular physical activity

all contribute to keeping our Digestive Fire alive!

 

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