Aside from providing delicious refreshment, various kinds of tea can, in fact, also help improve your digestion! Whether you’re looking to stop the gurgling in your stomach after a meal or just establish a more regular digestive pattern, tea contains various properties, antioxidants, and chemicals that can help make digestive problems disappear.
Indigestion and overall digestive discomfort can arise from serious health concerns, such as stomach ulcers, Celiac disease, or gallstones. These conditions, whose symptoms can be potentially improved through consumption of tea, also require the consultation and care of a medical expert. But more often, indigestion is caused simply by eating too much or too fast, consuming too much caffeine or alcohol, or eating highly greasy, spicy foods. Gastrointestinal inflammation can also arise as a symptom of anxiety in stressful situations. Those experiencing indigestion generally feel discomfort or even pain in the upper abdomen and can also suffer from diarrhea or vomiting.
In these times of greasy, late night French fries and stressful presentations at work, drinking tea can help tremendously! Many teas possess properties that help soothe your stomach and aid your digestive process. Oolong tea, for example, while often balanced in taste, can also help balance the acidity of your stomach, calming any inner turmoil you may be feeling. As a plus, oolong also acts as a mild antiseptic that can help your tummy expel any bad bacteria*.
But if the caffeine content in oolong isn’t quite your cup of tea, you aren’t alone! Turns out that most people would rather avoid staying up all night (shocking, we know). In these cases, caffeine-free ingredients such as fennel seed, chicory root, and peppermint might just be the key to digestive victory.
Fennel seed, sometimes described as tasting licorice-like, has a unique flavor that lends both sweetness and earthiness to a tea. And to put the cherry on top, it contains an organic compound called anethole, which gives fennel seed anti-inflammatory properties that can help your tummy relax and digest properly*. Maybe you won’t even need a spoonful of sugar to help get this medicine down!
Chicory root, much like fennel seed, is an ingredient that acts as both a digestion aid and as a flavoring. Chicory is a naturally rich source of a prebiotic known as inulin, which actually helps promote the growth and health of the natural, good bacteria already found in your stomach to help improve bowel function and relieve symptoms of constipation*. So if you’re feeling a little backed up, we won’t tell anyone, but we’d certainly recommend chicory root. Coffee lovers, don’t freak out but...it’s also commonly used as a coffee substitute because of its nutty, woody flavor profile that resembles coffee, alongside its several additional health benefits. We all love a good cup of joe, but don’t knock chicory till you try it!
Peppermint is another herb that deserves a spot on your list of teas. This fragrant herb contains menthol, which has been found to have an antispasmodic effect that can help relax the muscles in the digestive tract and ease symptoms of indigestion, bloating, and abdominal discomfort*. It is also known to alleviate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)*, a chronic digestive condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Not only does peppermint tea offer digestive benefits, but its refreshing taste and aroma can also help calm the mind and reduce stress, which is often linked to digestive issues. So, whether you're looking to establish a more regular digestive pattern or simply want to soothe your tummy after a heavy meal, peppermint tea is a great option.
Together, fennel seed, chicory root and peppermint are a match made in heaven, with delicious flavors and health benefits to boot. After all, your tummy deserves a tea that can treat it right!
Lately, we’ve been loving fennel seed, chicory root and peppermint in our Tummy Tamer collection. Across the board, the Tummy Tamer teas have been giving us that warm, satisfying finish to our meals, while also ensuring that we’re able to easily and comfortably digest as we wind down. But enough about us, we want to hear about you! Have you ever used tea to help you digest? What teas help tame your tummy? Shoot us an email or leave a comment to tell us all about it!
Until next time, delightful digestion!
*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.