Despite tea’s many health benefits and delicious flavors, many tea consumers are looking for one thing out of their cup: a way to settle the stomach. After all, tea can be a powerful natural medicine, capable of remedying ailments of both body and mind. For any and all of these, tea is here to save the day, one digestive issue at a time. We’ve rounded up a list of our go-to teas (and special, gut health–promoting add-ins) to target and treat all your stomach woes. Here goes!
Simple and straightforward, peppermint is a potent ingredient when it comes to easing your stomach. In addition to freshening your breath, this leaf is known for its powerful properties. An easy-to-consume caffeine-free beverage, this organic wonder is cooling, soothing, and invigorating. But what about digestion? According to Mount Sinai health network, “Peppermint calms the muscles of the stomach and improves the flow of bile, which the body uses to digest fats. As a result, food passes through the stomach more quickly.” Sounds like a win-win to us.
It’s not for nothing that we’ve written about oolong and digestive health before… If you’re looking for a truly “different” type of tea that helps keep your gut in check, oolong is the answer. This partially oxidized tea helps to alkalize the lining of the stomach, helping to offset the unfavorable bacteria brought on by excess fat in our diets, and therefore creating a balanced microbiome. A bit of caffeine helps to activate your metabolism, too. Plus, the earthy-meets-floral flavor of this blend is not to be missed.
This velvety herbal tea is stimulant-free and does wonders for the stomach. In addition to calming the mind, the powerhouse ingredient, chamomile, is said to relieve general inflammation (which does the body good all over), lower gastric acidity, relax the stomach (which lets the food go down easier), and keep excess gas at bay. So, at bedtime, we recommend not shying away from this one.
As far as we’re concerned, ginger is nothing short of magic. This is tea with a kick–an organic blend that features our favorite rhizome ever, the star of the show: ginger. This root is the first thing we reach for when trying to settle our stomachs and relieve nausea. Thanks to the bioactive compound gingerol, a cup of this ginger tea provides a host of medical properties, many of which are related to digestion and preventing a woozy tummy from taking over.
Say hello to our little (bright yellow) friend. Turmeric, any way you look at it, is what we are all not getting enough of. Turmeric plays a huge role in preventative gut care, particularly when it comes to quelling inflammation. Reducing inflammation is critical to preventing diseases like colitis, and other gut issues. Enjoy the beautiful aroma of any of our turmeric blends, or use it to make the coveted golden milk this fall.
And for the Add-Ins…
Fresh Ginger
In the same way our Ginger Jazz tea does the trick when it comes to settling your stomach, a knob of fresh ginger does the same - and is even more potent. If you can’t decide between ginger tea and another flavor, you can choose a different stomach settler and rely on the fresh (or frozen) ginger to do the trick.
Fresh Mint
Whether it’s peppermint (like the lauded tea above) or spearmint, throwing in a fresh bunch of mint leaves into your tea is a tale as old as time - especially common in Middle Eastern cultures. Drink with black tea and add a spoon of honey to get the full experience and round out the sharpness of the mint.
Lemon
Delicious and nutritious, lemon goes way beyond its vitamin-C benefits. Lemon contains a naturally-occuring compound, citric acid, which is believed to help soothe your digestion. Drink it with hot water alone, or with your favorite tea.
Combine any and all of these tea blends and additional ingredients to brew a beautiful elixir that will help your gut, empowering the mind-body connection and improving your overall wellness. What better way to enter autumn?
