Published on March 22, 2021
The connection between digestive health and wellness
Have you ever used the expression, “I feel it in my gut”? Or had that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach? It’s a reflection that there’s a deep and intricate relationship between our emotions, moods and thoughts – and our digestive system.
Traditional medicine considers digestive health to be central to our overall health. Chinese, Tibetan and Ayurvedic cultures, among others, all regarded diet as an essential component to both physical and mental wellness1. Food wasn’t just considered fuel for the body – it was considered as a supportive medicine, as well as a vehicle for herbal plant treatments.
The state of your digestive health may dictate the ability of your body to properly absorb the nutrients from food and medicine2. The best dietary habits aren’t much help if the digestive tract isn’t working properly, causing your body to struggle with processing all the nutrients locked away in your food. In cases of deficient digestion and deeper digestive problems, less of what we consume in terms of actual nutrients3—vitamins, minerals, protein (amino acids)—ends up actually assimilated into our bloodstream and used by our bodies.
Our 5 favourite herbs for digestive health
Here are our top 5 favourite herbs used in traditional medicine for digestive health.
– Ginger Root: Traditionally used in Herbal Medicine to help relieve digestive upset including lack of appetite, nausea, digestive spasms, indigestion, and flatulent colic.
– Dandelion Root: Used in herbal medicine to help stimulate appetite, treat digestive disturbances, and as an alternative to help relieve dermatological conditions.
– Slippery Elm Bark: Traditionally used in herbal medicine to help soothe inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
– Chamomile Flower: Traditional herbal medicine used to help alleviate nervous conditions of the digestive tract such as nervous diarrhea or indigestion with gas.
– Goldenseal Root: Traditionally used to help alleviate infectious and inflammatory conditions of the digestive tract.
Nature’s Way has developed partnerships with suppliers and farmers to source the finest herbs from wherever they grow best. Our commitment to quality extends to cutting-edge independent testing programs such as Tru-ID that certify the authenticity of our ingredients with DNA biotechnology. We’re also a proud partner of the Non-GMO Project North America’s only independent verification program for Non-GMO products. The Non-GMO Project ensures products are produced according to the best practices for GMO avoidance.
Our new packaging is also a reflection of our ongoing commitment to reducing waste, with all our herbal supplements now packaged in 97% post consumer recycled bottles. Since 2019, this initiative is expected to reuse 3,500 tons of plastic annually that would otherwise have gone to the landfill.
As the saying goes, you are what you eat. Making traditional herbal supplements part of your wellness routine may help ensure you’re getting the most out of your daily diet. Talk to your naturopathic doctor, family doctor or health practitioner before embarking on any herbal medicine.
1Yogini S. Jaiswal, Leonard L. Williams, A glimpse of Ayurveda – The forgotten history and principles of Indian traditional medicine, Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, Volume 7, Issue 1, 2017, Pages 50-53
2Barbara E Goodman, Insights into digestion and absorption of major nutrients in humans, American Physiological Journal, Volume 34, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 44-53
3Reiner Jumpertz, Duc Son Le, Peter J Turnbaugh, Cathy Trinidad, Clifton Bogardus, Jeffrey I Gordon, Jonathan Krakoff, Energy-balance studies reveal associations between gut microbes, caloric load, and nutrient absorption in humans, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 94, Issue 1, July 2011, Pages 58–65, https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.110.010132
