Gut health: These herbs will ‘support and strengthen your digestion’

"If your digestive health is compromised, your body loses its ability to utilise nutrients and unlock energy," Lovneet Batra, a nutritionist, wrote in an Instagram post

Over the years, in our many stories, we have stressed the importance of a healthy gut — not just for proper digestion but also to maintain overall well-being and strengthen the body’s overall immunity. According to Shweta Shah, celebrity nutritionist and founder of Eatfit24/7, the gut has all the good as well as bad bacteria, which play a major role in defining whether a person is healthy. “Having more good bacteria over bad helps the body fight off diseases. A healthy gut can digest, and absorb all the beneficial nutrients from food and excrete the unwanted residue,” she told indianexpress.com.

As such, while a healthy lifestyle plays a crucial role, including certain herbs in the diet may also help with various gut-related issues and boost its overall functioning. According to Lovneet Batra, a nutritionist, if your digestive health is compromised, “your body loses its ability to utilise nutrients and unlock energy”.

So, to help you keep your gut in top shape, the expert also shared some foods that support and strengthen digestion.

Triphala

Triphala is a herbal blend of three plants: amla (Indian gooseberry), bibhitaki, and haritaki. While haritaki is known to support healthy bowel movement and gut health, bibhitaki, which translates to ‘fearless of disease’, brings a gentle laxative action, and amla helps to balance the stomach acid levels and make the gut alkaline. Agreeing, Shah added that triphala is a wonderful herb that helps in increasing the good bacteria and limits the bad bacteria in the gut.

Licorice root

This popular dietary herb helps support digestion and soothe the stomach. This is because licorice contains glycyrrhizin, a compound that may help support a healthy inflammatory response and maintain acid balance in the stomach for comfort and relief. “Licorice root is a traditional herb which is the best probiotic for leaky gut syndrome,” Shah said.

Mint

Menthol, a compound in mint helps alleviate symptoms of Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) owing to its relaxing effects on the muscles of the digestive tract. According to Shah, mint is a great option that comes in handy to treat indigestion and upset stomach.

Ginger

Compounds in ginger, known as gingerols and shogaols, can help stimulate stomach contractions and emptying. Thus, it may help with nausea, cramping, bloating, gas, or indigestion.

Aloe vera

Aloe vera is considered to be a natural laxative. The aloe leaf innards are rich in compounds and plant mucilage. Topically, they may help alleviate inflammation of the digestive tract. “Aloe vera is full of fibers and gives relief from problems like constipation,” Shah said.