{"id":6271,"date":"2021-08-18T20:34:48","date_gmt":"2021-08-18T20:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/?p=6271"},"modified":"2025-01-09T13:43:03","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T13:43:03","slug":"gutheal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wintergreenbotanicals.com\/2021\/08\/18\/gutheal\/","title":{"rendered":"Craft Your Own Gut-Healing Tea with Video!"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New! Watch the video of me and KhadiYah Preciado of Her Healthy Home YouTube channel for an interview with me discussing this topic and (towards the end of the interview) doing quick tea demos – scroll down for the video ~<\/em><\/p>\n

Digestive distress is increasingly common in the United States, where acid-reducing drugs are the third most prescribed pharmaceuticals. Our diet, stress, hyper-hygienic lifestyle, and medication use (antibiotics, pain relievers, birth control, and more) all do a number on gut health and motility. One area of increasing concern is the integrity of gastrointestinal lining from top to bottom. Fortunately, herbs do a lovely job easing irritation, promoting tissue integrity and repair, and encouraging healthier digestive function.<\/p>\n

Soothing and healing herbs can be helpful in a range of types of digestive distress \u2013 acid reflux, ulcers, leaky gut (also called intestinal permeability), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), post-GI infection, and more. Sometimes modern medicine is also necessary. Most herbalist combine gut-healing teas with a broader customized holistic approach that addresses individual needs, diet changes, supportive nutrients and supplements, etc. However, a gut-healing tea can be an amazing<\/em> ally in the healing process.<\/p>\n

Why Tea?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Making a strong herbal tea allows us to get a lot<\/em> of herb into direct contact<\/em> on the gastrointestinal lining in a soothing<\/em> and easily absorbed<\/em> format. Alcohol-based tinctures might be fine for potent bitter and antimicrobial herbs, but alcohol is by nature irritating and water does a better job extracting the constituents we want for to soothe and heal the gut. Slimy soothing mucilage, a mainstay for many gut-healing teas, prefers water over any other solvent to release and activate its benefits.<\/p>\n

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Customize Your Own Gut Healing Tea<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Gut healing teas are incredibly customizable based on your specific needs and flavor preferences. Think about your<\/em> personal patterns. Is your digestion overly rapid and irritated or slow and sluggish? Do you tend towards diarrhea or constipation? Do complex starches feel soothing or worsen gas, bloating, or reflux? Do spices feel delightful or irritating? What flavors do you enjoy or detest? This will help guide your herb choice.<\/p>\n

Start with small batches and consider single ingredients at first to get a feel for which herbs agree with you. No one herb agrees with everyone, your body will usually tell you pretty quickly if it loves or hates mucilage, bitters, spices, etc. Listen to what makes you feel better and what makes you feel worse \u2013 follow your gut.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re pregnant, nursing, on medications, or have high blood pressure \u2013 these situations may warrant avoiding certain herbs, such as licorice. Complex or serious diseases may exceed the bounds for self-treatment. Consider enlisting the aid of an herbalist or holistic practitioner to guide you, as well as a gastrointestinal diagnostic work up if you don\u2019t know what\u2019s wrong with you, particularly if you\u2019re experiencing persistent changes in your stool, bloody stool, unusual pain, signs of infection, fever, unexplained weight loss, etc.<\/p>\n

Key Ingredients Categories<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are many<\/em> plants to consider for your tea blend. The core<\/em> ingredients fall into three main categories:<\/p>\n

1. Demulcents<\/strong> soothe, coat, and support a healthy mucus lining. Mucilaginous herbs are demulcents that are particularly viscous and mucus-like.<\/p>\n

2. Vulneraries<\/strong> encourage wound healing and connective tissue integrity. These are herbs we also use on our skin to promote vitality and heal cuts and scrapes. They have similar benefits internally.<\/p>\n

3. Carminatives<\/strong> are flavorful herbs that synergize and flavor the blend while supporting healthy digestive function.<\/p>\n

Even within these categories, different herbs will have different affinities. You can pick the herbs you have on hand, that you like the taste of, or those that provide the most targeted benefits for your needs. Let\u2019s deep dive into these core herbs\u2026<\/p>\n

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Photo credit Kimberly Sanders Peck, in my book Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Self Care<\/a><\/strong> (Storey Publishing, 2016). Reprinted with permission.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Demulcents<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Demulcents often form the base of your gut healing tea. If your GI tissues are irritated, dry, inflamed, or damaged, these herbs slime and soothe while promoting healing. Mucilage forms a temporary mucus-like barrier on the gut lining to allow for repair and also feeds gut flora. Mucilaginous<\/em> demulcents like marshmallow root and slippery elm bark \u2013 especially powdered \u2013 get mucus-like. Milder mucilaginous herbs like marshmallow leaf simply offers a velvety mouthfeel. Meanwhile, plantain leaf and licorice root are demulcent without being very slimy (mucilaginous) at all.<\/p>\n

Mucilage doesn\u2019t agree with everyone. If you have SIBO and find that eating starchy, high-FODMAP foods give you gas, bloat, or reflux, then you may want to opt for less mucilaginous demulcents. First, slowly introduce to give your gut flora a chance to adapt. If even low does don\u2019t agree, then stick with more SIBO-friendly herbs like plantain leaf. Most low-FODMAP folks tolerate marshmallow leaf and licorice but may react strongly to marshmallow root powder and slippery elm. You can often use a low- or non-mucilaginous demulcent even if you don\u2019t tolerate mucilage.<\/p>\n

\"MarshmallowFlowerRoot\"<\/p>\n

Marshmallow<\/strong> (Althaea officinalis<\/em>) plays a star role in almost all the gut healing teas I formulate for my clients, generally 30-60 percent of the blend. I use root, leaf, or both. The cut and sifted root makes a moderately mucilaginous tea whereas the leaf is a little milder but still pleasant and soothing. The flavor is also pleasant and mild. Let them steep for several hours to extract more optimal amounts of mucilage. Some prefer to start with cold water, but I don\u2019t find it matters, and hot water will extract properties better from other herbs in the tea blend. The root also provides some deep immune tonic benefits. The root<\/em> powder<\/em> is incredibly soothing and highly mucilaginous but also more likely to bother someone that is sensitive to FODMAPs, causing gas, bloat, and\/or reflux. Taking a lot of mucilage (especially as powder) alongside medications or supplements may slow or reduce their absorption \u2013 try separating them by a few hours. Slippery Elm <\/strong>bark offers similar properties as marshmallow root but is a tad more mucilaginous. I don\u2019t generally use it because marshmallow is much more sustainable.<\/p>\n

Licorice<\/strong> (Glycyrrhiza glabra<\/em>) root is demulcent, soothing, anti-inflammatory, vulnerary, and moderately antimicrobial \u2013 a fine combination of actions for healing the gut. It\u2019s not particularly slimy or mucilaginous yet supports the gut lining\u2019s own mucin production. It\u2019s sweet and flavorful. Perfect, right? Unfortunately, it doesn\u2019t agree with everyone. Some people find the flavor repulsive, and long-term or high doses may cause serious health issues. Licorice may disrupt various hormones (reproductive, blood pressure, stress hormones), raise blood pressure, cause life-threatening potassium depletion, and interact with some medications. In people with a low risk for side effects and interactions, five percent of crude licorice in your blend might be fine, although I often skip it.<\/p>\n

DGL<\/strong> (deglycerized or deglycyrrhizinated licorice) provides a safer licorice alternative. The glycyrrhizin has been removed, which dumbs down licorice\u2019s healing properties yet improves safety. Glycyrrhizin does contribute healing benefits, but it is also the source of most toxicity and interaction concerns. DGL is commonly available as chewable tablets, pure powder, or in pill formulas; follow label directions. I don\u2019t typically use DGL as tea, but you could stir some in.<\/p>\n

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Vulneraries<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Alongside the demulcents, vulneraries help speed up the healing process and improve the integrity of the gut lining as it heals. Favorites include gotu kola, calendula, and plantain leaf. Although comfrey is technically a gut vulnerary with amazingly fast<\/em> healing actions, it\u2019s also potentially liver toxic, so I don\u2019t<\/em> recommend it. I also find that gotu kola, calendula, and plantain may not be as fast-acting as comfrey, the quality of repair is better, leading to superior connective tissue integrity in the long run. And, of course, gotu kola, plantain, and calendula are much safer.<\/p>\n

Plantain<\/strong> (Plantago<\/em> spp.) makes an appearance in almost every gut tea I blend, generally about 15 percent though you could certainly go for more. It\u2019s a fabulous demulcent and vulnerary that\u2019s also slightly astringent and antimicrobial yet not particularly mucilaginous. It\u2019s profoundly soothing, healing, and agrees with almost everyone. The flavor is mild, pleasant, tannic, perhaps a little sweet. Plantain is a common weed \u2013 most famously used as a skin poultice for bug bites, poison ivy, and bee stings \u2013 yet it\u2019s not as easy to find in commerce as a bulk tea. I prefer getting it direct from local herb farms, and you may be able to grow and dry your own if you have an abundance in your yard. It\u2019s tedious to harvest, so don\u2019t be surprised if it\u2019s a little more expensive than other herbs even though it\u2019s a common weed. Make sure your source is trustworthy and that you know your plant identification; lance-leafed English plantain can be confused with other plants, including deadly toxic narrow-leafed foxglove.<\/p>\n

Calendula<\/strong> (Calendula officinalis<\/em>) is the darling gut tea ingredient for many of my colleagues, including Thomas Easley and Juliet Blankespoor, who often combine it with plantain, marshmallow, and\/or meadowsweet. Calendula is a fantastic<\/em> vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, and mild antimicrobial. But I have a hard time using more than a sprinkle of the flowers in tea blends because it\u2019s also bitter and vitamin-y tasting. Even though that bitterness is<\/em> helpful to stimulate digestive juices, I just don\u2019t like the flavor in therapeutic doses. If you\u2019re allergic to daisy family flowers, be cautious introducing calendula, which is related.<\/p>\n

Gotu Kola<\/strong> (Centella asiatica<\/em>) is often ignored due to its exotic origins versus the other Euro-centric herbs. This brain tonic from Ayurveda is well known and loved throughout India and Southeast Asia for a myriad of uses including its ability to repair and improve the integrity of connective tissue, blood vessels, and nerves. David Winston recommends it when the tissue is \u201cred, hot, and inflamed.\u201d It\u2019s also a mild stress-relieving adaptogenic and calming herb, though these effects are subtle, building over time. Gotu kola\u2019s flavor is ok<\/em>, somewhat bland, sometimes a bit seaweed-y, tannic, celery\/parsley-ish, but flavorful herbs in your blend should mask it.<\/p>\n

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Photo credit Kimberly Sanders Peck, in my book Body into Balance: An Herbal Guide to Self Care<\/a><\/strong> (Storey Publishing, 2016). Reprinted with permission.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carminatives<\/strong><\/p>\n

What\u2019s a carminative, you ask? Open up your spice and tea cabinets, and most of what you\u2019ll find is carminative. These essential oil-rich aromatic herbs relax muscle tension and spasm and stimulate digestive function. They\u2019re often warming, flavorful, and delicious. Each has its own unique additional healing features. Choose by flavor and\/or action. These can make up five to sixty percent of your blend. Chai spices are my favorite, but you could go in a different direction and turn to mint, holy basil, etc.<\/p>\n

Maria\u2019s Favorite Chai Base<\/strong> is delicious on its own but can also be used to flavor other gut healing herbs. Combine 2 cinnamon sticks (or 1-2 teaspoons of cinnamon chips), 2 cardamom pods, 5-7 cloves, 1 star anise pod per 12-16 ounces of tea. It\u2019s best simmered for 20 minutes but can also be steeped.<\/p>\n

Cinnamon<\/strong> (Cinnamomum<\/em> spp.) is sweet, delicious, antimicrobial, slightly mucilaginous, and relatively astringent \u2013 helpful for tightening gut lining, dealing with pathogens including dysbiosis, and staunching chronic diarrhea. It\u2019s so delicious, it could represent ten to 60 percent of your blend. Cinnamon\u2019s blood sugar lowering effects could be helpful or<\/em> contraindicated depending on the person, medications, whether or not the tea is sweetened, and if you\u2019re drinking it with food or on an empty stomach. The astringency can be constipating; adjust the dose or remove as needed. Some theoretical concerns have been raised regarding blood-thinning, liver-toxic coumarins in cassia cinnamon. I\u2019m not particularly concerned \u2013 I\u2019ve yet to see any human case reports or clinical trials showing a problem, and cinnamon has a long history of use in large quantities. But if you want to err on the side of caution, Ceylon cinnamon has fewer coumarins.<\/p>\n

Ginger<\/strong> (Zingiber officinale<\/em>) fresh or dried root adds a potent warming and anti-inflammatory action for blends, which stimulates digestive juices and function, lighting the digestive fire. This is perfect for sluggish digestion but will worsen hot, irritated, inflamed, or damaged GI lining. It can make reflux better or worse depending on the person and is not recommended in acute ulcers. Most people already know whether or not they are \u201cginger people\u201d \u2013 you\u2019ll feel noticeably better or worse after one cup. Fresh grated or sliced ginger is quite warm but not as<\/em> hot as dry and also has more direct antimicrobial effects against gut pathogens while promoting beneficial gut flora.<\/p>\n

Cardamom<\/strong> (Elettaria cardamomum<\/em>) gives your tea that little something special, reminiscent of Indian masala chai and garam masala curry. Cardamom is a potent flavoring and digestive stimulant that\u2019s also antimicrobial. Just one or two cardamom pods per mug is plenty, but feel free to increase to your personal preference. Leave pods whole, crush to open, or grind to a powder. For large batches of tea blends, I crush gently to release the seeds or grind. I add cardamom for people who love the flavor and need a little extra kick for digestive function, but I skip it for sensitive stomachs that are easily irritated by bitters and spices.<\/p>\n

Cloves<\/strong> (Syzygium aromaticum<\/em>) is a flavor people love or hate, but it melds nicely with fellow pie\/chai spices. Clove is a potent antimicrobial that also numbs and eases pain and inflammation. It\u2019s easy to overdo and can get too astringent and overpowering, just five percent whole cloves (or five to seven per cup) is plenty, less if you grind them.<\/p>\n

Fennel<\/strong> (Foeniculum vulgare<\/em>) seeds are gentler, soothing, and sweet. They\u2019re potently antispasmodic, perfect for gas, pain, bloating, and colic \u2013 a perfect addition for people with these issues including IBS. Most people enjoy fennel\u2019s sweet, licorice-y flavor, though some batches and varieties will be sweeter than others. Anise<\/strong> seeds (Pimpinella anisum<\/em>) are similar. Go for five to 20 percent. Some sources list it as a FODMAP, but it\u2019s rarely a problem as tea.<\/p>\n

Star Anise<\/strong> (Illicium verum<\/em>) provides intense sweetness with a more Southeast Asian fennel-y flavor with a hint of root beer that many people enjoy, especially alongside other spices like cinnamon, clove, and cardamom. It\u2019s also somewhat antispasmodic and antimicrobial. Five percent or one to two star anise pods per mug is usually plenty. If making a big batch of dry tea, I crush star anise into small chunks or grind coarsely.<\/p>\n

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Korean Licorice Mint<\/strong> (Agastache rugosa<\/em>) and Anise Hyssop<\/strong> (A. foeniculum<\/em>) are easy-to-grow garden herbs that bridge the flavors and medicinal activities of sweet fennel with a hint of mint. All aerial parts can be used \u2013 leaves and flowers. They\u2019re not often available in commerce, but search for it direct from herb farms or grow your own. It\u2019s a prolific, delicious, easy to grow herb for flavoring all sorts of tea blends with local ingredients. Agastache<\/em> eases gas and bloating, gently stimulates digestive function, and soothes irritation. There\u2019s quite a bit of variation amongst these two species \u2013 I prefer plants that have a softer, sweeter fennel-honey versus a sharp minty-fennel flavor.<\/p>\n

Chamomile<\/strong> (Matricaria chamomilla<\/em>) flowers ease gas, bloating, and colic while discouraging pathogens and dysbiosis, stimulating digestive function, relaxing nervous indigestion and anxiety. Popular for fussy babies, it also works for fussy, cranky adults. Short steeps provide a pleasant hay-pineapple-apple flavor while longer steeps will be stronger and more bitter. Mints blend nicely with chamomile to enhance the flavor. Some people are allergic to the daisy-like flowers, which are also tedious to harvest and therefore somewhat expensive. Some sources list it as a FODMAP, but I rarely see problems.<\/p>\n

Lemon Balm<\/strong> (Melissa officinalis)<\/em> has mild calming, uplifting, gentle carminative, vaguely bitter action and a bland flavor that blends nicely tea, especially for folks who are anxious or have nervous indigestion.<\/p>\n

Mint<\/strong> (Mentha<\/em> spp.) leaves are a classic carminative, flavoring agent, and digestive stimulant that also ease gas, pain, and bloating. Peppermint is stronger but may be too<\/em> irritating for sensitive digestive systems, reflux, and ulcers. Other mints like spearmint and apple mint are milder and may or may not be tolerated. Mint\u2019s best for people with sluggish digestion. You\u2019ll know you\u2019re a \u201cmint person\u201d if you love it and immediately feel better (not worse) when you drink it. Mint blends well in tea with fellow garden herbs chamomile, marshmallow, plantain, calendula, gotu kola, and\/or Korean licorice mint.<\/p>\n

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Worthy Additions<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Rose Petals<\/strong> (Rosa<\/em> spp.) make an appearance in almost of my gut teas for a couple different reasons. Most importantly, they\u2019re pretty, and their beauty and healing vibes make you smile as you brew your cup and foster self-love and self-care (two important things for everyone, especially those dealing with GI upset). Rose aromatics calm and nourish the emotional heart. Astringent tannins help tone gut lining and discourage pathogens while supporting healthy gut flora. Just a sprinkle is fine (about five percent) \u2013 roses can get bitter in excess and those precious petals are expensive.<\/p>\n

Meadowsweet<\/strong> (Filipendula ulmaria<\/em>) is unique in that it\u2019s one of the few aspirin-like herbs that is beneficial<\/em> instead of irritating for the GI lining. Many herbalists include it in their gut blends, including Juliet Blankespoor, Katja Swift, and Ryn Midura. Meadowsweet is a gentle yet complex plant that contains a nice fuzz of anti-inflammatory salicylate and methyl salicylate compounds to reduce pain and inflammation. Most other<\/em> salicylate-containing herbs (as well as related nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs \u2013 NSAIDs \u2013 like aspirin and ibuprofen) paradoxically increase inflammation in the gut, irritate the lining, and can cause stomach upset and ulcers. But meadowsweet actually soothes<\/em> the gut and reduces<\/em> GI inflammation. Meadowsweet is even included in supportive teas for acute ulcers, to ease the pain. Meadowsweet\u2019s flavor is slightly sweet (hence the name) and pleasant, with hints of cherry, honey, and watermelon. It\u2019s slightly demulcent and mucilaginous (especially the flowers) as well as a little astringent (especially the leaves) \u2013 doing a cooler infusion will amplify the soothing properties while heat extracts more astringent tannins. For those who need to buffer those astringent tannins, add some honey and\/or marshmallow to the blend helps.<\/p>\n

Additional Supportive Herbs<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Depending on the situation, you may consider additional herbs for your blend.<\/p>\n

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  1. Astringents<\/strong> to tighten and tone the gut lining. In larger amounts, they ease chronic diarrhea. Favorites include rose petals and cinnamon.<\/li>\n
  2. Bitters<\/strong> to stimulate digestive juices and peristalsis when it\u2019s sluggish. For tea, milder burdock or chamomile are nice.<\/li>\n
  3. Antimicrobials<\/strong> when SIBO, non-emergent dysbiosis, or gut pathogens are present (though in some cases antibiotics or medical treatment may be necessary). Nice ones for tea include clove, cardamom, cinnamon, licorice, Korean licorice mint, roses, and\/or chamomile. Also consider pau d\u2019arco, though there are sustainability concerns for this tropical tree bark.<\/li>\n
  4. Stress Support<\/strong> options include gotu kola, lemon balm, and\/or holy basil to calm and uplift, ashwagandha for deep energy, codonopsis for more zippy energy. Chamomile for stronger calming effects.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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    How to Brew a Gut Healing Tea<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    The exact brew technique can vary by herb, but if your tea has marshmallow or other high-mucilage plant, then a long infusion is best. Start with hot water if there are other herbs in your tea besides just marshmallow. If your tea is all spices, then you might like simply simmering for 20 minutes. For most of my blends, I do the following:<\/p>\n