Digestive Health with Herbalist Amanda Furbee

In the craft cocktail world, cocktail bitters are all the rage. What most folks don’t realize is that bitters are also excellent for a healthy digestive track. Bitters are one of the 5 basic tastes. In our current culture bitters, as a taste profile on our pallet, have almost disappeared and been replaced with sugars. Most people tasting bitters for the first time, pucker up their face and say Oh Gross! However, over time re-introducing bitters back into your taste pallet you will start to crave bitter foods like dark coffee and dandelion greens. Adding bitters to our diet help to regulate the digestive tract and counter balance the craving of processed sugars. Most bitter herbs are cooling to the digestive tract and will help with reducing inflammation in our gut. How does a bitter help digestion? Digestion starts with smell and makes its way to our stomach. When we get bitters they get those saliva glands going in advance to eating and starts to stimulate those juices in our stomach that help to breakdown and sort out food. We talk about “Gut health” and improving mood and emotional stability quite a bit in herbalism. Our stomachs are known as the first brain and most of what we feel is stimulating from our digestive tract. As we approach the Holiday seasons its good to take note of how to best nourish our digestive tract in advance. Adding bitters into your diet can provide so much benefit to keeping things running smoothly. Here are a few improvements to our digestive tract that bitters can help with: -Reducing heartburn. -Alleviating gas and bloating. -Improving mineral absorption and aiding in digestion of protein and breakdown of fats and fat-soluble vitamins. -Balancing sugar cravings. -Encourages regular bowel movements -Breakdown of yeast over growth -Cool down the inflammation in the gut -Clear thoughts and emotional stability To learn how to make your own digestive bitters check out my recipe for digestive bitters. To learn more about making your own herbal products get signed up for my Make Your Own: Herbal product Series. The Herb Shoppe makes several digestive aid products to help you have the best gut health. -Happy Tummy Tea & Glycerite For Kids- Soothe your kiddo’s tummy troubles. Happy Tummy is formulated to help your kiddo find relief from common tummy upsets like nervous stomach, mild nausea, and tummy troubles. Soothing marshmallow and kid-favorite chamomile are combined with calming peppermint and nourishing plants like fennel, fenugreek and ginger. Let Happy Tummy give you some comfort, tenderness, and ease while combating common stomach complaints. -Smooth Operator Tea- Listen to Your Gut! Ever heard the phrase, “Listen to your gut”? The gut is known as the 1st brain in our body. It tells us so much about how we are functioning, our mental state of mind, energy levels and much more. This blend was carefully crafted to help your digestion to move along in a nice and easy fashion. Pour yourself a cup of Smooth Operator and put your gut to ease -Stomach Soother Tea & Tincture- Ease and soothe your tummy troubles Stomach Soother is formulated to bring you relief from nervous stomach, nausea, and general gastro intestinal unrest. Soothing marshmallow and slippery elm are combined with calming passionflower, and nourishing oatstraw and ginger to provide you some ease, tenderness, and assistance to combat common stomach complaints. Ginger is one of the best known remedies for nausea and has been used for thousands of years for vitality and gastro intestinal upset. All of these combined can bring ease to a “sour stomach” and calm down raw and unsettled areas within the digestive tract. -Well Belly Capsules- Soothing relief for a grumpy gut Soothing demulcents combine with tissue-healers and non-irritating digestives to calm GI pain, inflammation, and bloating. Stir into a small cup of water to alleviate heartburn and reflux. Includes the amino acid L-Glutamine for added healing! Stop by and see us to view our complete line of digestive products. To set up an herbal consultation with me, either in person or via Facetime or Skype: info@theherbshoppepharmacy.com