Herbs traditionally used to support healthy digestion — but not all digestive herbs work the same way. This collection spans three traditional approaches, and knowing which one you're reaching for changes how and when you'd use it.
Three Traditional Approaches to Digestive Support
Carminatives — warming herbs like ginger and galangal, traditionally used to ease occasional gas and bloating and get things moving after a meal.
Bitters — herbs traditionally taken before a meal, not after, to stimulate the body's own digestive secretions ahead of eating.
Demulcents — soothing, mucilage-rich herbs like slippery elm and marshmallow root, traditionally used to coat and calm an irritated digestive tract rather than stimulate it. Each listing notes which category an herb falls into, since a bitter taken after a meal or a carminative taken for the wrong kind of complaint won't do what you're expecting.
A few formulas here, like slippery elm and marshmallow root, can affect medication absorption if taken too close together — each listing notes the recommended timing.
Browse the full collection below, organized by what your digestion is actually asking for.
