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Articles > Your Digestive System: Improving it

Your Digestive System: Improving it

There is a lot of truth in the old saying that we are what we eat. Our health and vitality depends largely on how well our digestive system functions. It provides us with the building blocks for our physical body. The complex and intelligent interactions between the various parts of the digestive system are indeed astounding.

Functional problems that can arise in regards to the digestive system are mainly related to the break down, assimilation and elimination of what we ingest, giving rise to minor or major discomforts in the digestive tract. They may be transient or can become chronic. Furthermore, there is a constant interplay between our state of mind and digestion with emotions having a profound effect on the functioning and the actual tissue of the digestive system. A holistic treatment of the digestive system always includes a treatment of the nervous system. Interestingly, many medicinal herbs have therapeutic properties that will support both systems at the same time.

Most of the functional digestive problems (e.g. indigestion, flatulence, colic, constipation, and food allergies) are related to lifestyle choices, stress and eating habits. The specific details of the diet should be determined individually, but all diets should as much as possible avoid artificial chemical additives and highly processed foods. Our bodies can best cope with a whole-food diet based on organic produce.

The medicinal herbs; Fennel seed, Aniseed, Cinnamon, Peppermint, Dandelion root, Licorice root and Chamomile have been used extensively throughout the history of human mankind to improve and maintain a good digestive function. They further calm the stomach and mucous membranes of the gastro-intestinal tract in indigestion and act as a symptomatic relief in more serious complaints like inflammatory bowel diseases (ulcerated colitis, crohn's disease) and in the wide spread irritable bowel syndrome.

In Europe there is a long-standing tradition of drinking digestive herbal teas after meals to improve digestive function.