Many of us experience digestive problems. Some of us only occasionally after a food-binge or perhaps a careless selection of menu items. Others suffer on a regular basis, seems no matter what we eat (or don't eat) our digestive system assails us continuously. There are many herbs that have been used over the years to help ease digestive complaints. Some quite effective and some not so.
One point of concern, however, if you are experiencing recurring digestive problems of any kind, it's best to see a doctor or professional health care practitioner for a diagnosis. It may only be excess stomach acid and the doctor might prescribe an ant-acid, or it could be something quite serious and need professional medical attention.
Occasional Indigestion
For occasional upset tummies, very often an infusion of chamomile (which is a member of the ragweed family, so those who are allergic to ragweed should exercise caution), fennel seed, or peppermint, either singly or in combination will ease the temporary discomfort. Papaya leaf has been useful in correcting under-acidity, whereas anise seed may relieve over-acidity. One herbalist recommends sprinkling cayenne pepper liberally over your food, or alternatly using cayenne in capsules. I know this sounds crazy, but it really does help in many cases. A good rule of thumb to follow when making herbal infusions is 1 to 1½ teaspoons of herb to 8 ounces of boiling water. Pour the water over the herb and allow to steep for 10-15 minutes.
A nice combination, that usually settles indigestion quickly is 1 tsp each of fennel seed, aniseed, coriander seed and caraway seed. Mix these together and take 1 tsp of the mixture, and bruise well (bruising consists of putting the herbs into a mortar and crushing slightly with the pestle). Pour 1 cup of boiling water over all, cover and let steep until cool. Tasty, too!
Help keep your mind sharp with a few tender spears of asparagus. Low blood levels of folate and high blood levels of homocysteine were associated with greater
memory problems for people 65 and older in a recent study. Protect against memory deficits by getting
plenty of folate-rich foods such as asparagus. Increasing your blood levels of folate can help keep your homocysteine levels in check.
