Digestive and Gut Herbs
The Herbs (14)
Betel Nut
Areca palm seed chewed by hundreds of millions for its stimulant effect, yet classed as a Group 1 human carcinogen causing oral cancer.
Read the deep dive →Haritaki
Tannin-rich Triphala fruit Tibetan medicine calls the king of medicines, used chiefly as a bowel regulator; tannins can block iron absorption.
Read the deep dive →Meadowsweet
Fragrant European meadow flower rich in salicylates, the herb behind the name aspirin, traditionally brewed for fever, aches and upset stomach.
Read the deep dive →Chen Pi
Tangerine peel aged for years, one of Chinese medicine's most-used herbs for bloating, appetite and phlegm, and a Cantonese kitchen staple.
Read the deep dive →Agrimony
Yellow-spiked rose-family wayside herb, a tannin-rich astringent traditionally used for mild diarrhoea, sore throats and gums, though human trials are lacking.
Read the deep dive →Chiretta
Fiercely bitter Himalayan gentian, used in Ayurveda for fever, sluggish digestion and liver complaints; overharvested, often adulterated, and barely tested in people.
Read the deep dive →Betel Leaf
Glossy pepper-family leaf chewed across Asia as a mouth freshener and folk wound dressing; unrelated to the carcinogenic betel nut.
Read the deep dive →Baheda
Second fruit of Triphala and its least researched, traditionally a bowel and cough remedy, with small human trials on lowering uric acid.
Read the deep dive →Blessed Thistle
Spiny Mediterranean monastery herb, an intensely bitter tonic traditionally used to stir appetite and digestion, and a folk aid for breast-milk supply.
Read the deep dive →Mastic Gum
Resin tears of a Greek island shrub, the original chewing gum, studied for stomach comfort, H. pylori and dental plaque.
Read the deep dive →Angelica
Tall aromatic carrot-family herb of northern Europe, a traditional digestive bitter for bloating and poor appetite; may cause sun sensitivity.
Read the deep dive →Bael
Hard-shelled sacred fruit of India: unripe it is used against diarrhoea and dysentery, ripe it is used for constipation.
Read the deep dive →Psyllium
Husk of Plantago ovata seed, a gel-forming fibre with a US heart-health claim and trials on cholesterol, blood sugar, constipation and IBS.
Read the deep dive →Gentian
Intensely bitter Alpine root behind classic bitters and aperitifs, traditionally used for appetite and digestion, with little modern clinical testing.
Read the deep dive →Bitters, carminatives and gut remedies — the oldest and most consistent use of herbal medicine anywhere. Includes the three Triphala fruits and the resins and peels used for the stomach.
A herb is filed here by what it is traditionally used for, not by a claim that it works. Each herb page states its own evidence tier, its documented harms and its drug interactions — read those before the category name.