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Herbal Teas for Symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome

Herbal teas for digestive issues have been around since the dawn of time. They have been used for various medical purposes including nausea, bloating, and other GI issues. These medicinal claims have been since proven and unproven with today’s technology.

However, there have been many herbs that are scientifically proven to help with restoring gut flora and preventing intestinal permeability specifically. So let’s get started on what herbal teas are, what leaky gut is, and which drinks work best against symptoms of Leaky Gut Syndrome.

What are Herbal Teas?

Anything that you can dry out and seep in hot water can be considered an herbal tea. By taking simple herbs such as lavender and rosemary and drying them out, you preserve many of their compounds, including flavor.

From there, adding hot water helps release the flavor, making for delicious beverages that are staples in a healthy gut diet plan.

Types of Herbal Teas for Digestive Issues

Herbal teas have grown in popularity over the last few years. They include a number of botanicals and natural flavorings. Some popular ingredients in herbal teas that coincide with the best foods for gut health include:

  • Flower Petals
  • Citrus Peels
  • Turmeric Root
  • Chili Powder
  • Peppermint
  • Cinnamon
  • Blueberries
  • Pomegranate
  •  

    While they are called tea leaves, one thing that herbal teas tend to not have any of, are actual leaves. 1

    Caffeine and Herbal Teas

    Seeing as herbal teas are derived from herbs and flowers, that means herbal teas have no caffeine. This is great for people who may be sensitive to the stimulant.

    It’s ideal to drink herbal teas for digestive issues that keep you up at night like Leaky Gut. Imagine finally settling your stomach, about to get a good night’s rest and the caffeine kicks in?

    While herbal teas may have some benefits including helping with symptoms associated with Leaky Gut Syndrome, they don’t have any of the benefits that you would expect to find from black or green teas.

    That does not mean that herbal teas do not have benefits. In fact, some of these herbal teas may really help with healing a Leaky Gut.

    What is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

    Leaky Gut Syndrome is a bit of a contentious issue among many medical professionals. However, the notion of intestinal hyperpermeability is seen often enough in the medical literature.

    In short, the cells around the gut are supposed to be tight, but due to inflammation that can be caused by food allergies or autoimmune disorders, the cells can become looser.

    This, in turn, can cause molecules such as toxins and undigested food particles to escape the gut and get directly into the bloodstream 2. These escape artists can cause serious issues even triggering autoimmune diseases.

    Which Herbal Teas for Digestive Issues Help Most?

    Before we get started on the list, an important thing to note is you probably do not want to use lower-quality and cheaper herbal teas. This is because the herbal tea market is mainly unregulated, so a lot of the beverages you might buy at your local grocery store might not even have what they claim to have in it 3.

    It is best to get fresh herbs from a store that sells them individually, or in bulk. Many major grocery stores do this, but you may be able to find them in many alternative medicine shops. So which herbal teas work best at reducing the symptoms of Leaky Gut?

    Ginger Tea

    Ginger tea is a type of herbal tea that has been used since the dawn of time as a medicinal treatment. In fact, many studies show that it is a popular treatment for inflammation 4.

    The best way to make ginger tea is to boil knobs of organic ginger in a pot with water. Otherwise, you may grind up ginger into a puree. Just add that to a cup to get the full benefits. Then just drink it as is, or add your sweetener of choice if it is too strong for you. For extra bioavailability, grind a little black pepper into your tea.

    Marshmallow Root

    Marshmallow root for Leaky Gut is one of the most popular supplements for people suffering from GI disorders such as intestinal permeability. That is why marshmallow root is one of the best herbal teas for digestive issues.

    While it sounds like candy, this root is actually a very popular medicinal herb in many cultures. And there are plenty of studies to back up their effectiveness. However, as with Ginger Tea, the benefits of Marshmallow Root is mainly due to its anti-inflammatory properties. There are few to no studies of this root on intestinal permeability, but there are plenty of studies that show how it reduces the growth of pro-inflammatory biomarkers 5.

    The best way to make tea with this root is the same way that you can make it with ginger root. Just get the root and boil it in water, or boil its puree.

    Licorice Root

    The anti-inflammatory effects of Licorice root are fairly well-known 6. In fact, licorice root is one of the best foods for gut health to add to soup broths, smoothies, and teas.

    Licorice Root likes company and can get an extra boost in anti-inflammatory abilities by combining with ginger. Together, these herbal teas for digestive issues can reduce discomfort associated with symptoms of Leaky Gut.

    Chamomile

    This tea is often used as a way to calm nerves and to help you sleep after a long and stressful day. That makes chamomile a popular herbal tea for digestive issues. It helps you sleep through the pain, giving your body a chance to repair from its gastrointestinal distress.

    On top of causing sleepy eyes, chamomile may also help with lowering inflammation in your body. 7 This kind of tea is readily available in most stores, but it is still best if you make it from scratch with real whole herbs.

    Using Herbal Teas to Make Kombucha

    Kombucha for gut health

    Kombucha tea is a fermented tea that contains a lot of great probiotics. These microbes are beneficial in restoring gut flora, combating gastrointestinal distress, and healing Leaky Gut. Brewing kombucha with herbal tea sounds like a no-brainer. However, there are minimal studies that combine one of the best foods for gut health and herbal teas for digestive issues.

    In short, yes, you can make kombucha using herbal teas. However, you should add some black or green teas to ensure the bacteria grow correctly.

    What You Need to Make Kombucha For Gut Health

    The main thing you need is what is referred to as a SCOBY.

    • Symbiotic
    • Culture
    • Of
    • Bacteria
    • and Yeast

    This starter culture is pretty much required to make your own kombucha from home. If you try to make it without this culture, you will just end up with salmonella tea in a jar. 8

    So add the teas you want in a jar, add the SCOBY (Or a fair amount of Kombucha from a previous batch) and within a few weeks, your tea will ferment and become a kombucha.

    When To Add Herbal Tea to Kombucha

    Herbal teas may increase some of the benefits of kombucha. However, they will go along way in providing flavor. You don’t want to add herbal teas for digestive issues in the beginning because they may contaminate your starter culture.

    Kombucha typically takes seven to ten days to ferment. At this point, your SCOBY will make a baby SCOBY. Remove both for future brews. Once they are removed, feel free to add any herbal teas to your mix.

    If you decide to add fermented fruits, don’t worry about the sugar content too much. The probiotics in the kombucha are feasting on the sugars, reducing the levels immensely.

    Microbiome Testing for Leaky Gut Syndrome

    If you are looking to herbal teas for digestive issues and are considering making your own kombucha, you must be serious about getting your gut health on track. The first step on your journey to rebuild gut flora is to find out which intestinal flora you already have.

    With the Ombre, we can pinpoint the stomach bacteria causing you GI issues and Leaky Gut Syndrome. Using the results of the gut health test, we can recommend strain-specific probiotics targeted to meet the demands of your particular microbiome.

    While you wait for your microbiome testing results, it’s a great idea to start your healthy gut diet plan. Begin by drinking herbal tea for digestive issues.

    Herbal teas are a great option to look for when you are suffering from Leaky Gut, as they are natural remedies and can help a lot in the long term. It can also help you to drink more fluids overall, which many Americans do not do. And more fluid intake can also reduce inflammation in the body. So these natural herbs made into tea have a lot of benefits, and you should consider adding them into your treatment plan for Leaky Gut.

    Resources

    • 1 The Republic of Tea. (2015, October 01). What is Herbal Tea? Retrieved from http://the.republicoftea.com/library/types-of-tea/what-is-herbal-tea/.
    • 2 McMillen, M. (n.d.). Defining Leaky Gut Syndrome: Common Symptoms and the Difficulty of Diagnosis. Retrieved April 16, 2019, from https://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/leaky-gut-syndrome#1.
    • 3 A.G. Schneiderman Asks Major Retailers To Halt Sales Of Certain Herbal Supplements As DNA Tests Fail To Detect Plant Materials Listed On Majority Of Products Tested | New York State Attorney General. 23 Feb. 2015, ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-asks-major-retailers-halt-sales-certain-herbal-supplements-dna-tests.
    • 4 Mashhadi, Nafiseh Shokri. “Anti-Oxidative and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Ginger in Health and Physical Activity: Review of Current Evidence.” PubMed Central (PMC), 1 Apr. 2013, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665023/.
    • 5 Dawid-Pać, Renata. “Medicinal Plants Used in Treatment of Inflammatory Skin Diseases.” PubMed Central (PMC), 1 June 2013, ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3834722/.
    • 6 Kim, K. R. (2010, January 1). Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Licorice and Roasted Licorice Extracts on TPA-Induced Acute Inflammation and Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Mice. PubMed Central (PMC). Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2841253/.
    • 7 Bhaskaran, N. (2010, December 1). Chamomile, an anti-inflammatory agent inhibits inducible nitric oxide synthase expression by blocking RelA/p65 activity. PubMed Central (PMC). Retrieved from ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2982259/.
    • 8 Stacey. (2018, August 20). Do I need starter tea AND a scoby when brewing kombucha? | Kombucha Research. Kombucha Research. Retrieved from kombucharesearch.com/kombucha-questions-answered/starter-tea-scoby-brewing-kombucha/.
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