Best tea for indigestion?

[Geoff]

@Laura - I had a full CAT done in November of '08. Clean bill. I don't get heartburn often - rarely, even - and when I do it's usually the result of eating badly...which I will confess I do far too often. That and Altoids don't aggravate at all. Too much peppermint tea, though? Insta-burn. However, if it's blended, I have no troubles. Case in point, Bigelow's Mint Medley.

[Katie]

I get heartburn all the time - probably a couple times a week. I figured I just had acid reflux and needed to be a bit more careful about what I eat (ginger and mint also tend to make me sickly, though nutmeg is the ultimate devil), but you guys are making me nervous.

Guess I'd best call the Doc.

[Shaiha]

I have tried catnip to go to sleep and find that it works better then anything I have ever come across. I just have to be sure to guard my cup as my cats will try to drink it.

And I have used ginger teas and ginger ale for years. Never experienced any heartburn with it.

[Geoff]

@Katie - As a recovering hypochondriac, I would advise against going to a doctor based upon what you read in a forum post. Usual culprits for heartburn are caffeine (a sin to say so on a tea site, I know), alcohol, dairy, spicy foods, spices themselves (like cinnamon, which also gets me going), eating too fast, and lack of movement.

If you want a relatively good fix for all things stomach related, slippery elm is awesome. Although in tea form, the texture might be a bit weird for some. Get it powdered, mix with stevia/milk-ish something, does wonders.

Peppermint is only a culprit for some because it relaxes the esophagus. For some of us slow metabolism folk, that equals "bad".

@Shaiha - I had a chamomile/catnip blend that I got from my favorite acupuncture place. Quite good. Mixes well with tulsi.

As far as ginger is concerned, it's a supposed "hot" herb. If you're into Ayurvedic practices at all, you don't want to take herbs that will heat the bodie, but rather herbs that cool; such as peppermint.

(My Ayurvedic dosha is Kappa/Pitta. Hot and cold. So I'm screwed either way. *heh*)

[Katie]

Originally Posted by Geoff

@Katie - As a recovering hypochondriac, I would advise against going to a doctor based upon what you read in a forum post.

Normally I'd agree with you, but the past year or so it's gotten exponentially worse, so I should probably be getting it checked out anyway. Never have in a formal environment, after all. Besides, with my free health care and all, I may as well

Originally Posted by Geoff

@Shaiha - I had a chamomile/catnip blend that I got from my favorite acupuncture place. Quite good. Mixes well with tulsi.

Ach, I love tulsi! I may have to try out some catnip because I'm running out of other things to blend with my tulsi, and I'm not sure I want to drink it straight.

[Yogic Chai]

Hello everyone, haven't been here in a while. Came to do a post on the Special Offers & Coupons and saw this topic.

I wanted to share something that may give some clarity as to why Peppermint, Ginger, Fennel can work sometimes and sometimes not for stomach upset.

In Both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic Medicine, there is no such thing as "this herb is good for that" as it all depends on the condition of the individual. As a Chinese Herbalist, The first thing we do is to see whether the person has HOT or COLD pattern.

Two people can have an upset stomach, but one could be caused by a HOT pattern and the other by a COLD pattern, so we give the HOT person a cooling formula (such as peppermint) and the COLD person a warming formula (such as Ginger)

For those of you interested in learning more about this approach, there is a book written by a western DR. of Oriental Medicine called "The Way of Herbs by Michael Tierra" Its quite easy to read and I think you will enjoy it.

A good cup of Chai can help an upset stomach. It is quite common in India to end your meal with a cup of masala chai to aid digestion

[AlexZorach]

I second Raven's comment about ginger. However, I have had disappointing results with dried ginger (either pure or in blends) sold by tea companies: it always seems too weak to me.. What I think is a better approach is to buy fresh ginger root at the supermarket (you can often get it cheaper at Asian markets if you are lucky enough to live near one) and slice it and boil it in water, possibly adding honey or other herbs or spices to taste. I think fresh ginger is so far ahead of dried ginger both in terms of flavor and medicinal effects.

When I want instant relief, I keep candied ginger on hand--you can also buy this at most Asian markets and sometimes at candy stores. I search out the strongest-tasting and most aromatic ginger...generally the stronger it is, the more soothing an effect it seems to have on my stomach.

[maryjones]

I think black tea is good for digestion.Black tea is great source of anti-oxidants,anti-inflammatory property.This property helps to improve digestion and immune system.

[TeaVivre]

Except Herbal teas, natural loose leaf teas also have the function of helping digestion. Here is a brief information about this: Pu’erh tea, which most famous for weight loss, Not only can help with digestion, but also warm stomach. In addition, green and yellow teas are also very great to help with digestion. Meanwhile, if you don’t like the taste of pu-erh teas, black teas maybe more pleasant for warming stomach.

A drinking tips for black and pu’erh teas: Black tea is best drunk an hour before or after a meal, as it helps both with appetite and digestion, while Pu'er is recommended half an hour before a meal.

[mistygreen]

Yes,Herbal tea with added with tulasi and ginger juice are good for indigestion.I like it very much.And this tea is good for health.