Plant guides
20 plant(s) tagged “digestion”, each covered the same way: what it is, its benefits, how to use it, and its precautions.
All Adaptogen 6 Allergies 1 Anti-inflammatory 3 Antioxidant 16 Aromatherapy 3 Blood pressure 4 Blood sugar 4 Calm 5 Colds 6 Digestion 20 Energy 4 Eyes 2 First aid 6 Focus 6 Food plant 14 Gut health 2 Headache 2 Heart 9 Hormones 2 Immune 8 Joints 3 Kitchen spice 19 Kitchen staple 1 Lactation 2 Liver 2 Memory 6 Menstrual 2 Mood 2 Mushroom 6 Nausea 1 Respiratory 6 Skin 6 Sleep 6 Stress 5 Tea 8 Urinary 3
Aloe Vera
Aloe barbadensis miller
The succulent whose gel has been a household remedy for burns and skin irritation for thousands of years.
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Amla / Indian Gooseberry
Phyllanthus emblica
Ayurveda's sour green fruit — a vitamin C powerhouse and the backbone of Triphala and chyawanprash.
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Basil
Ocimum basilicum
The sweet, clove-and-anise scented leaf of summer — at its best torn fresh over tomatoes and never cooked for long.
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Black Pepper
Piper nigrum
The king of spices, best ground fresh at the table — and a quiet booster of how much of some nutrients and drugs your body absorbs.
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Cardamom
Elettaria cardamomum
Little green pods of sweet, eucalyptus-bright perfume — the soul of chai, Arabic coffee and Scandinavian buns.
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Chia Seeds
Salvia hispanica
The ancient Aztec seed that swells into a pudding in minutes — a great fibre source, as long as you soak it first.
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Coriander / Cilantro
Coriandrum sativum
One plant, two kitchens: bright citrusy leaves that some people swear taste of soap, and warm seeds that soothe a bloated belly.
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Cumin
Cuminum cyminum
The warm, earthy seed behind curries, chilli and falafel — best bloomed in hot oil until it crackles and smells toasty.
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Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
The lawn "weed" that's actually a salad green, coffee substitute and one of herbal medicine's oldest digestive bitters.
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Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare
Crisp aniseed bulb, feathery fronds and sweet digestive seeds — one plant that covers salad, spice rack and after-dinner tea.
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Flaxseed
Linum usitatissimum
Humble brown seeds with a trio of talents — fibre, plant omega-3 and lignans — but only if you grind them first.
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Ginger
Zingiber officinale
The world's most trusted remedy for a queasy stomach, with the clinical trials to back it up.
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Lemon Balm
Melissa officinalis
The lemon-scented mint that takes the edge off stress — beloved by bees, herbalists and anxious students alike.
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Licorice Root
Glycyrrhiza glabra
An intensely sweet root (its key compound is some fifty times sweeter than sugar) that soothes throats and stomachs — and quietly raises blood pressure if you overdo it.
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Marshmallow Root
Althaea officinalis
The original marshmallow — a slippery, soothing root for scratchy throats and dry coughs, best made with cold water.
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Nutmeg
Myristica fragrans
The warm, sweet spice that once caused wars — lovely by the pinch, genuinely poisonous by the spoonful.
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Oregano
Origanum vulgare
The sun-baked Mediterranean herb that tastes better dried than fresh — and whose concentrated oil is a very different thing.
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Peppermint
Mentha × piperita
A vigorous garden mint whose oil is one of the best-evidenced herbal treatments for IBS.
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Slippery Elm
Ulmus rubra
A North American tree whose inner bark turns into a soothing gruel — gentle on sore throats and stomachs, but hard on the trees.
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Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
The feathery-leaved wound herb named after Achilles — a bitter tea for sluggish digestion, and one to avoid in pregnancy.
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