Soothe and Repair Your Gut with Demulcents
There has been reports of a hefty stomach flu bug going around. I was brain storming with my daughter this morning of what could help her and her 1 year old repair after a resent long bout of a bug up in Canada.
That got me thinking about Demulcents.
Demulcents
What are they?
Demulcent are herbs that create a soothing film or mucilaginous gel like substance that coat mucus membranes to protect and promote healing and ease discomfort.
We think of these soothing herbs for help with coughs and throat discomfort. Yet they can be very helpful for the esophagus, stomach, and intestinal lining also. Basically, all the way down the digestive tract!
For example: Slippery Elm bark powder has been used for babies, small animals and all sizes of humans for coating sore throats but also for coating the stomach lining to ease cramping, diarrhea and upset digestion.
From the Herbal Academy: “There is mounting evidence that gastrointestinal wall inflammation and damage are linked to autoimmune conditions (Bone & Mills, 2013). Mucous membrane trophorestoratives such as plantain leaf and gota kola leaf may reduce gut permeability (Burgoyne, 1998) and demulcent herbs such as marshmallow root and licorice root help to soothe and support healing of the tissues of the digestive tract (Groves, 2016). Licorice is a particularly beneficial demulcent for autoimmune conditions as it also is an immunomodulator, anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and adaptogen (Winston & Maimes, 2007).
Here’s a list of my top favorite demulcent herbs:
Fenugreek seed
Fennel seed
Chia seed
Flax seed
Slippery elm bark
Marshmallow root
plantain leaf
Licorice root
Mullein leaf
Comfrey leaf
Elecampane root
These all make wonderful soothing teas and work good in combination. Ie: I love licorice, fennel, fenugreek and mullein together with rosehips and orange and spearmint, as in our Winter Wonder Tea.
I like grinding chia, flax, sesame and fennel seed (in the coffee grinder I use for herbs) and adding them into our smoothie mix.
I also grind these seeds to use in our balsamic salad dressing as they are highly nutritious with minerals and vitamins.