Let’s talk about digestion from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective.
Imagine if you will a pot of soup, sitting on a fire. In TCM, both the spleen and stomach are the organs responsible for digestion; they transform and transport to the body the essential elements of the food and drink we consume. The nutrients they draw from food are sent out around the body to do good, and the waste product are removed and discarded.
This is why when our digestion is lacking, we can feel tired, run-down, and lethargic; since our bodies aren’t making use of the goodness from the food we’re eating.
So going back to our pot again. To help you best understand how to restore digestive health, the stomach is the ‘pot’ and the spleen is the ‘fire.’ Therefore you may like to understand that digestion is a process that requires warm energy.
We can appreciate that Chinese Medicine can be a foreign concept to grasp – so we asked Dr. Nat Kringoudis TCM to translate East to West for us.
“It can be really confusing trying to understand how Your Tea blends work when you have your western medicine hat on. I remember way back when I was studying Chinese Medicine (TCM) I literally had to unlearn all I had previously learnt about the human body because TCM views the body in a very different way. However, it is an intricate medicine system within its own right – and it has stood the test of time being perfected over the ages to be what it is today. What’s more, many of the herbal ingredients we use, have now been researched and their therapeutic effects validated.”
Ginger
Ginger is fabulous for firing up the digestive system. Energetically it is very warming and with this in mind assists in treatment of bloating and poor gut function. Ginger also helps to warm the body – it assists in ironing out aches and pains and relieves nausea. Finally it assists in mildly supporting reproductive function and can treat the symptoms of painful periods.
Found in Her Tea.
Chysanthemum
Chrysanthemum flower is an effective yet gentle ingredient to also help to calm digestion. Because the gut is also the emotion center of the body, Chrysanthemum flower is useful in gently balancing the emotions, especially useful throughout the PMS window. This ingredient also goes to work to regulate the liver and is effective in helping the body to detox – you’ll notice one of the bonuses is bright eyes and clear thinking and beautiful skin as a result.
Found in Her Tea, Anti-C Tea, Happy Tea.
Licorice
Dr. Nat loves licorice root because not only is it nourishing; it’s harmonizing. It has a sweet flavor that works on your digestive system, aiding the spleen and stomach in absorbing the nutrients you need.
Found in Breastfriend Tea, Liver Cleanse, Sleep Tea, Man Tea.
Ginseng
Ginseng is widely sought after for its therapeutic properties of vitalizing and invigoration. It powerfully supports the body, it helps to calm the mind, it supports digestion meaning you can better assimilate the nutrients from your food to better supply your body with what it needs to thrive.
Found in Antioxidant Tea, Breastfriend Tea, Energy Tea.
Ge Gen
Ge Gen is another loved TCM herb in the blend that helps to treat the effects of dehydration by nourishing fluids, this means that the bowels are also looked after, assisting digestion and bloating.
Found in Hangover Tea.
Shan Zha
Otherwise known as Hawthorn Fruit and is not only delicious but it helps to move Qi in the middle (aka gut) and assists in moving blockages through the digestive system. Nobody wants food getting in the way!
Found in Digestive Herbs, Happy Tea.
Chen Pi
Chen Pi helps to dry damp and regulate Qi – meaning it helps to move and regulate the middle area of the body, boosting digestion and energy collectively.
Found in Energy Tea, Hangover Tea.