We get it: your digestive issues aren't the most fun topic to chat about. From heartburn and indigestion, to nausea and constipation, these less than comfortable symptoms certainly can put a damper in your day.
So instead of ignoring your tummy troubles, we want to help you relieve your toughest symptoms with the power of tea.
While tea is not a permanent treatment for your ailments, people have been drinking tea for thousands of years to ease reflux symptoms, stomach cramps, and general digestive system issues.
And unlike other treatments, tea is widely available, easy to make, and way way more enjoyable than that thick pink stuff that shall not be named.
Best Teas for Stomach Issues
There are so many different kinds of tea, each with their own unique health benefits. Typically, herbal teas, which are made from herbs, flowers or spices, are known to be the best teas for digestion.
Herbal teas are packed with the health benefits of the powerhouse plants that make them up, and have been used for centuries as natural medicine.
Today, many resort to herbal teas to tackle ailments ranging from stress to acid reflux.
What is Acid Reflux?
Acid reflux is a condition that occurs when the stomach leaches stomach acid into the esophagus. Acid reflux symptoms include heartburn, excess gas, or even regurgitation back up your digestive tract.
It is even less fun than it sounds. And those who regularly experience acid reflux (suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease, aka GERD) know that the OTC antacids only do so much.
Having some extra tricks to keep in your back pocket, like a perfect tea to sip on, may just be your best hack around the symptoms of acid reflux.
Why Tea for Acid Reflux?
While there are options out there that may help you reduce the symptoms of acid reflux, tea is a natural, easy solution that can help reduce stomach acid and overall gut health.
Herbal teas are known to reduce acid reflux by soothing the stomach, easing excess gas, and acting as an anti inflammatory.
Because herbal teas are packed with antioxidants and have antibacterial properties, they also are known to help get to the root of stomach issues.
Best Teas for Acid Reflux and Digestion
The best tea for digestion is usually one that doesn't have much caffeine. Because acid reflux can be triggered by caffeine, drinking herbal tea is usually your best bet for tackling GERD and other stomach issues.
We recommend sipping on one of these teas after a meal to help boost your digestion and reduce post-meal bloating.
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea, known for its incredible soothing properties, is a great option for easing digestive discomfort or pain. Because chamomile tea is known to help relax muscles, it may aid an overworked stomach. And since stress is highly related to both digestive issues and acid reflux, sipping on this calming beverage may be a great way to get to the root of your tummy troubles.
At the same time, chamomile tea is known to have alkaline properties that can help keep the acid in your stomach at bay.
How to Make Chamomile Tea at Home:
If you're looking to relax with a steaming cup of floral, warm chamomile tea, we've got you covered with the best recipe. Mosi's Green Chamomile is a delicate, warmly flavored loose leaf tea. While this variety does contain green tea and thus a smidge of caffeine, the green tea content is minimal and thus shouldn't aggravate GERD. If you're wanting to avoid caffeine, our Lavender Chamomile is a great option, and lavender itself is known to reduce the symptoms of upset stomach and acid reflux.
Plus, Mosi's Green Chamomile is packed with antioxidants and a touch of lemongrass, which is also known to help relieve digestive system ailments:
- Fill sieve of your Mosi Tea infuser with a teaspoon of Mosi Green Chamomile or Lavender Chamomile
- Bring 8 oz of water to 185 degrees (small bubbles)
- Pour water through the spout of your Mosi Infuser
- Switch the lock and flip upside down
- Steep for 3-5 minutes
- Enjoy a hot cup of chamomile
Peppermint Tea
If you've ever had stomach issues around an herbal remedy lover, you likely have been told to sip on peppermint tea. Because of the menthol found in peppermint tea, it is known to help ease an upset stomach.
Recent studies have shown that mint tea may improve the symptoms that come with IBS, a condition that causes stomach pain, bloating and gas.
If you experience acid reflux, this may also be the best tea to help soothe the sore throat that comes with excess stomach acid. This tea is also packed with antioxidants to improve overall digestive health.
How to Make Peppermint Tea At Home
If you're looking to make peppermint tea at home, you're bound to love Mosi's Green Mint tea. This garden-picked loose leaf tea is made with peppermint, spearmint, and lemongrass for a fresh, lightly sweet flavor.
While Mosi's Green Mint does contain a bit of caffeine from the green tea, its caffeine level is low enough that it should not impact the digestive system.
How to make Mosi's Green Mint:
- Fill sieve of your Mosi Tea infuser with a teaspoon of Mosi Green Mint
- Boil 8 oz of water
- Pour water through the spout of your Mosi Infuser
- Switch the lock and flip upside down
- Steep for 2-4 minutes
- Enjoy a perfectly refreshing cup of peppermint tea!
Ginger Tea
Ginger tea, made from ginger root, is known for its anti inflammatory properties. There are many compounds in ginger tea that are known to aid digestion, and even help with nausea, gas and indigestion.
Because the stomach is inflamed when there is excess acid, these properties may help aid acid reflux symptoms and bloating.
Gingerols and shogaols, two compounds found in ginger tea, are even known to help combat common illnesses and diseases.
How to make ginger tea at home:
- Boil 2 tablespoons of sliced ginger root in 2 cups of hot water
- Steep for 10-20 minutes
- Strain the ginger root
- Sip slowly on your cup of tea!
Lemongrass Tea
A cup of lemongrass tea is known to be a great option for an upset stomach or GERD. Recent studies have shown that lemongrass can even be used against gastric ulcers.
Lemongrass tea is also a natural diuretic, which means it acts as a digestive aid and may help relieve bloating and constipation.
While lemongrass tea alone may not be everyone's cup of tea (pun intended), lemongrass can pair really well with other teas and its many benefits can still be seen.
Mosi's Green Mint and Green Chamomile teas both have a touch of lemongrass in them, which makes either an amazing option for soothing upset stomach symptoms.
Which Teas to Avoid for Digestion and Acid Reflux
While we firmly believe that all teas have their time and place, certain teas may aggravate an already-uncomfortable stomach, particularly one that suffers from GERD.
Generally, drinking anything acidic can cause stomach pain for those with persistent acid reflux. This means that you may be best off avoiding super citrusy teas, which may have excess citric acid. You also should avoid artificially flavored teas, like chocolate tea, which contain additional ingredients that may confuse your digestion more.
We also recommend avoiding highly caffeinated teas. Black tea, for instance, contains about half of the amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee. This means that black tea may not be your best bet when looking to calm down your reflux disease.
Finally, be cognizant of what you're adding to your tea. Because we are tea loyalists at Mosi, we often enjoy our teas as-is -- and this may be your best bet at tackling your digestive system troubles. This is because dairy is also known to be a potential trigger for stomach challenges, especially high-fat dairy, which has been linked to acid reflux.
Artificial sweeteners also may not be the best addition to your tea when considering your stomach health. Studies have shown that artificial sweeteners often lead to bloating or excess gas, and are not recommended for those suffering from IBS.
Conclusion
While there are so many different ways to promote a healthy digestive system, it may be worth exploring the incredible potential of tea. Instead of downing handfuls of chalky antacid tablets or probiotics, consider drinking a new tea -- that may just make all the difference for your digestive tract.
Not only will your gut thank you, but you may just fall in love with a new calming routine or delicious flavor. That's a win-win in our book.
