Thanksgiving is almost here and everyone is thinking about “the big meal”. Throughout the week, it’s perfectly normal for passing acquaintances to jokingly bestow the warning, “Don’t Eat to Much!”

Whether you are the one hosting the dinner or simply show up for it, for most Americans, Thanksgiving is about one thing: food — and lots of it.

Eating too much and eating improper food combinations can lead to indigestion, IBS, and other such unpleasant gastronomic discomforts. Thanksgiving is a time we indulge (with or without guilt) beyond our customary eating habits in celebration of abundance, and then challenge ourselves to “save room for dessert” and perhaps a cup of coffee.

There are some differing views as to whether or not coffee (and some say straight black tea) affects your digestion. Some research find it’s the acid effect or the caffeine that disrupts proper digestion, while others state it has more to do with the amount of sugar you add to the coffee that does the real damage.

One thing that is certain is that there are a handful of herbs that improve and soothe digestion. Herbs such as Peppermint and Chamomile can assist in preventing & soothing intestinal spasms, calm your bodies systems and help combat flatulence. These two valuable herbs are quite common and can be easily found in your local grocery store or online.

There are two main categories of herbals that help in the digestive process: soothing or warming.

Soothing herbs calm your digestive tract from the spams and rumblings. Among the many herbs with this property, popular choices tend to be either lemony or minty: Lemon Balm, Lemon Grass, Lemon Verbana, Peppermint or Spearmint..

Warming herbs help to move food through the tract to complete the digestion process. Chai teas are used for digestion because of the spices they contain. Other warming herbs include: aniseed, fennel, ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and clove.

What about Green & Black Teas? There is very little that a cup of tea won’t fix and digestion is no exception to the rule. Experiment this holiday season with black and green teas that include some digestion-improving herbs!

So as you’re reaching for the 2nd slice of pumpkin pie, be grateful that you made a wiser choice with a warm, healthy cup of tea!

Madam Potts’ blog, Mad Pots of Tea, read more about tea!

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