The herbal route to healthy digestion

Any digestive problems are often exacerbated over the festive season of excess. This can continue on into the new year, with symptoms of bloating, pain, lack of appetite or heart burn. The traditional way to kick start your digestion back into healthy functioning is through bitter herbs, such as dandelion leaf, artichoke, wormwood and hops. Bitters stimulate bitter taste buds to cause the release of saliva and stomach juices, and to encourage the pancreas to release digestive enzymes and the liver to release bile, which helps the breakdown of fats. Improving the digestion with bitters will help absorption of essential nutrients, as well as improving digestive symptoms to have you bouncing back in no time. Medical herbalists use a combination of herbs with dietary and lifestyle advice to gently coax the body back to wellness. Herbs have been used for healing for hundreds of years and modern clinical science has helped to back up many of the traditional uses. The holistic approach taken by herbalists is a gentler way to heal that aims to get to the root of a problem, with the focus on supporting the different organs of the body to help them work more effectively. Herbalism can treat a broad range of conditions, and there is evidence to support the use of herbal medicine to treat: IBS and functional dyspepsia, premenstrual syndrome, back pain and osteoarthritis, mild to moderate depression, acute respiratory infections such as rhinosinusitis, colds and ‘flu, as well as migraine. At Brighton Apothecary, the friendly herbalists are always on hand to advise you about the best remedy or supplement for your specific health needs. They offer free mini-consultations for minor health complaints and can tailor make herbal remedies. Brighton Apothecary Unit 6, The Open Market Marshalls Row Brighton, BN1 4JU 07477 886 777 10am-5pm Mon-Sat (excluding Tues) brightonapothecary.co.uk @BrightonApoth facebook.com/brightonapothecary