Naturally Calming an Upset Stomach

As a long time sufferer from a hiatal hernia I know a bit about having an upset stomach. When I am hit with the tell tale rumbly in the tumbly, I can reach for a variety of modern wonder cures. Sure, many of them work but I dislike taking a lot of medicines so I first try to handle it naturally.

If it is very mild I will simply try some peppermint either in a tea or just sucking on a peppermint lozenge. Peppermint has a long history of helping with digestion, why do you think many restaurants offer those red and white swirled peppermint lozenges at checkout? I raise my own in my herb garden.

If the upset stomach is a bit worse I will resort to a nice cup or two of chamomile tea. I also raise my chamomile in my herb garden but you can buy pretty good chamomile teas from such named brands as Bigelows or Celestial Seasonings.

Chamomile is a natural sedative and is calming as well as an aid for digestion and an upset stomach. The best form to take it is as a hot herbal tea, though I have seen it as a commercially available lozenge.

I should also probably mention that there are two kinds of chamomile available. The first is German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) and the second is Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). Both will get the job done but you will probably find that commercially available teas are made of German chamomile.

From a practical perspective, the main difference in the two is that German chamomile is as an annual in the herb garden, that is it must be planted every year, and the Roman is a perennial, plant it once and it keeps coming back. I have both types in my herb garden and have used each for tea. They both seem to get the job done though some people think the German chamomile is a bit stronger.

If you buy the commercial or store bought chamomile herbal teas, you simply steep a tea bag in hot (not boiling) water for about two to three minutes and drink it. You may choose to sweeten it a bit. I have found honey to be very good.

If you have chamomile from an herb garden, dried or fresh, simply place it into a tea strainer and then steep in hot water for two to three minutes. About two teaspoons of dried or three of fresh leaves. Again you may sweeten it as you like.

In either case you may also choose to add peppermint to your chamomile tea. I add peppermint, dried and crushed, at a one part to three part ratio. I simply put it in the strainer with the chamomile and steep normally. While traveling I have had to purchase commercial chamomile tea and then just dropped a peppermint candy into it as it steeped. The peppermint adds a bit of flavor and, as discussed earlier, is also helpful for stomach matters.

Of course, this works for me and may not work for everyone. Also, I only use this for mild to middle level upset stomachs. With a hiatal hernia I always have some prescription strength medications nearby but my goal is to resort to them as little as possible.

Give it a try sometime. I think you will find this type of tea both relaxing and helpful for your stomach.