Herbs that support digestion

Dr Tilgner,
I have come across several sources that recommend bitter herbs for digestion.  Bitter herbs are usually drying and cooling and I already run cold and dry.  What herbs that are warming and moistening assist digestion.  What herbs that are more neutral assist digestion?

Thank you for all the time you have taken to answer questions on this site.

Hi Beth,

I'm not trained in Ayurvedic Medicine so I cannot tell you what categories this melon falls into.



Bitter Mellon works for a number of diseases but the one which worked for a very close friend of mine was a type of colon cancer  -definitely a digestive aliment!

The above species/breed of bitter melon is indeed bitter and is cooked with other items such as beans or dhal.

Please do not confuse this bitter melon with the one below from Japan which doesn't have the same bitterness and I suspect doesn't have the same medicinal properties  -whatever the case, I can only  say the above Nepal/Indian melon worked and can say nothing about the Japanese version.

Anyone reading this post should consult their doctor instead of trying to sue me since I have no money and no assets to be seized that you or anyone else can locate. Anyways, I didn't tell you what type of colon cancer it was so Nan-Nan na Na-Na lawyer types.

Here's the Japanese version which isn't really bitter and was NOT used to cure a specific type of colon cancer.

I am showing both species/breeds of bitter melon because if you go to an Asian market here in the States, you will get handed the Japanese version unless you request the type from India/Nepal.



good luck Beth!

Hello Beth,

Yes, bitter foods are cooling, but you can add a carminative to the mix to warm you up. Bitters and carminatives are often added together as they have slightly different functions. Funny enough, I just finished posting a blog this morning on bitter herbs and mentioned using warming carminatives to the bitter herb if the person tended to be cold. You can access this article here: https://youarethehealer.org/bitter-herbs-for-indigestion/

If I also add a demulcent, how would that affect the drying actions of bitter herbs?  Thank you for the link to your website. It's on my "favorites" list.

Many bitter herbs will have some amount of diuretic activity as well as causing you to loose liquid through increase of digestive juices and this causes drying. So, I would suggest drinking water if you find yourself feeling dehydrated. If you want to see how it increases fluid secretion, try an experiment and take a sip of bitter tea, or a few drops of tincture on your tongue. Swish it around your mouth and swallow. Note that your saliva will increase a lot.(the saliva has an enzyme in it that helps start digestion of carbohydrates) This increase in saliva is due to the bitter. It does not take much for it to start working. Most people if taking a strong bitter, such as Gentian, take only 1-20 drops of tincture prior to a meal.

I thought bitters were helping to digest fat and protein, not carbs!

I know that they act both in the mouth through taste/sensation, and in the stomach, stimulating stomach acid (so more about protein digestion?)

one way they act is through stimulation of the vagus nerve at the back of the throat. This will help having peristaltis and also produce stomach acid.