Bloating, gas, cramping; all symptoms of something going on in your digestive system. Whether you ate a little too much garlic, you have a stomach bug, or you're suffering from the side effects of pregnancy, there are a wide variety of different causes.
Circumstances often indicate you should just take an antiacid, down a bit of Pepto, and be done with it. Unfortunately, this is often contra-indicated on some medications and for some illnesses. And, of course, there are all manner of reasons you might want to avoid taking a medication if you can.
Luckily, tea can help. Herbal teas in particular have been used for centuries to alleviate digestive issues, including gas and cramping, and more. Brew up a nice strong cup, let the steam relax you and the warmth permeate your body, while the herbs contained within go to work alleviating the cause of your bloating.
Now, there are dozens if not hundreds of articles on the web discussing teas that reduce bloating and gas, so what makes ours any different? We're going to do a review. We've identified a bunch of different authoritative sources and tallied up their recommendations, and we'll present a list of the most commonly recommended teas at the end, along with our analysis.
Let's get to it!
Healthline – 8 Herbal Teas to Help Reduce Bloating
Healthline is one of the most widely known health blogs outside of the direct medical field. They have a lot of content recommended by doctors and scientists, and they tend to be very good about backing up their claims with sources from scholarly studies and papers. What teas do they recommend?
- Peppermint. Peppermint is good for cramping and some bloating and can ease other digestive symptoms, though it's largely peppermint oil, not tea, that has been tested.
- Lemon Balm. This herb is a member of the mint family and is used in concentrated form in some medications, though the tea alone hasn't been tested much.
- Wormwood. This tea is bitter and an acquired taste, but it can aid in digestive issues and can kill parasites that cause bloating and cramping.
- Ginger. One of the most common historical digestive remedies, ginger extracts have observed effects at calming the digestive system.
- Fennel. Fennel is both a spice and an herb for tea and has been used for centuries for digestive problems. It can also help prevent ulcers.
- Gentian Root. A medicinal tea, Gentian is often found in digestive bitters.
- Chamomile. Common for sleep, chamomile is also used to treat digestive issues and indigestion.
- Angelica Root. This herb is often paired with lemon balm, both for its effects and for its taste.
So, there we have a baseline. What do other articles say?
Nutritious Life – 7 Best Teas for Bloating and Gas
A more traditional blog, this site has a wealth of articles on healthy eating and healthy living. Their recommendations include:
- Peppermint.
- Ginger.
- Turmeric. The golden spice has anti-inflammatory properties and can help ease digestive issues and bloating.
- Chamomile.
- Lemon Balm.
- Dandelion Root. Though dandelions are often viewed as weeds, every part of the plant is useful in some manner, from salad greens to the makings of wine to, yes, digestive assistance.
- Wormwood.
Byrdie – 11 Teas to Help Reduce Bloating
Byrdie is a blog that has been around since 2013, and while it primarily focuses on beauty and cosmetics, it has branched out into wellness over the years. Their recommendations are straight from a pair of nutritionists and dieticians, and include:
- Ginger.
- Peppermint.
- Fennel.
- Chamomile.
- Dandelion Root.
- Gentian Root.
- Lemon. The citric acid in lemon acts as a diuretic and can help purge whatever is causing your bloating issues.
- Hibiscus. The flower tea is a sweeter and less bitter flavor, and it can reduce bloating while controlling bodily hormones.
- Green Tea. The actual Camellia Sinensis tea plant is a wonderful herb, and plain green tea can help with a lot of different issues. Just be aware of the caffeine content if you drink it later in the day.
- Wormwood.
- Caraway Seeds. Caraway isn't as commonly found as a tea as it is a spice. The seeds are antimicrobial and can help reduce the bacteria that cause bloating.
Lifehack – 7 Best Tea for Bloating and Stomach Gas Relief
Lifehack.org is not to be confused with Lifehacker, the more popular blog. The .org version is a self-help institution selling a book and offering advice to improve your life. For bloating, they recommend:
- Peppermint.
- Ginger.
- Chamomile.
- Green Tea.
- Hibiscus.
- Fennel.
- Dandelion Root.
NDTV Food – 5 Herbal Teas That May Remedy Bloating and Gas
NDTV is New Delhi TV, one of India's largest news and television networks. They have a huge presence in the Indian community, and their advice is often quite good. For this discussion, they recommend:
- Ginger/Honey/Lemon. We're going to count this for both Ginger and Lemon.
- Chamomile.
- Peppermint.
- Fennel.
- Caraway.
Mind-Body Green – 7 Teas to Help with Bloating and Discomfort
MBG is a common sight in health circles, with a wide knowledge base for herbal remedies and supplements, along with advice on healthy living and healthy eating. This particular post was written by a journalist and reviewed by a dietician, and it recommends:
- Ginger.
- Mint.
- Fennel.
- Dandelion Root.
- Green Tea.
- Chamomile.
- Turmeric.
Livestrong – Best Teas for Bloating, Gas, and Constipation
Many of you reading have probably visited Livestrong before. Though they started off as a content mill similar to eHow, they've expanded dramatically over the last decade, and have become a leading authority on all manner of health and wellness topics.
- Peppermint.
- Lemon Balm.
- Chamomile.
- Fennel.
- Ginger.
- Hibiscus.
- Dandelion Root.
Sencha Tea Bar – The 7 Best Teas for Pain Relief from Cramps
Sencha Tea Bar is, as you might have guessed, a site specializing in tea knowledge. This article is more focused on the cramping aspect than the bloating and gas, which often has different causes and requires different treatment. Here are their recommendations.
- Ginger.
- Raspberry Leaf. The leaves of this tasty, tangy fruit are a common tea used for women's health and can help relieve painful menstrual cramps.
- Chamomile.
- Peppermint.
- Green Tea.
- Fennel Tea.
- Cramp Bark Tea. A plant related to honeysuckle and found natively in England, the bark is a known muscle relaxant and can help with cramping.
Composed Nutrition – 8 Herbal Teas for Menstrual Cramps
Composed Nutrition is a personal blog run by a registered dietician, fueled by a personal passion for holistic wellness and alternative medicine.
- Ginger.
- Lemon Balm.
- Fenugreek. Another spice often used as a tea and herbal remedy, fenugreek has been shown to have a beneficial effect on painful periods.
- Fennel.
- Peppermint.
- Cinnamon. Almost surprising how long it took for this otherwise excellent spice to show up. Cinnamon has a variety of anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects.
- Dandelion Root.
- Cramp Bark Tea.
Overall Rankings
So, let's tally up which teas get the most "votes" from the articles above. Here's the total tally:
- Peppermint: 9
- Ginger: 9
- Fennel: 8
- Chamomile: 8
- Dandelion Root: 6
- Lemon Balm: 4
- Green Tea: 4
- Wormwood: 3
- Hibiscus: 3
- Gentian Root: 2
- Turmeric: 2
- Lemon: 2
- Caraway Seeds: 2
- Angelica Root: 1
- * Raspberry Leaf: 1
- * Cramp Bark Tea: 2
- * Fenugreek: 1
- * Cinnamon: 1
Teas marked with an asterisk are teas specifically recommended for menstrual cramps and cramping pain, not as much for digestive issues. As such, we've divided our analysis into two groups.
First up, we have the five best teas for gas and bloating. Gas and bloating are often caused by bacteria running wild in the digestive system, though they can also be caused by certain kinds of foods and food interactions. Some people may also have medical conditions that make them more prone to gas and bloating. Where you have one, you often have the other, so teas that work to solve one issue often work to solve the other as well.
The five best teas for gas and bloating, as broadly recommended by a series of experts in holistic health, dieticians, and tea experts, are:
Peppermint. No surprise here, peppermint makes it on pretty much every list. The cooling, soothing herb is a staple of every tea cupboard the world over. It's excellent for stress relief, digestive assistance, and a whole lot else besides.
Note that some people recommend "mint" tea instead of specifically peppermint. Spearmint and Wintergreen can also be used, though you may have to follow specific brewing instructions, and they may not function as well. Peppermint has a lot of unique compounds that give it the potent punch we all love.
Ginger. Again, not much of a surprise here. Ginger is used in a lot of different preparations as a digestive aid when brewed as a tea or used as a spice. It's a wonderful, spicy, fruity flavor that makes for an excellent tea when fresh. When dried and ground, it's more of a spicier and almost peppery flavor. Either way, it's packed full of beneficial compounds. You might even benefit from a regular glass of ginger tea every day, regardless of your digestive state.
Fennel. Another very common recommendation, fennel tea has a taste similar to licorice. While it's not everyone's cup of tea, so to speak, it's medicinal, and it's better to enjoy it when you're suffering than to go without. One of the main effects of fennel is actually its laxative properties, which – like lemon, above – can be used to help "hurry along" whatever is stuck in your gut causing gas. Plus, if you don't want to buy fennel tea specifically, you can make your own by buying whole fennel seeds and crushing them into a teabag when you want to brew a cup.
Chamomile. We're all more familiar with chamomile as a sleep aid than as a digestive, but it has potent effects for both. In addition to alleviating gas and bloating, chamomile can help protect against ulcers, fight off the H.Pylori bacteria, and alleviate abdominal pain. Pretty much every possible digestive system ailment can be treated with a good cup or two of chamomile tea. Be sure to check out our sleeping tea, which contains a good portion of chamomile.
Dandelion Root. Dandelions are a surprisingly versatile and healthy option for something many of us have always viewed as a useless weed. The primary benefit you'll see from the tea, at least in regards to digestion, is the diuretic effect. Like Fennel, it helps hurry things along so you can relieve yourself of whatever it is that causes your bloating and gas.
Finally, the last four items on this list are specifically aimed at alleviating cramping and the pain that goes with it. Whether your cramping is due to digestive problems or a painful period, these four additional tea ingredients should help.
Raspberry Leaf. Raspberries are delicious, and the tea carried with it some elements of the fruit, including some flavonoids, antioxidant properties, and flavor. The tea helps relieve cramping and the pain that goes with it.
Cramp Bark Tea. How can you say no to something that has the word cramp in the name? Known in England for ages, this tea is one of the more common options specifically for menstrual symptoms.
Fenugreek. As mentioned up above, the fenugreek spice is a good tea ingredient as well. We're a little skeptical of claims that the phytoestrogens interact with actual estrogen – there's not a lot of evidence to support that claim – but it can certainly help relieve pain from cramping.
Cinnamon. Finally, who doesn't love a little cinnamon in their lives? Cinnamon has a whole list of beneficial effects when you consume it, and it can be added to pretty much any tea to accentuate the flavor and bring those effects along. In short: it's an excellent addition to help with pain, bloating and cramping.
So, there you have it; a roundup of the most widely recommended teas for gas, bloating, and cramping. Hopefully, these, or a mixture of them, will help you with your issues.
Are there any teas that we may have missed that you might recommend? Be sure to leave us a comment down below so that we could look into it!
