Index of Herbs

Concern guide

Herbs for Digestion and Bloating

Herbs that may ease indigestion, gas and bloating, from peppermint to chamomile, with what the research shows.

10 herbs reviewed

Updated October 12, 2026

Almost everyone knows the feeling of a meal that sits heavily: a full, stretched belly, burping, wind, or a burning or gnawing ache under the ribs. Doctors call this kind of upper-abdominal discomfort indigestion, or dyspepsia, and bloating is one of the most common gut complaints of all. Occasional episodes after a large or rich meal usually pass on their own. When symptoms keep coming back without a clear cause, the usual diagnosis is functional dyspepsia or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which are problems with how the gut and brain work together rather than signs of damage.

Herbs have a long history as after-dinner companions, and several are accepted in Europe as traditional remedies for indigestion, wind and bloating. They work best alongside simple habits: smaller meals eaten slowly, fewer fizzy drinks, noticing which foods seem to set off symptoms, and asking a pharmacist whether a medicine such as an anti-inflammatory painkiller, an iron supplement or a GLP-1 drug might be playing a part. For symptoms that linger, a doctor can look for treatable causes such as a stomach ulcer, H. pylori infection or celiac disease and offer proven treatments, and a soothing herbal tea can sit comfortably beside that care.

The herbs below are ordered by strength of evidence for digestive symptoms, then by how commonly they are used. Ratings run from good clinical evidence to long traditional use. Peppermint oil for IBS-type cramping and bloating has the strongest support, backed by a gastroenterology guideline, while most of the classic digestive teas rest on long use recognized by European regulators, with clinical research still emerging. Some of the better trial evidence for indigestion comes from fixed combinations rather than single herbs: capsules of peppermint oil with caraway oil eased upper-abdominal pain in three placebo-controlled trials, the largest funded by the manufacturer, which also sponsored the pooled analysis, and STW 5 (Iberogast), a German liquid built around bitter candytuft with herbs including chamomile, caraway, lemon balm, peppermint and licorice, beat placebo for functional dyspepsia in several trials, though a 2023 Cochrane review rated that evidence very low in certainty. Those results belong to the products, not to any one ingredient. Each entry notes which form was studied, and the full monographs cover doses, side effects and interactions.

02 The shortlist

The herbs, from best studied to time-honored

How to read the ratings

  • Good clinical evidence
  • Promising clinical evidence
  • Early or mixed evidence
  • Long traditional use

Ratings show how much research backs each herb for this particular concern. Every herb links to its full monograph, with preparations, safety notes, and sources.

  1. 01 Peppermint

    Good clinical evidence

    Mentha × piperita

    Peppermint is the best-studied digestive herb. Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules eased overall symptoms and abdominal pain in several meta-analyses of IBS, the American College of Gastroenterology suggests it, and EMA accepts it as well-established for minor gut spasms, wind and abdominal pain. The evidence is still graded low quality, and the most rigorous recent trials, in adults and children, found no clear benefit over placebo. Peppermint leaf tea is a traditional EMA remedy for indigestion and wind. The key caution: peppermint relaxes the valve above the stomach and can trigger heartburn.

    Read the peppermint monograph →

  2. 02 Ginger

    Promising clinical evidence

    Zingiber officinale

    Ginger is the classic remedy for a queasy stomach. EMA accepts powdered ginger as well-established for preventing motion sickness, and trials suggest it can ease nausea in pregnancy and, added to standard medicines, during chemotherapy. For indigestion and bloating its use is traditional, and larger trials would help. A slice in tea is gentle; concentrated powders and capsules are where side effects appear, and EMA lists heartburn, belching and indigestion as common. Anyone on a blood thinner should check before taking high-dose capsules.

    Read the ginger monograph →

  3. 03 Licorice

    Early or mixed evidence

    Glycyrrhiza glabra

    Licorice root has soothed stomachs for centuries, and EMA lists it as a traditional remedy for digestive symptoms including a burning feeling and indigestion. Many people choose DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice), chewable tablets with most of the glycyrrhizin removed, and several small trials suggest it may ease indigestion, though NCCIH notes that the effect of licorice alone is still unclear. Whole licorice is different: glycyrrhizin can raise blood pressure and lower potassium, so EMA limits medicinal use to four weeks and advises against it with heart, kidney or liver disease.

    Read the licorice monograph →

  4. 04 Artichoke

    Early or mixed evidence

    Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus

    Artichoke leaf is a bitter European digestive remedy, quite different from the vegetable, and EMA accepts it as a traditional medicine for indigestion with fullness, bloating and wind. In a six-week trial of 247 people with functional dyspepsia, a leaf extract eased symptoms and improved quality of life more than placebo, though a 2023 Cochrane review rated the certainty as low because that single trial carries the evidence. It increases bile flow, so EMA advises against it with gallstones, bile-duct blockage or liver disease, and people allergic to ragweed or other daisy-family plants should avoid it.

    Read the artichoke monograph →

  5. 05 Chamomile

    Long traditional use

    Matricaria chamomilla

    Chamomile tea is one of Europe’s best-loved after-dinner drinks, and EMA accepts German chamomile flower as a traditional remedy for minor digestive complaints such as bloating and minor spasms; Germany’s Commission E approved it for gut spasm as well. Clinical trials for digestion are still lacking, so its reputation rests on long use, but a warm cup is an easy, gentle place to start. People allergic to ragweed, daisies or other plants in the same family can react, rarely severely.

    Read the chamomile monograph →

  6. 06 Lemon Balm

    Long traditional use

    Melissa officinalis

    Lemon balm is a lemon-scented relative of mint that EMA accepts as a traditional remedy for mild digestive complaints such as bloating and wind, as well as for mild stress, which often travels with an unsettled stomach. It also appears in multi-herb digestive formulas that have been tested for indigestion, though trials of lemon balm on its own are still needed. It may cause drowsiness, EMA does not recommend it under 12 or in pregnancy, and people with thyroid conditions should check with a doctor before regular extract use.

    Read the lemon balm monograph →

  7. 07 Cinnamon

    Long traditional use

    Cinnamomum verum

    Cinnamon is a warming kitchen spice, and EMA accepts Ceylon cinnamon bark tea as a traditional remedy for mild cramping, bloating and wind, and for mild diarrhea. Laboratory studies suggest its oil can relax gut muscle, though clinical trials for digestion have not yet been done. Most cinnamon sold in North America is cassia, which is rich in coumarin, a compound that can harm the liver in sensitive people, so Ceylon cinnamon is the better choice for regular use. Medicinal doses are not recommended under 18.

    Read the cinnamon monograph →

  8. 08 Dandelion

    Long traditional use

    Taraxacum officinale

    Dandelion is a classic bitter, long used to stir the appetite and lighten a heavy, sluggish stomach. EMA accepts dandelion root as a traditional remedy for mild digestive complaints such as a feeling of fullness, wind and slow digestion, and for temporary loss of appetite. Modern trials of these uses are still to come. Bitters can cause heartburn on an empty stomach, and medicinal dandelion should be avoided with daisy-family allergy, gallstones, bile-duct blockage, liver disease or an active stomach ulcer.

    Read the dandelion monograph →

  9. 09 Rosemary

    Long traditional use

    Salvia rosmarinus

    Rosemary is a familiar kitchen herb that EMA also accepts, as a leaf tea, as a traditional remedy for indigestion and mild cramping of the gut. Its strong, bitter-aromatic flavor fits a long tradition of herbs taken after heavy meals, though clinical trials for digestion are still to come. Medicinal-strength leaf is not recommended with gallstones, bile-duct problems or liver disease, in pregnancy, or under 12. Rosemary essential oil is a different product and should never be swallowed.

    Read the rosemary monograph →

  10. 10 Neem

    Long traditional use

    Azadirachta indica

    Neem is an Indian tree whose bitter bark and leaves are used in traditional medicine, and its bark has been studied for stomach acid. In one small clinical study, a bark extract taken at 30 to 60 mg twice daily for up to 10 weeks cut stomach acid by 77% and healed duodenal ulcers, but it has not been repeated in larger trials, and ulcers have proven standard treatments. Never swallow neem oil, which has caused fatal poisoning in young children, and avoid neem by mouth in pregnancy, while breastfeeding or when trying to conceive.

    Read the neem monograph →

03 Caution

Using these herbs safely

Most indigestion and bloating is uncomfortable rather than dangerous, and most of these herbs are well tolerated in short courses. A few symptoms are a sign to see a doctor right away instead: trouble or pain swallowing, frequent or persistent vomiting, vomiting blood or material that looks like coffee grounds, black, tarry or bloody stools, weight loss without trying, severe or constant abdominal pain, long-lasting swelling of the abdomen, or yellowing of the skin or eyes. Pain in the chest, jaw, neck or arm, or shortness of breath, can be a heart problem rather than indigestion; if it could be a heart attack, call 911. New or changing digestive symptoms that start after about age 50 to 60 also deserve a check, since gastroenterology guidelines suggest an endoscopy for persistent indigestion from age 60 and a full assessment for new bowel symptoms after 50. Symptoms that last more than two weeks despite a herbal remedy are worth a doctor’s visit too.

A few interactions are worth knowing. Antacids, H2 blockers such as famotidine, and proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole can dissolve the coating of peppermint oil capsules early, which brings on heartburn and wastes the dose, so EMA advises against taking them together; peppermint oil may also raise levels of some drugs handled by the liver enzyme CYP3A4, such as cyclosporine, tacrolimus and felodipine. Glycyrrhizin-containing licorice should not be combined with diuretics, digoxin, corticosteroids or stimulant laxatives, can work against blood pressure medicines, and may affect other CYP3A4 drugs; DGL avoids most of this. High-dose ginger and cinnamon supplements are worth checking with a prescriber if you take warfarin or another blood thinner, and ginger, cinnamon and dandelion may add to diabetes medicines, so check blood sugar more often. Lemon balm and chamomile can add to the drowsiness of alcohol and sedatives, and lemon balm extracts may affect thyroid treatment.

Some herbs have specific cautions. EMA contraindicates peppermint oil capsules with gallstones, other bile-duct disorders, liver disease and achlorhydria (a stomach that makes no acid), and peppermint–caraway oil capsules carry the same warnings because caraway oil also stops the gallbladder from emptying; people with reflux or a hiatal hernia should be cautious with any peppermint and stop if heartburn flares. Medicinal dandelion should be avoided with gallstones, bile-duct blockage, cholangitis, liver disease or an active stomach ulcer, artichoke leaf with bile-duct obstruction, gallstones, cholangitis or liver disease, and medicinal rosemary leaf with gallstones, bile-duct problems or liver disease. Glycyrrhizin can raise blood pressure, lower potassium and, in severe cases, disturb heart rhythm, so whole licorice is limited to four weeks and best avoided with high blood pressure or heart, kidney or liver disease. Chamomile, dandelion and artichoke belong to the daisy family and can trigger allergy; reactions in people sensitive to ragweed are possible, though the evidence for dandelion cross-reactivity is conflicting. Coumarin in cassia cinnamon can harm the liver in sensitive people, and an adult reaches the European tolerable daily limit with about 2 g of cassia a day. Peppermint oil belongs only in formulated capsules, rosemary essential oil should never be swallowed, and menthol must never go near a baby’s face. Greater celandine should not be taken by mouth, because it has caused hepatitis and EMA judged its oral use too risky; it is one of the nine herbs in the German stomach drops sold as Iberogast Classic, which carry liver warnings and are not for people with liver disease or during pregnancy or breastfeeding, while Iberogast Advance and the US Iberogast supplement contain no celandine.

Pregnancy and breastfeeding: EMA does not recommend medicinal peppermint oil or leaf, lemon balm, cinnamon, rosemary, artichoke leaf or licorice because safety has not been established, and it prefers to avoid ginger medicines in pregnancy and while breastfeeding as a precaution, although NCCIH says ginger supplements may be safe in pregnancy and to ask a clinician. Food amounts of these herbs are a different matter, and medicinal-strength chamomile and dandelion are best avoided. Children: peppermint oil capsules are not recommended under 8, peppermint leaf tea under 4, and peppermint oil products must never be used under 2; lemon balm, artichoke leaf and rosemary leaf are not recommended under 12, and licorice and cinnamon medicines under 18. A child with frequent tummy pain needs a pediatric assessment. Product quality varies, so it pays to read labels: look for enteric-coated peppermint oil, check that licorice is labeled DGL if you want to avoid glycyrrhizin, choose Ceylon rather than cassia cinnamon for regular use, and be wary of multi-herb blends that do not state their doses.

04 Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

For bloating with cramping, especially as part of irritable bowel syndrome, the best-studied option is enteric-coated peppermint oil, which the American College of Gastroenterology suggests for overall IBS symptoms. For occasional fullness and wind after a meal, EMA accepts several teas as traditional remedies, including peppermint leaf, chamomile, lemon balm and Ceylon cinnamon, and ginger is a favorite for a queasy stomach. Bloating that persists, or comes with weight loss, vomiting or a change in bowel habit, deserves a doctor’s check.

EMA accepts teas of peppermint leaf, chamomile, lemon balm, Ceylon cinnamon and dandelion root as traditional remedies for wind, bloating or a heavy, slow-feeling stomach, and it accepts artichoke leaf for indigestion with fullness and wind. Carrot-family seed teas such as fennel and caraway are also EMA-recognized traditional remedies for bloating and wind, though people allergic to celery, carrot or mugwort pollen should avoid them. Intensely bitter gentian root, sipped in small amounts before meals, is another EMA-accepted traditional remedy for poor appetite and mild indigestion, though bitters can aggravate heartburn. Their reputation rests mainly on long use rather than trials, but a warm cup after a meal is a gentle place to start for most adults. EMA’s listings advise seeing a doctor if digestive symptoms last longer than two weeks, and people allergic to ragweed should be careful with chamomile, dandelion and artichoke.

It can. Peppermint relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, the valve that keeps stomach acid out of the esophagus, so heartburn is its most common side effect, and EMA advises people with reflux to avoid peppermint leaf preparations. NCCIH notes that peppermint oil on its own may worsen indigestion, while combination products such as peppermint oil with caraway oil may help functional dyspepsia; in three manufacturer-funded placebo-controlled trials with 249 people, a capsule of 90 mg peppermint oil and 50 mg caraway oil eased upper-abdominal pain. Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules release lower in the gut, which reduces heartburn, but if burning flares, stop and try a non-mint option such as chamomile.

It is best to keep them apart. EMA warns that antacids taken at the same time can release the oil from enteric-coated capsules too early, and that H2 blockers such as famotidine and proton pump inhibitors such as omeprazole may dissolve the coating prematurely, which means more heartburn and less effect in the bowel, so it advises against the combination. Take peppermint oil capsules whole, about 30 minutes before meals, and ask a pharmacist about timing or formulation if you rely on an acid-reducing medicine. Never stop a prescribed medicine to make room for a herb without talking to your prescriber.

It depends on the herb and the problem. EMA says enteric-coated peppermint oil usually relieves symptoms within one to two weeks, and courses can continue for up to three months for persistent symptoms; in IBS trials, benefits were measured over four to eight weeks. Ginger for travel sickness is taken about an hour before setting off. Traditional digestive teas are meant for short-term use, and EMA advises seeing a doctor if symptoms last longer than two weeks. Glycyrrhizin-containing licorice should not be used for more than four weeks.

05 References

Sources

These references support the claims in this guide. Each herb’s monograph carries its own full source list.

  1. Symptoms & Causes of Indigestion

    National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH), 2025

    Source for the warning signs that need a doctor right away, including trouble swallowing, frequent or bloody vomiting, black stools, weight loss and chest, jaw or arm pain, and for medicines that can cause indigestion.

  2. ACG and CAG Clinical Guideline: Management of Dyspepsia

    American Journal of Gastroenterology, American College of Gastroenterology and Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (PubMed 28631728), 2017

    Basis for the advice that people aged 60 and over with indigestion should be offered an endoscopy.

  3. ACG clinical guideline: management of irritable bowel syndrome

    American Journal of Gastroenterology (PubMed 33315591), 2021

    Supports the good rating for peppermint oil, which the guideline suggests for overall IBS symptoms as a conditional recommendation based on low-quality evidence.

  4. Peppermint oil

    National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH), 2025

    Summarizes evidence that enteric-coated peppermint oil may improve IBS symptoms, that heartburn is a common side effect, and that peppermint oil alone may worsen indigestion while combinations with caraway oil may help.

  5. European Union herbal monograph on Mentha x piperita L., folium (Revision 1)

    European Medicines Agency (EMA/HMPC/572705/2014), 2020

    Supports the traditional use of peppermint leaf tea for indigestion and wind, the advice that people with reflux should avoid it, and the age limit of 4 years.

  6. European Union herbal monograph on Zingiber officinale Roscoe, rhizoma (Revision 1)

    European Medicines Agency (EMA/HMPC/885789/2022), 2025

    Supports the well-established use of powdered ginger to prevent motion sickness, heartburn and indigestion as common side effects, and the precaution against use in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

  7. European Union herbal monograph on Glycyrrhiza glabra L.; Glycyrrhiza inflata Bat.; Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., radix (Revision 1)

    European Medicines Agency (EMA/HMPC/108399/2024), 2026

    Traditional use of licorice root for digestive symptoms including a burning feeling and indigestion, with a four-week limit, warnings about blood pressure, potassium and heart, kidney and liver disease, interactions with diuretics, digoxin and corticosteroids, and no use in pregnancy, breastfeeding or under 18.

  8. Licorice Root

    National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH), 2025

    Supports the mixed rating for licorice, noting that the effect of licorice alone on digestive symptoms is unclear, that glycyrrhizin can cause serious heart effects with large or long-term use, and that DGL may be safe for up to four months.

  9. Efficacy of artichoke leaf extract in the treatment of patients with functional dyspepsia: a six-week placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicentre trial

    Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics (PubMed 14653829), 2003

    Supports the mixed rating for artichoke: in 247 patients with functional dyspepsia, 1,920 mg of leaf extract a day for six weeks improved symptoms and quality of life more than placebo; a 2023 Cochrane review graded this single-trial evidence as low certainty.

  10. Non-Chinese herbal medicines for functional dyspepsia

    Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (PubMed 37323050), 2023

    Source for the STW 5 sentence in the introduction: STW 5 may moderately improve global dyspepsia symptoms versus placebo (5 trials, 814 participants) but with very low certainty, with little or no difference in adverse events; peppermint and caraway oil rated moderate certainty.

  11. Menthacarin, a Proprietary Peppermint Oil and Caraway Oil Combination, Improves Multiple Complaints in Patients with Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

    Digestive Diseases (PubMed 36502789), 2023

    Source for the peppermint–caraway capsule figures: three placebo-controlled functional dyspepsia trials (249 patients) of 90 mg peppermint oil plus 50 mg caraway oil improved upper-abdominal pain; the largest trial and this meta-analysis were funded by the manufacturer.

  12. European Union herbal monograph on Carum carvi L., fructus

    European Medicines Agency (EMA/HMPC/715092/2013), 2015

    Source for caraway fruit tea as a traditional remedy for bloating and flatulence, accepted on long-standing use alone, with advice against use with liver or biliary disease, gallstones or achlorhydria.

  13. European Union herbal monograph on Gentiana lutea L., radix (Revision 1)

    European Medicines Agency (EMA/HMPC/607861/2017), 2018

    Source for gentian root as a traditional remedy for temporary loss of appetite and mild dyspeptic or gastrointestinal disorders in adults, accepted on long-standing use alone.

  14. Public statement on Chelidonium majus L., herba

    European Medicines Agency (EMA), 2011

    Source for the greater celandine caution: EMA judged the benefit–risk of oral greater celandine negative because of liver injury reports and lack of proven efficacy.

  15. Schöllkrauthaltige Arzneimittel zur innerlichen Anwendung

    Bundesinstitut für Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte (BfArM), 2018

    Source for the Iberogast Classic caution: September 2018 liver warnings, liver-disease contraindication, and pregnancy and breastfeeding contraindication imposed after a fatal case of liver failure with transplantation.

  16. Iberogast Produkte: Pflichttexte

    Bayer Vital GmbH, 2023

    Source for the statements that Iberogast Classic contains greater celandine with liver warnings and that Iberogast Advance contains six herbs and no celandine.

  17. Iberogast FAQ

    Bayer (United States), 2026

    Source for the statement that the US Iberogast supplement is a six-herb blend without greater celandine.

  18. Clinical studies on the effect of Neem (Azadirachta indica) bark extract on gastric secretion and gastroduodenal ulcer

    Life Sciences (PubMed 15454339), 2004

    Supports the traditional rating for neem: in a small clinical study, 30 to 60 mg of bark extract twice daily for up to 10 weeks cut stomach acid by 77% and healed duodenal ulcers.

  19. Margosa Oil

    LiverTox, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2020

    Source for the warning that swallowed neem oil has caused severe metabolic acidosis, Reye-like liver failure and death, mainly in young children.

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