Often, inspiration to create formulas happens while I’m working with the plants on the farm. One day while harvesting beautiful Chamomile flowers, I was thinking about the medicinal benefits of Chamomile and how everything is connected. The digestive system isn’t just made up of our stomach, intestines and liver, it’s so much more. A great deal of the nervous and immune systems live within the digestive tract, and research is starting to back up what many have intuitively known for years. Hence the saying, go with your gut!
When it comes to the gut and mind connection, research and articles like this one on the Gut-Brain Connection by Min-Gyu Gwak and Sun-Young Chang are recognizing how important a role the gut microbiome plays not only in our digestive health but also in our brain, nervous system, and immune health.
With 70–80% of our immune cells found in the gut, the connection between nutrition and a healthy gut microbiome plays a key role in overall immune function.
This is also true for our nervous system. The enteric nervous system (ENS), located in our digestive tract, is often referred to as the “second brain.” The ENS acts independently from the brain, working on its own to regulate blood flow, gastric acid production, hormone release, and communication with the immune system in the gut. This is where over 100 million neurons live in our bodies. If our gut is off, we’re going to feel it.
When we think about the systems of the body, we often separate them from one another, which can be necessary at times, but it’s also important to remember that all of the systems within our bodies are connected.
You may have experienced how eating certain foods can leave you feeling light, energetic, emotionally joyful, and mentally clear. Or you may experience the opposite effect—after eating certain foods, you may have been left feeling heavy, weighted in your body, angry, frustrated, anxious, or foggy in your mind.
There are neurotransmitters that are produced in our digestive tract, like serotonin. Serotonin plays a role in regulating our mood, appetite, sleep and pain. In her article Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food Dr. Eva Selhub discusses how "good bacteria" play a key role in the health of our microbiome as well as overall health. Nearly 95% of serotonin is created in our digestive tract, and a healthy gut biome is a key factor in this process.
One of the easiest ways to support our gut health and microbiome is through the intake of whole plant based foods and plant based medicines.
Our central nervous system (CNS), stemming from the brain, works with the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The CNS coordinates our senses, such as smell and taste. When we smell certain foods, it’s the CNS that activates our salivary glands. Certain tastes, especially bitters, also play a key role in activating digestion.
Bitter herbs, fruits, and spices have been made into drinks like liqueurs, teas, and fermented beverages since at least 3000 BCE. Commonly referred to since the 19th century as aperitifs—a French word derived from the Latin word aperire, meaning “to open”—these beverages were consumed before meals to stimulate digestion.
Today, people still turn to bitter herbs like dandelion root, artichoke leaf, and burdock root to activate the digestive tract. Bitter flavors, much like aromas, work with our CNS to trigger digestive enzymes, starting right in the mouth through the salivary glands. The CNS is like a main highway in the body, keeping everything connected and communicating. Next time you try something bitter, notice if you salivate more—it’s your body getting ready to digest.
We intuitively feel and think from our center, and when the digestive system is off, it can make trusting our gut more challenging. When working with plants, it can be supportive to keep the nervous system in mind while tending to the digestive system, and to either include nervines in your herbal formulas or look for them in formulas when purchasing herbal products—especially if you tend to experience a "nervous digestion". A nervous digestion can present in different ways for different people, with symptoms such as anxiety, changes in mood or appetite, diarrhea, constipation, and nausea, to name a few.
It's not true across the board, but often, herbs that offer digestive support/first aid tend to be aromatic plants. These herbs have a tendency to be carminatives which can help soothe the digestive tract and help reduce bloating and cramping.
Many of the go-to digestive aromatic plants I like to use are also herbs that support the nervous system, like lemon balm and catnip. These herbs can play a wonderful role in supporting both digestion and emotional balance. I also like to add bitter herbs—especially ones that are aromatics and nervines, like chamomile and hops. There’s a reason hops are such an important ingredient in beer!
Some bitter herbs and blends can be quite cooling to the system so if you are feeling an inner chill and need some digestive fire, turn to ginger root, cinnamon, black pepper, and cardamom. These are herbs that are warming, stimulating and circulating. They support healthy blood flow and help break up stagnation.
Our body gives us clear signs when our digestive system isn’t functioning optimally. Common issues like gas, bloating, belching, nausea, constipation, and diarrhea are just a few. Sometimes it’s simply something we ate, but chronic digestive imbalance can also lead to symptoms like rashes, fatigue, pain, and brain fog.
As an herbalist, I look to the plants for support. Using plant medicine can help nourish digestion, soothe and calm the nervous system, and strengthen the immune response. There are many ways to work with herbal products — daily for preventative care, or as support for regulating ongoing issues.
Herbal Revolution’s Digestive Tonic is based on raw organic apple cider vinegar infused with medicinal herbs that support the digestive, immune, and nervous systems — like ginger, dandelion root, burdock root, lemon balm, and schisandra. Raw apple cider vinegar alone can be incredibly supportive for digestion and blood sugar balance, but with these herbs, it becomes the perfect prebiotic tonic for a healthy gut microbiome.
This alcohol-free, concentrated blend can be enjoyed in still or sparkling water — or my personal favorite: warm water with grated fresh ginger, a twist of lemon, and a touch of Maine maple syrup.
For acute digestive discomfort like bloating, cramps, or nervous stomach upset, I like to keep fennel seed and Herbal Revolution’s Go With Your Gut Elixir on hand. This compact, travel-friendly tincture is made with organic regenerative, carminative, and bitter herbs like chamomile, fennel, artichoke leaf, and dandelion root.
I love tinctures for their fast-acting, bioavailable nature, and I enjoy the taste of this one especially. I take it straight but it’s also delicious added to still or sparkling water, or mixed into a mocktail (check out this recipe!).
I also rely on plant medicine when traveling or during seasons of rich food and celebration. When my routine shifts or I’m indulging in heavier meals, I reach for Herbal Revolution’s Turmeric Tonic.
This blend, based in raw organic apple cider vinegar, is loaded with turmeric root, one of my go-to herbs for supporting and protecting the liver. It also features ginger, cardamom, lemongrass, and cinnamon — herbs that support digestion, reduce inflammation, and help regulate blood sugar. I say: support your gut and eat your pie too!
Throughout the year, tea is one of my favorite ways to connect with plant medicine. Water is one of the easiest (and in my opinion the most important) solvent that we can work with. The majority of constituents in plants are water soluble, making teas, infusions, decoctions some of the favorite preparations amongst herbalists.
During the colder months, one of my favorite drinks, that I crave, is Herbal Revolution’s Chaga Chai Tea, a warming, carminative blend made with Chaga mushroom, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, and star anise. These herbs support immunity while warming and soothing the digestive system. To make it even more decadent, I’ll add coconut cream and a drizzle of Maine maple syrup. So. Good.
In the warmer months I switch to Herbal Revolution’s Roasted Roots Tea, served iced. I brew it in a French press overnight and pop it in the fridge for a ready-to-go morning tonic. This blend features Reishi mushroom, ashwagandha, cinnamon, cacao nibs, roasted dandelion, and chicory root, creating a perfect combination for immune and digestive support all summer long.
Everything in the body is connected, from digestion to immunity to mental clarity. When your gut is balanced, your whole system thrives. Herbs like ginger, turmeric, chamomile, fennel, and dandelion root have long been used to calm the nervous system, support healthy digestion, and strengthen immune function—and you can use them too.
At Herbal Revolution, I created our Digestive Tonic, Turmeric Tonic, and Go With Your Gut Elixir to make herbal digestive support simple, versatile, and effective. From our functional herbal ACV tonics to our bioavailable, fast-acting elixirs, these plant-based allies help you reconnect with your body’s natural rhythms.
Because when we support the gut, we support every part of ourselves, our mind, body, and spirit.
Discover Herbal Revolution’s collection of organic tonics, teas, and elixirs crafted to nourish your gut, calm your mind, and strengthen your immune system, naturally.
The Story of Fire Cider: From Farm Apprentice to Founder of Herbal Revolution. When people ask me about Fire Cider, my answer can go in a few directions, it can be layered and complex like an herbal formula, or it can be straightforward as a single plant tincture. Both have their place and their depth. Most of the time, though, I find myself landing somewhere in the middle, and that’s exactly where I’ve landed today.
To everyone affected by the wildfires, we would like to share the following herbs, as recommended by our founder and clinical herbalist, Kathi Langelier. These herbs are recommended for respiratory system, nervous system, and heart support.
