How to Reduce Gut Inflammation Naturally

Imagine this: the fiery ache and nagging discomfort in your gut? Gone. Poof. Vanished like a wisp of smoke. Picture yourself strolling into your favorite restaurant, menu in hand, a world of culinary possibilities stretching before you—no more anxious scanning for “safe” options, no more mental calculations of potential consequences. You order what you crave, savoring each bite without a hint of dread.

This article is a brief introduction and basic guide on how to reduce gut inflammation naturally and prevent relapse, allowing you to return to a normal diet.

Think about it: a truly normal diet. Vibrant salads bursting with color, spicy dishes that tantalize your taste buds, comforting bowls of hearty stew – all enjoyed without the familiar pangs of pain or the sudden, urgent need to find a restroom. You’re free. Unburdened. Living each day with a sense of ease and confidence you might have forgotten was possible.

How would that feel? How would it change your life to reclaim that freedom, that joy of simply being without the constant reminder of a troubled gut?

It is a reality I’ve seen over and over with patients. Rapid results and stability from customized herbal medicine prescriptions, but there are also several simple lifestyle changes to start healing now. Let’s look at those now, please read on.

Diet and Nutrition Basics to Prevent Gut Inflammation and Begin Healing

Eliminate pro-inflammatory foods

Most people can identify foods that trigger their gastrointestinal symptoms and inflammatory flares. Your list (which is unique to you) is the best place to start. Make a list of foods that historically have caused problems. If it is a long list, rank them in order of severity and eliminate the top three. If it is a short list then eliminate them all. This won’t be permanent and you can reintroduce these slowly once the chronic inflammation in your gut is healed and a healthy lining and microbiome is restored.

And general guidance is to also minimize harsh spicy foods including chili peppers, raw garlic, raw onion, etc. And minimize alcohol consumption.

Reduce added sugars, minimize processed foods, and increase fiber consumption

Research demonstrates that a high sugar diet worsens inflammatory bowel symptoms. Likewise, highly processed foods are poor sources of nutrition and may include additives which are pro-inflammatory or disruptive to the microbiota of the gut. Increased fiber intake, on the other hand, is understood to be protective of the digestive tract–reducing inflammation and balancing the microbiome; it is also beneficial to overall metabolic health.

Consume probiotics from whole foods and increase fruit and vegetable consumption to provide prebiotic support

A short list of excellent probiotic foods:

• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchii
• Miso
• Natto

Probiotics and prebiotics play distinct yet complementary roles in reducing gut inflammation. Probiotics are live beneficial bacteria that, when consumed in adequate amounts, can help restore a healthy balance to the gut microbiome. This balanced microbiome can outcompete inflammatory bacteria and produce anti-inflammatory compounds. Prebiotics, are non-digestible fibers from plant based foods (fruits, vegetables, and grains) that nourish the beneficial bacteria in your. By supporting the growth and function of beneficial gut bacteria, both probiotics and prebiotics can contribute to reducing inflammation and improving overall gut health.

Lifestyle Tactics to Regulate Immune Response and Rebuild Healthy Tissue

Increase frequency and duration of exercise

Find activities you enjoy and incorporate them into your daily routine. Ideal options include outdoor walking, cycling, jogging, dancing, tai chi, yoga, whatever it is that you enjoy and that gets you moving. These are all excellent ways to reduce gut inflammation naturally and improve overall digestive function and motility. Physical activity positively influences the composition of the gut microbiome, increasing the diversity of beneficial bacteria and promoting a more balanced gut ecosystem. Exercise also aids in regulating gut motility, helping to prevent constipation and promote regular bowel movements. Furthermore, regular physical activity has been shown to reduce systemic inflammation, which can have a positive impact on gut health by lessening the inflammatory burden on the digestive system.

Maintain a sleep schedule of 7-9 hours every night

During sleep, the body undergoes important restorative processes, including those within the digestive system. Sleep deprivation can disrupt the gut microbiome, potentially leading to an imbalance that favors inflammatory bacteria. Furthermore, poor sleep can increase systemic inflammation, which can negatively impact gut health. Additionally, while you sleep your digestive system can coordinate healthy motility and overall digestive function.

Manage psycho-emotional stress

Adding mindfulness, meditation, prayer, journaling, or counseling to your routine can have major benefits to your gut and overall health. When experiencing stress, the brain sends signals to the gut, which can lead to various physiological changes, including altered gut motility, increased inflammation, and changes in the gut microbiome composition. This can escalate into a perpetual inflammatory cycle via the microbiota-gut-immune-brain axis feedback loop.

Herbal Medicine–How to Reduce Gut Inflammation Naturally with Plant-Based Medicinals

Adding an herbal medicine prescription is a powerful way to resolve acute inflammation, assist in restructuring the digestive tract lining, replenish the microbiome, and prevent future inflammatory flares.

There are five main categories used for healing the gut, they are:

• Heat Clearing herbs
• External resolving herbs
• Moving fluid and draining dampness herbs
• Moving Qi and Tonifying Qi herbs
• Herbs to reduce bleeding

I’ve written about them more extensively in a prior article. But here is a quick summary.

Herb Selections for Inflammatory Bowel Symptoms

In East Asian herbal medicine whole plant materials are used. There are a variety of extraction techniques but most modern-day herbalists use a powder form, which is a dehydrated form of the traditional liquid extraction. It is concentrated and convenient and can be custom-blended for patients.

For acute inflammation, herbs from the heat-clearing category are the fastest and strongest option for reducing inflammation. Both HuangQin and HuangLian are excellent options. Other commonly used options, such as QingHao, HuangBo, ZhiMu, and others are all highly effective anti-inflammatories.

CangZhu and FuLing are excellent options for maintaining healthy nutritive absorption and improving gastrointestinal motility.

For constipation and bloating herbs such as DaHuang can be used to regulate bowel movements.

For diarrhea and loose stool, CangZhu and ZeXie improve fluid reabsorption and promote more formed stool.

For decreased appetite and nausea, ChenPi, FuLing, and BanXia are commonly used.

There are many combination formulas and these should be custom blended with appropriate dosages to maximize effectiveness.

Herbal medicine is a very nuanced system, based on proper pattern diagnosis, precise dosing and correct selection of formula ingredients. For safety and maximum effectiveness please consult with a licensed practitioner.

Conclusion

These simple steps will help you reduce inflammation in your gut and on your way to resuming a normal diet and lifestyle. Adding these approaches and maintaining them as part of your routine will have major payoffs for your gut health and overall wellness.

If you’d like to further explore herbal medicine options or discuss your condition, please click on the button below and we can schedule a telehealth consult to get your gut healed and stable as rapidly as possible.

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