Herbs for the Holidays

Photo by controltheweb

The season for eating and drinking is upon us once again. Foods we consume just once a year are now in abundance for our eating pleasure, and traveling to relatives houses and being off and a regular eating routine can wreak havoc on our bodies if we aren't careful.

Po Chai Pills and Bao He Wan are Chinese herbal formulas (in pill form- easier for travel!) to help with digestion or the "overindulgence" of food and even alcohol. Po Chai pills come in a small vial that you take as one dose. I've found Po Chai pills at Wing Mings and online, but Bu Nao Wan is an ancient formula that most herbal pharmacies carry just about everywhere.

The reason both of these formulas work so well is because when we over eat, we create stagnation in our digestive tract, thus slowing the ability of our body to move food. This creates a slower fermenting process which lead to an upset stomach, including gas and bloating. The the herbal combinations in these formulas help process the food and move the stagnation along.

While these pills can help digest a lot of the food we eat, I would also encourage at least a few short walks between a few meals. Remedies such as ginger or peppermint tea (my recent favorite is Eater's Digest Tea by Traditional Medicinals) can also help soothe an upset stomach.