8 Best Teas for Digestion and Gut Health

5.20.2025 0 comments

Author: Trisha Houghton, CNS, ASIST

Are you a tea-lover on the hunt for delicious brews that are beneficial for your gut? You’ve got lots of options to sift through and explore. From peppermint and fennel to ginger and dandelion, you never have to settle.

We’ve researched numerous brews and chosen 8 of the best teas for digestion and gut health. Read on as we break down each of our tea picks, how they help with digestion, how often to drink tea, brewing tips, and more.

By the end, you’ll have all the information you need to take advantage of the gut-loving benefits of tea.

Why Tea Can Benefit Digestion and Gut Health

Is tea good for digestion? The answer is clear.

For millennia, tea has been used worldwide as both a flavorful drink and a healing remedy for a wide array of maladies. It has Chinese roots and was initially documented around 2700 B.C.

More recently, tea has been shown to benefit the human body and mind in incredible ways, especially when it comes to the gut. And it all comes down to what’s in a cup of tea.

Here are a few of the main reasons certain teas can benefit digestion and gut health: 

• Certain teas, especially green and black, contain polyphenols that may promote microbial balance, thus supporting a healthy gut microbiome.
• Black and green tea have flavonoids with antioxidant properties. They have a calming effect on the gastrointestinal tract. Some studies suggest they may also lower your chance of developing certain cancers – gastric and esophageal, for instance.
• Peppermint and ginger tea consist of herbs that foster healthy digestion.

Long story short – your digestive system can benefit from drinking certain teas in ways that science has studied, tested, and proved.

Ginger Tea: Soothing and Anti-Inflammatory

When it comes to tea that’s good for digestion, ginger tea is number one.

It’s the preferred choice for anyone searching for relief from digestive issues like:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Indigestion
• General gut inflammation
• And more

Why? It’s because of the gingerol in the tea. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, this natural component found in ginger root helps to speed up stomach emptying and aids in digestive health.

Ginger tea can also help with cell wear and tear and reduce whole-body inflammation.

Preparation Instructions & How Often to Enjoy It

Pop a ginger tea bag into hot water, steep for a few minutes, and enjoy.

For natural ginger tea, do this:

• Wash and slice up some fresh ginger.
• Put it in a cooking pot along with water (one cup = one serving).
• Boil the ginger and water, then simmer for a max of 10 minutes.
• Transfer the tea into a cup through a fine strainer.

Enjoy your ginger 1 to 2 times a day.

Peppermint Tea: Easing Bloating and Gas

Dealing with gas or bloating? Reach for peppermint tea.

Studies have demonstrated that it helps to relax the muscles throughout your digestive tract. Because of this, people who drink this herbal tea experience gas and enjoy bloating relief.

In addition, peppermint has the following potential benefits:

• Reduced irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms;
• Abdominal pain relief (duration, pain level, and frequency);
• Improves nausea and calms vomiting when used in aromatherapy.

Researchers have also discovered that peppermint tea can help to resolve sleep issues.

Preparation Instructions & How Often to Enjoy It

Get some fresh peppermint leaves or 2 tsp dried mint leaves. Then, add them to hot water and steep for 10 minutes. Strain, sweeten, and enjoy!

If you have store-bought peppermint tea bags, read the instructions and follow them.

You can drink multiple cups of this tea every day to help with digestion.

Chamomile Tea: Calming the Digestive Tract

Chamomile tea is well-loved because of its digestive benefits.

It helps with the following:

• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms or acid reflux;
• Upset stomach;
• Gas and bloating.

Those who struggle to sleep at night may find that chamomile improves their sleep quality.

We get to enjoy these benefits because of the herb’s anti-inflammatory properties. Plus, chamomile’s calming effects can help with stress, which often leads to digestive issues.

Preparation Instructions & How Often to Enjoy It

Grab fresh or dried chamomile flowers (or a chamomile tea bag) and add them to some boiling water (not merely hot). Let the flowers steep for 5 minutes. Strain out the flowers and sweeten the tea to taste. You can get chamomile tea bags at your local grocery store.

There’s no broad recommendation for how often individuals should drink chamomile tea, but feel free to start with 1 or 2 cups in a 24-hour period.

Fennel Tea: Reducing Cramps and Indigestion

Fennel seeds work to relax the smooth muscles in your GI system. They also help with bloating and digestive issues. This tea has also been used to ease constipation for over a millennium.

On top of that, the tea can help relieve:

• Upset stomach;
• Constipation;
• Flatulence.

Fennel tea is also known to freshen breath and stimulate breast milk production.

Preparation Instructions & How Often to Enjoy It

Pulverize or mash one or two teaspoons of fennel seeds and pour them into already-boiling water. Let the seeds steep for a few minutes. Then strain and you’re done. You can also pick up some fennel tea bags and do as the instructions say.

Drink one cup at a time and see how it makes you feel.

Dandelion Tea: Supporting Liver and Digestion

Trying dandelion tea could be incredibly beneficial for you. It not only helps detoxify your liver by increasing bile flow, but it contains GI protective substances like caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid. They work to remedy problematic digestion and guard against future gut problems.

Some have also seen success with using dandelion tea for constipation.

When consumed regularly, this tea can be used to manage both blood sugar and blood pressure.

Preparation Instructions & How Often to Enjoy It

Boil 2 cups of water and then shut off the heat. Add dandelion flowers to the pan and steep for up to 10 minutes.

Refrigerate for several hours, add your optional sweetener, and enjoy two to three times a day.

Licorice Root Tea: Healing the Gut Lining

Those suffering from peptic ulcers and acid reflux may find licorice root tea to be extremely beneficial. In a study conducted in 2017, researchers discovered that this tea alleviated acid reflux symptoms. In addition to that, licorice root can soothe the lining of the stomach.

Besides digestive benefits, licorice root tea can guard against tooth cavities and treat oral issues like canker sores and oral thrush.

Preparation Instructions & How Often to Enjoy It

To brew your own fresh licorice root tea, add 1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of licorice root to boiling water. Then wait 10-15 minutes for the tea to steep.

This tea also comes in tea bags – follow the instructions for the best results.

Green Tea: Antioxidants for Gut Health

Studies have found over and over that green tea is a gut-protective tea option. This tea type has catechins, a special type of antioxidant that wards off cell damage and has disease-modifying properties.

The most important catechin in green tea is epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG). It controls inflammation, remedies oxidative stress, and regulates cell death, per the National Library of Medicine.

In addition to the above, green tea is remarkably good for your heart. It also helps to ease anxiety, thanks to the theanine it contains.

Preparation Instructions & How Often to Enjoy It

Green tea is more delicate than other tea types.

Here’s how to brew it:

• Heat water to about 175 degrees Fahrenheit or 80 degrees Celsius.
• Add your green tea leaves to the water.
• Steep the tea for about 3 to 5 minutes.

You can also add honey for sweetness if that’s what you prefer.

Turmeric Tea: Anti-Inflammatory Benefits for Digestion

Turmeric tea has been used for thousands of years to promote healthy digestion. And in more recent times, it has been found to reduce stomach cramps and pain from irritable bowel syndrome and lower inflammation throughout the body.

The curcumin in the tea may also prevent cancers of the digestive system.

This tea can also reduce polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) symptoms, take the edge off of arthritis pain, and promote heart health.

Preparation Instructions & How Often to Enjoy It

Here is how to prepare your turmeric tea at home:

• Combine a half teaspoon of turmeric with 2 cups of water in a pot.
• Whisk together and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for a minimum of 10 minutes
• Remove from heat.
• Add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice and a pinch of pepper.

Then, you can sweeten it to your taste and enjoy it.

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Tips for Choosing the Right Tea for Your Gut

First and foremost, it’s critical to take stock of your unique gut issues.

Are you dealing with bloating and gas or stomach pain? Would you benefit from general digestive support? Your answer will help you decide which tea is the best fit for you.

After nailing down the digestive issues you’d like to fix with tea, narrow your options down further. For instance, if you’re looking for help with bloating and gas, consider chamomile and peppermint teas.

Before making your decision, keep the following tips in mind:

• After trying a new tea to aid digestion, see how your body reacts to it. Teas have different effects on each individual.
• The time you drink the tea often matters – for instance, chamomile tea is fantastic for nighttime use.
• If you’re on certain medications (for heart and blood vessel issues for example) or have a medical condition, talk to your healthcare provider before adding a new tea to your diet.
• Go easy on the sugar. Excessive sugar is never good for your digestive system. Filling up on sugar could potentially reduce the cumulative effect of drinking tea.

Last but not least – if you have acid reflux or IBS, consider caffeine-free teas.

Additional Tips for Good Digestion

Teas can alter your GI system for the better. But, if you want to maximize your results, we also recommend making some changes to improve digestion and overall wellness.

Here is what to consider:

• Shrink down your meal size and eat more often. Small, frequent meals are far easier to digest than really big meals.
• Stay hydrated by drinking lots of fluids – mostly water – so that food can move through the digestive system with ease.
• If you currently smoke, take steps to quit. Smoking is associated with heartburn and acid reflux, never mind the increased cancer risk that comes along with it.
• Fight bloating and stress-induced digestion issues by incorporating regular exercise and physical activity into your daily routine.
• Try to sleep for seven to eight hours every night.

Of course, also try to avoid foods you’ve identified as problematic. Foods affect individuals differently, so observe your reactions and react promptly to avoid gut discomfort in the future.

While tea is a wonderful daily ritual for digestive health, sometimes your gut needs deeper, more targeted support to restore balance and long-term vitality.

To maintain and support gut integrity, you need some vital nutrients that support the balance within your gut ecosystem – microbiome and intestinal lining. There are 7 science-backed ingredients that work synergistically to calm, enrich, and nourish your digestive tract, providing comprehensive digestive health.

Luckily, you can now find all of them in our proprietary formula, Restore Gut. By supporting the protective barrier of the gut, this powerful supplement helps people enjoy healthy digestion, normal immune function, and attain more energy, vitality and vigor.

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Click here to learn more about Restore Gut and how it focuses on promoting digestive harmony by supporting your intestinal walls, so you can finally stop worrying about your digestion.

Frequently Asked Questions

What tea shrinks the stomach?

The first thing to know is that teas don’t technically “shrink” your stomach. But certain ones can help with metabolic issues, reduce bloating, and aid in weight loss. They include oolong tea, white tea, green tea, and fermented Chinese black tea.

What tea is best for IBS?

Both peppermint tea and turmeric tea can curtail irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms, like stomach pain.

What tea settles your stomach?

Several different teas have stomach-settling effects (including herbal teas).

These are:

• Green tea
• Ginger tea
• Fennel tea
• Peppermint tea
• Black tea
• Licorice root tea
• Chamomile tea

Tea of coriander seeds, cumin seeds, and cardamom pods may also calm down an unsettled gut.

Sources

Ancient Roots And Modern Global Brews Of Tea

Tea Compounds and the Gut Microbiome

Does Tea Really Help With Digestion?

Role of Food Antioxidants in Modulating Gut Microbial Communities

Ginger Benefits

Benefits of Peppermint Tea

Chamomile Tea and Acid Reflux

Benefits of Fennel Tea

What is Fennel Tea?

Benefits of Dandelion Tea

Dandelion Fighting Gastrointestinal Diseases

3 Health Benefits of Dandelion Tea

Dandelion Tea: What it is and 5 Benefits

Licorice Root Benefits and Downsides

Health Benefits of Licorice Root

Pharmacological Effects of Green Tea
Evidence-Based Benefits of Green Tea

Therapeutic Effects of Green Tea Polyphenol

10 Evidence-Based Benefits of Green Tea

What are the Benefits of Turmeric?

Turmeric Tea: Is it Good for You?

What are the Health Benefits of Turmeric Tea?

Digestive System Function

Best Teas to Lose Weight and Belly Fat

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