Do you feel like life is a constant balancing act, full of various events, interactions, foods, stress, and other things that add or subtract from our state of gut health happiness. Although gut health can be affected positively and negatively by many things, there are herbs that you can add to your life that can bring you one step closer to better gut health.

Many of us are on a quest to find easy ways to elevate our gut health, whether with an action or an item. In the business of our lives, it is easy to have our gut health dwindle as we get bogged down with the stress of our huge "to-do" list or overwhelming situations that we have to deal with.

Sometimes taking, what may seem to be insignificant actions, can actually make a big difference in your gut health, and in return help you beat the bloat, lose weight, gain energy, and rock your digestion.

If this sounds like you, then might I recommend some herbs that can easily add to your day that help relieve stress and promote your gut health.

Passionflower

Passionflower tea - freepik.com

Passionflower is an herb that can improve your gut health by actually helping bring calm to your life and help draw you into a more positive mood almost immediately.

You may be thinking - "How can stress actually affect the gut?" According to the American Psychological Association, stress can affect brain-gut communication and may trigger pain, bloating, and other gut discomforts to be felt more easily.

However, many people have found that the calming effects of passionflower allow them to step back from their stress and use that calm to settle the gut - a sort of calm inside the eye of the storm type of viewpoint. Though this may not work for everyone it is helpful, for those of us dealing with high stress, to step back and calm down from what feels like swirls of chaos.

Passionflower tea is one way to take a moment in your busy day and enjoy the benefits of this calming herb. You can add dried passionflower to boiling water to create an herbal tea. You can find dried passionflower or prepackaged tea at many health food stores. Always talk to your doctor before trying passionflower as an alternative treatment.

Chamomile

Chamomile Tea - freepik.com

If you find that you have gut irritation from the stress that seems to linger toward the end of the day, then you may want to consider using chamomile to help settle your nerves and gut.

According to Healthline, studies suggest that chamomile may be effective for promoting better digestion by reducing the risk of certain gastrointestinal conditions.

Chamomile is known to have anti-inflammatory properties which can reduce silent inflammation within the gut and allow your body to work more efficiently with digestion.

This flower can be dehydrated and used in hot tea before bed. It can also be used throughout the day in small doses as a tincture that can be taken straight or added to tea and other drinks.

The flower helps to calm your nerves and push back feelings of being overwhelmed which can lead to feelings of depression and sadness, which can whittle away at your gut health.

Valerian

Dried Valerian roots - freepik.com

Valerian has been used for many centuries in Europe to treat digestive problems like constipation and is known to promote positive digestive effects. Some women report improved digestion and an increase in bowel activity after using it.

Regular movement within the digestive tract is essential for a healthy gut. Constipation, whether daily or occasionally, allows to "bad bacteria" to increase and flourish, which can cause bloating, gas, stomach pain, poor appetite, back pain, and general malaise.

Valerian root is easily found in most health food stores and can be taken in capsule, whole herb, tea, or liquid forms.

The key to remember with these gut-happiness-inducing herbs is that it may take only one or a mixture of the herbs to work.

You may find that you need to try a few options before you come upon the right one that works for you. If you do this, make sure to keep a journal of what you tried and how you reacted to each method so you can ensure you remember what worked in order to use it properly again.