Nutrition, medicinal plants & routines for natural relief
Treatment goals for irritable bowel syndrome
- Regulates bloating, diarrhea, constipation & abdominal pain
- Soothe and regenerate the intestinal mucosa
- Relaxing intestinal nerves (enteric nervous system)
- Building and stabilizing the microbiome
- reduce inflammatory processes
- Reduce stress responses via the gut-brain axis
🧠 This is how your gut communicates with your brain
The gut possesses its own very dense network of nerves – the enteric nervous system, often called the "gut brain" – which is in constant communication with the brain via the vagus nerve. This gut-brain axis explains why psychological stress can have an almost immediate effect on digestion.
In irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), this network of nerves reacts hypersensitively to perfectly normal stimuli such as distension or gas formation in the intestines – a condition known as visceral hypersensitivity. Even minor, otherwise harmless digestive processes are perceived as pain or cramping, although no structural damage is present.
The next section shows how this hypersensitivity can be specifically calmed through diet throughout the day.
Breakfast (IBS-friendly)
Recommended: Warm millet or buckwheat with a little pasture milk, flaxseeds & blueberries; 1 tsp apple cider vinegar in lukewarm water; fennel-anise-caraway tea or lemon balm tea.
Excellent: millet, buckwheat, blueberries, flaxseed, cinnamon, fennel, lemon balm, grass-fed milk. Absolutely avoid: raw vegetables, almond milk, and coffee on an empty stomach.
Lunch
Recommended: Steamed vegetables (zucchini, fennel, carrot, parsnip); quinoa or millet; seasoned with turmeric, cumin & ginger; apple cider vinegar in salad or water.
Excellent: Root vegetables, zucchini, fennel, herbs, olive oil, apple cider vinegar. Absolutely avoid: Cabbage, onions, raw garlic, sugar, processed foods.
Snack
- Ripe banana or steamed apple with cinnamon
- 1 tsp psyllium husks in water
- Fennel, lemon balm or chamomile tea
Dinner
Recommended: Clear broth with cooked vegetables and rice; spelt bread with herb spread; lavender, caraway, or passionflower tea. Absolutely avoid: raw vegetables in the evening, legumes, alcohol, and carbonated drinks.
Medicinal herbs for irritable bowel syndrome
- Lemon balm - soothes stomach & nerves
- fennel - anti-flatulent, antispasmodic
- Caraway seeds – relieve gas buildup
- chamomile - anti-inflammatory
- Passionflower - calming to the nerves
- Turmeric - anti-inflammatory
- Psyllium husks - mucous membrane protection & stool regulation
Probiotics & Microbiome
- Fermented: lactic acid-fermented vegetables, e.g., sauerkraut
- Probiotics with Lactobacillus plantarum & Bifidobacterium infantis
- Prebiotics: Psyllium husks, Chicory, millet porridge
To be avoided in irritable bowel syndrome
- Almond milk, skim milk
- Sugar, alcohol, hot spices
- Fried foods
- Cold & carbonated drinks
- Stress & irregular meals
Additional recommendations
- Breathing exercises & meditation for stress reduction
- hot water bottle or warm bath
- Bitter substances (e.g., gentian) before meals
- Regular daily rhythm & sleep
