
Digestion
Digestion is more than metabolism — it is the daily work of transformation: what we take in becomes part of us. Medicinal plants for digestion accompany this process from the first bitterness on the tongue to the calm centre in the stomach.
Digestion does not begin in the stomach. It begins in the mouth, indeed even before that — at the sight and scent of the meal. Saliva flows, the stomach prepares itself, the gallbladder is stimulated. A finely orchestrated process, involving countless organs, which must succeed anew every day.
Bitterness as the Gateway
Traditional herbal medicine knew: Bitterness opens the way. It awakens the digestive juices, stimulates the liver, and organises the metabolism. At a time when sweet flavours dominate the table, bitter plants have been all but forgotten — yet it is they who restore the language to our digestive system.
What is bitter in the mouth is healthy for the stomach.
— old proverb
In the understanding of Ceres, digestion is a metaphor for a much greater activity: processing what we encounter — physically, emotionally, spiritually. Those who can digest well can also live well.
Plants for this topic
SummerAngelica
Angelica archangelica
Demarcation between inside and outside, connection between top and bottom. Internal space, inspiration. Polarity of courage and fear.
SummerArtichoke
Cynara scolymus
Self-limitation and excess
SummerCentaury
Centaurium erythraea
Ideality and reality
SpringChamomile
Chamomilla / Matricaria recutita
Security, patience, gentleness, motherliness
SpringDandelion
Taraxacum officinale
Transformation, adaptability, flow of life energy, warmth, life force
SummerLemon balm
Melissa officinalis
Soothing, softness, mildness
SummerMasterwort
Imperatoria / Peucedanum ostruthium
Self-confidence, liberation from restriction and coercion
SummerMilk Thistle
Silybum marianum
Demarcation, protection, individuality

Peppermint
Mentha piperita
Neutralisation of individuality, refreshment, relaxation
SummerWormwood
Artemisia absinthium
Compassion, presence, alertness, infusing with energy of metabolic functions
SummerYarrow
Achillea millefolium
Ability to discriminate, realisation of the essence
AutumnYellow Gentian
Gentiana lutea
Surmounting, digestion, fragmentation