Long before “gut health” was a wellness buzzword, herbalists were treating sluggish digestion by starting in one place: how food is combined and eaten, not just what’s on the plate.
As Hilde Hemmes puts it in the ASOHM course materials:
“The starting point in the treatment of any bodily disturbance is with the organs of absorption and organs of elimination.”
Underactive digestion — the kind that shows up as bloating, fullness after meals, a poor appetite, or food sensitivities — is invariably linked to wrong food combinations or eating too hastily. The fix isn’t usually a new diet. It’s often as simple as changing how meals are put together.
The four rules of food combining
These are the core guidelines taught in the course. None of them require special ingredients — just a bit of attention to timing and pairing.
Eat fruit on its own — up until half an hour before meals, and at least two hours after.
Pair vegetables with only one protein or starch group per meal: grains and pulses, dairy, meat, fish, eggs, or nuts — not several at once.
Hold off on liquids with meals — avoid drinking during meals and for up to two hours afterward.
Try smaller, more frequent meals — every two to three hours may be easier to digest than three large meals a day.
Why it works: the aperitif tradition
There’s a reason the pre-dinner drink is a bitter one in so many cultures. Bitter taste receptors in the mouth trigger a cascade of digestive responses — increased salivation, stomach acid, bile and pancreatic juice secretion, and greater intestinal movement. The social custom of an aperitif before a meal, or a digestif after one, genuinely does improve digestion — and it’s the same principle behind traditional bitter herbs used before eating.
The effect is even stronger when bitter herbs are paired with aromatic ones — think ginger, fennel, peppermint, or camomile — which is part of why so many herbal digestive blends combine both.
Herbal support for sluggish digestion
Herbalists often pair food combining with specific herbs, chosen according to how the sluggishness shows up:
Digestive upset with anxiety
CamomileLemon balm
Often added to the herbs above rather than used alone.
Try this
Stewed apples for digestive balance
A genuinely useful folk remedy: stewed apples help with both diarrhoea and constipation. The pectin in apples is soothing, bulking, and has a mild anti-microbial effect on the intestines — which is exactly why this old kitchen-cupboard remedy has stuck around for generations.
Food combining won’t fix every digestive issue on its own — but as a first, low-effort change, it’s often where a herbalist starts before reaching for anything else.
This guide is general information from the ASOHM Fundamental Herbology course and isn’t a substitute for individual medical advice. If you have ongoing or severe digestive symptoms, please see a qualified healthcare practitioner.
This is one page from a 12-lesson course
Lesson Three covers the full digestive system in depth — underactive and overactive digestion, bowel health, liver-supporting herbs, and more.
