Last night, my stomach was hurting so badly that I actually dreamed I was eating meat with mold on it. I woke up and checked the time; it was 4:59 a.m.
I usually try to get up at 5 a.m. every weekday morning, so I got up, but my stomach still felt really sick. I started off with a cup of peppermint tea, which helped calm things down.
For those of you who don't know, menthol in mint is a fast-acting, cooling, and soothing phytochemical that helps calm the digestive system.
Interestingly, I initially felt like I didn't want the mint tea. It was as if my natural instinct to fast was telling me to avoid putting anything in my system. I practice intermittent fasting to stay slim, so I just had the tea without any sugar or honey.
Then, I made myself a cup of ginger tea. By now, it was almost 9 a.m., and I had two cups of ginger tea. I was feeling much better.
Additionally, I bruised a rib three days ago, and I wonder if the anti-inflammatory properties of ginger are helping with that as well.
My point here is multifold, but in short: ginger and mint are great for calming the stomach. Also, while tea bags may not be as effective as fresh or dried herbs for medicinal purposes, they are convenient and do the job.
