What are Cholagogues?: Supplements for Good Digestive Health
Do fatty meals leave you gassy, bloated, or struggling with indigestion? As we age, our bodies produce less of the digestive enzymes that help break down fats and proteins. We also produce less bile, an essential part of fat digestion. However, certain herbs and compounds, called cholagogues, can help fill the gap, restoring our digestion and health. In this article, we’ll cover: what cholagogues are, how they work, and two cholagogue supplements that can help boost digestion.
What are cholagogues?
What are cholagogues? Cholagogues help the gallbladder contract so that bile moves into the small intestine, aiding digestion. Bile is a greenish or yellowish fluid manufactured in the liver that is responsible for breaking dietary fat into smaller chunks that digestive enzymes can easily transform into fatty acids.
But that’s not all! Healthy bile can also impact the makeup of our gut’s microbiome, encouraging the growth and metabolic activity of beneficial bacteria and keeping the intestinal lining healthy and inflammation-free.
It’s also important to remember that cholagogues only promote the movement of bile (typically from the gallbladder, where it’s stored, into the small intestine), not the production of bile. This is because cholagogues are often confused with choloretics. Choloretics are herbs, supplements, drugs, and other compounds which stimulate the creation of bile in the liver.
Supplements for Good Digestive Health
Because cholagogues help the body move bile from the gallbladder to the intestines, they can help speed up the action of digestive enzymes. This leads to faster, more comfortable digestion. Below, we explore two natural cholagogic herbs.
Turmeric - Dr. Eric Snow’s Turmeric Power
Did you know: 20mg of curcumin, the active component in turmeric, can boost gallbladder contractions by up to 29%? But turmeric’s digestive benefits don’t stop there: as a choloretic, turmeric also boosts the liver’s bile production. Together, these two properties help bile move through the body, improving nutrient absorption, preventing bloating, and even inhibiting cholesterol absorption.
Unfortunately, the same cholagogic action that can help move bile can also be dangerous. Even though bile movement can prevent the formation of gallstones, cholagogues can also be dangerous once one has formed.
The same movement that can keep bile from growing stagnant and crystallizing into gallstones can also move an existing gallstone into a bile duct by mistake, blocking the flow of bile into the intestines. However, if you’re gallstone free, a regular turmeric supplement can help you stay that way.
Our favorite turmeric supplement? Dr. Eric Snow’s Turmeric Power! Easy to mix into drinks, snacks, sauces, and more, Dr. Eric Snow’s Turmeric Power is specially formulated for maximum palatability and maximum absorption. Every batch of Turmeric Power is fermented to increase probiotic bacteria content and improve the bioavailability of active curcumin. Buy it now in our shop.
Gentian - MediHerb DiGest Forte
Gentian root has been used for centuries to treat digestive ailments. From nausea to bloating to lack of appetite, the roots of the gentian plant are beloved for their ability to both soothe and stimulate gastric activity. Specifically, gentian initiates the release of gastric juices–including bile–by activating the same receptor cells that identify bitter taste.
While researchers are still working to understand how gentian and other bitter tastants work, one leading theory suggests that gentian’s active compounds act directly on receptor cells located in the mucus membrane of the upper gastrointestinal tract. That includes multiple organs such as the stomach, the duodenum, the jejunum, ileum and colon. This additional secretion can help overcome the sluggish bile movement and lack of digestive juices that can develop with age, boosting digestion and helping fat break down faster.
Looking to try gentian? MediHerb DiGest Forte contains 100mg of high-quality gentian root alongside five other botanicals including ginger and anti-inflammatory wormwood. Try it here in our shop.
