Taming a Stressed-Out Holiday Gut: Essential Oils for Feeding, Weeding, and Balancing the Tummy for Better Digestion, a Calmer Mind, and a Marvelous Microbiome

Hit in the Gut by Stress

The holiday season is now in full swing. As we count down to the days to our religious observances and the celebration of Christmas, things can get a bit overwhelming. In fact, in a recent survey of approximately 1000 people by LifeStance Health, in partnership with Researchscape International, a majority of the participants reported that they find the holidays to be stressful. Common triggers included:

• seasonal stress
• navigating social gatherings
• “performative happiness” to meet societal expectations
• loneliness
• managing family discussions about politics and current events

Rather than being a healing time of togetherness, this tension, lack of connection, and division can take a toll on our emotional and mental health. Furthermore, our physical health can also take a hit, literally right in the gut.

In this quick video recap of health topics for the holidays, I want to help you navigate through the season unscathed by Scrooge and an irritable belly. I will show you how to soothe stress and support your digestive health with my favorite holistic modality, essential oils.

Our aromatic allies are the perfect companions to influence the bidirectional link between the brain and the gut (the gut-brain axis). They can aid better digestion, promote calmer minds, and shift our mindset to feel more grateful for the season.

Topics in this video include:

• The gut-stress-brain axis: how stress impacts the gut and vice versa
• Various essential oils for taming un-jolly digestive disturbances
• The star oil for a bloated and irritable holiday belly
• How essential oils support our gut microbiome and intestinal integrity

As always, all the links to previous articles, references, and resources will be within this accompanying article. So, let’s get started and send you on your merry way!

 

The Gut-Stress-Brain Axis: How Stress Impacts Our Gut and How Our Digestive Health Impacts Our Mind

The relationship between the brain and the digestive tract is a two-way street. The gut’s communication to the brain can occur via several mechanisms. These include through:

1. The immune system (Our gut houses over 70% our immune system. This system influences our overall physiology, brain, and neurological signaling patterns.)
2. The metabolism of tryptophan (This amino acid is the precursor to the “feel-good” neurotransmitter, serotonin, which impacts mood, gut motility, and other bodily processes.)
3. The vagus nerve (Our tenth cranial nerve extends from our brain and into our GI tract. It is akin to a gut-brain “highway” that “transports” signaling molecules made in the gut and the brain back and forth to each other.)
4. The enteric nervous system (This network of neurons and supporting cells of the gut has the ability to influence digestive and systemic functions.)
5. Neurotransmitters and metabolites produced by gut microbes (The gut can metabolize foods and substances into signaling molecules that affect health outcomes. Examples include short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) made from fibers, branched-chain amino acids extracted from proteins, and peptidoglycans obtained from components of the bacterial cell wall.)

Therefore, when we experience emotional stress, it creates biochemical shifts causing havoc on digestion. Specifically, it impacts the gut in several ways. It can:

• impair absorption
• alter the gut immune response
• damage the intestinal lining leading to “leaky gut” (Intestinal permeability results from inflammatory mediators and the rise of the stress hormone, cortisol damaging the delicate tissue.)

On the other hand, tummy troubles can lead to emotional distress through:

• shifts in our belly bugs and their metabolites produced (altering neurotransmitters and signaling compounds)
• inflammation in the gut that goes systemic (resulting in neuroinflammation)
• changes in signals from our gut to our brain and nervous system (communicating to the brain and body that we are under siege and need to “rev” up vs. repair and replenish)

 

Essential Oils for Digestive Health

Along with probiotics, a diverse diet, and mind-body techniques, essential oils can ease tummy upset resulting from stress and other underlying triggers. Essential oils have many properties that make them formidable champions of digestive health. This is based on:

• their biochemical properties that alter our physiology (i.e., they are anti-inflammatory, antioxidants, antimicrobial, immune-modulating, hormone balancing, neuroprotective, and more)
• how they support the microbiome
• their ability to balance emotions and subdue the stress-induced shifts in our physiology
• their influence on the vagus nerve

Several essential oils shine for their ability to alleviate gut issues through their multiple mechanisms. Some of the top digestive oils and their indications include:

• Peppermint oil for gut-brain imbalances and IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
• Ginger oil for nausea and calming inflammation
• Fennel oil for easing belly discomfort and gas
• Frankincense and myrrh oils for irritable bowels

Of all the single oils, peppermint oil would be my first go-to recommendation for holiday bloat, tummy troubles, and a refreshed outlook. This is because there is an impressive amount of research on its effective use for decreasing symptoms related to IBS, improving focus, and aiding in inflammation.

 

Essential Oils to Aid Our Microbiome

Since our belly bugs are the hub of many of our intestinal processes (and problems), which also impact our brain, keeping them “happy” is vital. Although some physicians may worry that antimicrobial essential oils could kill off beneficial gut flora when wiping out the pathogenic ones, this is not the case.

Most studies have found that essential oils can selectively inhibit detrimental microorganisms as they support our microbiome. In fact, an impressive amount of research from animal studies has reported that certain essential oils cause a shift in the population of harmful bacteria to beneficial probiotics in the gut.

Therefore, our aromatic allies balance our microbiota and feed the good bacteria, acting like prebiotics. Some trials have also found that essential oils can even heal the intestinal lining after an infection. Furthermore, they can balance out the triggers that cause our gut bugs to become imbalanced to begin with. *

*You can learn more about essential oils as prebiotics in this article.

*You can also discover more information on how they support the microbiome in my solosode podcast on the Essential Oils Revolution.

 

Intestinal Integrity Oils Blend for Irritable Holiday Bellies

As noted, essential oils can enhance both the microbiome and intestinal mucosal health. This is through their anti-inflammatory action, immune modulating effects, ability to stimulate circulatory and lymph flow, and antimicrobial and microbe-enhancing effects. Specific oils with these properties can be combined to benefit our gut lining. These oils include:

• Birch essential oil
• Cardamom oil
• Cypress oil
• Nargarmotha oil

There is a specific blend I use with my clients that contain these oils. You can learn more about it here.

 

Summary on Stressed Out Guts During the Holidays and Essential Oils to Tame Digestive Troubles

Stress can impact our digestive system, and when our tummy is off it can be stressful to our minds and emotions. Due to the gut-brain link, soothing our bellies can tame our minds and vice versa.

Essential oils can aid our digestion through their multiple properties. They can support our microbiome, aid intestinal integrity, balance emotions and stressed-out guts, and stimulate the vagus nerve.

Peppermint is perhaps the most formidable essential oil for digestive distress. Ginger, fennel, frankincense, myrrh, and intestinal integrity essential oil blends are also great allies for holiday tummy troubles.

I hope this information can help you achieve a happier belly and a more joyful disposition to fully relish in your favorite seasonal events and enjoy yummy seasonal treats with your family.

What is your favorite oil for holiday bloat and belly woes?

Feel free to comment below.