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Stress is a daily occurrence for most women today because the demands on our time and energy are at an all-time high. This stress is hard on the whole body, especially the gut.
Just so we are all on the same page, stress creates a fight-or-flight response in the body and causes a temporary increase in the hormone cortisol. In times gone by, stress tended to be temporary, and this elevation in cortisol would diminish pretty quickly. Nowadays, daily stress goes unabated for many women, creating unending elevations in cortisol, which wreaks havoc on the gut.
Let’s explore more about how elevated cortisol hurts the digestive tract and how this can be managed through natural approaches.
Table of Contents
The Harms of Cortisol on The Gut
Long-term stress is known to be damaging to the gut and a contributing factor to constipation. The reasons that stress and anxiety can cause constipation are being studied by scientists. Elevated cortisol levels are related to constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome and functional constipation in multiple studies.
Cortisol can damage the whole body when it is elevated over the long term. Particularly, cortisol increases inflammation levels in the body and contributes to leaky gut. No wonder women who are stressed all of the time have upset guts!
Other symptoms of excess cortisol can include bloating, gas, poor sleep, gastroesophageal reflux disease, and abdominal pain.
Ultimately, elevated cortisol also causes low serotonin levels. This is a very important contributor to gut issues because abnormal serotonin levels cause the gut’s muscle movements to be sluggish and can lead to feelings of depression. This sluggish gut movement caused by poor serotonin signaling contributes to constipation as well as many gut pain symptoms, including heartburn.
All told, high levels of the stress hormone cortisol cause all sorts of gut problems due to disruptions in serotonin, increased inflammation, and sluggish gut movements in many people.
Can Cortisol Gut Be Healed?
While all the difficulties of life stressors may seem permanent, emerging research indicates that cortisol and symptoms of cortisol gut can be managed through a healthy lifestyle.
Among the recommended lifestyle changes that can help reduce cortisol gut symptoms are natural foods and supplements.
Eating plenty of probiotic-rich foods and prebiotic foods is known to help manage gut symptoms and stress. However, this only partially helps reduce gut symptoms caused by elevated cortisol.
New research points to a combination of ashwagandha and tender okra pods, which, when combined, help reduce Cortisol Gut symptoms. This combination works to help for many reasons.
First, ashwagandha and tender okra pods have been clinically studied to reduce symptoms of constipation and more. A new double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study of 135 patients with functional constipation shows that this novel combination helps reduce inflammation markers and increases serotonin. This combination also increases gut-protective compounds called gastrin and zonulin. Gastrin creates a healthy mucus lining in the gut, and zonulin helps heal and seal the gut lining.
Additionally, this herbal combination decreases cortisol levels and increases the production of histamine-degrading enzymes called diamine oxidase (DAO). Ultimately, the people receiving this herbal combination had a reduction in constipation, improved sleep, and improved quality of life compared to those receiving the placebo.
How Does Ashwagandha Help Cortisol Gut?
Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a popular herb used for thousands of years to help immune function and gut health while reducing stress. Current research also shows that ashwagandha does indeed reduce the stress hormone cortisol. The other great thing about ashwagandha is that it boosts serotonin levels while reducing stress. This means that ashwagandha likely can tackle Cortisol Gut and can improve gut muscle movements.
Two research studies have proven this theory when ashwagandha is combined with tender okra pods. We’ll dive into these studies, but first I’ll describe how tender okra pods also can help with the symptoms of Cortisol Gut.
How Does Okra Help Cortisol Gut?
Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a plant used nutritionally and medicinally worldwide. This fascinating plant is well-known to help fill in nutrition gaps but also has healing properties for the gut.
Rich in antioxidants and compounds like polyphenols and mucilage, okra helps heal the gut in many situations. It is also nutritious and helps increase immune function. Most of your immune system resides in your gut, so by enhancing proper immune function, okra likely helps with gut function. Okra may also dampen inflammation throughout the body, including the gut.
As previously mentioned, combining okra with ashwagandha has synergistic benefits for gut health and reduces Cortisol Gut. Let’s take a closer look.
Okra and Ashwagandha-A Perfect Match for Managing Cortisol Gut
The gut-cortisol connection is complex, so using a multi-pronged approach to healing is often best. Consider two impactful studies that demonstrate how well okra and ashwagandha work together.
The first of these studies is a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 48 participants with functional constipation. A combination of ashwagandha and okra, branded as Digexin, was given at 300 mg, 500 mg, or placebo. After 14 days, this combination alleviated constipation and increased serotonin, while cortisol and inflammation markers were reduced compared to placebo. The higher dose was more effective than the lower dose of ashwagandha and okra. Also, people’s sleep quality improved, and those receiving the herbal combination enjoyed a reduction in perceived stress.
For the second study, a larger group of 135 participants with functional constipation were given the same okra and ashwagandha combination. The participants received 300 mg, 500 mg, or placebo in a double-blinded fashion over 60 days. In both herbal groups symptoms of constipation, stress, and gut pain were all significantly improved by the end of the study. Most participants noticed big improvements in 7 days. Additionally, participants had less “Cortisol Gut” by experiencing a reduction in cortisol levels. They also had improvements in the gut-healing compounds zonulin and gastrin. With increases in serotonin, it is no big surprise that the herbal group also had improvements in bowel movements and gut muscle movement improvements. Last but not least, they had a better quality of life than the placebo group. Unlike many pharmaceuticals, this herbal combination has no adverse effects.
Cortisol Gut Summary
Constipation is a significant issue, especially for women. While constipation isn’t fully understood yet by scientists, research is making it clear that herbal combinations can be beneficial options for people who suffer from this condition. At the root of constipation for many people is elevated cortisol and low levels of serotonin, as was discussed throughout this post. Using an ashwagandha and okra herbal combination is proving to be beneficial for this complicated issue known as Cortisol Gut. Reducing cortisol and increasing serotonin through herbal remedies may be key therapeutic strategies for Cortisol Gut.
