During her recent talk show with Kapil Sharma, Priyanka Chopra Jonas talked about her dependence on Hajmola as a digestive, how she kept its containers in a drawer and how her husband Nick Jonas did not quite take to it. Like her, Hajmola and many such herbal pills are every Indian’s favourite “digestive.” Be it heavy meals, weddings, street food or festive feasts, everybody pops in these chewable herbal tablets as a “stomach settler.”
However, nutrition and gastrointestinal experts consider them to be more of a gastric irritant and an appetite stimulant than a digestive aid. Many people, especially those who suffer from acidity, reflux, Irritable Bowel Syndrome or sensitive stomachs, experience digestive symptoms worsening instead of being relieved. It is time now to differentiate the perception from the actual physiology.
A digestive aid increases enzyme secretion or bile flow. It gently supports gut motility without damaging the stomach lining, reduces bloating, heaviness or gas and encourages nutrient absorption. Natural herbs and spices like ginger, fennel, cumin, ajwain, peppermint and probiotics already are classic examples of substances that improve digestion without causing acid spikes. On the contrary, Hajmola acts very differently.
They have acidic compounds like citric acid and amchur (dry mango powder). Black salt and regular salt are osmotic irritants in large amounts. The combination of spices, hot chilli powder, pippali (long pepper), clove and ginger increases gastric secretions. Then there are co-products such as sugar and flavour enhancers.
The above combination creates a mouth-watering, tingling sensation, but that sensation is not caused by the improvement of digestion; it is simply the result of gastric stimulation.
It stimulates taste receptors, triggers saliva and gastric acid secretion, and increases stomach activity temporarily. This can create a false sense of relief by making the stomach feel “active” after eating and giving a sharp sensory contrast that distracts from heaviness or bloating. But this stimulation does not mean better digestion; it simply means more acid and gastric activity, which in many people actually worsens digestion over time.
For people with sensitive gut, this gastric irritation can increase stomach acid, worsening acid reflux, heartburn and gastritis. It can affect the the stomach lining, triggering burning, nausea or discomfort. It can worsen symptoms in people with GERD (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease), peptic ulcers, IBS or frequent acidity. It can cause bloating and loose stools due to the salt-acid combination. Increase thirst, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance if consumed frequently.
Instead of calming the digestive system, such supplements push the system into a state of heightened chemical activity.
Most digestive discomfort comes from poor gut motility, low digestive enzyme output, gut microbiome imbalance, overeating, eating too fast, or poor food combinations. And herbal pills do not provide enzymes, improve gut flora, repair gut lining or improve nutrient absorption.
So, while it may momentarily mask discomfort, it does nothing to solve the underlying digestive inefficiency.
You should be especially cautious if you have acid reflux or frequent heartburn, a history of ulcers or gastritis, IBS, high blood pressure (because of too much sodium), a sensitive stomach or anxiety-linked gut issues. In these cases, dependence on digestive aids can turn mild discomfort into chronic irritation.
Take fennel seeds (saunf) after meals, ajwain water for bloating, ginger tea for slow digestion, buttermilk with roasted cumin and probiotic foods like curd or kanji. These options gently improve digestion without irritating the stomach.
Herbal digestive aids feel good, taste sharp and give a sensation of “action”, but physiologically, they are closer to a chemical stimulant than a digestive healer. In case of digestion, prefer food and habits that soothe, support and replenish the gut, not those that provoke it.