Heartburn is an unpleasant burning sensation caused by stomach acid traveling up into your esophagus or gullet and invading its space. Many natural home remedies may provide temporary relief for this discomforting digestive issue.
Chewing gum stimulates saliva production, helping wash away excess stomach acid and alleviate heartburn symptoms. If mint exacerbates your condition, try sugar-free or fruit-flavored varieties instead. Licorice root (deglycyrrhizinated licorice or DGL) also produces mucus to protect esophageal tissue against stomach acid; DGL tablets or liquid forms are available for this use.
Baking Soda
Baking soda’s active ingredient, sodium bicarbonate, helps neutralize excess stomach acidity. Additionally, this acid-neutralizing component is often included as an active component in over-the-counter and prescription antacid medications that provide relief for heartburn symptoms.
Heartburn is a burning sensation felt in the chest and throat caused by acid reflux. This condition typically arises after eating large meals, drinking carbonated beverages or eating greasy foods.
Home remedies like taking a baking soda-water solution may temporarily reduce stomach acid. Unfortunately, due to your body’s natural tendency for maintaining an acidic environment, symptoms often return quickly.
Aloe Juice
Many individuals suffering from acid reflux find relief by drinking aloe vera juice, likely because its barbaloin component acts as an antihistamine, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant.
Additionally, this drink is believed to help detoxify the body, providing vitamins, minerals, and enzymes which can reduce constipation and promote digestive health.
However, it should be remembered that additional research needs to be completed on this home remedy before it can be considered safe and effective. It is best advised that individuals consume small doses of decolorized and purified aloe vera juice first to gauge how they react before increasing intake.
Pineapple Juice
Pineapple juice is packed with potassium and bromelain, both known to promote circulation by preventing blood clotting and increasing circulation. Furthermore, pineapple juice serves as an anti-inflammatory remedy and digestive aid, making it great for managing indigestion issues as well as strengthening immunity systems.
Pineapples contain acid that may aggravate heartburn for those with damaged esophageal linings, but moderate consumption should not cause symptoms in most healthy people. Unfortunately, pineapples contain sugar which could contribute to weight gain when consumed in large quantities.
As a natural remedy for heartburn, pineapple juice is the perfect remedy. By keeping hydrochloric acid within your stomach and not seeping into your esophagus, this treatment will keep the hydrochloric acid at bay and avoid its release into your chest area.
Saliva
Saliva can help stimulate swallowing and flush excess stomach acid out of the esophagus, and chewing gum also stimulates saliva production, though sugar-free varieties may aggravate heartburn more than mint does. DGL or deglycyrrhizinated licorice tablets also can relieve heartburn by increasing mucus production in both the stomach and esophagus linings, providing temporary relief from heartburn symptoms.
Buttermilk may also help, as can taking 1/2 cup of cold water at room temperature each day for 24 hours. Incorporating fermented foods like buttermilk into one’s regular diet may eventually help correct acid reflux over time.
Maintaining a healthy weight, not eating too much in one sitting and engaging in stress-relief techniques may also help alleviate heartburn symptoms. If these changes do not do the trick, consult with a physician about prescription or over-the-counter GERD medications to manage it.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar has long been recognized as an effective natural solution to heartburn, with reports citing its ability to replicate the acidic environment of your stomach while supporting chemical breakdown of food.
Vinegar is produced when sugar from carbohydrates is fermented by yeast into alcohol and then converted to acetic acid, giving it its characteristic pungent smell and taste.
People suffering from mild heartburn should drink one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (ACV) mixed in water before meals to help alleviate symptoms, but ACV should not be taken when suffering from moderate or severe heartburn, since adding more acidic substances into your body could worsen it further.
Bananas
Bananas can be an easy and nutritious portable snack that may help decrease heartburn symptoms. At pH 5, bananas have mild acidity; yet some studies indicate they can help relieve indigestion and heartburn symptoms for some individuals.
Bananas contain soluble fiber which helps thicken the mucus barrier of your stomach, relieving pain and speeding food through digestion more quickly. They also contain protease inhibitors to combat bacteria that causes stomach ulcers. If bananas irritate you or cause stomach upsets, however, it’s best to seek other sources of potassium like watermelons, cantaloupe and apricots as possible alternatives.