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Homemade Acid Reflux Natural Remedies

Updated on July 21, 2011

Writing about herbal or natural acid reflux remedies at home is a difficult mission, since one who is writing should make sure that the herbs will relieve the case and not aggravate it, not to mention that he belongs to the profession as a pharmacist. I am committed to writing about herbal remedies that have a relationship with pharmaceuticals, or at least were involved in preliminary studies, and not just writing as my gut feelings tell me.

To give you an example of what I mean I 'll give you this example, conventional wisdom tells us that citrus fruits are alkalinizing foods, yet there is something in them that irritates the esophageal wall, and using them by acid reflux patients will make the case worse. What helps in that concern is my personal experience with acid reflux disease as I suffered from it for sometime.

You should be aware to the fact of individual variation, i.e. some may improve with probiotics, some with digestive enzymes...etc, I'll put before you herbs that were recommended with the majority of people with no contradiction with the known medical facts or clinical experience.

Before Herbs... Your Eating Habits

Chew up Crunchy Foods and drink water after them:
Crunchy foods like chips, crackers, popcorn, fried chicken, cereal, nuts, cookies, pretzels etc, when not chewed up really fine they may form sharp edges, that may damage the esophageal wall and LES valves when come in contact with them. Try squeezing any of these foods in your hands real tight, and watch or feel the little sharp edges formed. Remember that the foods are squeezed down the walls of the GIT. Try drinking while eating these foods to cleanse the esophagus and here is the explanation. Repeated scratching of the esophageal wall will lead to deep raw scratches, and the open sores formed would be v. sensitive to acids leading to heartburn.

- Foods to Avoid and Foods to Eat:
Restrictions are not welcomed by any one, but you should bear in mind that they are for a few days to allow healing of the esophagus, to allow you to go back to some of your necessary habits.

Limit eating crunchy foods, and drinking coffee, beer, alcoholics, smoking, and if you have to, drink water after eating or drinking any of them. Take honey diluted with water before bed.

In the link below are all the foods to deal with.  

- Eat small meals that are distributed over the whole day

Apple Cider Vinegar for Acid Reflux?

The main active ingredients in apple cider vinegar are acetic, lactic and propionic acids, and if we put any of them on a cut it will produce immediate pain, can we use acids to treat a sort of hyper-acidity? according to the responses of a lot of people, yes we can.

when we delve into the composition of apple cider vinegar, we find that it is rich in potassium and probiotics (a helpful bacteria to the internal body ecosystem), and it is a prebiotic for probiotics ( it is used routinely in many farm animals to improve digestion and health).
This is obtained by getting raw, fermented apple cider vinegar. You should look for unfiltered, unpasturized, organic variety.

When we know that the vinegar is diluted with water, we can accept that it can be used to treat acid reflux. You will take 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar in a cup of water 20 minutes before meals.

Licorice as An Acid Reflux Home Remedy

Licorice [Sweet Root or De-Glycerhizzinated Licorice (DGL)] has a naturally pleasing flavor, its extract is a popular drink in Egypt but its taste is not palatable for every one (I personally do not like it). It has some cortisone and estrogen effects. Some kinds raise blood pressure. It is commonly used in cases with mild symptoms like heartburn and indigestion. As an acid reflux remedy  it is not used as a cure, but as a pain reliever or as a preventive measure.

A study in which 100 patients were given the synthetic licorice for 6 weeks, 90 percent of the patients showed a sensible improvement. In 22 cases, the ulcers disappeared completely. Did I mention that these patients previously had not improved with conventional medicine?

After consulting your doctor, Chew or suck on one root 20 minutes before eating to help relieve heartburn.

Aloe vera

Mnay People are used to apply aloe vera as a skin application and wound dressing as it has demulcent and anti inflammatory properties. Manufacturers incorporate it in lotions or even sun screen to make their products more effective. It has the same protective properties on the esophageal wall. It is available in capsule form of both the juice and the gel.

Content of anthraquinones in aloe vera may cause diarrhea and/or spasm,
to reduce these side effects you need to take with it some anise, fennel, or Chamomile tea. Aloe vera is contra-indicated for pregnant women and kidney patients.

Start with 2 gram aloe vera/day and work up when tolerated.

Molasses

There are the regular molasses which is the first or second boiling of cane sugar syrup, and blackstrap which is the third boiling of the syrup. Third boiling increases both potassium and iron ( which seem to increase by 5%). It has a sugary taste that is not suitable for all.

If you go for black strap molasses, be sure it is organic, unsulphered.
Consume 2 tablespoons of molasses in a cup of water each day until you feel you are improved. Many people say they felt better with molasses.

Ginger

Some manufacturers use Ginger in capsule form to treat vomiting of pregnancy. It is known with its soothing effects on the walls of the Gastro Intestinal Tract (GIT). Peel a small piece of the ginger and slowly chew and swallow the juice, or grate the root and pour boiling water to make a tea and drink it.

Chamomile Tea

Chamomile aids in digestion and helps reduce acid production. Drink chamomile tea before retiring to bed, it will help you sleep better as well. This will help more tense people who suffer from indigestion. Take care if you have allergies to any plant in the daisy family.

Mallows (Marshmallow herb)

The herb and not the sugary treat can alleviate some symptoms and make them less painful. This is of value for some people that do not take other remedies, specially if they have irritated throat and feel the pain of heartburn. Hollyhocks, Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus, and dwarf Mallow are all members of Mallow family.

Chicory Tea

Many digestive supplements include chicory to help digestion. Coffe can be replaced with chicory tea. More than often, roots are used if the leaves are not found. Boil half cup of the root for 5-10 minutes, cool it and drink. Johnson (2001) mentions chicory as one of the effective herbal remedies against digestive problems such as dyspepsia.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is not only known for its antiseptic effects to treat colds and flu, but it is also a potent agent that neutralizes acidity. Sprinkle it on top of some foods like bread, and drink it. Koreans make a drink called persimmon punch- a concentrated cinnamon ginger drink, which is very good for acid reflux.

Carob ( Ceratonia siliqua )

Carob pods were also used in ancient Egypt, where the pulp of the pods was mixed in porridge, with a little honey, and wax as a treatment for diarrhea and other digestive disorders. Some nutrition companies include its fibers in baby feed products to treat diarrhea. It is a popular drink in Egypt, and it has a very delicious taste. It can be used in relieving acid reflux symptoms.

Okra

Though long popular in the South, it is becoming increasingly common and well known in Western Countries. The immature pods are used for soups, canning and stews or as a fried or boiled vegetable. Okra fiber is excellent for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics). This contributes to the health of the intestinal tract. Okra is used for healing ulcers and to keep joints limber. It helps to neutralize acids, being very alkaline, and provides a temporary protective coating for the digestive tract. It can be utilized by people suffering from acid reflux.

Pineapple

Pineapple is an effective natural remedy for acid reflux (Sklar and Cohen, 2003).

Natural healing of damaged esophageal wall requires proper rapid digestion of protein, and pineapple contains a protease enzyme called bromelin, conditioned you eat the raw fruit or its freshly prepared juice, since heat involved in canning and bottling inactivate the enzyme and can make acid reflex even worse.

Antioxidants

There are some other herbs known to contain high content of antioxidants, which are helpful for the whole body, like Hibiscus, Pomegranate peels, and Bitter Orange peel. They are said to have good effects on acid reflux. The hibiscus can be made into a drink which has a good flavor, and I find it good for the acid reflux, yet the use of the bitter peels of both the Pomegranate and Bitter Orange remains an issue because of their bitter taste.

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