Many people suffer from heartburn, and it’s easy to reach for medication. There are also simple home remedies that can help with heartburn if you want to avoid taking too many medications or don’t have the right medicine on hand.
Home Remedies for Heartburn
Heartburn is characterized by a burning pain behind the breastbone and in the throat, stomach pain, nausea, acid reflux, and a feeling of fullness.
- This is caused firstly by a dysfunction of the sphincter muscle at the junction between the esophagus and the stomach. There is a valve there that normally opens only toward the stomach to prevent the acidic stomach contents from flowing back up. However, if the surrounding muscles are weakened or there is a mild hiatal hernia, the valve no longer closes properly. As a result, the corrosive acid enters the esophagus.
- Second heartburn is caused by increased stomach acid production resulting from fatty and spicy foods, coffee, alcohol, sweets, pregnancy, obesity, and stress.
Baking soda
Sodium bicarbonate is actually used for baking and is a component of baking powder. Only pure baking soda should be used to treat heartburn.
- If you dissolve a teaspoon of it in a glass of water and drink it slowly, it helps relieve heartburn.
- It neutralizes the acid in the stomach and helps move the hard-to-digest food through the digestive tract.
- However, the taste of baking soda takes some getting used to.
- Bullrich salt for heartburn is nothing more than baking soda in tablet form. Try this if you can’t handle the powder.
- Occasional use is usually very effective against heartburn. But be careful: An overdose can lead to stomach pain and diarrhea.
Almonds and Oatmeal
Almonds and rolled oats are highly alkaline foods that also neutralize stomach acid. Many diseases in our affluent society are attributed to an imbalanced acid-base balance, with most people being overly acidic. Therefore, alkaline foods should be prioritized to restore this balance.
- In addition, the mucilage in oatmeal helps form a protective film over the irritated stomach lining.
- Chew about 5 almonds or 2–3 tablespoons of oatmeal until you have a very fine paste in your mouth. Swallow it slowly.
- Repeat this process once or twice more until you feel better.
Potato juice
The juice extracted from a raw potato consists largely of starch. This binds stomach acid and thus relieves the symptoms.
- Drink 100 ml of potato juice after a meal.
- Potato juice is available at health food stores and pharmacies.
- Boiled potatoes, bread, or rusks also have a similar binding effect.
- If you juice the potatoes yourself, please make sure they are not green, unripe, or have already sprouted. Unripe potatoes contain a toxin that can cause stomach cramps and breathing difficulties.
