Natural Indigestion and Heartburn Remedies
Get Rid of that Stuffed Feeling and Fire in your Stomach Naturally
Aug 11, 2009
Heartburn and indigestion can just ruin a night’s sleep or put you in a bad mood during the day. You can feel it starting and so you pop the antacids and a few hours later you’re popping a few more. Antacids can cause a problem if you are on other medication as it will counteract antibiotics because of the aluminum in it. Aluminum isn’t particularly a good thing to be putting into your system so why not use some herbal remedies to rid yourself of that painful heartburn and nagging indigestion.
Indigestion
Peppermint is a natural cure for indigestion being an antispasmodic. When you eat more than you should, gas builds up in your stomach and that can cause pain. The menthol in the peppermint relaxes the valve that separates the esophagus from the stomach and that allows the gas to exit upwards instead of staying in there and building pressure. Peppermint also tends to block pain by numbing the nerves that cause muscle spasms connected to IBS. Getting too much menthol in the system can cause heartburn so those that tend to get it should never use peppermint oil capsules to stop indigestion. Instead they should use peppermint tea. The tea has enough menthol to calm but not enough to produce a problem. You can drink up to 4 cups of peppermint tea a day as a preventive measure. Note: Never give peppermint tea to a child under 5, since it can cause choking. Also note that large amounts of peppermint can cause those with high blood pressure to have higher pressure.
Chamomile tea will also allow the gas to release and stop the pain of indigestion. You can brew a cup when symptoms start to show and drink it down. Just be careful you don’t fall asleep as chamomile tends to relax.
Acidophilus in yogurt will also prevent indigestion as it has good bacteria that will fight the bad stuff. This is even good for children. You can get acidophilus tablets, liquid and powder too.
Drink a cup of basil tea before you eat to prevent indigestion. Just take 2 leaves and crush them with your fingers. Place them in the bottom of a tea cup and pour a cup of boiling water over top. Place the saucer of the top of the cup and steep for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the saucer and fish the basil leaves out. You can add a little sweetener if you like.
Heartburn
If you can stand it place 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar and 2 teaspoons honey in a glass of distilled water. Mix it up and drink before meals as a preventive to stop heartburn and promote digestion.
Heartburn will disappear if you eat about 5 to 10 almonds. Sucking on a lemon before dinner can also stop it. Papaya and Pineapple are well known for their digestive enzymes. You can get both dried and just eat a delicious chunk when the problem starts to manifest itself.
If heartburn causes you to lose sleep lie on your left side. This keeps the stomach below the esophagus and helps keep reflux down. It also helps to raise the head of the bed about 6 inches. Never try to lie down unless 2 hours has elapsed from a large dinner.
Some more obscure remedies that might work for you are eating a little sherbet. Any sherbet will do. Many report that chewing gum for about 5 minutes or longer will stop heartburn and this is safe for pregnant women. Just stay away from peppermint gum. Chewing on some celery might also work as it is alkaline and may counteract the acidic effects. The same is true with apples. Eating 5 pretzels with some water has been known to work for heartburn as well, perhaps because the pretzels absorb everything.
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