Acid Reflux
Natural Remedies

Natural Acid Reflux Remedies: GERD, Silent Reflux & Low Stomach Acid

| Modified on Jan 31, 2026
The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Water
Posted by Cindy (Illinois, Usa) on 11/08/2017
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I was Rolaids #1 customer from the time I was a teen until I was into my 40s at which point I got a tip from an old geezer - a heavy drinker - which was 2 glasses of water, you're dehydrated.

I haven't had indigestion or acid reflux since, And I don't drink so it's not some weird combination of that and water. I only mention the drinking because the guy was in his 80s and the only heavy drinker I ever met who wasn't averse to drinking plain water. He'd stroll into the tavern where I tended bar, shortly after dark, and drink until 11 o'clock - you could set your watch by him. But come 4:30 am, he'd be eating breakfast at the diner, happy as a clam with his bacon and eggs and a whole pitcher of water then back out in the fields by sunrise.

He was a character. He took in any stray that would happen to come around - always had at the least a half dozen dogs running around - and you always knew when one of the dogs was either new or sick because he'd cover them in clay. He'd loosen up some dirt and dump in the water and just pack the mud on them, no matter what, and they'd roll around in the mud and the other dogs would come and roll around with them until they were all running around muddy - it was awesome.


Fennel Seed Tea
Posted by Hema (Florida) on 12/24/2016
★★★★★

Hi Rachel,

This is what I am doing for my acid reflux. I am drinking fennel seed water and black raisin three times a day. I boil fenned seed powder or seed and black raisin at night for 15min and drinking that jucie in the empty stomach. Make again after one hour of lunch and before bed time. It really works for acidity. If you don't like raisin, you can make only fennel seed water and take with honey. It really works. Hopefully it works for you and everyone who is looking for natural way to reduce or cure acid reflux

Sauerkraut
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 03/25/2021
★★★★★

Editor's Choice

My friend has suffered from chronic acid reflux for years. Doctors put her on stomach medication. Last month she was talking about how her nerve pills (Klonopin) are causing her stomach to act up. I told her to go buy a jar of sauerkraut. According to my other friend's German born mom, Deutsche Kuche German Style Sauerkraut sold at ALDI Grocerystore USA is the most like the kraut she grew up on and the best to buy.

I told her to eat about a tablespoon daily. Doing so is known to aid in digestion and prevent constipation. Sauerkraut is low in calories and high in fiber. Sauerkraut will improve her digestion within a few days.

She saw results using this treatment within 3 days and now her whole extended family are eating raw sauerkraut right from the jar.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4268643/

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6306734/

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128023099000248

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/phytochemical

Acidophilus
Posted by Cecily (Nc) on 08/14/2017

I noticed at 37 years old that if I ate bread products I got tremendous heartburn. It was so bad I had precancerous cells growing in my throat. I went gluten free and in the three years since being GF I have only had two GERD attacks and I believe it was because something I ate was contaminated with gluten. GERD is an inflammatory reaction, something you are eating is having a negative impact on your body and your body is attempting to attack it to reduce its impact on your body. Try eliminating foods in your diet to find what the culprit is. I am keeping activated charcoal on hand for an accidental contamination.


Acidophilus
Posted by Pam5083 (Buchanan, Va) on 05/16/2014
★★★★★

I've been suffering with GERD since my gallbladder surgery. It has been pretty painful at times. I was never able to take the meds for it (too many side affects). The Apple cider vinegar tore my stomach up. My routine is papaya enzyme after each meal and acidophilus at bedtime with chamomile tea. You have to make lifestyle changes too. No caffeine, smoking. I eat to live not live to eat. My meals are simple grilled meats and lots of fruits and vegetables. Processed bread seemed to make it worse so I went to gluten free. I've given up all spices and seasonings and no longer miss them. Switched from whole milk to coconut milk. Exercise is just 30 minutes of walking. Losing weight will help.


Acidophilus
Posted by Sugarpuff (Christchurch, Canterbury) on 05/15/2013
★★★★★

Hi had been suffering from terrible acid reflux. So took the advice on here and brought a Probotic from the chemist. After 3 days no reflux so I just take one everyday and its gone away. So thanks for the great advice.


Avocado
Posted by Anna (Philadelphia) on 10/17/2017
★★★★★

Avocado and acid reflux. I love canned fish in oil - even though I ALWAYS have terrible acid reflux after eating them- always, except last time, a week ago. The only difference was that I ate them with slices of one fresh avocado. No reflux! But I had no idea why... Last night my husband had problems with acid reflux so I came here to find something for him. I was so surprised to read about avocado! So it was what helped me! Problem solved!


Acidophilus
Posted by Prosperous1 (Va) on 01/30/2017

Apple Cider Vinegar is good for acid reflux also, get the one with the 'mother' in it.


Fennel Seed Tea
Posted by Idow (Jupiter, Fl) on 04/15/2017
★★★★★

Hema, thank you so much for posting about fennel and raisin tea. It helped! Have you been able to cure your acid reflux? And if so, what other natural remedies have you used? I can't seem to tolerate any type of processed food, especially breads and cereals with additives. Thank you so much for your help!


Acidophilus
Posted by Rachael (Chicago, Il) on 12/23/2016
★☆☆☆☆

I tried an acidophilus supplement for the first time in my life, trying to get rid of really bad acid reflux. I am a supplement freak -- but I didn't want to spend lots of money on good bacteria for my insides, when I could just eat yogurt. I fully expected, based on these reviews and my internet searching, that acidophilus would heal the acid reflux. Here I am a month later, still looking for a cure, because the acidophilus did absolutely nothing for me.

Acidophilus
Posted by Travelwedge (New York) on 01/06/2017

Hi Rachel

Acidophilus alone will not cure acid reflux. First it will help your stomach have a better healthy balance but for most people its not a cure by itself. Second standard yogurt only has a small amount of acidophilus and only 2 or 3 kinds. To make a difference you want a capsule with 15 billion or more from as many different strains.

For many people its not just about the acid in their stomach but also about the lower esophageal sphincter. This is what keeps the acid in your stomach. If that is not working correctly you will never solve your problem completely.

Have you tried sleeping with your head raised?


Acidophilus
Posted by Anonymouscat (La, Ca) on 04/14/2013
★★★★★

I took some parasite medication for a few days on an empty stomach soon I had a burning stomach and esphogas and acid reflux... Feeling I was also having shortness of breath and pressure type of feeling on my chest, My ND gave me probiotics and told me to open the capsules dump the content into a 1/2 glass of water and swish the probiotics powder in my mouth then drink it down. And the ND suggested pt drinking lactose free PLAIN KEFIR no sugar in and within 24 hours I felt a dramatic change, within three days I had zero pain and my symptoms all feel away.


Celery
Posted by beverly (Texas) on 05/02/2022
★★★★★

Celery for Acid Reflux

I find this incredible. I have been having an episode of gerd today that was giving me lung congestion. Lousy day. I tried ACV/BS, ginger, cilantro, and a dozen other things and no help. I was making vegetable soup for supper and started nibbling on a celery stick. within a few minutes I started feeling better. I was amazed so started researching it and came to this site. Wish I had been aware the past few years and might have saved myself some agony. I will not leave home without it :)


Calcium
Posted by Virginia (New Jersey, US) on 02/04/2015
★★★★★

I found that taking a few calcium tablets helps immediately with severe reflux, and I take acidophilus complex, and aloe vera to maintain overall digestive balance


Red Wine
Posted by Krimzen (Atlantic City, Nj/usa) on 11/23/2011
★★★★★

The FDA and Food Industry have played a deceptive, sinister and cruel trick on acid reflux sufferers. They have disguised the cause of this "disease" in an unethical (albeit brilliant) web of lies and deception. They have capitalized upon one of those situations in life where the logical answer is wrong, and the answer that doesn't seem to make a lick of sense on the surface is right by advocating to the population that the logical answer is in fact, correct, and the solution is "X" when they know it is dead wrong but don't care, because it creates an entire industry, which yields profit.

We are led to believe that our Acid Reflux is the result of too much acid in the stomach that then "spills" into the esophagus, causing the burning sensation. However, the reality is just the opposite. There is no such thing as "Acid Reflux disease or GERD. " You experience the symptoms associated with acid reflux because your stomach is not producing enough acid and stomach gases force food and acid upwards into the esophagus. The technical diagnoses is "Hypochlorhydria, " which means "too little stomach acid" (Hydrochloric acid) and the FDA doesn't want you to figure that out, because the cure is not pharmaceutical drugs, which means you won't be giving them money to keep you on life-long chemicals that address symptoms rather than causes, until you develop side effects to medicine "X" and have to take medicine "Y" to suppress them, all resulting in more money in their pockets for essentially killing you over time.

The reason red wine helps your acid reflux is because red wine appears to help with digestion. Red wine helps with digestion because it has acidic value, just like Apple Cider. Put simply, you are adding acid to your stomach. This is why you feel more severe heartburn for the first 20 seconds when you take a sip as it travels down your throat to your stomach, followed by relief once it arrives and settles. You are effectively repopulating your stomach with the acidic value it needs to execute digestion, thus preventing gases from forcing anything into your esophagus. However, since you are led to believe your symptoms are due to too much acid in the stomach, the logical reaction is to classify red wine as a GERD/Reflux catalyst or agitator, which is why most "no-no foods lists" for Acid Reflux sufferers will include red wine.

Pharmaceutical medications essentially do the same thing, but they do it in an unhealthy, dangerous & expensive way. What they do is eliminate ALL acid in the body. When this happens, the body panics and works extremely hard to reproduce sufficient acid. Once this process completes, your symptoms go away, because your stomach now has an appropriate level of acid in it. The FDA, however, wants you to keep giving them more money, so they hope you continue to believe you have too much acid and you need these drugs to keep your acid levels under control.

Nothing seems to cure Hypochlorhydria except for lifestyle change and time. You must treat the source of the problem, which is faulty digestion. If you had proper digestion, your body wouldn't lack the acid levels required to digest nourishment in the stomach.

I personally have been on multiple prescription medications for chronic Acid Reflux before learning the truth for the past 8 years. The only medication that worked for me alleviated my symptoms momentarily at the expense of injecting 1,680 mg of sodium into my system everyday. Combine that with my daily salt intake and I'd be dead by 40, like our forefathers who used salt to preserve their foods. That being said, I have always been skeptical about holistic remedies, and given my general luck, most things don't end up working for me. That being said, I would like to share what has worked for me, so that in the event you are skeptical, have bad luck or nothing ever works for you, you can know that someone with the same problem found the following solutions:

I recommend a full spectrum digestive enzyme before or after every meal, as well as a probiotic from your local vitamin store. Certified Inner Fillet Aloe Vera Juice helps as well, but I wouldn't take it everyday because it has claims to be hard on the kidneys over a long period of time/usage. Absolutely positively stay away from anything spicy. Spicy food is the only thing that will render every trick in my bag useless and keep me up all night burning, regardless what time I ate it. There's also nothing on the planet I love more, but you have to do what you have to do. On that topic, never overeat, never eat past 7pm, and although it is very hard to follow (I am guilty of not following this often), try to limit your intake of liquid with your meals to 5-6 ounces preferably a good red wine or water. The reason for this is to not dilute your stomach acid to ensure it remains effective in digestion. Drink water at least 30 minutes after your meal. Lastly on the topic of digestion, and even harder to follow than limiting liquid intake is to not mix your food groups. The human digestive system is not well equipped to fully digest multiple food groups simultaneously. In other words, do not eat your roughage, meets & starches together. When one does this, the digestive system kicks into overdrive from being overwhelmed, and there is no way it is able to fully digest all food from all food groups when ingested simultaneously. The end result is poor digestion and putrefying food in the stomach, producing that "full for 12 hours" feeling, indigestion, heartburn, etc.

Following these guidelines will not alleviate your symptoms, however. These recommendations may heal and correct your body over time with consistent use, which is needed. While your body does this though, let's talk about the things that can manage the symptoms.

The absolute first thing you I recommend to do after reading this is buy a large bottle of Papaya Enzyme chewable tablets these guys are your best friends, and without them you are severely disadvantaged in managing your symptoms. They have a similar effect to over the counter antacid chewables, but they are enzymes, so rather than spin the acid depletion / replenish cycle, it aids your digestive system while controlling and preventing further symptoms. Most instructions say to take 3 with meals and two when needed. I often take ~25 a day.

Try to find a health foods store that carries Slippery Elm Powder. This is tree bark dust, and it coats & soothes your stomach. Mix 1-2 teaspoons into a mug of hot water & be prepared because it is ungodly nasty and the texture is like drinking mucus. That being said, provided it doesn't cause you to wake up congested and you aren't allergic to it, it is excellent in relieving symptoms.

Purchase organic roasted almonds and consume. For some reason, roasted almonds appear to alleviate symptoms. Almond milk is a good choice as well, but doesn't appear to work nearly as well as almonds in my experience.

Now the stomach needs to be trained to produce sufficient acid. This can be done by buying a bottle of raw Apple Cider Vinegar with the Mother and drinking 3 tablespoons in 8oz of water 3 times a day. Drinking ACV has other health benefits as well, but it can be rough on the stomach for some (myself included). Apple Cider Vinegar is also quite nasty, but it replenishes acid and alleviates symptoms. Avoid ACV capsules, as they do not appear to work. Proven Old Amish Formula "Stops Acid Reflux" formula produces a similar effect to ACV, can be taken straight, and is a bit more bearable. It also contains ginger and garlic juices. However, in my case of sensitive stomach, both cause me stomach discomfort (ACV stomachache, Amish Formula bloating) so I opt to not take them. In their absence, I have found that good red wine (preferably Cabernet Sauvignon) alleviates symptoms, and appears to replenish acid levels. Another method is to purchase Hydrochloric Acid in pill form (5-HCL) and take before and/or after meals to add acid to the stomach. This is the only approach I have no experience with as of yet.

I recommend purchasing a crushed ice maker and chewing crushed ice. The ice will soothe your throat and remove all symptoms while actively consuming, but symptoms will often re-emerge shortly after you have stopped eating ice. Drinking water helps momentarily. Chewing gum also seems to remove symptoms by increasing saliva production which improves digestion, and masks the feeling of heartburn with the flavor of the gum instead. Ensure your head and upper chest is elevated when you sleep to assist gravity in keeping the acid splash from the gases where it belongs. This can be accomplished with a wedge pillow or 6-8 inches of bricks under the bed.

As a last resort, keep a box of baking soda on hand; dissolve 1/4 tsp of baking soda in 4-5 ounces of water and drink. Most recommend 8 ounces. In my experience, less water works better. This will neutralize acid so that if gases are causing splashing on the esophagus, it will be neutral & (relatively) symptom free. I often need to consume 1/4 tsp baking soda to sleep comfortably. Just be aware that 1/4 tsp of baking soda is somewhere around 300mg of sodium. That being said, it is loads better than the 1, 680mg I was consuming every night.

This is every tool in my toolbox that has had any sort of positive effect on controlling and moving towards curing my Hypochlorhydria. I recommend equipping yourself with all of these tools, but if I could only choose three I'd take the Papaya Enzymes and an Acid Producer (Red Wine, ACV, etc.) daily, while keeping the baking soda on hand for emergencies. Remember, consuming spicy foods will render every single tool ineffective. However, following these guidelines has allowed me to manage this condition, but I can't guarantee the same for everyone.


Betaine Hydrochloride
Posted by Dena L. (New Orleans, Louisiana ) on 11/17/2022
★★★★★

After suffering from C-19, I started suffering from heartburn everyday. This went on for months. It got so bad I could barely eat any food and it would affect my sleep. So I started only eating from 12pm to 7pm and I started taking a supplement called HCL betaine pepsin. I got this from Amazon. I took HCL for only three weeks and my heartburn never returned. If you have bad heartburn you may have to take them for life but it's safer than doctors medications that may cause side effects. I also stop drinking lemon and orange juice everyday. I only have them occasionally. I now drink apple juice and teas like hibiscus tea. So far I'm back to normal.


Acidophilus
Posted by beverly (Texas) on 04/05/2022

Activated charcoal is good but remember it can cause constipation, so compensate for that.


Slippery Elm
Posted by Gena (Westport, Ct) on 12/09/2014
★★★★★

I have acid reflux and find that taking 4 capsules of slippery elm settles my stomach and makes the acid reflux disappear. I highly recommend it for anyone who suffers from it!


Acidophilus
Posted by James (Hartford, Ct) on 04/03/2013
★★★★★

I take acidophilus every night for its beneficial bacteria. I noticed about a week after I started taking it that I no longer get acid reflux. I take 2 refrigerated pills with a glass of water just before going to bed. Highly recommend this.

Acidophilus
Posted by Joy (La) on 11/26/2013

My doctor gave me therelac, and I bought a probiotic that has was in the freezer section that a grocery store it is a organic raw probiotics powder it has 500 billion CfU with 34 strains it has the USDA approval I swear one day they will have gadzillion cfu's My Chinese medicine doctor suggested slippery elm to calm the stomach and fresh ginger in water, body biotics first I had ever heard of it wnt on Amazon and bought the highly rated Broad Spectrum Probioic Prebiotic Powder He told me that our produce is washed and sterilized so many times before it gets to the plate that it is not allowing the body to build the flora it needs. He told me just eat things right out our garden without washing it and allowing the good flora to build up in the system . The oral surgeon, told me he is telling his grandchildren not to use those antibacterial pumps they have in public place, because it disrupts the bodies ability to build up the natural resistance it needs to protect itself. Something to think about it.


Betaine Hydrochloride
Posted by FreeBrrd (San Francisco, CA USA) on 05/04/2009
★★★★★

Acid reflux symptoms are same for too much acid & too little acid. Most treatments are for too much. Most treatments will take care of the symptoms either way. Test for too little acid is if vinegar helps as it is acid. From my research, I don't think vinegar will cure too little acid, just the symptoms. Taking betaine HCL is supposed to cure it by teaching your system to produce more acid.

Too little acid causes nutrients to not be absorbed. You may become anemic, etc. I think this is why they say that older folks do not absorb nutrients as well ei. calcium.

So while the stuff you get at the drugstore will cure the symptoms, if you have too little acid, it will actually make the problem worse.

If you search online for Betaine HCL and acid reflux, it will tell you how to do it. Basically take the HCL with meals that include protein. Take enough to make you feel better. After a while you should be able to reduce amount of HCL taken, stopping completely at some point. If you use acid blockers, etc. it reverses the good results.

Get Betaine HCL at health food stores. Pharmacists go into shock if you tell them that you want to take Hydrochloric acid.


Slippery Elm
Posted by Lenore (Chicago, Illinois) on 04/01/2009
★★★★★

My husband had a bad case of acid reflux for years and I found out about Slippery Elm Bark tea. I made him a cup of it and he drank it down and has not been bothered with it for months.Slippery elm bark tea is said to soothe and heal anything it comes in contact with and is very nourishing. The tea is reputed to stay in a sore and ulcerated stomach where nothing else can and can be purchased in powdered for at any health food store. By the way I love your website and told a friend about using ginger while undergoing chemo. He now thinks I am a genius and said it works so well that he can eat again and is gaining weight.



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