Natural Remedies for Acid Reflux Relief

Dietary Changes

Posted by Diana (Texas) on 06/16/2021
★★★★★

I also found that lowering my carbs eliminated the acid flux problem. Was having significant reflux 2-3 times per week. To lose weight I lowered my carbs to 40-50 per day. About 7-11 days after starting the diet, I realized I hadn't had any bouts of reflux since a day or two after lowering my carbs. This was a complete surprise as I had gone into the diet without any thought that it might have this happy result. It also eliminated the armpit rash I'd been having. It has been about 8 months or more since starting the low carb diet and both issues have remained resolved as long as I watch my carbs. The only times the reflux has recurred was after I had been backsliding for a few days. I can get away with higher carb intake for maybe a day or three but then the reflux comes back. It's a great motivator! I'm 5'3 and weigh 165 now after losing about 15 lbs on the diet, if that is pertinent. Hope this helps someone.

Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking Soda

Posted by Frederick (Tulip, Ar) on 10/14/2015

I have severe acid reflux. How long can I take apple cider vinegar/ baking soda, been taking 2Tb=vinegar with 1Tsp (3 times a day) 5 days on 2 days off now on my second wk.. How long does it take for results? Thank u kindly.

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.

Aloe Vera

Posted by Grant (Texas City, Texas) on 05/08/2009
★★★★★

Was just reading Ted from Bangkok, Thailand post 12/04/2006 on acid reflux and wanted to pass my findings along. Back in the early 70's I had acid so bad that I would swallow antacids whole, by the handfulls. While shopping the, (then, very new concept in my area), herb store, I found aloe vera "gel" which used Irish moss as the gelling agent and ascorbic acid as the preservative, it cured my "AR" with the first swallow! Later I determined it was actually the Irish moss that stopped my acid! However, I can't find the combination anywhere any more.

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.

Acupressure

Posted by Ila (Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) on 03/14/2009
★★★★★

Hi All, Would like to share a trick I use when I get acid reflux at night and have no ACV or other remedy at hand. Fluff up your pillow, get into bed and roll over onto your LEFT SIDE, make a fist and press into the hollow area at centre of chest just under your rib cage, and above the stomach. If you use enough pressure, you should feel relief within a minute or two, it works almost immediately for me. I hope it may work for others also. Never sleep on your right side, as it tends to make the reflux worse. It is very difficult for me to get ACV down my throat ,as I dislike it so much, it gives me shivers just thinking about it. I managed to get it down mixed with some water a few times so I know it works for acid reflux. Now I just sip a little pickle juice but I don't recommend this for others because of the salt content,Thanks for the great site,cheers to all,Ila

Alkaline Acid Diet

Posted by Vanya (Frankfort, Indiana) on 11/08/2008
★★★★★

I have had Acid Reflux for 6 and 1/2 years. Tried every prescription and non prescription medicine on the market, they all stopped working after while. I am ACID FREE since September 22-08(for good) I stopped my Protonix (despite my doctor opinion)

I read about the alkalizing diet and started on it right away. I start my day with 2oz of Aloe Vera Gel, then I take enzyme pill and eat breakfast. I am taking enzymes right before every meal. Then I drink a cup of chamomile tea with honey or molasses instead of sugar. I eat an apple around 10 am. Sometimes a pear. After lunch I take B complex vitamin, don't forget the enzyme pill too (it helps to digest the food better) Sometimes I feel a little bit discomfort in my stomach and I become afraid of getting the acid back, at those moments I chew raw almonds ( I always have some in my purse) and I feel fine! And , at last but most important I take PROBIOTICS, 5 or 6 per day, just anytime during the day. The more cultures they contain the better you feel, because we all need to replenish the good bacteria in our intestines (we live in a very stressful and poisoned environment)

Thank you all for the valuable information on this website! God Bless You all...

Apples

Posted by Bahbi (Salem, Oregon, USA) on 10/31/2008
★★★★★

My 81 yr old husband has suffered Acid Reflux for probably 50 years. He has used over the counter antacid tablets like candy for years and years, and for the last 3 years his doctor has also had him on Omeprazole 1/2 hour before breakfast & dinner, Famotidine 2/day WITH breakfast and dinner, AND Metoclopramide at bedtime if the reflux is bothering him. But he still has had trouble sleeping due to heartburn and reflux while lying flat in bed, and has had to sleep with he head raised (in his recliner) 2-3 times a week. But a week ago I found the entries on EarthClinic about apples for reflux. He likes apples OK--we usually share an apple at lunch, so I asked him to eat the lunch-time apple as "dessert" instead of "appetizer", and to also eat 1/4 apple after breakfast and after dinner. He had an IMMEDIATE positive lessening of reflux, and after 3 days he eliminated the Omeprazole from his daily regimen. By adding 1/4 apple in the later evening as well, he has not needed Metoclopramide even once in the past week. APPLES FOR REFLUX WORK LIKE A MIRACLE!!

Aloe Vera

Posted by Peggy (USA) on 01/25/2008
★★★★★

I've read many of your questions on Acid Reflux. I was diagnosed with Bleeding Stomach ulcers, and was on many Antibiotics and Prevacid, acidix,to my surprise helped towards my osterprosis. I was on this for several years. There is really something that works better then anything I have read. It is 99.9% Aloe Juice. Take a little before each meal and it helps the stomach and digestive tract. After using it for several weeks then u only need it for morning and evening. I just read all the things like mentioned in your blogs here,but thought I should pass along about Aloe Juice. Thank you Peggy

Alkaline Acid Diet

Posted by Cynthia (Bergen County, New Jersey) on 11/23/2007
★★★★★

All these remedies do not address what people are putting initially in their bodies! Everyone is consuming acid causing foods. The basic theory is that acidic foods (ex. orange) cause an alkaline tummy. Alkaline foods cause an acid stomache. If you eat a lot of bread, rice, grains, etc. you will have reflux or an acid stomache. If you balance your diet with fruits and vegetables you will greatly reduce your chance of an acidic stomache. Find an acid alkaline food chart on google. There are quite a few. This explains why some people found relief from apples. It is an alkalizing fruit! So are beets, broccoli, carrots, etc. But be careful! Some fruits and vegees are acidifying like corn, lentils, blueberries, cranberries, canned fruits, plums, prunes, etc. That is why the chart is so important. I was a candidate for nexium and anti-acid pills. However, I changed my life by maintaining the acid alkaline diet. Please consider this. I've changed a lot of people's lives by sharing this information. However, a couple of my friends and family who have NOT taken this advice are now on anti-acid pills. Oh, by the way, fennel seed tea is a miracle worker for after dinner tummy calming. It helps to maintain an alkaline tummy. I need 2 cups to be helpful (I'm 144 lbs). Find the right dose for you. Best of luck!! Here's to your health!

Dietary Changes

Posted by GH (BC, Canada) on 06/24/2025

A simple cure for acid reflux

I had AR for years until I finally stopped and considered the simple mechanics of digestion and modified my behaviour so that I was not interfering with that process. When we eat the stomach produces acid in the volume necessary to digest the food consumed. That acid is also at the necessary concentration to digest the food. When we drink just before or during meals, or just after meals, we dilute the stomach acids to the point where their function is greatly impaired. The body naturally detects this and produces more acid to restore the required acidic concentration. The result, depending on how much liquid is consumed, is a much greater quantity of acid than was needed to digest the food. This requires a commensurately larger quantity of bile to neutralize when the chyme enters the small intestine. When I stopped drinking before, during or until about 30 minutes after meals, my acid reflux ceased immediately and completely and has never returned except on rare occasions when I broke this rule on social occasions. Primitive man not only feasted and fasted, he ate and drank mostly at different times. Give it a try!

Turpentine

Posted by KS (Vienna, Austria) on 10/03/2021
★★★★★

Turpentine for Stubborn Acid Reflux (GERD)

This is how I cured my acid reflux which I suffered from for 17 years (nothing else had helped):

1 teaspoon daily of purified gum turpentine. (I took it in my mouth and washed it down with a glass of water. do not swallow without water as it can get into the windpipe.)

I paused for 1-3 days when side effects like diarrhea were too much. Side effects subside the cleaner your body gets. Turpentine kills of biofilms which cause the acid reflux.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Denise (Us) on 11/17/2018 50 posts
★★★★★

I have my acid reflux under control, mostly to Dietary Changes so I wanted to reply here. One huge change for me, was to eat no later than 6pm, but mainly, just don't go to bed within 4 hours or so of eating. I can eat toast as a snack, or anything that is very, easy to digest. I've had a few nights where I had eaten something I shouldn't have, pretty late, like only 2 or less hour before bed. If I do get it, I elevate my upper body, take a bit of baking soda in water usually. I did have a bottle of Gaviscon beside my bed, but no longer needed. I do eat mostly fish, poultry, and vegetables, but I'm more about moderation than anything. I do incorporate some things into my diet such as Apple cider vinegar (Mother's type) Coconut Oil, Blackstrap Molasses in my grated Ginger Tea, and nutritional yeast I just started recently. I also supplement with C, B50, extra B12, D3, Zinc and Magnesium. I love this site as I wouldn't have known all the things to try.