Reduce Heartburn: 11 Ways to Alleviate Acidity at Home

Imagine this. 

You have a table full of your favourite delicacies. There is everything you could have wished for – from starters to the main course, sides to desserts. 

As much as you want to relish all the dishes presented to you, you are suddenly reminded of the time when you were struggling with severe acidity, which led to your stomach and mood being ruined for a long time. The memory of being down with acidity makes you automatically drawback from eating a lot of food. 

A problem like an acidity, however common, is never pleasant. It occurs when there is an excess secretion of gastric acids in your stomach. This results in the production of excessive gasses, bad breath, as well as stomach aches. Acidity, heartburn, or acid refluxes can trigger unpleasant reactions that make you feel miserably sick. 

Our gastric glands always produce acids to break down various foods and make them suitable for the body. However, heartburn, acidity, or gastroesophageal reflux disease is experienced when this secretion becomes more than usual. Some studies have revealed that the cause of acidity can be attributed to long gaps between two meals, an empty stomach, or excessive consumption of coffee, tea, alcohol, or cigarettes. 

Home Remedies For Acidity

The good news is that there are some home remedies you can use to ease acidity irritations. Let’s look at a list of some of the most easily available food items that can be arranged at home to take care of acid refluxes: 

1. Basil Leaves: Basil Leaves’ carminative and soothing effects help with providing instant relief from acid refluxes. Whenever you feel the first sign of acid reflux, you should boil 3-5 Basil Leaves in a cup of water or consume it raw. This is one of those home remedies for acid reflux that doesn’t take a lot of time to take effect. 

2. Fennel: Chewing Fennel or “Saunf” after meals is also a tried and tested way of preventing stomach acidity. Because of its various health benefits, fennel tea is also a good option to consume Fennel during times of acid reflux. Fennel tea is considered supremely effective to treat bloating and indigestion because of the oil found in the seeds.

3. Cinnamon: Cinnamon works as a natural antacid and can help settle stomachs upset due to acidity or acid refluxes. Cinnamon does this by improving absorption and digestion. The best way to consume cinnamon during heartburns is by drinking cinnamon tea.

 4. Buttermilk: Buttermilk is one of the most highly sattvic food in Ayurveda. A glass of chaas or buttermilk can work wonders after having had a heavy or spicy meal to ensure no acid refluxes happen. Buttermilk is composed of lactic acid that helps in normalizing acid refluxes of the stomach. For best results, sprinkle a dash of coriander leaves or black pepper into your cup of buttermilk.

 5. Jaggery: Jaggery, also known as gur, is high in magnesium content which helps it boost intestinal strength. That is why it is a good idea to include small pieces of gur in your meals, either during or after. In doing so, you will be making your digestive system more alkaline, thereby reducing acid reflux. Since jaggery is also known to cool the stomach, Gur Sharbat is recommended to fight acid reflux during summers.

 6. Cloves: Cloves have been essential to both traditional Chinese as well as Ayurvedic medicine to treat digestive problems. Being carminative in nature, cloves prevent the formation of excessive gases from the gastric gland. You can add cloves to your food ingredients to make your meals a lot more healthy for fighting acid reflux. You can also eat crushed cloves and cardamom to not only treat acid refluxes but also eliminate bad breath.

7. Cumin Seeds: Cumin seeds are amazing at neutralizing the effects of excessive acids in your stomach. For that reason, these are the go-to home remedy for digestion, relieving stomach pain, or curing acidity. For best results, take some roasted seeds, crush them lightly, and mix them into a cup of warm water. Have this drink throughout the day, after every meal.

8. Ginger: Ginger comes with a plethora of health benefits. Simply chewing a fresh slice of ginger will provide immediate relief in cases of heartburn or acid reflux. You can also steep fresh ginger in a cup of boiling water and drink it up, too!

9. Cold Milk: Milk is the best for people who are not lactose intolerant and wish to stabilize their gastric acids. Being rich in calcium, milk prevents the secretion of excessive gases in the stomach.

10. Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar comes in handy during very rare cases of acidity, where the acid reflux is a result of too little stomach acid and not of excessive acid production. Simply mix a couple of teaspoons of unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a cup of warm water and drink it twice a day. Otherwise, you can also take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and then wash it down your throat with a glass of water.

11. Coconut Water: Coconut water makes your body’s pH levels turn more alkaline, which helps in ensuring that no excessive gases are formed. Coconut water also helps with producing mucus in the stomach, which is essential for saving the inner linings of the stomach from harmful effects of the secreted acids. Further, since coconut water is also rich in fibre, it supports digestion while preventing the occurrence of acid reflux.

conclusion

While the permanent solution for acidity or constant acid refluxes is improving your diet and lifestyle, adding more fibre, exercises, workouts, and eliminating junk food, alcohol, smoking, and even cutting down on caffeine, the home remedies mentioned above work just fine in cases when you are suddenly caught with acid refluxes and are looking for solutions to alleviate your symptoms!