Home Remedies To Treat Heartburn

The burning feeling occurring in the chest after eating which lasts for a few minutes to several hours is called as heartburn. This is caused by acid reflux or the flowing back of digestive juices from the stomach to the esophagus due to the damages of the sphincter muscle separating esophagus and stomach.  The stomach is the part of the digestive system where digestion occurs with the help of digestive juices and enzymes. These juices are acidic in nature and our stomach is protected from these juices by special cells lining the interior of the stomach. When these acidic juices reflux back into the esophagus it causes irritation as esophagus does not have the protective lining. The pain of acid reflux (heartburn) can be in the lower chest or it can spread out to the back of the throat. If there is acid reflux near the larynx in the throat, it may cause coughing and hoarseness of voice.

Causes Of Heartburn:

Heartburn is actually a symptom of another condition called GERD (gastro esophageal reflux disease). Risk factors of heartburn include those which increase the production of acid in the stomach. The foods that we eat and drink can stimulate increased secretion of stomach acid. Some of the irritants that cause heartburn includes

1. Caffeine
2. Carbonated drinks
3. Alcohol
4. Acidic fruit juices such as grapefruit, pineapple, orange etc
5. Chocolates
6. Spicy foods
7. Smoking

The other factors which acts as a cause of heartburn includes pregnancy, hiatal hernia, obesity etc.

Home Remedies To Treat Heartburn:

You need not suffer at all if you are having heartburn. The following are the simple things that you can practice at home to get good relief from the heartburn discomfort.

Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is considered to be an excellent home remedy to treat heartburns. It is very effective in calming the problems in the stomach and also aids in digestion.

1. Take 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and mix it in half a cup of pure water. Make sure that you buy organic apple cider vinegar for better results.
2. Drink this mixture immediately after every meal you take.
3. You will feel stomach discomfort disappear and it will also help in easy digestion.

Buttermilk: Buttermilk is another effective home remedy for heartburn that can be easily made at home or is readily available in the supermarket. As buttermilk has acidic properties it will work on your stomach to provide relief from acid reflux as well as heartburn.

1. All you need to do is to drink half a cup of ice cold buttermilk after meals to get instant relief from heartburn.
2. It is ideal that you use fermented milk and soy products in your diet to prevent the acid reflux problems.
3. It is better to stick on to low fat milk to prepare buttermilk as it will help in providing easy and instant relief to heartburn problems.

Cinnamon Tea: Cinnamon and cardamom are natural herbs that have great properties to cool the heat of the heartburn. You can make herbal teas out of cinnamon sticks or cardamom to get instant relief from heartburns.

1. Take one or two sticks of cinnamon and then crush it in a blender. You can powder it as well in the blender.
2. Take a teaspoon of crushed cinnamon or powdered cinnamon and add it to a cup of water.
3. Mix it well and then boil this water for a few minutes.
4. Add one or two pieces of cardamom in this boiling water.
5. Now strain this water and drink the cinnamon tea after an oily or spicy meal to get rid of heartburn problems.

Aloe Vera Juice: Aloe vera is a well known coolant and has anti inflammatory properties. It is also found to be as effective for stomach pain relief and heartburns as on the skin.

1. Take aloe vera juice specially prepared for internal consumption at least twice a day when you suffer from heart burns.
2. It will provide your stomach with a cooling effect and will ease heartburn. It would be ideal for you to choose organic aloe vera juice for effective results.

Baking Soda: Baking soda has all the properties in it that will fight stomach problems and heartburns. It is a powerful antacid that will help in reducing heartburn instantly. But, if you are a victim of regular heartburn, then it is ideal that you avoid taking baking soda as it is high in salt content and hence could arouse side effects like nausea and swelling.

1. Take about ¾ teaspoon of baking soda and mix it well in a glass of water.
2. Drink this water after you have had your food or when you feel symptoms of heartburn.
3. It will instantly neutralize the acid and provide you with temporary relief from heartburn caused due to acid reflux.

Basil Leaves: Basil leaves are one natural home remedy that you can think of when you are suffering from stomach gas, nausea as well as heartburn. It will help in easing heartburn to some extent.

1. Chewing two or three basil leaves will provide you immediate relief from stomach acid.
2. You can also boil a bunch of basil leaves in a glass of water for a few minutes.
3. Strain the contents and then drink this water after it becomes warm. Drink this after eating your food to reduce heartburn.

Garlic: Garlic is a well known natural home remedy for treating heartburns. It has been used to treat heartburn for ages now. Garlic will help in immediately soothing your stomach area and provides relief from heartburn.

1. Whenever you feel that you are having heartburn problems, just chew one or two cloves of freshly peeled garlic. You will get instant relief from heartburn.
2. You can put a few garlic pieces in apple cider vinegar and store it for a while.When you get the heartburn sensation, you can drink a teaspoon of the apple cider vinegar liquid soaked with garlic to get instant relief..

Mustard: You will be surprised to know that mustard is a very effective home remedy that you can think of for heartburn. It will provide you with instant relief from heartburn and works wonders whenever you suffer from acid reflux attacks.

1. Whenever you feel that you are affected by acid reflux, just take one teaspoon of yellow mustard and mix it in half a glass of water.
2. Drink this water to get instant relief from acid reflux.
3. The yellow mustard has turmeric as one of its main ingredients that will help in fighting digestive disorders.

Drink Water: Water is a natural and effective home remedy for a lot of health problems. It will help in washing off the excess acid in your stomach and adequate consumption of water will help in removing the excess acid that fills the esophagus.

1. It would be ideal for you to drink 6 to 8 glasses of water everyday if you are a person who suffers from heartburn problems.
2. It is also important for you to make sure that you do not consume too much of water as this would make your problem worse.

Turmeric: Turmeric is well known as an antiseptic and will also help in preventing the build up of acid in your tummy. Turmeric is added in most of the foods prepared in India as it has excellent digestive properties.

1. If you do not use turmeric in your everyday cooking, then you can take turmeric capsules that are readily available before meals to help in preventing any acid reflux.
2. You can also think of adding a teaspoon of turmeric to a glass of buttermilk and drink this mixture everyday if you are a regular victim of heartburns.

Peppermint Oil: Peppermint oil or peppermint leaves are a very good home remedy to treat heartburns. It will provide you with instant relief from indigestion.

1. If you feel that you are suffering from indigestion problems, then all you need to do is to chew one or two pieces of peppermint leaves to get instant relief from indigestion problems.
2. You can also add two drops of the peppermint oil in a tablespoon of cold water and drink it whenever you suffer from indigestion. You are sure to get instant relief. It will also help to solve your stomach irritation problems.

Potatoes: Potato juice is found to be a safe and effective home remedy that you can think of when you suffer from acid attacks in your stomach. It will help in neutralizing the acid in your stomach and also helps the esophagus lining.

1. Extract juice from a raw potato and mix it with equal amounts of cold water.
2. Stir this mixture very well until the water gets cloudy with the starch.
3. Drink it immediately after stirring to get instant relief from acid problems in your stomach.

Grapes: Grapes are also a very effective home remedy that you can always take whenever you suffer from any digestion problems. It is known to provide instant relief from upset stomach and also helps in proper digestion.

1. All you need to do is to pop in about 10 to 15 grapes whenever you feel that you have some indigestion problem and you will get instant relief.
2. Drinking a glass of pure and fresh grape juice will also help you in getting good relief from indigestion.

Ginger: Ginger is one of the age old remedies to treat heartburn. It can be added to any food that is cooked and can also be consumed as ginger tea to get better relief from stomach indigestion.

1. Add a teaspoon of fresh ginger juice to a tablespoon of honey. Put this mixture in a quarter glass of water and mix them well.
2. Drink this ginger mixture to get instant relief from indigestion problems.
3. You can also boil small cut pieces of fresh ginger in a glass of water. Boil this for a few minutes.
4. Strain the water and drink this hot ginger tea to get instant relief from digestion problems.

Fennel Tea: It is also believed that tea made from fennel and anise seeds are also very effective in treating heartburn problems in the stomach.

1. Add one teaspoon of fennel seeds and one teaspoon of anise seeds in a glass of water.
2. Boil this mixture for about 10 minutes.
3. Now strain the contents and drink the tea that you have prepared to get instant relief from heartburn.

Chamomile Tea: Chamomile tea is known to be a very good relief provider for a lot of health problems. It works wonders for people suffering from acid problems as it will help in instantly neutralizing the acid in the stomach.

1. Take three to four chamomile flowers and add it in a cup of water.
2. Brig this water mixture to boil for about 5 minutes.
3. Strain the water and drink it when hot to get immediate relief from indigestion.

Apple:

1. Eating a slice or two of apple will also help in reducing acid production in your stomach.
2. Apples have the ability to neutralize the acid formation in your stomach in about five minutes.
3. It would be ideal for you to go for organic apples so that you can see effective results within a short period of time.

Pineapple Juice:

1. Consuming 125 ml of fresh pineapple juice after meals will help to reduce heartburn problems in your stomach.
2. It contains an enzyme called bromelain that will help to reduce the hydrochloric acid levels in your stomach.