10 Home Remedies for Indigestion

We’ve all experienced indigestion at some point or another, whether it be from having too much of your favorite indulgence, or as a result of a digestive disorder you have developed.

Regardless, the uncomfortable feeling of bloating, stomach pain, heartburn or acid reflux that is associated with indigestion does not need to control your life.

In fact, instead of reaching for that remedy in your medicine cabinet, how about heading to the pantry where you probably have a number of these home remedies already at your disposal?

Not to mention, they are definitely safer than pharmaceuticals, and what you have is no reason to avoid them. Here are some of the most effective home remedies for indigestion you can take advantage of:

1. Apple Cider Vinegar

Possessing a taste that is clearly acidic, how in the world can apple cider vinegar help to ease the burning hellfire you feel in your stomach? This is, in fact, one of nature’s funny ironies.

Even though apple cider vinegar is indeed clearly acidic at room temperature, when consumed, it converts into an alkaline forming compound, which is one that neutralizes acidity and can soothe your stomach in no time flat.

But instead of waiting for indigestion to occur, how about scheduling apple cider vinegar prior to your meal? Yes, consumption of a small amount of apple cider vinegar before notoriously triggering meals can help to alleviate discomfort significantly, or prevent indigestion altogether.

You don’t need to drink it raw – feel free to dilute it in water, and add a little honey if needed.

2. Baking Soda

The gold standard when it comes to home remedies for indigestion, baking soda is an alkaline substance that is equivalent of using a fire extinguisher on an inferno. The result is immediate relief, and a sustained cooling action.

It can also help to relieve nausea and bloating that may accompany a meal that you know you shouldn’t have eaten. Half of a teaspoon mixed in a glass of water is sufficient to deliver you expect an effective indigestion remedy to do.

3. Lemon Juice

Another glorious twist of fate, lemon juice, which is classified as citrus, is highly acidic at room temperature. But similar to apple cider vinegar, once consumed lemon juice becomes alkaline and lends itself to supporting the fight against acidity.

Squeezed lemon added to water with a little honey is a perfect natural remedy for quickly settling your stomach and easing discomfort.

4. Cumin

Cumin seeds soaked in water or ground and then consumed are excellent options for treating indigestion at home, helping out in multiple ways.

For instance, cumin can help to decrease the secretion of acid in the stomach, which is helpful for the healing of ulcers or allowing other indigestion remedies to elicit their full action.

In addition to this, it can help with bloating and gas pressure, and even help to reduce colonies of H. pylori bacteria that naturally reside in the stomach, but can cause ulceration under specific circumstances.

Cumin seeds also possess an anti-inflammatory action that can help relieve symptoms of gastritis or inflammatory bowel disease.

5. Aloe Juice

Aloe juice is one of my favorites when it comes to treatment of indigestion, as following consumption the cooling effect is immediately evident. Aloe juice has long been used for its benefits on digestion and healing, but also helps to reduce stomach acidity, reducing inflammatory processes within the digestive tract, and can even help to reduce nausea.

Aloe gel is also quite nutritious, and loved by the probiotic bacteria residing in your gut. What’s not to love? Aloe juice is an All-Star member of the natural remedy team.

6. Milk

For generations, instinctively milk has been reached for as one of the first lines of therapy when indigestion hits, for the simple reason – it works. However, there is much more to the use of milk than meets the eye, making it very important that you read this carefully.

Much of the soothing action milk provides is attributed to the presence of calcium, which chelates substances in the stomach, and helps to neutralize acid. However, lower fat milk is generally preferred for this function.

Rebound indigestion is quite common in persons that use full cream milk, as the fat content triggers a subsequent release of hydrochloric acid from the stomach.

The proteins in the milk may be troublesome if you have a pre-existing allergy as well, but in general milk works fine for the majority of people that use it to treat indigestion.

7. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil isn’t a quick fix – that needs to be established from the get-go. Rather, it is very effective in helping to facilitate longer-term control in persons that suffer from chronic indigestion, and are looking for more permanent solutions.

Start off getting more coconut oil in the diet by replacing your vegetable oils; they are typically highly pro-inflammatory anyway. Coconut oil, on the other hand is naturally antimicrobial, helping to reduce the population of H. pylori bacteria residing in the gut.

Your probiotic bacteria also love using the ketone bodies produced via metabolism of coconut oil, so give a whirl and see the noticeable change over the course of a few months.

8. Ginger

A favorite of persons that prefer natural anti-nausea treatments, ginger is well-equipped to deal with indigestion, helping to reduce production of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.

Coupled with its anti-inflammatory actions, ginger can actively help promote healing of ulcerations within the digestive tract.

Don’t like the taste of ginger? Make it into tea or consume it with a bit of honey; whatever you need to do to make it more palatable.

9. Cloves

Cloves help relieve indigestion not by reducing acidity, but rather by increasing it. How does this work? Via accelerated stomach emptying. A large majority of the time, indigestion will occur if food stays in your stomach too long. Cloves help to prevent this by speeding up the emptying of the stomach contents into the intestines, where digestion can continue.

This effect also lends itself to relief of vomiting and nausea, and can also treat gas pressure.

10. Green Smoothies

Did you know that green leafy vegetables are alkaline in nature? Yes, one of the best ways to achieve long-term control over chronic indigestion is to try and correct the body’s pH problem.

Many persons have a body pH on the acidic side, whereas ideally it should be neutral to slightly alkaline. Consumption of various green veggies made into a smoothie is a super convenient way of helping to shift the pH balance back in the direction that you need.

Time to whip out that all smoothie blender again? Feel free to add fruits such as melons which are also considered alkaline in nature for a taste boost.

Conclusion

While indigestion isn’t fully preventable, you can reduce the suffering you experience by taking advantage of remedies for the discomfort you have at home right now.

Get your exercise, try to reduce your body fat, and maintain a healthy diet with lots of alkaline foods and you can prevent the eventuality of chronic acid reflux developing.