Basil Leaves: The soothing and carminative properties of basil leaves can give you instant relief from acidity. At the first sign of gas, eat a few basil leaves or boil 3-4 basil leaves in a cup of water and let it simmer for a few minutes. Sip on it frequently. This is one of the best home remedies for acidity.
Fennel: You can also “chew sauf after meals, to prevent stomach acidity”. “For its multitude of gastrointestinal benefits, fennel tea is sure to help the digestive tract be healthy and happy. The tea is considered very useful to help indigestion and bloating because of the oils found in these seeds”.
Cinnamon: This humble spice works as a natural antacid for stomach acidity and can settle your stomach, by improving digestion and absorption. For relief, drink cinnamon tea to heal infections in the gastrointestinal tract. Cinnamon is a powerhouse of nutrients and loaded with health benefiting properties.
Buttermilk: Did you know that buttermilk is categorised as a sattvic food in Ayurveda? So, the next time you get acidity after eating a heavy or spicy meal, skip the antacid and drink a glass of chaas instead. Buttermilk contains lactic acid that normalizes acidity in the stomach. Sprinkle a dash of black pepper or 1 teaspoon of ground coriander leaves for best results.
Jaggery: Ever wondered why our elders finish a meal with gur? “Due to its high magnesium content, jaggery helps boost intestinal strength”. It aids digestion and makes your digestive system more alkaline in nature, thus reducing stomach acidity. Suck on a small piece of gur after a meal, and reap the benefits. Since jaggery also helps maintain normal body temperature, cooling the stomach – experts recommend drinking Gur Sharbat (jaggery soaked in ice cold water) during the summer.
Cloves: Over the years, cloves have grabbed a prominent place in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda to treat digestive disorders. Cloves are carminative in nature, thus preventing the formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract. Add cloves while cooking foods like kidney beans or black gram that tend to cause flatulence. You can even eat crushed cloves and cardamom (mixed in equal amounts) to treat acidity, and get rid of bad breath (which often accompanies this problem).
Cumin Seeds: Cumin seeds work as a great acid neutralizer, aid digestion and relieve stomach pain. Slightly crush some roasted cumin seeds, stir it into a glass of water or steep one teaspoon of cumin seeds in a cup of boiled water and drink it after every meal.
Ginger: Beneath its knobbly exterior, ginger hides many health benefits. “Ginger has excellent digestive and anti-inflammatory properties”. To help neutralize stomach acids, you can chew a slice of fresh ginger, or have a spoonful of ginger juice two-three times a day, or steep fresh ginger in a cup of boiling water and drink up.
Cold Milk: For those who are not lactose intolerant, milk can help stabilize gastric acids in the stomach. It is rich in calcium, which prevents the buildup of acid in the stomach. “All you need to do is drink a glass of cold milk the next time you suffer from acidity”.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Very often, your acid reflux is in fact the result of too little stomach acid. That’s where apple cider vinegar steps in. Simply mix 1-2 teaspoons of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a cup of water and drink it once or twice a day. You can also take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, and chase it with a glass of water.
Loosen up your clothes: You could be experiencing a heartburn because of tight clothes around your stomach as they could be binding the stomach. In such a case, first thing you should do is loosen them up. Wear free and breezy clothes.
Stand up: Often, heartburn could happen due to a wrong posture or prolonged sitting. If you are sitting or are lying down, you must stand up. Let gravity work itself. Also, when you are lying down, your organs get compressed, increasing the chances of a heartburn.
Elevate the waist: If you are sleeping or are unfit and cannot stand up, then you must elevate the level of your bed from waist level. Only lifting your head won’t help because your stomach level needs to be raised in order for the digestive juices to flow in the right direction.
Chew a gum: Gum helps in increasing the amount of saliva and hence, improves digestion.
Have a mixture of water and baking soda: Baking soda has the property to neutralize your stomach acid. So, an immediate relief may just be lying in your kitchen. Mix a teaspoon of baking soda in water and have the mixture slowly.
Never light up: For smokers, smoking is their coping mechanism for any kind of discomfort. But you must know that smoking only worsens heartburn. In fact, if you have a regular case of heartburn, you must quit smoking altogether.
Take OTC medicines: Not a home remedy exactly but it doesn’t require you to consult an expert. There are plenty of OTC medicines available for heartburn in the markets. You can have just about any of those.
Know heartburn acupressure points: You can try acupressure points to subside a case of heartburn.
Unwind: If you have been having excess work, leading to stress and anxiety, your stomach could be producing more acid. So, one of the first things that you must do in case of a heartburn is relax and don’t let work wreak havoc on your health.
Try these herbal preparations: You can try chamomile, marshmallow, cinnamon, licorice root and slippery elm as all these are known to soothe symptoms of heartburn. However, make sure that you consult your doctor before trying any of these.
