Home Remedy for Treating Heartburn

Heartburn, also referred to as indigestion, is characterized by a weak stomach lining. Heartburn is a common problem with multiple causes. Causes of heartburn include eating too fast, stress, being overweight, heredity, a diet high in fat and more. There are many prescription drugs available for the treatment of heartburn, but there are many natural remedies as well that do not have the risk of drug side effects. Try these home remedies for heartburn first, and if indigestion persists, see a doctor.

Common Irritants

• Before treating heartburn with natural home remedies, evaluate your current lifestyle. Cherie Calbom and Maureen Keane, authors of "Juicing for Life," say that tobacco and alcohol are directly linked to heartburn, and heartburn sufferers should eliminate or substantially cut back on these two substances. This will determine if smoking and drinking alcohol are the sources of your indigestion, or if the problem comes from other reasons.

Bananas

• Have a banana for breakfast or work it somewhere into your daily diet. Bananas coat the stomach and protect it from painful digestive acids. Bananas are extremely easy to digest, so they not only treat indigestion naturally, they also will not cause further heartburn. This natural antacid works with both fresh or dried bananas, and it only takes a few minutes for the heartburn relief to occur.

Avoid Overeating

• Two of the causes of heartburn are obesity and a diet high in fat. Overeating stretches the stomach and causes heartburn along with many other problems. Eating too much at one time puts too much in the stomach, causing undigested food to bubble back up and cause the pain of acid reflux and heartburn. Eat smaller meals in a relaxed atmosphere because stress is also linked to indigestion.

Baking Soda

• Dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda into a cup of water. Baking soda will neutralize the acids as soon as it is consumed. It does have a couple of side effects. The first is that it does not have a pleasant taste. Those who use this method of indigestion relief recommend drinking it quickly through a straw. The second side effect is that it will instantly release gas from the acid buildup, causing you to inevitably belch.

Mint Tea

• Mint tea has a detoxifying effect on the body. A cup of mint tea after a meal will soothe the stomach and prevent heartburn from occurring. It is important to note that this only applies to mint tea, not mints or peppermints in general. When in the form of tea, mint is a remedy for heartburn. Taken any other way, such as in mint candy or oil, has actually been reported to cause heartburn.

Bedtime

• Wait a couple of hours after eating before going to bed. Lying down right after eating can make it difficult for the body to digest recently consumed food. This will cause terrible acid reflux and heartburn. Allowing food to completely digest before bedtime will decrease the risk of nighttime indigestion. This is especially important because dinner meals are usually the heaviest of the day and require more time to successfully be digested.

Ginger Root

• Ginger root aides in digestion and is commonly recommended in cooking recipes to prevent heartburn. A common upset stomach remedy is ginger ale --- ginger is an ancient stomach preparation. Historians say that ginger root was probably one of the first medicines used for heartburn. Ginger root can be found in the grocery store and must be peeled before eaten.