Honey to Help With Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is a medical condition wherein the esophagus is damaged and gives off a painful, constant burning sensation. This is usually caused by digestive problems and excess stomach acid entering the esophagus and damaging its walls. Since the pain can often last a long period of time and become quite painful, there are some natural treatments used to help soothe the burning. Honey is often recommended as an excellent way to alleviate the symptoms.

Using Honey

• Because natural honey is very sweet and thick, it makes an excellent remedy for acid reflux. In much the same way that aloe vera soothes skin burns, honey acts as a soothing coating on the esophageal walls. Its thick properties allow it to coat the lining of the throat and go to work diminishing the burning and helping to heal the damage caused by acid reflux. The thickness of the honey will help prevent additional acid from coming up and further damaging the esophagus during the healing process. You won't need an exorbitant amount of honey, about a teaspoon or so should work for at least some temporary relief. You may have taken dosages of honey to soothe bad coughs before as well. In principle, you are doing the same thing here. Natural honey is an organic antioxidant and also possesses antibacterial properties. This is the key to its use as acid reflux relief. The sweet thickness will coat and soothe the burning, but the antibacterial properties will actively help heal the damage, eventually helping prevent further pain even without honey.

Manuka Honey

• For most purposes involving acid reflux, natural or organic honey will work just fine. This can be found at any grocery store and is the same honey that you would put on pancakes. However there is another type of honey, called manuka honey, that has been shown to be exceptional for use on acid reflux and other digestive problems. Because it is native to New Zealand, it is not commonly known in the United States, but recently several companies have begun importing and manufacturing it stateside. Manuka honey is special in that it is considered medical grade and has been researched extensively to show that it possesses antibacterial and healing properties far greater than that of regular natural honey. At the University of Waikato in New Zealand scientists have studied the medical relevancy of manuka honey for over a decade and in 1995 evidence to the bacteria-killing nature of the honey was published in the research article "Honey as an Antibacterial Agent" by Dr. Peter Molan. Of course it is far more costly than regular store-bought honey, but considering that manuka honey is shown to be capable of killing stubborn bacteria normally fought only with prescription medication. The powerful medicinal properties of manuka make it an often-used weapon against intense acid reflux.