Below you’ll find 12 herbs and home remedies that help alleviate various forms of stomach discomfort.

Whenever I was employed in the Wellness Department in our local co-op, clients would mostly ask for a remedy for a stomach ache. From working women with colicky babies, cancer patients and everyone in between I have guided numerous patients on the correct remedy for stomach problems, one that is both efficient and safe to use.

It should be noted that no natural cure has what some call a “silver bullet” and if you have chronic stomach pain, I suggest seeing your doctor. But if you just had some stinky take out or if you are in pain due to menstrual cramps there’s a lot of natural ways to at least soothe your stomach.

1. Ginger

Apart from its medicinal value in aching and swollen parts of the body, ginger helps in digestion and can help in relieving contracting stomach aches. Raw ginger is the most effective, and I suggest preparing the simplest ginger tea with it. Concerning preparation of fresh ginger tea there are many recipes but grating the ginger after peeling it offers the best flavor and color. If fresh ginger is not available, there are many forms of ginger tea that you can find in stores today.

Remember ginger is hot therefore if you are sensitive to hot foods you might want to purchase ginger capsules. The supplements can be bought from most health food stores either in the form of pills or as part of a tincture. The one thing I would avoid is getting regular ginger ale; this contains a lot of sugar and when you check at the ingredients most ginger sodas do not have ginger. Reed’s Ginger Brew is one of the many natural ginger sodas and beverages that is sweetened with fruit juice and loaded with real ginger. Most ginger candies actually include regular sugar and not actual ginger and can cause upset tummies.

As with ginger, fresh mint is said to work the best when taken raw, and all is needed is boiling water and some sprigs of the mint to prepare the tea. Just chawing on a mint leave also works, and because mint is regarded as a weed, it flourishes in most climate. They also take the tea or you take the peppermint supplements. If you are buying the normal mints then you may find that many peppermint candies contain sugar. Mint also aids in digestion and appetite and one of the best cure for menstrual cramps, in case of taking a tea from fresh mint.

As much as licorice and fennel are different plants, I have placed them side by side because their flavours are almost identical. If you find the taste of licorice, fennel or anise unsavory, I suggest you try this other remedy for an upset stomach. Licorice and fennel are well spread in various herbal teas which is, likely, the most unproblematic and rather frequent form; however, both are available in the form of supplements as well. If you fancy raw fennel, the crunchy slice of the bulb can be chewed to alleviate indigestion or bloating feelings after a meal. Licorice is often thought to raise the blood pressure and aggravate ulcer, yet this is only so if taken in massive doses, says Medline. Most of the natural “stomach ease” teas do contain licorice and fennel, so read the ingredients for the quantity if it is a concern.

Not only does chamomile tea take away the pain of an aching stomach but it can remove the jitters too. In addition to stomach ache, if you are struggling to sleep, then homemade chamomile tea might be the thing you’ve been needing. If you need the dried flowers of true chamomile, you should be able to locate these either in a store that sells healthier foods or from an herbal shop, but chamomile tea is something that is available any given grocery store as it is one of the most popular herbal teas. Lemon is good for digestion and can be added with more lemon drops or can be substitued with lemon water below;

Lemon is quite an unpretentious product nevertheless, it stands out as one of the most useful fruits you can purchase at a store. If you do not have mint, ginger, or other similar herbs at home plain water will do fine just add one half cut lemon into hot water. If you don’t have fresh lemon with you, you can use lemon juice as well, but you only need a few teaspoons.

I have only applied the warm saltwater to relieve a sore throat but I have again heard that this formula is very effective with an upset tummy. The simple remedy is to take one cup of warm water with one teaspoon of salt. Their advice is to drink it as fast as possible but I will not advise this especially when you have high blood pressure.

You don’t have to spend extra money on Alka-Seltzer to help with the heartburn or indigestion either. Pretty much any of the antacids are currently available are simply sodium bicarbonate – more commonly known as baking soda. Pour one teaspoon (or two, if you recommended strength is necessary to wake you up) into a cup of warm water and you have the same effect of a product you probably already have at home.

8. Cola Syrup

This is another one which I have not used but heard it from my fellow personal user. After some search, I discovered that it has been used over and over again as antispasmodic for upset stomachs especially because it has a friendly taste and it is safe for children. The only shortcoming is that it is not quite so easy to locate the cola syrup but you can buy it online. Now that I have directed you to The Vermont Country Store, the book is also available for sale at Amazon. I do not know if there is a particular magic bullet but this seems to help most people.

Warmth is considered among the most effective remedies not only for general pain but also for the cramping kind in particular. If you don’t have a heating pad, all you need is an old sock and some rice for this method. The best thing you can try is to use a sock that has no hole and then stuff it with uncooked rice. It is not should be packed tightly as the grains have to have some room to maneuver around so it is more flexible. Screw it on tight and put it in a microwave for about one minute. It is advisable not to apply it when your stomach is too hot prior to placing your body on it. Other grains you can try include flax seeds and because they take longer to heat than rice they remain warm for longer. For sore muscles just rub the mixture on the areas affected or for cold temperatures you can freeze the paste. What you can do is adding dried flowers of lavender or chamomile to provide a pleasant smell of a tea.

Activated charcoal which is very popular among hospitals is used to treat cases of food poisoning or alcohol poisoning, its primary function being to absorb as much of the toxins in the body as is possible. If you think you have been poisoned then go to the hospital immediately and if you’ve only over indulged with cocktails then the charcoal in the burnt toast may just be able to absorb some of the alcohol and get rid of the toxin. Black tea or anything but wine with tannins also helps eliminate toxins and metabolize alcohol in this case – which is why coffee is used to sober up a drunk person. Toast is also one of those food items which are included under the kids painful acronym B.R.A.T. (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast) that was once given to kids suffering from stomach aches or diarrhea. Actually, in this case, I would not suggest having burned toast with the food. Finally if you are worrying about carcinogens in burned food then you must consult a doctor for the authentic information you can also visit the official site of The Bewellfinder.

In my year at the Wellness Department, Aloe Vera Juice could still be categorized as one of the supplements which remained popular. Despite the fact that there are numerous advantages listed as to the usefulness of Aloe Vera Juice some of my customers reported remarkable improvement after using it for several different ailments related to the intestines. But the most common reason people used it was for the management of constipation. It can also aid in the relief of passing gas, bloating, diarrhoea and stomach cramps.