There’s no end to exploring the depths of knowledge Ayurveda has to offer, and one such area is digestive health. In Ayurvedic texts and medical studies, the number of natural home remedies and food to help indigestion may equal the number of digestive issues out there.
Instead of reaching for that bottle of familiar pink liquid when indigestion hits, opting for natural home remedies for indigestion can help ease your symptoms while avoiding the potential side effects of over-the-counter medication.
What indigestion itself means could be an umbrella term for several issues, let’s start by giving you a few of Athreya’s go-to digestive health boosters as recommended in classic Ayurvedic records and contemporary health circles. In case of severe indigestion, it may be best to consult with a vaidya (Ayurvedic practitioner) or doctor.
1: Ginger
- Relieves constipation
- Quickens sluggish GI motion
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Improves appetite
This crooked root’s gingerol compounds are effective against various causes of indigestion. Ginger has been used for centuries as one of the best food to help indigestion from settling an upset stomach to improving overall digestion. With a reputation that precedes it, ginger can also stimulate appetite, revive slow digestive function, rekindle the stomach’s ‘Agni’ (digestive fire), improve assimilation, detox the GI tracts, and stimulate smoother intestinal motility.
How to Consume:
- Boil some freshly grated ginger or dried ginger powder in water to make a warm tea to subdue the root causes of indigestion.
- Add fresh slices of ginger with a dash of lemon juice to your food.
- Take one or two 250-milligram ginger capsules with your meals or you can save money by filling your capsules with dried ginger powder.
2: Fennel
- Controls gas & flatulence
- May get rid of parasites
- Reduces nausea
Known to be a traditional post-meal digestive stimulant and among the popular home remedies for indigestion in Ayurveda, this sweet seed’s alkaloids and quercetin content can discourage vomiting, bolster gut immunity & flora, and reduce digestive inflammation. Fennel has been used for centuries for treating various causes of indigestion and is a common ingredient in digestive health supplements, which is an easier way to ingest the herb.
How to Consume:
Chew and swallow a teaspoon of fennel seeds as is to relieve mild to severe indigestion after your meals every day.
3: Chamomile
- Relaxes painful stomach spasms
- Lowers acid reflux
- Flushes out waste
This blissful bud’s apigenin content has earned it a place as the world’s herbal blanket for restful sleep as a popular nighttime tea. Besides calling the sandman, chamomile is also excellent for treating many causes of indigestion from cooling down the stomach and halting excess gas production to encouraging healthy GI motion and improving metabolism.
How to Consume:
Mix 1 teaspoon of chamomile powder with one cup of warm water to drink as tea once or twice daily after meals, one of the world’s top home remedies for indigestion.
4: Peppermint
- Calms irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
- Relieves diarrhea
- Reduces nausea
This soothing and cooling green herb is a widely used food to help indigestion and settle an upset tummy. Peppermint’s menthol and flavonoids help regulate the digestive secretions of your stomach, soothe mild acidity, and usurp the causes of indigestion. Despite what pop health advice suggests, depending on what indigestion type you’re experiencing, people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or frequent heartburn should avoid peppermint, as it can aggravate their symptoms.
How to Consume:
Studies show that peppermint oil’s potency surpasses its other forms among most home remedies for indigestion.
- Take a peppermint oil capsule between meals, except when you’re experiencing severe indigestion.
- Steep a few peppermint leaves in hot water and drink this tea after your meals daily.
5: Licorice
- Lowers stomach pain
- Prevents inflammation
- Protects the stomach lining
This sweet stem carries flavonoids that help insulate & coat the stomach walls from harm, soothe the main causes of indigestion, and even mellow down acid reflux.
How to Consume:
Licorice is one of the most common home remedies for indigestion, with small quantities often found in many digestive supplements.
Boil less than 100 grams of licorice powder in water to drink as tea or take deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) capsules once or twice a week for severe indigestion.
6: Hot Water
- Hydrates GI tracts
- Improves breakdown of food
- Reduces gas & bloating
Many find that drinking plain hot water beats most home remedies for indigestion. Likewise, research supports that inculcating a habit of drinking warm water throughout the day could help keep the digestive system moving, ensure the complete elimination of bowels, and expand the blood vessels thereby improving circulation.
How to Consume:
- Have only sips of warm water during your meals and a tall glass after, for digestive stimulation.
- Considered synonymous with healthy digestion in Ayurveda, you can soak some gut-gushing cumin seeds in your hot water to drink to get the best of both these home remedies for indigestion.
7: Apple Cider Vinegar
- Removes harmful gut bacteria
- Stimulates sluggish bowels
- Beats bloating
People with low stomach acid levels (which can be a side effect of taking proton pump inhibitors, such as omeprazole) may find relief from consuming the digestive crowd-pleaser - ACV! This sweet, fermented solution’s polyphenols of gallic acid and catechins ranks as one of the most liked contemporary home remedies for indigestion especially for increasing digestive acid production, improving waste elimination, and reducing gas.
How to Consume:
Drink a mix of ½ a cup of water and one teaspoon of ACV after meals to help your body digest the food you ate while inhibiting any causes of indigestion.
*Avoid consuming any more than 1 tablespoon of ACV a day as it can cause acidity, corrode your teeth & stomach lining, reduce your potassium levels, and may have possible drug interactions.
8: Baking Soda
- Neutralizes excess stomach acid
- Busts bloating
- Restores gut motility
Solve any digestive riddle with one of the most inexpensive and effective tabletop home remedies for indigestion - a classic baking soda solution. This mix helps relieve the stomach of excess gas and keeps your digestion going trouble-free.
How to Consume:
Mix one tablespoon of baking soda with a few drops of lemon juice (to fizzle out its chemical reactivity in your stomach), a pinch of black salt, and cumin powder, with one cup of water, and drink immediately, no matter what indigestion discomfort you’re experiencing.
Avoid Foods That Could Be Causes Of Indigestion
Taking any home remedies for indigestion could be a stopgap measure in the short run but if you don’t cut out or minimize consumption of certain foods that are known to be causes of indigestion, those symptoms could persist.
Here are some well-known foods known to cause indigestion.
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Besides minimizing the consumption of the above foods, you can also adopt an acid reflux diet and then observe if your symptoms persist. Adopting certain lifestyle changes such as being more physically active and less sedentary while adding food to help indigestion in your daily diet could also help improve your stomach functions overall.
However, do keep these natural and contemporary home remedies for indigestion handy to dispel any uncomfortable indigestion symptoms that may arise. Another way you can take good care of your digestive system would be to consume high-quality digestive health supplements using herbs with a long-held reputation for their indigestion-relieving effects based on traditional Ayurvedic recipes.
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