Acidity & Heartburn

The two conditions are caused by ingestion of heavy, rich, spicy, diet, heavily laden with ghee or oil. It can also be triggered by eating food hastily. Those who drink and smoke heavily also suffer from acidity and heartburn, in addition to flatulence, colic and general dyspepsia. Remove the basic factors that are known causes of such disturbances. Repeated bouts of acidic dyspepsia need help of a professional.

Ayurvedic Remedies

• Chamomile is relaxant, anti-inflammatory remedy that tones up digestion, provided acidity is caused by eating rich foods and stress. Lemon Balm will be also helpful, if stress is major cause of complain Meadow sweet or Filipendula Ulmaria, though aspirin or say salicylates also reduces acidity, provided a person is not sensitive to aspirin and other derivatives.

• Slippery Elm (Ulmus Fulva) soothes the inflamed stomach or gullet and will justify its name by going down, coating and soothing the mucus membranes of digestive system. Mix a TSP in water or take tablets.

• Excessive acidity can be dispelled by using hot compresses of Chamomile or Lavender (l0 drops) in a bowl of water and then used. It will give almost instant relief from spasm and inflammation which generally accompany hyperacidity. If the discomfort is too great, add 1-2 drops of oils of either of these oils to base oil and then applied over whole abdomen, or more so on the area (abdominal) affected most.

• Take lemon juice, (mixed with a cup of water) and add some rock salt to taste. This may be taken 1-2 hours prior to taking meals, or lemon may be used with meals. It will also remove constipation-one of the contributory causes of acidity.

• The best way to treat this trouble is to have lots of fresh radishes. For taste you may add carrots and tomatoes but not salt. The chlorine discharged by radish is very effective to clear the extra acidic contents from the blood. If you like, you must add a little of rock salt to make it more tasty. Drinking juice of radish would also be very helpful. But drinking this juice immediately after extracting it because the gas it has gets lost when kept for long.

• Chewing a piece of harad is an age old remedy.

• Drink coconut water 3-4 times a day.

• Have a plateful of water melon or cucumber (kheera) every hour.

• Harad juice, 1-2 teaspoon daily after meals is very effective in controlling acidity. The juice can be mixed with an equal amount of amla juice for better results. To take out amla juice, grate an amla and squeeze the pulp through a clean muslin cloth to get juice.

• Take a tiny piece of jaggery (gur) every hour. Just keep it in the mouth and slowly suck it till acidity subsides.

• Take dried blossom of tulsi, rind of the neem tree, black pepper and peepal in even quantity and grind them to powder form. Take 3 gms of this powder every morning and evening with plain water. All the acidic effect of the body shall pass out with urine and sweat. But remember, never to take milk over tulsi leaves which might afflict your skin.