Indigestion? Try These Tummy Tamers

Well-Rooted Traditions

Ginger is famous for settling stomach upset and improving digestion. You have three options: Take one or two 250-milligram capsules of ginger with meals, eat a few pieces of candied ginger as needed, or brew up a cup of ginger tea.

Chamomile is an age-old treatment for indigestion. It calms the stomach and soothes spasms in the intestinal tract. Take a half-teaspoon chamomile tincture up to three times daily, or drink a few cups of chamomile tea throughout the day.

If you prefer a little zing, pamper yourself with peppermint. The plant’s oil soothes intestinal muscle spasms and helps relieve nausea. Take one or two capsules containing 0.2 milliliters of oil per capsule three times a day, between meals, or savour a steaming cup of peppermint tea.

Chewable Choices

Chew and swallow a spoonful of fennel or caraway seeds when you’re having indigestion. These seeds contain oils that soothe spasms in the gut, relieve nausea, and help control flatulence. Fennel can also help prevent indigestion if taken right after a spicy meal. That’s why some Indian restaurants set out dishes of fennel seeds for customers.

Take deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL, sold in health-food stores. This product soothes stomach upset and indigestion by coating the lining of the stomach.

Sip This

Some people claim that drinking a plain old cup of hot water eases indigestion.
Warm ginger ale, lemon-lime soda, or flat Coca-Cola, are also said to soothe an upset stomach.

A sour solution: try drinking a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar mixed with a half-cup of water. It will help you digest the food if you don’t have enough acid in your stomach. You can add a little honey to sweeten the taste. This works well after a large meal.

Stir a teaspoon of baking soda into a glass of water and drink it. If your stomach is too acidic, this solution neutralizes stomach acid and also helps relieve painful gas. Because in very rare cases baking soda can explode in the stomach and cause tears, some experts recommend adding a few drops of lemon juice to dispel some of the gas before it hits your stomach.