Baking soda with water are easy home remedies for indigestion
Indigestion, as you may be familiar with, is a common ailment of the gastrointestinal tract. Most people spend hundreds of dollars on over the counter medicines to treat the problem. However, there a quiet a few home remedies which can be as effective in alleviating the problem, without any undesirable side effects. For centuries, baking soda and water have been widely used for indigestion, heartburn and gas problems.
Indigestion is often caused due to overeating, eating improperly cooked food, lack of exercise, eating too quickly and even food allergies. Baking soda with water have been effectively used as a home remedy for indigestion. Some pharmacies even keep it for sale as an indigestion remedy. All you need to do is dissolve one tablespoon baking soda and one tablespoon common salt in eight ounces of water. This may not have the most pleasant taste, so the best thing to do is to drink it down rather quickly. However, not so fast as to take in a lot of air as you drink; this in turn may increase the severity of indigestion.
Another effective method is using baking soda with water and vinegar. To make this concoction add half a teaspoon of baking soda to half a glass of drinking water and stir. Then add 1 teaspoon of vinegar to this mixture. It bubbles up. Wait for the bubbles to settle down for about 5 seconds before you drink it. If you do not feel better in about 15 minutes you may make another brew and drink it. Most often the remedy works well and gives you immense relief from that uneasy feeling and indigestion. You may replace vinegar with lemon juice if you do not want to use vinegar.
Baking soda is also a good remedy for acid reflux. If used correctly, it reduces the acid reflux and heartburn. It basically works by neutralizing the excess acid within your stomach. Similar to indigestion, baking soda taken with water in right proportions helps in acid reflux. After you consume the mixture you may have that belching feeling. It can be a welcome belch which helps release ton of pressure. It is simply the gas being released, after the stomach acid has been neutralised.
Remember those soda crackers that are often given at restaurants. They contain bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar. These are effective in neutralizing the acid and even handy when plagued by heartburn and immediate relief is required.
It is advisable to use baking soda and water for indigestion with proper guidance from your doctor. For those with low calcium levels, congestive heart failure, kidney damage, high blood pressure and so on, make sure to take it only after consulting your doctor.
There are some other home remedies suggested like drinking hot carbonated soda without any ice. It relieves your stomach indigestion by neutralizing the acids in the upper GI tract. Citrus fruits like oranges, lime and lemon are also effective in neutralizing acidity.
You can easily make use of baking soda with water for relief from indigestion. It is easily available at hand in your kitchen, comes very cheap and has no known side effects.