Easy and Inexpensive Home Remedies for an Upset Stomach; Baking Soda, Honey and Lemon, and Candy for Children

If you have ever suffered from an upset stomach, nausea, indigestion, or heartburn, then you know that there are hundreds of medicines out there to ease your discomfort. However, most of them are either real expensive or made up of chemicals you have never heard of. I always prefer to use natural remedies when at all possible, and there are actually quite a few for ailments of the stomach and the digestive system; I will highlight a few of the more common and effective ones here.

DISCLAIMER: The statements here are not approved or endorsed by the F.D.A., nor am I a doctor or medical professional. This list is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition or illness.

I will only briefly mention some of the herbs I mentioned in a previous article, which you can read in entirety here. These herbs are: basil, for cramps and vomiting, blackberry, for diarrhea, catnip, for upset stomach and antacid, clove, for nausea and vomiting, ginger, for all stomach ailments such as nausea, indigestion, antacid, and vomiting, and many more. You read about how to use all these herbs and more in the aforementioned article.

The purpose of this article is to mention some of the other home remedies you can use for an upset stomach, in detail.

Baking Soda:

Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, has been used for centuries as an antacid, to help aid in digestion, and relieve an upset stomach. This is a very cheap and easy to use remedy, although it doesn't really taste that good. It is however very effective in what it does. Simply add about half a teaspoon of baking soda to a half a glass of water and drink. The fact that baking soda is a base, or alkali, helps to counteract the acid that our stomach produces, sometimes in too high a quantity. The chemical reaction that takes place, like baking soda and vinegar, also helps to aid in the digestion of food in the stomach, and helps to move it along its way into the colon. For more information on the use, and possible side effects of baking soda check out www.medicinenet.com or click here.

Candy:

Yup, that's right, candy! This is a really good trick for those of you who have children, or don't like taking medicine; my ex-wife was notoriously stubborn and would rather feel yucky than take medicine. Now not just any candy will work, of course that would be a little too easy. However any kind of candy with mint, or wintergreen, will help to calm an upset stomach. Try to make sure it has real mint, peppermint, spearmint or wintergreen, not just mint flavoring. Mint has been used for countless centuries to calm upset stomachs however we don't all keep fresh mint around, and try getting your three year old to drink warm mint tea. Life Savers seem to work real well, or even those pink wintergreen disks. These are also real easy to keep on your person if you have stomach upset on a regular basis. Simply eat a couple of these mint candies and your stomach should start feeling better. I wonder if that is why candy canes are so popular around the holidays, when we tend to overindulge.

Honey and Lemon:

I have read on several websites that honey and lemon work real well. Although lemon is acid, don't use for heartburn, sometimes that is what you need. If you eat too much food then your body doesn't produce enough acid to digest it, causing discomfort. In this case the extra acid helps to move the food along. I'm not really sure what it is about honey, but it seems to be good for just about everything. It is said to have antibacterial properties, supposedly it contains a natural form of hydrogen peroxide, so might help if you are suffering from some type of infection. Honey also seems to be really calming, and of course it tastes good. I recommend that you add the honey and lemon to a warm cup of mint tea, or you can mix the honey and lemon juice and take by the teaspoonful, kids seem to like this as well. This is a triple threat and should work quite well in conquering your upset stomach.