Herbs, Foods, & Techniques to Calm Your Stomach

No one enjoys an upset stomach. Unfortunately they usually hit at an inconvenient time, like during the night, when the store is closed or you just can't leave you house. Luckily there are many things in your home that can help alleviate and upset stomach, gas or diarrhea.

First things first if you have an upset stomach from a food aversion and are suffering from diarrhea, drinking water is very important. Rehydrating yourself after visiting the toilet so often with loose stools can cause you to have stomach cramping, headache & more diarrhea. Avoid juices or soda because they are loaded with sugar and chemicals & will just aggravate you upset stomach.

As a child when I had an upset stomach, my mother swore by taking a glass of cola,stirring it to get the bubbles out and then drinking. Many believe it coats your stomach and settles it. Others feel it raises your blood sugar to alleviate a upset stomach or headache.

Another simple homemade remedy for stomach upset is to take a nice cold glass of seltzer water and drink it very fast. As you can imagine this will help get some much needed burps out and settle the gas in your stomach. This is most helpful after a large meal or consuming too much alcoholic beverages.

My personal favorite for curing stomach upset is making a cup of chamomile tea. It is warm, relaxing & tasty with some honey in it. Chamomile is known for its soothing effects on the stomach as well as relaxing the whole body. This is great when your stomach upset is caused by nerves or stress. It works. You can even grow your own chamomile, dry it, then make your own blend of tea. Other herbs that have stomach soothing effects are bay leaves, peppermint & ginger. These are easy to find at your local grocery store and can be boiled together for a master stomach soothing tea. Add some fennel seeds and it will take care of the gas as well. My husband and I gave our son fennel tea often when he was a baby due to his gas & upset stomach. Within minutes he would be able to release the gas and fall asleep.

Lastly, a supplement many use for upset stomach is called acidophilus. It can be purchased at health food store as well as vitamin shops. It can be expensive for a good quality companies version so be sure to check out what your buying. Instead of actually buying the supplement, acidophilus and friendly bacteria that help ease stomach discomfort can be found in yogurt. Eating yogurt every day can help many stomach ailments and help naturally regulate your system. Opt for an organic variety so you can avoid more chemicals and preservatives that may just wind up irritating your system further.