Natural Health Care

Firstly, if you are suffering from severe heart burn 3 or 4 times per week, you do not need a natural remedy. You need to go and see your doctor as this may be the sign of a much more serious health condition (such as stomach ulcers) that needs urgent attention.However, if you get heartburn a few times per month or just once and a while, here is a tea you can prepare that will ‘put out the fire’ naturally.

What Causes Heartburn?

Heartburn is caused by stomach acid escaping back up into the oesophagus, causing a burning sensation. It has nothing at all to do with the heart itself, although it may well feel like it. This is commonly due to increased acid production in the stomach due to fatty or spicy foods and yes coffee too. Coffee is well-known for it’s affect on increasing the acidity of stomach acid. Also, certain medications such as antibiotics and antidepressants have been reported as causing acid reflux.

How To Treat Your Heartburn Naturally

As soon as you get the slightest tingling sensation in your oesophagus that normally proceeds heartburn, drink a nice big glass of water. This will wash the acid back down into the stomach and also dilute it’s concentration and burning ability.Then make yourself a cup of ginger and cinnamon tea as quickly as possible.Just steep some grated ginger in a cup of boiling water for about 10 minutes then add in a teaspoon of cinnamon (crushed is best) and then drink.Ginger helps to calm and relax the muscles of the oesophagus wall, preventing the stomach acid from rising up in the first place.Cinnamon has shown to cool and temper the heat of heartburn and has long been prescribed as a treatment for this ailment in Ayurvedic medicine.

Put On Your Heartburn Coat

If you are feeling a burning feeling in your throat you may want to give your oesophagus a protective coating. This can be done with marshmallow root which produces a gooey, starch like material known as mucilage. This mucilage coats and protects the mucous membranes of the oesophagus.Just stir in a teaspoon into a cup of water and drink. You can do this several times per day if you like, especially if you know you will be eating foods later on that tend ’stir up your acid’ so to speak.Better still is to really pay attention to exactly which foods, medications etc that tend to trigger heartburn episodes and either reduce or eliminate these from your diet all together. As is most often the case with common ailments such as this, prevention is better than the cure.