Natural heartburn remedies

Natural heartburn remedies

By Caroline Murray
Nothing ruins a great meal as much as a painful bout of heartburn.

Although over-the-counter meds are often effective, home remedies might help without the trip to the pharmacy.

Whether you've overindulged in a spicy dish or a feast of fatty foods, these five natural remedies could help soothe heartburn and put your belly at ease.

Chewing gum

Besides eliminating garlic breath, chewing gum after a meal might have other advantages, research suggests.

In a small study from the Journal of Dental Research, people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms experienced heartburn relief when they chewed a piece of sugar-free gum for 30 minutes after a meal.

"Chewing gum stimulates the salivary flow rate," says study author Rebecca Moazzez, DPhil, clinical lecturer in King's College London's department of restorative dentistry. "Any acid that accumulates in the gut is washed away and cleared more quickly. The clearance of acid improves GERD symptoms."