7 Easy & Effective Home Remedies to Cure a Stomach ache
Need More Than Prune Juice for Constipation? Read This-
I was that kid who thought having an upset tummy was normal.
My family’s gene pool gifted us with sluggish digestion and food allergies (of which we were mostly unaware).
We spent four years in Latin America as missionaries, so I’m sure we picked up parasites somewhere along the way.
By the time I grew up, got married, and had five babies… my gut health was anything but healthy.
Bloating, upset stomach + all the fun stuff that goes with it was pretty much the story of my life.
Natural Gut Health: Bottom Line
In my twenties, I started researching about natural gut health.
I read a lot of books and slowly tweaked my diet + lifestyle.
The seven natural remedies I’m going to tell you about in this post are more than just good gut health supplements.
They are life-changing habits.
The fact you’re reading this post tells me you need something more than just the old prune juice for constipation remedy.
(It doesn’t work, by the way.)
These seven remedies work for me because I’ve made a lifestyle out of them.
Bottom line: you have to be proactive + consistent.
Keep that in mind as you read the following seven tips.
Must-Have Habits + Remedies to Relieve an Upset Stomach + Have Better Gut Health
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1. Drink a cup of tea.
Not just any cup of tea: specific teas for specific maladies:
In my opinion, a cup of peppermint tea is the best drink for an upset stomach.
You can drink it hot or cold; either way, it soothes your tummy.
Peppermint tea is especially helpful if you’re dealing with an “anxiety upset stomach,” due to nerves or stress.
I’m a huge tea drinker, so I usually enjoy a cup of peppermint tea almost every day. It’s not magic, but it does help calm the digestive juices in my gut.
If you don’t want to drink it every day, just keep a box of organic peppermint tea on hand for when you’re feeling icky.
Another tummy tonic is ginger tea.
Ginger is agreeably spicy + pungent, and a cup of organic ginger tea might be ideal if you’re feeling gassy or suffering with indigestion.
One last tea you’ll want to keep on hand for natural gut health is Smooth Move.
This mild-tasting tea contains a proprietary blend of herbs for upset stomach.
In short, it’s the best herbal tea for constipation. It’s tasty + it works!
2. Take Probiotics + Enzymes Every Day
For years, I tried to cure my digestive issues by increasing my fiber intake (you know, the old prune juice jingle again). The only thing that changed is that I felt more bloated.
Eventually I discovered the missing key: probiotics + enzymes.
My issue wasn’t that my diet lacked fiber. I had stomach issues because my gut was sterile.
Probotics + enzymes perform two very necessary + very different tasks in our guts. Let’s take a quick look.
Probiotics are responsible for healthy bacteria in the gut. They also help boost your body’s immunity + are crucial to healthy digestion of the food you eat.
(Read An Introduction to Probiotics, by May Clinic.)
Enzymes play a slightly different but equally important role. In a nutshell, enzymes are proteins that help break down larger molecules (think food) into smaller molecules so that the body can absorb it.
(Read How Do Enzymes Work? by Live Science.)
Bottom line: you need probiotics + enzymes every single day.
Since we don’t get enough of either in our food, we have to supplement:
Good Gut Health Supplements: Probiotics + Enzymes
My favorite probiotic supplement is Gut Guardian, by Beeyoutiful.
This one ticks all the boxes for me: multiple bacterial strands, BILLIONS of micro organizisms, and one that keeps best in the fridge.
For best results, take a probiotic every morning on an empty stomach.
For enzymes, I highly recommend DIGESTENZYME, also by Beeyoutiful.
If you’re just getting started on your journey to natural gut health, take one enzyme capsule prior to every meal.
This can make a world of difference.
Another simple way to get your daily probiotics + enzymes is by drinking a healthy breakfast smoothie. Here’s the one I drink on a daily basis (it’s loaded with probiotics + enzymes).
What About Kombucha and Kefir?
Beverages like kombucha and kefir are loaded with both probiotics and enzymes.
Make these an essential part of your day!
Not sure what kombucha and kefir are? Let’s take a quick look:
Kombucha is a fermented tonic made from sweetened tea.
Once cultured, this effervescent beverage contains a host of beneficial bacteria, yeasts, and acids imparted to it by its mother culture, often referred to as a SCOBY.
read more: What Is Kombucha? @Cultures for Health
Kefir is a cultured milk product, similar to yogurt.
Similar to yogurt, milk kefir has a delightful tang… Even though milk kefir and yogurt are two distinctly unique and separate cultures, milk kefir is sometimes referred to as drinkable yogurt.
read more: Introduction to Milk Kefir @ Cutures for Health
These days, I buy my own cultured drinks (Aldi + Walmart are my go to sources for both kombucha and kefir).
You can also make them. Check out Cultures for Health for tutorials, recipes + kits for making your own kombucha and kefir.
Drink Lots of Pure Water
Your body can’t function without this life-giving resource, and neither can your digestive tract.
Experts vary on the amount of water we should be drinking every day.
It’s safe to say at least eight ounces a day, or ideally, your weight divided in half (so 60 ounces of water per day for a woman who weighs 120 lbs).
Water during a meal is not essential to food digestion, however. It does help flush waste from the intestines and may help relieve constipation.
read: Does Drinking Water Affect Food Digestion? @ Live Strong
Among its many functions in the body, water is critical to healthy digestion and supports the process from start to finish.
read: How Water Supports a Healthy Digestive System @ Discover Good
Next time you feel an upset stomach coming on, grab a glass of pure water and drink up.
4. Exercise.
Getting outside for a brisk walk can do wonders for your digestive tract.
If you’re feeling bloated, try massaging your belly or doing some yoga stretches.
My personal mantra is make regular exercise a habit. It’s a better preventative than cure.
5. Cut Out Processed Foods
If you suffer with digestive discomfort, think about the last few meals you ate.
Do you eat a lot of fried foods? Take out?
Processed foods (anything in a box!) will bog down your digestion.
Focus on fresh vegetables + fruit, and meals you can make yourself with ingredients you can pronounce.
I’m not a food purist, but I do try to eat clean so my gut can do what it needs to do.
Here are my two favorite healthy recipe books:
6. Discover and avoid food allergens.
I mentioned at the beginning of this post that my family suffers with weak digestion + food sensitivities.
I was 29 years old before I realized that my body does not thrive when I eat two common food proteins: gluten + whey.
It wasn’t easy learning to live without wheat, or cutting back on my dairy intake.
But my tummy has thanked me for it.
Food allergies are not the culprit behind every case of upset stomach, but they certainly contribute a lot of misery if you have them.
If you suffer with poor digestion, consider whether or not a food sensitivity or allergy could be a culprit.
It’s possible to be allergic to just about any food, but the top eight most common food allergies are
- cow’s milk
- eggs
- tree nuts
- peanuts
- shellfish
- wheat
- soy
- fish
Read: The 8 Most Common Food Allergies + How To Do An Elimination Diet @ Health Line.
7. Cleanse Parasites
No one wants to talk about the fact that they might have parasites in their bodies, but here’s the fact:
Most of us do.
If you’ve ever traveled out of the country, owned a pet, or forgotten to wash your hands, the chances that you’ve been infected by parasites is pretty high.
Parasites effect your gut health, among other things.
The good news: you can get rid of them.
Years ago, my midwife recommended Para-Rid– an herbal cleanse for kids + adults.
Our family has used Para-Rid numerous times (once per year, or every six months is the recommended frequency) and I highly recommend it.
You can check out more details in the description on Amazon, right here.
Your turn.
What’s your go to natural remedy for calming an upset stomach? Drop a comment below + let me know.
P.S. Thanks a million for sharing this post!
I like this article about remedies for an Upset Stomach thanks for sharing these tips and tell us what we do
Kristy, Where did you get your kefir? Do you use actual kefir grains or a store-bought powder?
Bambi, I use the powdered kefir starters from Azure Standard. I have purchased the starters from health stores, as well.
Something else I’ve found that really helps with indigestion anytime of day is a splash of Apple Cider Vinegar in water.
Thanks for mentioning this, Suanna! I find apple cider vinegar very helpful for heart burn, especiallly.
Thank you for these wonderful suggestions. I a going to have to get some probiotics for sure. My poor hubby is having a terrible time with heartburn, etc.
Probiotics make such a big difference for me! Hope they help your husband too.