There are all sorts of over the counter and natural stomach ache and indigestion remedies out there for us to choose from but many of us still struggle to get quick relief for stomach pain whether it is one off indigestion or an ongoing condition.
The big problem is our digestive system is complicated and our stomach pain can have a whole load of different symptoms and causes from bloating and heartburn to constipation and gastritis.
It can be incredibly hard to unpick all those symptoms and find the right stomach pain remedy for us without diving down a rabbit warren of ever more complicated diets that don’t actually give us quick stomach pain relief.
But luckily there are some super simple stomach pain remedies we can whip up at home from pantry ingredients that really do relieve a range of different stomach problems fast and I have got seven of what I have found are the most useful here. I do hope you find them as helpful as I have over the years. They really can give quick relief.
However, sometimes when we have recurrent stomach pain we do need to dive deeper and understand the fundamental causes of our stomach problems and how to heal the damage they have done. If that sounds like you then check out these detailed guides on different kinds of stomach pain:
- Natural Gastritis Treatments
- Heartburn Relief Naturally
- Natural Bloating Remedies
- Constipation Relief Naturally
- Natural UTI Remedies
If you have kids and an itchy bottom with your stomach pain it is possible you have pinworms – eek!!! – in which case check out this guide to how to get rid of pinworms naturally.
Again, I really hope these natural stomach ache remedies give you the stomach pain relief you need fast. Please do let me know how you get on and what does and doesn’t work for you. And if you find the remedies help please do share them on social media.
PLEASE NOTE: I am not a doctor and this post does not provide qualified medical advice. Stomach pain can be a symptom of serious medical conditions and you should always seek medical advice if it persists or recurs frequently or you have any of the symptoms described here.
7 Natural Stomach Ache Remedies
1. Bicarbonate of Soda
Bicarb – or baking soda if you are American – is the simplest home remedy for stomach pain.
It can give quick relief for heartburn, bloating, constipation and gastritis.
Simply add half a teaspoon of baking soda to a small glass (4oz/120ml) of cool to tepid but not cold water, mixing well to ensure the baking soda is properly dissolved. Sip it slowly to help neutralise excess gastric acid and release trapped gas.
It can be taken 2 or 3 times a day at least 2 hours apart but shouldn’t be taken repeatedly for more than 2 weeks. If you’re taking it for excess acid resulting in heartburn or gastritis (an inflamed tummy) take it an hour or so after eating.
2. Natural Live Yoghurt
A few dollops of natural yoghurt can provide the most fabulous instant, gentle relief from an inflamed stomach.
(And yes, I know it’s yogurt without an H in the USA but I am a Brit and here it has an H!!).
Yoghurt is anti-inflammatory so helps reduce bloating and can soothe the burning acid of heartburn and gastritis. Combined with some plums, blackberries or raspberries gently warmed in a splash of water it can give quick constipation relief.
It’s also a natural antibiotic that gives us back some of the good gut bacteria so many of us are short on that help us fight off stomach infections.
But one note of caution : read the label on your yoghurt pot!!!
It should have nothing in but yoghurt i.e. milk and live cultures.
A very well known “gut healthy” yoghurt actually contains : “Water, Skimmed Milk (Reconstituted), Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Sugar, Maltodextrin, Flavourings” plus live cultures!!! Any benefit to our stomach from the live cultures is utterly outdone by the damage of these synthetic sugars, preservatives and flavourings which can make inflammation, excess gastric acid and damage to our stomach lining worse.
3. Ginger Tea
This is another traditional natural remedy that really does work quickly. And it’s most effective with 10 or so fresh mint
DIY ginger tea is a wonderful quick homemade remedy for all sorts of stomach pain.
It is calming and relaxing and great for everything from bladder infections to constipation.
Ginger has even been shown in controlled research to stop the growth of the h pylori bacteria that causes gastritis.
Obviously, you can buy ginger tea. But I prefer to make it with the dried ginger or sliced fresh ginger that I use for everything from cold relief and blocked sinus remedies to the best ever Christmas cookies.
Simply add a teaspoon of dried ginger or a thumb joint worth of fresh ginger to freshly boiled water and steep for 3 minutes or so. You can pour it over a teaspoon of honey if you like or just drink neat.
You need to be a little bit careful with this natural stomach remedy, if you are suffering with acid reflux and heartburn as for some people it relaxes the little muscles connecting our stomach and food pipe too much and lets acid escape. Unlike mint tea – which should be avoided if you have heartburn – it seems to be typically tolerated and helpful but just keep an eye on it and certainly don’t drink too much.
4. Chamomile Tea
If you suspect your stomach ach
Stress and tension can play a big role in digestive problems.
Tight, constricted muscles trigger constipation and the adrenalin and cortisol we release when we are wound up and anxious actually trigger gastric acid production and even inflammation. So stress really can be a root cause of heartburn, gastritis and bloating.
We can’t instantly remove everything causing stress from our lives but we can break the stress cycle whereby we are so up tight we can’t do anything better to make stuff better.
There are lots of little stress relief activities we can build into our days but a cup of chamomile tea is a great place to start. It is naturally calming and helps the whole body to step down and relax.
You can make your own chamomile tea with both dried and fresh flowers and its super easy to grow in a pot.
Just add a teaspoon of flowers to freshly boiled water and steep for a few minutes.
Chamomile tea – like ginger tea – can be a little too relaxing for some people with heartburn. If it does cause any problems it’s worth looking at the 6 week acid reflux diet that can help to heal the LES muscles we depend on to stop acid escaping from our stomach.
5. Golden Milk
Golden milk made from turmeric is a traditional stomach pain remedy that gives lots of people relief and now does have some science behind it. Turmeric is both a natural antihistamine and a natural antibiotic so it can help with both stomach inflammation and infection. Turmeric was actually found to stop in just 15 minutes the growth of the h pylori bacteria that is one of the biggest causes of the burning stomach pain of gastritis
Golden milk – aka turmeric latte – is incredibly easy to make with this quick homemade remedy :
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 cups / 500 ml milk of choice
Method
- Simply mix the spices with a tablespoon of the milk until it is well absorbed
- Blend with the rest of the milk
- Heat gently for a few minutes
Many golden milk recipes include black pepper but do NOT include it as it is very aggravating if you have any damage to your stomach lining.
6. Celery Juice
Celery juice is a great quick stomach pain remedy that can help long term stomach healing.
It packs a real punch as it :
- Is inflammatory
- Reduces stomach acid
- Helps clean out unwanted bacteria
- And starts healing both our stomach and food pipe lining.
If you don’t have a juicer, put the celery through a sieve after blending. The juice is easier on the stomach for many people without the fibre of the pulp left in but if you have constipation you could warm it gently un-sieved and drink as a a soup.
For longer term stomach pain relief and healing try drinking celery juice first thing in the morning, 30 minutes before food as a stomach friendly wake-me-up alternative to coffee and orange juice.
7. Cucumber & Coconut Smoothie
Smoothies can be very soothing as stomach pain remedies but the acidity of fruit can make stomach pain worse for many people. A cucumber, banana and coconut smoothie is a great quick alternative.
The cucumber can help cleanse bacterial infections and relieve bloating fluid retention from cystitis, whilst the healing coconut can protect our stomach and food pipe lining from gastric acid.
The banana should be ripe but not over ripe and if they don’t agree with you at all swap for avocado. If you are really not a cucumber fan try any kind of melon, papaya or mango all of which have low acidity.
And for extra stomach healing punch flavour with ginger or fresh parsley which is a natural antibiotic that helps prevent unwanted bacteria attaching themselves to the lining of our digestive system. It is super easy to grow parsley from cuttings in your kitchen so you always have a fresh supply.
If you want a recipe with specific measurements try this one from Happy Healthy Mama …
And there you go seven quick natural remedies for stomach ache and indigestion that really can give instant relief. I do hope they help. Please let me know what works best for you.
If you have been suffering with ongoing stomach pain you can’t get to the bottom of then do check out these deep dive guides that will take you through in much more detail symptoms, causes and triggers of different digestive issues and give you simple, practical tips on how you can start healing :
- Quick Constipation Relief Naturally
- Quick Natural Bloating Remedies
- Instant Heartburn Relief Naturally
- Natural Gastritis Treatments
- Natural UTI & Bladder Infection Remedies
And for more support do check out my other home remedies for everything from colds & coughs to hair lice, sun burn, mosquito bites and verrucas that you can make quickly and easily from pantry ingredients.
Photo: Round cucumber slices on a white background with free space, White cup of chamomile tea with dry chamomile flowers on a wooden backgroundby Marco Verch under Creative Commons 2.0