by Jess Howe

Created on: August 26, 2008

There are some very simple ways to act quickly on indigestion. Eradicate the problem completely, and you will no longer need to take all those products that say they'll help when it's really a fifty-fifty chance. It's true that everyone's stomach and gastrointestinal tract are different. Some of the suggestions made here will not work for you necessarily but others will, without a doubt.

FOODS/HERBS

1) Mint:

Mint all by itself is a very common and extremely effective way to battle indigestion. The one you want for this purpose is peppermint. Spearmint is the form of mint most often used in cooking, and although it has the same properties as peppermint, they're much lessened. You want the mint with the highest concentration of Menthol. That is what calms your stomach.

It's been used for ages too. Back in the Roman Era, Pliny wrote that it helped prevent curdling of the stomach. The reason so many over the counter medications for indigestion are mint-flavored or have mint in them is that people find it so soothing. Tums, for instance, is actually calcium carbonate, but people tend to link them with mint because that's the most common flavor. A tip for those using mint: I keep a container of peppermints by the bed, so that I'm able to get to them fast if I'm feeling nauseous.

Interestingly enough, mint is NOT used as a modern medication component, for indigestion! Instead, it's always in the flavoring when it is there at all. Mint is normally thought of just for soothing sore throats - and menthol itself has in the past decade become very popular for joint ache or any kind of pain. So if you want to try mint for indigestion, take it straight.

2) Crackers (and bicarbonates)

Crackers will help settle your stomach well. They contain bicarbonate soda, and are very bland. That makes them very easy to digest.

Soda crackers have always been a very popular folk remedy for sour stomachs. A tip is to keep those packets of crackers restaurants give out. That way they'll be around and small enough to have on your nightstand.

Alka-seltzer is perhaps the most famous version of sodium bicarbonate around now. Its bubbles actually act in just a stronger way than the bicarbonate found in crackers.

3) Yogurt:

Plain yogurt is one of the better ways to combat indigestion, and is especially good for those of us who love spicy food! It's often seen in small cups, in Hispanic-flavor restaurants, with your burrito. You can also find it in many Indian dishes. It's known in these cultures that yogurt

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