Busting Myths On
Food And Beverages

When it comes to home remedies for acidity, scientists have conducted studies to determine how effective common food and beverages are in helping with symptoms.2 Here are some of the findings on the most commonly suggested food and beverage remedies. 

Does milk help relieve acidity?

Short answer – no. A glass of milk may seem like a good idea after a meal but think twice. While milk may temporarily buffer stomach acid, it may also cause acidity to worsen. In fact, certain nutrients in milk such as fat may stimulate the stomach to produce more acid. In addition to this, overfilling the stomach with milk may increase acidity symptoms.

Does tea help relieve acidity?

Generally, no. Tea is consumed by two thirds of the people in the world. However, it may actually cause acidity to worsen. Tea is associated with acidity because it may increase gastric acid secretion. However, it may contribute to acidity through other ways too. Peppermint tea, for example, was identified as a risk factor for developing acidity symptoms. This may be due to the fact that peppermint may cause the muscles that prevent stomach acid from rising up into the esophagus to relax.4 Green tea was also found to be a risk factor in the development of chronic acidity or gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Does chewing gum help relieve acidity?

It depends. While we’ve established earlier how peppermint may not be a good idea to have after a meal, chewing gum free of peppermint or sugar may be a good acidity remedy. Chewing gum for half an hour after a meal can prevent stomach acid from rising up into the esophagus.2,6 This is because the act of chewing gum makes you swallow more often and produce more saliva – an acid buffer.

Do herbal remedies help relieve Acidity?

Herbal remedies have been used successfully for thousands of years in Ayurvedic and other non-Western medicines. Based on this, some studies have been done on herbs commonly used to treat indigestion, such as caraway, cumin, fennel, ajwain, German chamomile and lemon balm. All of these have some beneficial effects on digestion, which could in turn reduce acidity symptoms. If you do try herbal remedies and you take any other medicines you should tell your pharmacist or doctor, as some herbal remedies and some medicines may interact.

Do fruits and vegetables help relieve acidity?

Some do! Not only are fruits and vegetables a recommended part of a balanced diet, certain ones may help reduce or neutralise acid. Increasing intake of fibre from fruits and vegetables can have a protective effect against acidity. While some vegetables such as tomato, garlic and onion may aggravate acidity, certain ones such as broccoli, cucumber and spinach have even been shown to neutralise acid directly. Papaya, or papaya juice, has also been suggested to help reduce acidity symptoms.