Let Aloe Put You Out of Your Heartburn Misery: Aloe for Acid Reflux Relief

Quick quiz. You burned your finger on the stove while cooking your famous chicken marsala. What do you do for immediate pain relief? Run your finger under cold water? Search for that stick of butter in your fridge? Although many people are tricked into thinking these old wives tales are the best way to soothe their red skin,  aloe is well-known in the health world for burn relief. Next question: if aloe can rescue a burnt finger, can it calm down an esophagus burning from acid? Indeed it can! Aloe is an all-natural way to get your heartburn under control. Since aloe works wonders on external skin that is burned or bruised, it is believed to have the same effect  on the internal skin of your esophagus. Aloe for acid reflux relief!

What is Acid Reflux?

Have you ever eaten a meal and felt a burning sensation moving up  into your chest? If so, you may have acid reflux disease.  Its symptoms of heartburn and burning chest pain occurs because the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which is a muscular valve at the entrance of your stomach, does not close immediately after food passes through it. It may not close completely, or it may open up more than it should, either way a malfunctioning LES allows acid in your stomach to move up into your esophagus, causing that burning we were just talking about. Sound like something you experience? If you feel the symptoms more than twice a week (typically after eating a meal), you’ve found the cause: acid reflux disease. Luckily, aloe is a way for you to naturally relieve your symptoms!

Aloe for Acid Reflux: What Form?

Liquid, liquid, liquid. You will want to drink your aloe if you are using it to make that acid reflux disappear! Whenever you feel some heartburn coming on, chug 2 or 3 ounces of an aloe vera drink. The chilled liquid traveled down your esophagus should help soothe the irritated internal skin just as it would relieve external burns or wounds.

Don’t know how to drink aloe? There are tons of aloe juice and water recipes. One of them is sure to wet your whistle.

Beyond Aloe!

Adding aloe vera to your diet should, however, not be your only dietary change to fight acid reflux.  You should avoid foods that can cause heartburn to flare up:

• alcohol
• coffee (and other caffeinated beverages)
• carbonated drinks
• citrus fruits (e.g. oranges, lemons, grapefruit, etc.)
• fried foods (and other foods high in fat, like dairy products)
• foods that have a spice to them

Aloe may not the one-stop-shop cure for acid reflux, but by adding aloe to your diet and making other dietary changes, you can curb your symptoms and not your appetite!