Natural remedies for acid reflux & heartburn
Direct answer
Nothing on this page is rated better than Limited (2 of 4) for acid reflux: a deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) liquorice extract beat placebo for heartburn and regurgitation in one 200-person, 28-day trial that has not been repeated. The caution that matters most: if you need an antacid for more than 2 weeks, or you have trouble swallowing, unexplained weight loss or keep being sick, see a GP.
The measures with guideline backing are not supplements: losing weight if you are overweight, not eating in the 2 to 3 hours before bed, and raising the head of the bed for night-time symptoms.
The antacids calcium carbonate and baking soda (both Limited, 2) and milk of magnesia (Traditional, 1) relieve heartburn for a few hours but do not treat the reflux itself. Slippery elm (Traditional, 1) has no trial at all.
Compare the options
Of the 5 remedies for acid reflux & heartburn we have rated, none has better than Limited evidence. See our evidence report.
Click a column heading to sort.
| Rated for | Typical form & use | Main caution | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) Sodium bicarbonate (mineral salt) | Limited | Occasional heartburn and indigestion (antacid) | Powder in water; 2.6 g antacid dose | High sodium; not when overly full; 2 weeks max | Same night |
| Calcium carbonate Calcium carbonate (mineral salt) | Limited | Heartburn and indigestion (antacid) | Chewable tablet, 1,000 mg as needed | Can block thyroid tablets and some antibiotics | Same night |
| Liquorice root Glycyrrhiza glabra (root) | Limited | Heartburn and reflux symptoms | Deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) extract | Raises blood pressure, lowers potassium; not for pregnancy | 2 weeks |
| Magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia) Magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2, mineral) | Traditional | Heartburn and indigestion (antacid) | Suspension, 30 mL up to twice a day | Avoid with kidney disease: magnesium can build up | Same night |
| Slippery elm Ulmus rubra (inner bark) | Traditional | Heartburn and reflux | Powdered bark; no dose established | No proven dose; safety in pregnancy unknown | About a week |
- Rated for
- Occasional heartburn and indigestion (antacid)
- Form
- Powder in water; 2.6 g antacid dose
- Onset
- Same night
- Rated for
- Heartburn and indigestion (antacid)
- Form
- Chewable tablet, 1,000 mg as needed
- Onset
- Same night
- Rated for
- Heartburn and reflux symptoms
- Form
- Deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) extract
- Onset
- 2 weeks
- Rated for
- Heartburn and indigestion (antacid)
- Form
- Suspension, 30 mL up to twice a day
- Onset
- Same night
- Rated for
- Heartburn and reflux
- Form
- Powdered bark; no dose established
- Onset
- About a week
Quick picks
A 200-person, 28-day placebo-controlled trial of one branded deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) extract reported earlier relief of heartburn and regurgitation than placebo, but it is a single-centre trial with no independent replication, so it is rated Limited (2). Buy only products labelled deglycyrrhizinated: ordinary liquorice raises blood pressure and lowers potassium.
Gentlest optionCalcium carbonateA standard over-the-counter antacid that relieves heartburn for a few hours and is safe for most people at label doses; it is rated Limited (2) because the evidence is its licensed label use and two small acid-measurement studies, not symptom trials. It does not treat the cause, the label limits maximum dosing to 2 weeks, and it should be kept apart from thyroid tablets and some antibiotics.
Traditional favouriteSlippery elmA popular soothing remedy for heartburn, but we found no controlled trial of it for reflux, and a 2019 review of popular oesophageal remedies found a substantial gap between anecdote and evidence for most of them. No tested dose exists for slippery elm on its own.
Key facts about acid reflux & heartburn
- About 20% of people in the US have gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), the long-term, repeated form of acid reflux.9
- In a survey of 71,812 US adults, about 2 in 5 had had reflux symptoms at some point and about 1 in 3 had them in the past week.10
- In the same US survey, 54% of people taking a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) every day still had heartburn or regurgitation on 2 or more days in the past week.10
- Worldwide, about 9,300 in every 100,000 people had GORD in 2017, peaking at about 18,800 per 100,000 at ages 75 to 79. It is less common in much of east Asia.11
- Studies put GORD at 18.1% to 27.8% of people in North America and 8.8% to 25.9% in Europe. In the UK and US, about 5 in every 1,000 people develop it each year.12
- Common triggers include coffee, tomatoes, alcohol, chocolate and fatty or spicy food, as well as being overweight, smoking, pregnancy, stress and anti-inflammatory painkillers.1
- See a GP if you have heartburn most days, pharmacy medicines are not helping, food gets stuck in your throat, or you are often sick or losing weight for no reason.1
Talk to a doctor first if…
Who should avoid
- Liquorice that still contains glycyrrhizin: unsuitable with high blood pressure, low potassium, heart, kidney or liver disease, in pregnancy or breastfeeding and under 18. Check the label says deglycyrrhizinated.
- Liquorice for digestive symptoms: the EU limit is 4 weeks.
- Milk of magnesia: get a doctor's advice first with kidney disease, because magnesium can build up.
- Baking soda: high in sodium (716 mg in a half-teaspoon dose), and should not be taken on a very full stomach or by under-12s.
- Calcium carbonate: best avoided after past kidney stones.
- All three antacids (baking soda, calcium carbonate and milk of magnesia): limited to 2 weeks at maximum dose.
- Slippery elm: no safety data in pregnancy or breastfeeding.
- Peppermint: worth avoiding if you have reflux. Its entry lists heartburn and reflux as its main caution, and it is not part of this hub for that reason.
Known interactions
- Liquorice containing glycyrrhizin: do not combine with diuretics, digoxin, corticosteroids, stimulant laxatives such as senna, or blood pressure medicines, because low potassium can trigger dangerous heart rhythm problems.
- Any other medicine: antacids can stop other medicines being absorbed, so the NHS says to keep other medicines 2 to 4 hours away from an antacid.
- Magnesium and aluminium hydroxide antacids: cut ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin absorption by 50 to 90% and tetracyclines by over 90%.
- Calcium carbonate: lowered thyroxine levels in people taking levothyroxine, and reduces iron absorption.
- Baking soda: its label warns that antacids may interact with prescription drugs.
- Peppermint oil capsules: antacids can dissolve the coating early.
- Slippery elm: its entry lists no interactions, which does not mean there are none.
Before you reach for an ingredient
For reflux, the measures with guideline backing are changes to weight, meal timing and sleeping position rather than any supplement. They are cheap, low-risk and fine to try alongside an antacid.
- If you are overweight, losing weight is the lifestyle step with the firmest backing: the 2022 American College of Gastroenterology guideline makes it a strong recommendation on moderate-quality evidence, and the NHS lists it first among things to try.3,1
- Leave a gap between your last meal and bed. The ACG guideline suggests avoiding meals within 2 to 3 hours of bedtime (a weaker recommendation, on low-quality evidence), the NHS says not to eat within 3 or 4 hours of bed and to eat smaller, more frequent meals, and NICE says having your main meal well before bed may help some people.3,1,2
- For night-time symptoms, raise the head of the bed with blocks under the legs or sleep on a wedge. A 2021 systematic review found five small trials (228 people); the four that measured symptoms all found improvement, and the best of them showed a clinically important reduction at 6 weeks, though all were at high risk of bias. The ACG guideline suggests it for night-time reflux.4,3,2
- Stop smoking, keep alcohol down, avoid tight clothes around your waist and cut out foods or drinks that you notice set off your symptoms (NHS and NICE name coffee, chocolate and fatty foods as common ones). The ACG guideline notes that few studies show avoiding particular foods helps, so go by your own triggers rather than a blanket list.1,2,3
Questions people ask
What is the best natural remedy for acid reflux?
Nothing here is rated better than Limited (2 of 4). One trial of a deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) liquorice extract found faster relief of heartburn and regurgitation than placebo over 28 days, and antacids such as calcium carbonate and baking soda relieve heartburn for a few hours without treating the cause.
The measures with guideline backing are losing weight if you are overweight, not eating in the 2 to 3 hours before bed and raising the head of the bed. If you need something most days, see a GP.
Is it safe to take baking soda for heartburn?
Occasionally and at label doses, yes for most adults: one US label gives half a teaspoon (2.6 g) dissolved in half a glass of water, up to 6 doses in 24 hours (3 if you are 60 or over), for no more than 2 weeks, and not for children under 12.
That dose contains 716 mg of sodium, and it should not be taken on a very full stomach because stomach rupture has rarely been reported after bicarbonate and a big meal. Large or repeated doses can cause severe metabolic alkalosis.
Does peppermint tea help heartburn?
No, and it can make it worse. Heartburn is the most commonly reported side effect of peppermint oil, and the EU herbal regulator says people who already have reflux should avoid peppermint leaf preparations. Peppermint's evidence is for enteric-coated oil capsules in irritable bowel syndrome, not for heartburn.
When should I see a doctor about acid reflux?
The NHS says to see a GP if pharmacy medicines and lifestyle changes are not helping, you have heartburn most days, or you also have food getting stuck in your throat, are frequently being sick or are losing weight for no reason.
NICE guidance treats difficulty swallowing at any age, or being 55 or over with weight loss plus reflux, indigestion or upper tummy pain, as reasons for an urgent suspected-cancer referral.
Signs of significant bleeding from the gut, such as vomiting blood, need urgent medical help the same day. Do not wait for a routine appointment.
Sources (12)
- Health service guidance NHS. Heartburn and acid reflux. National Health Service (page last reviewed 20 November 2023).
- Clinical guideline National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease and dyspepsia in adults: investigation and management (CG184). Recommendations. 2014, last updated 2019.
- Clinical guideline Katz PO, Dunbar KB, Schnoll-Sussman FH, Greer KB, Yadlapati R, Spechler SJ. ACG Clinical Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. Am J Gastroenterol. 2022.
- Systematic review Albarqouni L, Moynihan R, Clark J, Scott AM, Duggan A, Del Mar C. Head of bed elevation to relieve gastroesophageal reflux symptoms: a systematic review. BMC Fam Pract. 2021.
- Clinical guideline National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Suspected cancer: recognition and referral (NG12). Recommendations organised by site of cancer.
- Health service guidance NHS. Antacids. Medicines.
- RCT Raj JP, Saxena U, Belhekar MN, Mamde A, Darak H, Pawar S. Efficacy and Safety of GutGard in Managing Gastroesophageal Reflux-Related Symptoms: A Phase III, Single-Centre, Double-Blind, Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. Complement Med Res. 2025.
- Narrative review Ahuja A, Ahuja NK. Popular Remedies for Esophageal Symptoms: a Critical Appraisal. Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2019.
- Regulator/health agency NIDDK. Definition & Facts for GER & GERD. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (last reviewed July 2020).
- Population study Delshad SD, Almario CV, Chey WD, Spiegel BMR. Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Proton Pump Inhibitor-Refractory Symptoms. Gastroenterology. 2020.
- Burden study GBD 2017 Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease Collaborators. The global, regional, and national burden of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in 195 countries and territories, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2020.
- Systematic review El-Serag HB, Sweet S, Winchester CC, Dent J. Update on the epidemiology of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease: a systematic review. Gut. 2014.
Reviewed by Healthy and Herbal editors · 10 October 2026 · Next review April 2027
Reader notes
Experiences and questions from readers, read by an editor before they appear. They are personal accounts, not evidence, and are not medical advice.