What is Peptic Ulcer?
Peptic ulcer is lesion that is generally developed on the lining of your stomach or on small intestine normally associated with inflammation triggered by the irritation, acids or infectious bacteria in the stomach. Peptic ulcer triggers when the protective covering of mucus around the stomach begins to destroy that encourages gastric juice acids to eat the tissues of stomach. This ulcer is highly painful but easily curable disease but can cause serious issues if ignored for a long time.
What Causes Them?
Peptic ulcers are most commonly caused by the following:
- Excessive stress
- Prolonged use of NSAID pain relievers
- Overdosing on vitamin C
- Overproduction of acid in the stomach*
- Helicobacter pylori (H.Pylori) bacteria infection in the gut.
Signs and Symptoms of Peptic Ulcer
Common signs and symptoms seen in most of the peptic ulcer patients include:
- Bloating
- Nausea
- Heartburn
- Blood in stool and vomiting
- Severe abdominal pain
- Weight loss
- Food intolerance
- Hunger Pain (Pain is felt in stomach when feeling hungry or stomach is empty)
- Pain During Night (Patient may wake up during night due to pain. Pain generally decreases by eating food or taking milk ).
Risk Factors
In addition to taking certain pain medications, you may have an increased risk of peptic ulcers if you:
- Smoke. Smoking may increase the risk of peptic ulcers in few of the people who are infected with H. pylori.
- Drink alcohol. Alcohol generally irritates and also erode the mucous lining of your stomach, and it increases the amount of stomach acid that’s produced.
- Have untreated stress.
- Eat spicy foods.
Alone, these above factors do not cause ulcers, but they can make them worse and more difficult to heal.
Complications
You you left untreated, peptic ulcers can result in:
Internal bleeding. Bleeding can occur as slow blood loss that leads to anemia or as severe blood loss that may require hospitalization or a blood transfusion. Severe blood loss may cause black or bloody vomit or black or also bloody stools.
Infection. Peptic ulcers can eat a hole through (perforate) the wall of your stomach or small intestine, putting you at risk of serious infection of your abdominal cavity (peritonitis).
Obstruction. Peptic ulcers can lead to swelling, inflammation or scarring that may block passage of food through the digestive tract. A blockage may make you become full easily, vomit and lose weight.
Here are few home remedies to treat peptic ulcer
Aloe Vera
Aloe vera as natural home remedies for peptic ulcer is observed to be more effective than most of the medicines. This is the era of aloe vera and you would see it everywhere from fragrances to cosmetics and health products. Surely it has magnificent properties and this is why it is gaining so much popularity around the globe. As far as peptic ulcer is concerned, aloe vera has anti inflammatory properties that helps soothing the irritated stomach and also helps in reducing the excess of acid. Peptic ulcer often has a significant impact on digestion and there are chances that some toxins accumulate in your body. Aloe vera is also an excellent detoxifier and this way it becomes more than just home remedies for hyperacidity and heartburn.
- You can have aloe juice daily as first thing in the morning. If you can manage, just take the gel out of the aloe plant. But if you cannot get a fresh leaf every day, go grab a bottle of aloe juice from any health cum food store. Mix two spoons of the juice in half cup of lukewarm water and drink it daily in the morning.
Betaine
Have you ever heard of betaine? Even if you haven’t heard the name before today, here you are going to get the complete information regarding using betaine as one of the natural home remedies for peptic ulcer. Betaine is an amino acid that has been shown to have potential benefits for fighting heart disease, improving body composition, and helping promote muscle gain and fat loss because of its abilities to promote protein synthesis in the body.
A betaine deficiency is not thought to be common, mostly because betaine is present in high amounts in wheat products, which are a staple in most people’s diets. But, its deficiency if present due to any reason, can lead to troubles like indigestion and some other diseases too. If you feel you are low in betaine you can go for it. It helps in killing off the H. Pylori bacteria which is the leading cause of peptic ulcer.
- Also, in case you want to use betaine as one of the home remedies for peptic ulcer and want to take it in natural form, try adding more wheat products, sweet potato, spinach and beets. Taking these foods will definitely elevate the levels of betaine present in your body and hence all of the foods listed above can in some manner act as one of the home remedies for peptic ulcer.
Baking Soda
Baking soda and many other home remedies for peptic ulcer should natural antacids. This can help you in a variety of ways to treat the excess of acid as well as the problems created by that acid. Hence baking soda is definitely one of the potential home remedies for peptic ulcer.
Baking soda is something that is included as home remedies for peptic ulcer as well as in almost every health issue; and it is solely due to its effectiveness. Its name comes first in peptic ulcer as well. As it is bicarbonate, it helps the air trapped inside the stomach to escape one way or the other. It also re-alkalizes the stomach, neutralizing the acid a little bit and helping things pass through your intestine.
- Using baking soda as one of the home remedies for peptic ulcer is pretty easy. Take approximately 8 ounces of water and add a teaspoon of baking soda to it. Drink this solution twice for a few days and your problem will be gone.
Banana
Bananas promote cell growth in the intestinal tract, which ultimately heals ulcers. They increase mucus secretion in the digestive tract and prevent peptic ulcers or other infections related to the digestive system. Apart from this, an antibacterial substance in bananas may inhibit the growth of ulcer-causing H. pylori. Generally banana eaters have thicker stomach walls and greater mucus production, which helps build better digestive acid barriers.
It is one of the best and safest home remedies for peptic ulcer as apart from treating peptic ulcer, banana is a storehouse of other health benefits too. They also are rich in potassium. Bananas contain potassium, a mineral that helps regulate fluid levels in your body and gives relief from acid reflux. Also, bananas help calm down your stomach and boost your energy level.
- Eat one or two bananas with your breakfast after a night of heavy drinking to alleviate hangover symptoms. You can also opt to prepare a banana milkshake sweetened with honey. This will let your body take the benefits of both banana and honey. Both of them are equally good natural home remedies for peptic ulcer.
Cabbage
Cabbage is another healthy food that can be used to treat peptic ulcers. The ancient Greeks and Romans placed great importance on the healing powers of cabbage. They would eat large quantities of cabbage at night before drinking. Generally cabbage juice can effectively treat ulcers, over 92% of the times. Its effectiveness of healing ulcers is so remarkable that experts also refer to it as Vitamin U. Consumption of cabbage increases the level of vitamin C, which usually tends to be very low in gastric juices of patients with peptic ulcers.
- Cabbage is something you can easily get in your kitchen or from nearby grocery store. So, just make use of those cabbages as home remedies for peptic ulcer and get rid of the painful situation soon. One thing to note here is that you have to eat cabbage in raw form most of the times as while cooking; some of its healing and medicinal properties might be lost. So, better consume it as salad daily.
Licorice
The use of deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) for treatment of peptic ulcers in the past. DGL helps in production of mucus in your digestive system, which is effective for treating this painful condition. Licorice is also beneficial for those who have to consume medicines drugs like cortisone derivatives or aspirin, which increase the risk of peptic ulcer formation. Licorice roots are widely used in India for cough and sore throat. It also has a soothing effect on the inflammation and pain in the stomach due to peptic ulcer.
Using licorice root as one of the home remedies for peptic ulcer is extremely easy. It is available in the form of roots as well as made into syrup or chewable tablets. You just have to suck a licorice root to relieve symptoms of peptic ulcer. This process can be repeated several times a day until you get relief. Absolutely free from side effects, this method saves your stomach from the unnecessary chemicals that are included in antacids.
- Alternatively, you can also include licorice root tea as an evening delight. Drink licorice tea 2-3 times a day for faster relief from the inflammation in the stomach lining. To prepare licorice root tea, you have to get the dried powder of licorice or the root of licorice. Take two cups of water and boil it. Once it starts boiling, add a teaspoon of the powder and let the solution boil. Once the volume of the solution is reduce to half, i.e. one cup, strain and drink. This will not only be good for treating peptic ulcer, but it is extremely beneficial for dealing with other health issues.
Chamomile
Chamomile is in news these days and all the tea drinkers are gradually shifting towards this herbal tea, and it is all because of the magnificent health benefits the herb possesses. It is a medicinal herb, and it also is one of the home remedies for peptic ulcer because it can treat almost everything related to your stomach. Adding chamomile tea to your daily schedule reduces stomach aches, improves digestion, and also relieves you from colitis symptoms making them one of the best home remedies for peptic ulcer. This magnificent tea soothes your stomach as well as large intestine, helps you digest your food better so that the food you eat will be less likely to produce gas.
- Using it as one of the home remedies for peptic ulcer is not only effective, but also extremely easy. Dip the any chamomile tea bag in a cup of water. Drink it two times in a day to get rid of the all the problems and discomfort that are caused by peptic ulcer. You can add cardamom or ginger to improve the taste and health quotient of chamomile tea.
Use these methods and home remedies for peptic ulcer combined with better and healthier lifestyle. These home remedies for peptic ulcer are simple yet extremely effective. Apart from being cost effective, these home remedies for peptic ulcer will be a safer option than the strong medications available in the market. If your problem is severe consult your doctor immediately.