Pharmacy Clinic
Treatment of Heart Burn
Natural Remedies For Peptic Ulcer

The natural approach to peptic ulcers is to first identify and then eliminate or reduce any factors that may contribute
to their development. These include food allergies, a low-fiber diet, cigarette smoking, stress, alcohol, coffee, and
drugs (especially anti-inflammatory medications such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and related drugs). In addition, I would
recommend taking a special extract of licorice root known as DGL (it is short for deglycyrrhizinated licorice, Removing
glycyrrhetinic acid, a compound that can elevate blood pressure, from concentrated licorice, produces DGL.

Rather than inhibiting the release of acid, DGL stimulates the normal defense mechanisms that prevent ulcer
formation. It improves both the quality and quantity of the protective substances that line the intestinal tract,
increases the lifespan of the intestinal cell, and improves blood supply to the intestinal lining. There is also some
evidence that DGL inhibits the growth of Helicobacter pylori

Numerous clinical studies over the years supports the idea that DGL is an effective anti-ulcer compound. In several
head-to-head studies, DGL has been shown to be as effective as Tagamet®, Zantac®, or antacids in both short-term
treatment and maintenance therapy of peptic ulcers. The standard recommendation for DGL is two to four 380-mg
chewable tablets taken between meals or 20 minutes before meals. DGL therapy should be continued for at least 8 to
16 weeks after there is a full therapeutic response.

Reference:
Michael Murray, ND, is one of the world’s leading authorities on natural medicine and a contributor to the Healthnotes,
Inc. team of experts. Dr. Murray is the author of A Textbook of Natural Medicine, Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine,
and The Healing Power of Herbs. He also authors Dr. Murray’s Electronic Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine, an exclusive
Healthnotes product.


Tips for the treatment  
• Immediately drink a large glass of water. This will help wash the HCl back down and dilute it as well.
• Drink some raw potato juice. Whiz up an unpeeled potato and drink it down.
• Do not lie down. Remain upright, so gravity can help push the HCl down and keep it down. Later, when you do lie
down, elevate the bed at the foot by 4 inches.
• Avoid bending over; if you must lift something, bend at the knees. You do not want to compress your stomach
when you have heartburn.
• Eating mints relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter, so HCl can crowd up into the esophagus.
• Do not drink anything caffeinated, for it will irritate the esophagus even more. Caffeine relaxes the sphincter, so
stomach contents can move on up. Tobacco smoke also relaxes the sphincter. Estrogens relax it also.
• Drinking milk may feel good going down, but it encourages the stomach to secrete more acid.
• Drinks with fizz in them expand the stomach and make it more likely that HCl will come up the food pipe.
• Greasy, fried, and fatty foods sit in the stomach for a long time and increase HCl production. Avoid meat and dairy
products.
• Antidepressants and sedatives aggravate heartburn. Aspirin and ibuprofen cause heartburn.
• Antacids only mask the symptoms. They also contain aluminum.
• Avoid stress, for that increases HCl production also.
• Loosen your belt; better yet, wear suspenders.
• Do not eat within 2½ hours before bedtime. Doing so not only can cause heartburn, but bring on heart attacks also.
• Eat more raw vegetables, chew your food well, and eat slowly.