Blog article

Upper  digestive problems are very painful for many of us with gastro-oesophagal reflux disease( GORD) being the most common gastrointestinal problem seen by Doctors. Symptoms include: heartburn and acid regurgitation. Modern research highlights factors such as poor sphincter function and tone, hiatus hernia and obesity as key factors. Also, poor acid clearance from the stomach and not very resistant mucosa are further factors. So, it is not a disease of excess acid, but maybe more a disease of low saliva output and poor acid clearance.

Herbal treatment  needs to address strengthening the gastric mucosa in the oesophagus, by using herbs such as slippery elm, licorice and marshmallow. These soothe the area. Other herbs are used to reduce spasm in the area. Bitters are used to increase sphincter tone, increase saliva output  and improve gastric acid emptying. And finally , there is an excellent herb that  will normalise gastric acid levels. 

Diet is important too. Wheat, dairy, coffee and spicy foods can exacerbate the problem too and also stress levels. 

There are many other upper digestive problems that can be helped with herbs, such as stomach and duodenal ulcers, gastroparesis and gallstones. I will discuss these later.

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