The best tea for acid reflux is herbal tea, but which types of herbal teas specifically help with this condition?
Let’s take a closer look at how certain teas are beneficial for reflux while other drinks can be problematic for this situation.
Keep in mind, tea as a home remedy is meant to be for supporting your health if you have acid reflux and should not take the place of seeking help from your healthcare provider.
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Table of Contents
Lifestyle causes of acid reflux
Surprisingly, the most common lifestyle factor that contributes to acid reflux is stress. In fact, 46 percent of people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) have ongoing stress as a contributing factor, according to a large research study [R].
Additionally, over a third of people with the disorder find that eating sweetened foods and fried foods is a major factor in their reflux disease.
Drinking coffee daily also negatively impacts how they feel. Not surprisingly, alcohol is also a well-known cause of reflux.
Implementing lifestyle changes has a big impact on helping people with heartburn feel better according to this research.
Adding home remedies like drinking certain herbal teas is a tool that can help people reduce stress, which is great for benefiting any stomach condition like GERD.
The best tea for acid reflux
While there are many teas on the market that may be helpful for reflux symptoms, teas that contain a blend of helpful herbs are often the best bet.
This is because they can provide a wide array of benefits.
Here are a couple of highly-rated teas for acid reflux.
Best herbal tea blend for acid reflux
Birds & Bees Teas Lighthearted is an herbal, caffeine-free blend of Marshmallow Root, Meadowsweet, Chamomile, and Lavender herbs.Â
This tea blend is very highly rated and has positive reviews for its intended purpose of helping with acid reflux.Â
The only critique is that one reviewer states that it tastes bland. All other reviewers love the taste.
Tip: you will want to steep this tea in boiling water for around 15 minutes.
Calming Blends Feel Better Tea contains Chamomile Flowers, Peppermint Leaves, Marshmallow Leaves, Lemon Balm Leaves, and Fennel Seeds. This is a good blend for people with indigestion, acid reflux, colitis, or irritable bowel syndrome.
This tea blend receives overwhelmingly positive reviews for its effects on digestive health.
Please note that this blend contains peppermint, which is helpful for some people with reflux, and others claim that it may trigger reflux. However, research shows peppermint is likely neutral in its effects on people with acid reflux [R].
And, most people report other benefits of peppermint for their digestive tract, such as easing of spasms.
Related post: 7 Research-Backed Uses of Fennel Seeds for Digestion
Licorice tea
Licorice tea is very helpful for stomach health because it helps to strengthen the stomach barrier called the mucus layer [R].
Research also shows that licorice is helpful for managing gastroesophageal reflux disease, a more severe form of acid reflux [R].
In fact, adding licorice to standard medication, called proton pump inhibitors, significantly reduces symptoms of reflux disease more than medication alone [R].
Caution: use licorice tea occasionally; it is not meant to be used daily unless under the supervision of your doctor because it can increase blood pressure or cause low blood potassium levels if consumed in excess.
DGL
While not a tea, I couldn’t leave this helpful supplement off of this list. This is because DGL Licorice Root Extract has all of the benefits of licorice root tea but is deglycyrrhizinated so that it does not cause changes to blood pressure or potassium levels.
This means it is safe to take with medications.
Chamomile tea
One of the most notorious types of tea for de-stressing is chamomile tea. Long used in traditional medicine for stomach conditions as well, chamomile is a common go-to for helping acid reflux too.
As a component of an herbal blend called Iberogast, chamomile blend helps to lower gastric acidity and is helpful in reducing secondary gastric acidity better than commercial antacids according to research [R].
By helping to reduce inflammation, chamomile tea may be just what the doctor ordered for longevity too. Just make sure to avoid chamomile if you have developed an allergy to it.
A favorite of mine is FGO Organic Chamomile Tea.
With over 3000 positive reviews for helping stomach health and acid reflux, this supplement is a go-to for so many people.
Ginger
FGO Organic Ginger Tea Bags are a good bet for people struggling with indigestion and heartburn.
Ginger has a warm and spicy flavor, and it helps to relax the lower esophageal sphincter. This means that the stomach may empty more readily, allowing for relief from acid reflux [R].
This powerful root also is rich in antioxidants, reduces inflammation, and helps reduce nausea too [R].
Marshmallow root
Marshmallow root tea is really helpful for the stomach because it helps to strengthen the lining of the stomach and intestines according to early research [R].
It is made up of mucilage, which forms a protective coating. Marshmallow root is also anti-inflammatory and safe for use.
Tip: people also use marshmallow root for sore throats and to help ease colitis symptoms.
Tulsi tea
Tulsi tea has a lot of health benefits, including the ability to reduce feelings of stress.
By naturally reducing inflammation, tulsi tea (holy basil) also helps improve overall digestive health. Research also shows that tulsi helps to support immune health and helps fight off various viral conditions [R].
Most people find that tulsi tea is relaxing yet energizing at the same time. It is also safe to use with no known side effects.
While more research is needed to prove its benefits for acid reflux, it is likely to help simply because it helps relax the whole body, which includes the stomach.
Beverages to avoid
Many people get the burning sensation of acid reflux after drinking certain beverages. Really common triggers of acid reflux symptoms are:
- Coffee
- Black or green tea
- Other caffeinated drinks
- Citrus drinks
- Alcohol
- Soda
- Tomato juice
Note that soda is listed as a reflux trigger, but if your acid reflux symptoms improve after you drink a carbonated beverage, your acid reflux may be related to low stomach acid instead of high stomach acid.
Related post: Do You Have Low Stomach Acid? Signs and Simple Remedies
Other tips
Also, avoid overuse of over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines, which are known to be very irritating to the stomach.
Treating acid reflux is often an individualized approach. This means that you need to find someone who is trained in functional medicine to help you get to the root cause of your stomach issues.
Ditch food sensitivities and eat sensibly
A common reason that people have acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is that they overindulge in fried foods, junk foods, sugar, and the like.
Additionally, common food sensitivities that amp up acid reflux are gluten, dairy, spicy foods, and alcohol.
By eating healthy, wholesome foods, many people can alleviate stomach acid conditions to a large degree.
Additionally, adding probiotics for acid reflux may be a helpful tool for your symptoms.
Try digestive enzymes
Acid reflux symptoms often have nothing to do with stomach acid at all. In fact, they are often due to indigestion of foods, which causes stomach upset. This leads to the stomach contents “refluxing” back into the esophagus.
A great fix for indigestion can include digestive enzymes.
Digestive enzymes for acid reflux are surprisingly a helpful tool for many people who struggle with acid reflux and/or indigestion. As a bonus, the health benefits include absorbing your foods better!
Learn more about how digestive enzymes can help acid reflux in my recent post here.
Related post: Digestive Enzymes for Acid Reflux: An Easy Way to Eat Spicy Foods Guilt-Free
Acid reflux disease reminders
As a review, GERD symptoms are often not related to acid. Rather, they are frequently related to low stomach acid, poor diet, indigestion, and even low stomach acid.
Still, if you suffer from symptoms of acid reflux disease, you should always seek the health of a qualified healthcare practitioner who can guide your treatment.
This is because GERD can lead to other serious health conditions if not treated.
Heidi Moretti, MS, RD is The Healthy RD. A registered dietitian for 23 years as well as a book author of the new book Gut Fix and The Whole Body Guide to Gut Health, Heidi has a passion for functional nutrition and natural medicine. She has researched supplements and natural medicine throughout her career. One of her biggest loves is helping people gain function and vitality by tackling the root causes of illness.
The information on this website has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration or any other medical body and is shared for educational purposes only. While The Healthy RD’s posts are backed by research, you are unique, so you must seek care from your own dietitian or healthcare provider. This post is not meant to diagnose or treat any conditions. Consult your doctor or healthcare provider before making changes to your supplement regimen or lifestyle.
