Natural Home Remedies For A Stomach Ache

The Mayo Clinic refers to stomach ache as nonulcer stomach pain or dyspepsia. Stomach aches are caused by a number of factors, from stress to diet, which can make it frustrating to treat. If you suffer from severe symptoms like bloody vomit, black stools or shortness of breath, you need to seek medical attention. Otherwise, it is possible to treat stomach ache at home, naturally.

Fennel Seed

In "Healing Without Medicine," Dr. Robert Rister recommends fennel seed, an anti-spasmodic and a carminative. It causes food to pass through your system more quickly, not allowing gas to build up, and also prevents the muscle spasms that trap gas in the body, causing bloating and pain. You can cook with fennel seed, eat fennel seed after a meal or make a tea by steeping 1 tsp. crushed fennel seed in 1 cup of hot water for 10 minutes. Drink this tea three times a day after meals.

Chamomile Tea

Dr. David Kiefer, herbalist expert for "1000 Cures for 200 Ailments," says chamomile is very effective for treating stomach ache because it works in several different fashions. First, when chamomile is steeped in hot water, it releases a chemical called chamazulene. Chamazulene prevents the body from producing an allergic reaction. Chamomile is also a mild sedative, and anxiety often plays a large role in stomach aches. Finally, the essential oil of chamomile works as an anti-inflammatory directly on the lining of the digestive tract.
Dr. Rister warns that boiling chamomile destroys this essential oil, so steep your chamomile tea in hot, not boiling water. Do not take chamomile if you're allergic to plants in the daisy family.

Peppermint

Dr. Rister also recommends peppermint, which he says is probably the most popular treatment of stomach ache in the world. The "PDR for Herbal Medicines" explains why. Peppermint has an antispasmodic effect, smoothing the lining of the digestive tract and preventing cramps. This also allows trapped gas to escape the digestive system.
The oil in peppermint also displays pain-killing properties. It acts directly on the area of application to modify pain receptor sensitivity. The "PDR for Herbal Medicines" refers to a 1996 study published in the German medical journal "Arzneimittelforschung" entitled "Efficacy of a Fixed Peppermint/Caraway Oil Combination in Non-Ulcer Dyspepsia."
In this study, a mix of 90 percent peppermint oil and 50 percent caraway oil was given three times daily to a group of patients suffering from moderate-to-severe dyspepsia pain for four weeks. At the end of the four weeks, 63 percent of the peppermint/caraway group was pain free, versus only 25 percent of the placebo group.