Heartburn
Pity the poor heart. It takes the blame for all sorts of upsets. Unrequited love leads to heartbreak. A person who is cruel is said to be heartless. And then there's heartburn, which actually has nothing to do with your heart. The heat and pain of heartburn occur when your stomach releases acid up into your throat—this is called esophageal reflex." The resulting burning sensation and spasm occur next to, but not in, the heart. Heartburn can be caused by several things, but it most commonly happens when there is too much acid in your stomach or you have a hiatus hernia (when your stomach bulges up slightly into the diaphragm, causing belching). Drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and eating acidic foods all increase the likelihood of heartburn. However, rather than going through life shunning potlucks and Thai restaurants in fear of what you might accidentally eat, try using herbs to treat this condition.
By the way, if you have not heard already, doctors no longer recommend drinking milk to ease heartburn. This is because it has been discovered that milk only temporarily neutralizes the acidity, then provokes the stomach into secreting even more acid. Antacids containing baking soda are not much help, either. They eventually hinder nutrient absorption, elevate blood pressure and acidity and upset kidney functions.
What does help are herbs that decrease stomach acid: licorice root, meadowsweet, chamomile and lemon. You might also take herbs that absorb excess acid: slippery elm, marshmallow, flax and fenugreek seeds. Since the malic and tartaric acids in carrots and apples also neutralize stomach acid, I like to combine the juices of these vegetables with the herbs to make an extra-tasty tea. Clinical studies have shown that chamomile, marshmallow, licorice, slippery elm, calendula, garlic, wild yam and Saint-John's-wort protect the stomach from its own acid and also reduce inflammation and infection of the lining.
I originally stumbled on a formula for heartburn years ago, quite by accident. When my friends Ed and Carmen had a baby, I sent a basket of herbal baby things, including a tea of chamomile, lemon balm, catnip, fennel and slippery elm to prevent colic. Sometime later, when I spoke to Ed on the phone, he said that he loved the tea and that it relieved his belching from a hiatus hernia that had been plaguing him for years. After some confusion, I realized that the label had fallen off, and he had been drinking the baby's tea!
The most interesting part of this story is that Ed recently asked me if I knew any herbs that were good for treating a hiatus hernia. He said it had not bothered him much for many years and he could not remember why it ever got better. I was not surprised that he forgot, since his "baby" is now 16 years old. I recommended the same tea—and it worked just as well the second time around.
Heartburn Formula
1 teaspoon each chamomile flowers, lemon balm leaves and licorice root
½ teaspoon slippery elm bark
¼ teaspoon each fennel seeds and catnip leaves
1½ cups boiling water
1½ cups carrot or apple juice (optional)
Combine herbs and pour boiling water over them. Steep for at least 15 minutes, then strain out herbs and add juice. Drink 1 cup after each meal. Stored in the refrigerator, this formula will keep for a few days.
