Ginger for Heartburn

Hi Ninjagirl,

Thank you very much for your post on ginger for GERD. I have had heartburn and throatburn for 2 years and only partially respond to PPI's. 

I would would like to try making ginger juice.  Having never used a juicer, I have a few questions.  What brand did you buy?  Should I get an expensive one, or is "low end" good enough?  How do you get juice out of ginger root? I've seen ginger root in the supermarket, but it's solid and doesnt look like it contains any juice.

So glad to hear this worked for you!!

You can also buy Ginger tea - it has a nice taste. Of you can steep fresh ginger root yourself for a nice tea. This does help with hearburn.

I like both the store bought and homemade. The storebought has a really nice taste. The homemade i make is easy - I just boil a kettle of water with about an inch of peeled ginger root in it. And pour. I like to add raw honey to mine.

Funny, I came across this post while doing a search.  I was given a sample of Gingera Antacid by my doctor and was looking to buy it online, because it worked really great for me.  It's an antacid made with Ginger. Add it to water, it fizzzes and then you drink.

Thanks for the great info on Ginger.

I know this is an old thread but I discovered this forum looking for info on Ginger for GERD. Has anyone had any more positive experiences with Ginger?

Also, I found the info in the following link written by a MD on ginger. It's a glowing review for using ginger for hearburn/GERD. What do you think?

http://askwaltstollmd.com/articles/hiatus.php

Sorry, I don't know anything about the video or ginger.

Joy

Hi,

This is my first post to this incredible forum, which has helped me for 18 months to deal with GERD. I have been a silent spectator but today I chose to break my silence as I feel finally I began mastering this condition. I am compelled to share my story.

Please try Raw Ginger Root Juice for GERD. It works like magic. If you think surgery is the only option you have welcome to my club and please read on the rest of this message.

I am a GERD sufferer for 18 months, I have take all medications from EsmoPrazole to OmePrazole to LansoPrazole, they will help temporarily and required higher and higher dosages.  My diagnosis said I have good motility but incompetent LES. I had heartburn day and night, i seriously considered surgery even though I never had high hopes that it will help solve this problem permanently.

Luckily I came in contact with my schoolmate who took Dr.Stoll's advice for her GERD problem, the incredible thing is she is a practicing pediatric doctor. She asked me to try the Ginger Root Juice theraphy, I was a hardcore skeptic (a classic case of education interfering with our ability to be open to possibilities) and delayed it for more than 6 months. I am an indian, I should have known better about Ginger than any one else since it is regularly used for its medicinal value in Indian foods. My problems grew so severe that any number of PPI tablets a day wouldn't help me.

I started on Ginger Root Juice 2 weeks back and I am a new man. My condition has changed from heartburn all day to just few pricks some times here and there. I have started eating my regular meal (including foods that are a NO NO in GERD lore). All the PPI induced side effects such as belching, food sitting in the stomache for hours are gone. My digestion has become so efficient that I get my regular hunger on time, with out any burn LOL!!

While my friend has completely stopped PPI theraphy, i am quitting it slowly. I was on twice Esmoprazole (Nexium in US I belive) now I am on one every other day, my symptoms are so much better that I am inclined to think of quitting PPI completely. I just want to go slowly though.

While Dr.Stoll himself has admitted that he doesn't know why it works, my friend with her academic knowledge postulated an interesting theory. 

My friend said...
"While conventional medicine neutralizes acid in the stomache, alternative medicines seek to increase the stomache acidity. Generally When the PH levels fall in the stomache i.e acid is in the stomache, our nervous system springs into action to close the LES thus preventing esophagus from serious damage. In case of GERD sufferers the stimulus is absent due to poor acidity levels that are not enough to close the LES fully, but the PH levels are good enough to cause damage to esophegal texture. This is the classic condition of GERD, where we are caught in this cat and mouse game. The ginger juice helps raise the PH levels, in other words we all know it is such a great appetizer to have before a meal. It creates enough stimulus in GERD sufferers to close LES significantly thus helping with symptoms."

Of course she was just postulating this theory with out any credible proof, we haven't done the LES pressure test to validate this. But both of us are significantly free from symptoms. Both of us did not suffer from a digestive disorder but were diagonosed with an incompetent LES which is supposedly a mechanical defect and requires surgical intervention from conventional medicine route.  There is one cliche in her theory, I have tried Apple Cider Vinegar(ACV) in the past, it did not help me at all. According to this theory the Vinegar should have forced the LES to close like the Raw Ginger Juice. Unfortunately we have no clear answers to this. I would like the comments of others on this.

We are aware that Ginger Juice does not cure GERD (according to Dr.Stoll) but helps you overcome symptoms that cripple your life. If you stop you might have a recurrence of symptoms. But there is no side effects. 

Unlike these "cure your heartburn for $19.95 websites, Dr.Stoll is not charging any money to prescribe this treatment, its available freely in his website and also responds to our questions in his bulletin boards. 

Try it,  I feel I shd have tried a $1 ginger root a lot earlier before embarking on expensive PPIs, story of our life isn't it!!

 

Hi,

Thanks. The Ginger tea doesn't work. Try the raw Ginger juice. Don't take anything 30 min after taking it, including water.

Murali

Thank you, Murali, for taking the time to post and offer encouragement. I feel like I've tried ginger juice before (I put a cube of it into a garlic press and - presto: juice!) I can tolerate the burn - do you know if it's just a sensation or is it really burning all the way down? Also, did you do it just one teaspoon in the morning or several times per day?

Just questioning the quantity: 50 ml is about 10 teaspoons. That's more than you indicated earlier.

Actually, I have not been on PPI therapy for any extended period because I felt they made my reflux worse; the food sat in my stomach even longer and I didn't seem to get any relief. Zantac (ranitidine) has been the most effective but sometimes I feel there is a "kickback" in the middle of the night when it loses its efficacy.

Excuse me while I try some ginger juice. I had to eat with the kids tonight - a hamburger and french fries - ugh!

How do you know that Ginger is not just easing the symptoms of GERD  but acutely not solving the LES problem and then that can lead to continuous reflux that damages the lining of the esophagus?  You see I was asymptomatic for many years not even knowing I have GERD until my esophagus was damaged.