Acid Reflux: My heartburn and gastric pain got cured with just DGL herbal root extract
I suffered excruciating pain for six months... Medications and even natural remedies didn’t work, except with DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice)
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| A human stomach on fire with blue ice cubes and water cooling it down © iStock | tussik13 & seamartini |
Acid reflux doesn’t always go away with just medicine, or even with “natural solutions,” but here's one herbal root extract that made it stop for me.
Sometime in mid-2021, the doctor, a cardiologist, said I had heartburn or acid reflux after I reported a severe burning pain in my chest that also caused difficulty breathing.
When medications didn't work for me, I tried almost everything else recommended by others online from using aloe vera, mastic gum, and flaxseed to fucoidan, probiotics, and whatnot, but they all still didn’t work for me.
Besides making some lifestyle and dietary changes, my real “cure” began when I tried the Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL) herbal root extract.
Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL)
According to the supplement brand Natural Factors, glycyrrhizinate licorice is a safe and effective licorice extract. And based on positive reviews and successful results experienced by many others on iHerb, I, too, gave DGL chewable tablets a try.
As with any supplement, consult your health professional before use if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or trying to conceive, taking medication, or have a medical condition, or anticipate surgery. And keep it out of reach for children.
How does it work?
Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL) supports the integrity of the natural mucus lining of the stomach and intestinal wall. It stimulates the protective factors that guard against weaknesses in these linings.
It is also specially processed to have the glycyrrhizin removed to avoid potential side effects such as elevated blood pressure.
Where to get DGL from?
I got my DGL from iHerb because it offers the most affordable price compared to other websites. You can use this DGL link to enjoy a discount.
Disclosure: The DGL links above earn me a small commission and provide you with a discount from iherb.com if you choose to purchase through them at no additional cost to you. And rest assured, I didn’t make my story up just to earn a commission. It was based on my actual personal experience and the results I got from taking it
Suggested use
Natural Factors recommends chewing one tablet 1–3 times per day, 20 minutes before each meal or as directed by a health professional.
My initial personal use was to take one tablet 20 minutes before each meal and then again 20 minutes after each meal because I was suffering a lot.
A week later, I just had to take it before meals, as advised by Natural Factors. I also took one or two tablets when there was discomfort before I went to sleep at night. This was my personal experience of taking it before I fully recovered within a month. It may work differently for you.
High Blood Pressure
If you have high blood pressure, monitor it just to be safe after taking DGL, though it’s very unlikely to occur.
If there's an increase of blood pressure, also check to see if it was a coincidence, especially if you had oily or high-sodium food or if you are experiencing an anxiety attack, for example. In such cases, DGL may not have anything to do with it. But do keep an eye on it to be safe anyway, and don’t overdose on it.
Also, speak to your doctor if you’re on other medications that may interact with DGL, which again is unlikely to occur, but better safe than sorry.
Other ingredients
DGL is manufactured by Natural Factors to ensure safety and potency in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada.
It contains no artificial colors, preservatives, or sweeteners; no dairy, starch, sugar, wheat, gluten, yeast, soy, egg, fish, shellfish, animal products, salt, tree nuts, or GMOs.
Some ingredients may be synthetic though. I did look everywhere for completely natural ones, but unfortunately, this is the closest I could find. Nevertheless, it’s still a lot safer and better than any drugs I know, and you’ll just need it only for short-term use to get rid of your heartburn/acid reflux, and/or gastric pain.
Lifestyle & Dietary Changes
As good as the “Darn Good Licorice” (DGL) is, it’s still not some magic pill that will keep your acid reflux away if you refuse to make some necessary lifestyle and dietary changes.
From the many months I’ve researched through the numerous medical articles and videos watched in search of a cure, I’ve simplified them all as below in a way that worked for me in reducing my suffering until I was completely cured in the fastest time possible.
Food
Breakfast/Supper
- Organic steel cut or rolled oats with just a single banana or a mix of any non-acidic fruits, also with two tablespoons of flaxseed + a cup of water or oat milk with no added sugar
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| Oatmeal @ Freepik | Racool_studio |
Lunch/Dinner
- Whole-foods and plant-based diet only
- Parboiled white rice if you like rice
- Vegetables in vegetable soup (water and little salt only)
- No oil (not even olive oil) and no meat, as meat and fish are high-PRAL (Potential Renal Acid Load) to consume as food
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| Plant-based whole-food © iStock | MEDITERRANEAN |
Snacks
- Fruits (alkaline-based) only
No:
- Spicy food
- Oily food
- Fried food (no processed mock meat either)
- Overeating
- Irregular eating habits
- Eating at odd times
- Caffeine
- Cigarettes
- Alcohol
- Stress
Yes:
- Get enough sleep
- Lose excessive fat weight
- Walking exercise at moderate speed (5 times a week + 30 minutes each day)
- Whole food plant-based diet + Himalayan rock salt
- Vitamin D from sunlight at safe hours or Vitamin D3 + K2 supplementation (be sure to do a blood test first to see if you’re deficient before taking it — but most people are).
Note: It’s recommended to choose such supplements that are United States Pharmacopeia (USP) certified or similar certification to ensure they contain the ingredients listed on the label, in the correct amounts, are free from harmful contaminants, and will break down and dissolve properly in the body
Well, that’s how it all worked out for me in curing my acid reflux suffering, thanks to Dr. Michael T. Murray, ND’s DGL, and also from the nutrition advice from food specialists advocating healthy diets and lifestyle.
What if it still doesn’t work for you?
If none of the above options work for you after a couple of weeks, you may still need to see a specialist or gastroenterologist to check for a Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) bacterial infection or another cause of the problem.
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| Helicobacter Pylori (H. Pylori) © iStock | SciePro |
However, if you do get cured, it doesn’t mean you can go back to eating and living your life the way it caused your acid reflux/heartburn/gastric or bacterial infection in the first place.
You can’t just eat/drink whatever and then use DGL to neutralize the acidic effects every time it happens again, as taking any medication or supplementation for too long may cause other side effects or problems later on. So you do want to get out of this cycle as soon as possible.
You can, of course, have your favorite cheat meals once in a while, maybe once or a couple of times a week, but keep doing your best to avoid or at least minimize unhealthy food and lifestyles as much as possible.
With that, I wish you all the best of health. Take care.
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