The best homemade drinks for an upset stomach are typically warm herbal teas like ginger, peppermint, or chamomile, along with staying hydrated with water, coconut water, or diluted lemon water, as these help calm nausea, reduce inflammation, and relax digestive muscles. A simple ginger-mint tea with honey is a popular choice, combining ginger's digestive aid with mint's soothing properties.
To settle your stomach in 5 minutes, try sipping ginger or peppermint tea, chewing mint gum, applying a warm compress to your abdomen for muscle relaxation, doing gentle abdominal squeezes, or having a few saltine crackers to absorb acid. For quick relief, focus on natural remedies like ginger (tea, candy) or peppermint (tea, gum) for soothing, while heat and bland foods (crackers, bananas) can calm irritation and muscle tension.
Take Some Pepto Bismol.
Our favorite remedy is also a quick way to fix your tummy woes. Pepto Bismol soothes your discomfort with proteins that enhance the viscosity of the protective layer in the upper gastrointestinal tract to help you feel better.
For an upset stomach in pregnancy, try ginger (tea, ale, candies), peppermint/chamomile tea, bland foods (BRAT diet), small frequent meals, and staying hydrated with water or weak tea; OTC options like Tums/Maalox for heartburn or B6/Doxylamine for nausea are generally safe, but always check with your doctor before taking any medication, including herbs or supplements, to ensure safety for you and the baby.
Drink plenty of clear fluids such as water. Reduce your intake of coffee, tea and alcohol as these can make the pain worse. When you are allowed to eat again, start with clear liquids, then progress to bland foods such as crackers, rice, bananas or toast. Your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods.
Ginger. Ginger helps relieve morning sickness for some people. Ginger comes in capsules, candies, snaps, real ginger ale and tea made with fresh-grated ginger.
Certain foods make an upset stomach worse
Real ginger has properties that may help with diarrhea by calming the stomach. Ginger ale, especially commercial brands, often lacks sufficient ginger content to be effective. It's best to use real ginger or ginger supplements if looking for relief from diarrhea symptoms.
Carbonated Drinks
Some people find that the bubbles in carbonated drinks help soothe an upset stomach, in part by making it easier for them to burp and release stomach pressure. For others, gas and acidity can make matters worse. If you're not sure how these drinks affect you, sip them slowly and cautiously.
Paracetamol is usually best for most types of pain, including headaches and stomach ache. Ibuprofen may be better for period pain or toothache.
The BRAT diet (Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, and Toast) is a gentle and effective diet for relieving diarrhea.
Caffeine and alcohol
Beverages in these categories can further irritate the stomach lining. If you have diarrhea, caffeine could also worsen your symptoms, as drinks like coffee and soda can loosen your stool.
If you have an upset stomach, try to lie with your upper body upright or prop up your head, neck and chest with pillows.
Clear, non-caffeinated sodas such as 7-Up, Sprite or ginger ale. Diluted juices such as apple, grape, cherry or cranberry (avoid citrus juices) Clear soup broth or bouillon. Popsicles.
Black tea is one of the most consumed beverages in the world, and especially in Iran. In Iranian traditional medicine, using black tea has been recommended to treat diarrhea. In this regard, the famous medical book Makhzan-ul-advia has pointed to the therapeutic and antidiarrheal effect of black tea.
Ginger ale: Ginger ale has the same potential benefits as Sprite, but it may also relieve nausea because it contains ginger.
Whether you're recovering from a stomach bug, experiencing a flare of a gastrointestinal (GI) condition, or dealing with GI symptoms, you may need to temporarily eat a diet of easy-to-digest foods and drinks. Bananas, white rice, crackers, and broth are common go-to foods when managing stomach troubles.
To stop diarrhea, focus on bland, binding foods from the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) plus probiotics (yogurt), lean proteins (baked chicken), starchy foods (potatoes, crackers), and liquids (broth), while avoiding dairy, fats, fiber, caffeine, and spicy items to help firm stools and restore electrolytes.
What to do if you have gastroenteritis
To relieve nausea fast, try sipping ginger or peppermint tea, eating bland foods like crackers or toast, getting fresh air, using aromatherapy (lemon/peppermint), or trying acupressure at the P6 point on your wrist, focusing on hydration with small sips of clear fluids and avoiding strong smells or greasy foods.
Ginger tends to work best when consumed regularly over a period or before exposure to nausea triggers, such as before travel to prevent motion sickness. The effects of ginger tea can vary depending on the severity and cause of nausea. For mild nausea, ginger tea may provide quick comfort within 20 to 30 minutes.
When you think ginger ale, you probably think Canada Dry. With slogans like “Made with REAL Ginger” on the packaging, it makes sense. Sadly, Canada Dry doesn't help upset stomachs, and here's why: While it makes for a delicious casual beverage, Canada Dry is almost pure sugar and carbonation (unlike ginger beer).