Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) uses herbal formulas like Huo Xiang Zheng Qi San (藿香正气散) for food poisoning symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, and cramps, while Xiao Chai Hu Tang (小柴胡汤) addresses flu-like symptoms with fever, sore throat, and appetite loss, often mixed with warm water. Products like Po Chai Pills (保济丸) are popular for indigestion and diarrhea. TCM focuses on restoring balance (Qi, Dampness) and removing pathogens, but always consult a practitioner for proper diagnosis and dosage, as severe cases need conventional care.
In most cases, people with food poisoning get better on their own without medical treatment. You can treat food poisoning by replacing lost fluids and electrolytes to prevent dehydration. In some cases, over-the-counter medicines may help relieve your symptoms.
Use Peppermints. Sucking on a peppermint candy or drinking peppermint tea may help to soothe an upset stomach caused by food poisoning. In fact, one review found that peppermint oil (one of the main ingredients in both peppermint candy and peppermint teas) may help to smoothen muscle relaxation in the digestive system.
Adults who have loose stools that aren't bloody and who have no fever may take loperamide (Imodium A-D) to treat diarrhea. They also may take bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol, Kaopectate, others) to treat an upset stomach. These are medicines you can get without a prescription. They are not for children.
Pressure point P-6 (Neiguan) Pressure point P-6 is also called Neiguan (nay-gwann). It is found on your inner arm near your wrist. Doing acupressure on this point can help with nausea and prevent vomiting.
Other points that can be used to treat diarrhea are located on the back. These points, such as the “Three Yin Intersection” (BL23) and the “Three Yang Intersection” (BL24), are located along the “conception vessel” and are believed to be connected to the digestive system.
Symptoms of food poisoning include:
Sticking to a bland diet can help settle your stomach. For diarrheal illnesses, think bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast (sometimes called the BRAT diet). Skip caffeine, foods high in fat and sugar, and dairy until you're feeling better.
Q: How can I tell if it's food poisoning or a stomach bug? Food poisoning often comes on quickly—usually within a few hours after eating contaminated food. A stomach bug (viral gastroenteritis) usually develops more gradually, with symptoms appearing 1–2 days after exposure to an infected person or surface.
So, choose electrolyte-rich liquids (such as broths or sports drinks) or an oral rehydration solution instead. When you do drink, take little sips. That will make it easier to keep liquids down. Stay away from coffee and other caffeinated drinks, as well as milk and other dairy drinks.
Home Remedies for Food Poisoning
Take a whiff: Inhaling specific scents, called aromatherapy, may also help calm a troubled tummy. “The scents help trick the nausea centers in the brain by providing it with new input,” says Ulreich. Lavender, lemon and peppermint are all mild scents that can have soothing effects.
Bacteria destroyed by cooking and the toxin is destroyed by boiling for 5 to 10 minutes. Heat-resistant spore can survive.
Lemon juice is one of the natural medicines for food poisoning as it destroys germs. Lemon is high in antioxidants and acidic in nature and helps in detoxifying the digestive system.
The 4Cs of food hygiene
cleaning. cooking. chilling. cross-contamination.
Stay Hydrated: A Core Part of Food Poisoning Recovery
Probiotic-rich drinks like kefir or fermented coconut water can help. These not only restore hydration but also gently repopulate your gut. Sports drinks and diluted fruit juices can help, too, just avoid anything with added sugar or caffeine.
Food poisoning symptoms can look like the symptoms of stomach flu (gastroenteritis). Many people with mild cases of food poisoning think they have stomach flu. The time it takes food poisoning symptoms to start can vary.
Symptoms of food poisoning often include upset stomach, loose stools and vomiting. Symptoms most often start within hours or days of eating the food.
Bile is a greenish-yellow type of special digestive liquid that causes your vomit to change colour when there is no presence of food in the stomach. Therefore, this causes your vomit to present as a green or yellow colour.
If you think someone has food poisoning, advise them to lie down and rest. Encourage them to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.
Most people develop diarrhea, fever and stomach (abdominal) cramps within 8 to 72 hours after exposure. Most healthy people recover within a few days to a week without specific treatment. In some cases, diarrhea can cause severe dehydration and requires prompt medical attention.
While there is no set timeline for how long food poisoning lasts, most people only go through symptoms for 24 to 48 hours. However, there have been severe cases where people experience symptoms up to four weeks after initial contact.
The most common symptoms include diarrhea, stomach pain or cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Severe food poisoning can cause bloody diarrhea, diarrhea that lasts more than 3 days, fever over 102°F, frequent vomiting, and dehydration.
Infections with microbes—viruses, bacteria, and parasites—cause most food poisoning. Harmful chemicals also cause some cases of food poisoning. Microbes can spread to food at any time while the food is grown, harvested or slaughtered, processed, stored, shipped, or prepared.
In the US, norovirus is the most common cause of illness from contaminated food or water—but food isn't the only way people can get norovirus. It also spreads easily from person-to-person. Symptoms usually start within 1 or 2 days of eating the contaminated food, but may begin in as few as 12 hours.