The Best Tea for Heartburn: Herbal, Caffeine-Free Brews That Soothe Symptoms Naturally
Plus discover what could be triggering your flare-ups, including how you eat
Picture this: You’ve just finished dinner, you’re ready to dive into that new Netflix show you’ve been binge-watching, and just as you get comfortable, you feel an uncomfortable stinging in your chest. Sound familiar? If it does, you could be experiencing heartburn. Fortunately, there’s a soothing, tasty remedy that could help: tea for heartburn. The key is knowing which ones to reach for. That’s why we spoke to an expert to get her top picks, including caffeine-free varieties that reduce acid reflux without keeping you up at night.
What is heartburn?
“Heartburn is the burning sensation in the chest or throat when stomach acid refluxes into your esophagus, the tube that connects your stomach and your mouth,” says Janelle Bober, MS, RDN, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Dietitian Live. “Normally, it’s the lower esophageal sphincter that is the valve that keeps your stomach acid from flowing into your esophagus. When that weakens or if it relaxes at the wrong time, that’s when we see some of the acid entered into your esophagus.”
This type of exposure to stomach acid can lead to symptoms of acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a chronic and more severe type of heartburn. Common symptoms of acid reflux and GERD include:
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- Burning or acidic taste in your mouth
- Chest discomfort after meals or when lying down
- Chronic cough
- Sore throat
- Voice hoarseness
What causes heartburn?
Heartburn can happen for many reasons, and triggers vary from person to person. Bober says one possible reason is that the muscle at the bottom of your esophagus isn’t strong enough to keep stomach acid from flowing back up, which can cause that burning feeling in your chest.
Bober says consuming certain foods could also trigger your heartburn, such as:
- Chocolate
- Citrus or tomatoes
- Spicy foods
- Caffeine
- High-fat food
And it’s not just what you eat, but how you eat. Habits that can worsen heartburn include:
- Eating late at night
- Eating big meals
- Lying down shortly after eating
Other lifestyle factors, such as stress, obesity and smoking can also increase your risk, per Bober.
The best tea for heartburn
If you usually reach for over-the-counter medication to manage acid reflux, it may surprise you to learn that tea can be a soothing natural alternative. “Some herbal teas might ease heartburn symptoms by reducing the inflammation in the GI tract,” says Bober. “They can also help with gastric emptying, calming esophageal irritation relaxing your digestive muscles.”
That said, “not all teas are beneficial,” notes Bober. “For example, things like caffeine and mint can increase your risk of heartburn. So teas like peppermint tea or caffeinated black or green teas can actually worsen heartburn.”
To soothe discomfort naturally (and avoid accidentally triggering a flare-up), try Bober’s top picks for the best tea for heartburn:
Ginger tea
“Ginger helps support gastric motility, which means it helps to help the food empty your stomach faster,” says Bober. As a result, acid is less likely to have a chance to creep up into your esophagus and cause reflux. Bonus: Ginger tea “has some anti-inflammatory properties as well.” (Discover how ginger tea helped one woman finally cure her heartburn.)
How much to take: 1 to 2 grams of dried ginger (around 1 teaspoon) steeped in 8 ounces of hot water for 5 to 10 minutes, says Bober. Sip up to 2 cups per day, ideally between meals to help soothe irritation and block reflux.
Chamomile tea
“Chamomile tea is another good tea for heartburn,” says Bober. “Chamomile contains apigenin and some other flavonoids, which are phytochemicals, or plant chemicals, that help to reduce inflammation, especially in the esophagus.”
How much to take: “I would recommend 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried chamomile in 8 ounces of hot water and steeping it for 5 minutes,” says Bober. Enjoy up to 3 cups daily after meals or before bed.
Licorice root tea
“Another form of tea that we can use [for heartburn] is licorice root tea, specifically the form of DGL licorice root,” says Bober. “DGL helps increase mucus production and coat the esophagus, which reduces irritation. The important thing to know about licorice root is the non-DGL form can raise blood pressure and interact with medications, so make sure that you’re choosing the DGL form.”
How much to take: “[DGL licorice root] stands for the deglycyrrhizinated form of licorice, and you should aim to enjoy 1 to 2 cups daily,” Bober says.
Honorable mentions for best teas for heartburn include marshmallow root tea and slippery elm tea, two herbal brews that can also soothe symptoms for those suffering from acid reflux.
Beyond tea for heartburn: When to seek help
If you’ve identified your trigger foods, adjusted your eating habits and tried soothing teas but still have frequent heartburn symptoms, it’s time to check in with your doctor.
“If heartburn does happen more than twice a week or you have difficulty swallowing, a persistent cough or chest pain, talk to your doctor as soon as you can,” says Bober. “This could be signs of GERD or another condition.”
Ultimately, fixing heartburn comes down to understanding your personal triggers and what remedies work best for you. But knowing that simple, natural options—like the right kind of tea—may help is a comforting place to start.
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