What Are the Best Herbs for Acid Reflux?
My Top 5 Herbs for Acid Reflux
Over my 31 years of research and coaching, these are the five herbs I return to most often for supporting stomach and esophageal health:
- deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) licorice root
- aloe vera inner-fillet gel
- amla berry
- lavender flower
- mastic gum
Each brings something different, and together they cover several angles at once: coating and soothing irritated tissue, supporting the stomach lining's protective barrier, and calming the stress side of the gut–brain connection.
I've flagged honestly where the support is strong human data, lab data, or centuries of traditional use. And so you can trust my recommendations even more, there are no affiliate links.
How I Tier The Evidence
Tier 1: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, human trials. This is the gold standard for research and gives us the best available evidence for how herbs work.
Tier 2: Non-randomized, controlled human trials. Participants are assigned to comparison groups without using random chance. These are more vulnerable to selection bias and confounding variables.
Tier 3: Case studies.These track a larger, defined group of participants who share a common intervention. Traditional herbal wisdom fits into this category and is still incredibly useful.
Tier 4: Observational studies. Researchers observe and record variables without intervening, manipulating, or assigning treatments to participants.
Tier 5: In vitro studies. Experiments conducted in controlled laboratory environments, such as test tubes and petri dishes, using bioactive compounds isolated from the herb. This is useful for understanding basic mechanisms which can then be tested in humans.
Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
Licorice has one of the longest track records in the world for soothing the digestive tract, appearing across Western, Ayurvedic, Chinese, and Native American herbalism. Its water-soluble polysaccharides act as a demulcent which form a gentle, mucilage-like layer that coats and soothes the esophagus and stomach lining. Other compounds like liquiritin and isoliquiritin show antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity in vitro studies. In tier 1 and tier 2 clinical trials, standardized licorice extracts have looked at functional indigestion and general upper-GI comfort with encouraging results.
Best form: DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice). The deglycyrrhizinated version has had glycyrrhizin removed — the compound in regular licorice that can raise blood pressure and deplete potassium with regular use. Because the soothing compounds are water-soluble, DGL powder in cool water or a cool tea delivers them well.
Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis)
Aloe has a dedicated tier 1 human trial for reflux: a small study found that an aloe vera inner-fillet preparation was associated with reduced heartburn and regurgitation and was generally well tolerated.
Its water-soluble polysaccharides (such as acemannan) and glycoproteins underlie its long tier 3 reputation as a cooling, soothing gel.
Best form: inner-fillet gel only (never whole-leaf). Whole-leaf aloe contains a latex layer that acts as a harsh laxative, exactly what you want to avoid here. The beneficial compounds are water-soluble and heat-sensitive, so the inner gel is best kept cold and unheated.
Amla Berry (Phyllanthus emblica)
Amla, also known as Indian gooseberry, is a cornerstone rasayana (rejuvenating tonic) in Ayurveda and among the most antioxidant-dense fruits ever studied.
A tier 1 clinical trial has examined amla for heartburn and regurgitation with promising results, and its water-soluble compounds (emblicanins, gallic acid, vitamin C) are tied in tier 5 evidence to antioxidant and gastroprotective activity.
Best form: low-temperature processed, dried, whole berry powder. Vitamin C and several of amla's actives are heat-sensitive, so low-temp drying preserves far more than conventional high-heat processing.
Lavender Flower (Lavandula angustifolia)
Lavender earns its place in my top 5 list through its gut–brain connection rather than direct action on the stomach. Stress and anxiety are well-documented amplifiers of how strongly reflux is felt, and lavender has some of the strongest tier 1 and tier 2 evidence of any calming herb.
Inhaling the essential oils has performed well in anxiety trials by shifting the body toward a rest-and-digest (parasympathetic) state. For reflux its role is indirect and supportive: a calmer nervous system and less stress-driven flare.
Best form: inhaled essential-oil aroma. The active compounds (linalool, linalyl acetate) are fat-soluble volatile oils, delivered most simply and safely through scent rather than ingestion.
Mastic Gum (Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia)
If you've never met mastic, you're in for a treat. It's the sun-dried resin of a tree that grows in exactly one place on earth: the southern half of the Greek island of Chios. Herbalists around the eastern Mediterranean have chewed it as gum to settle upset stomachs for well over two thousand years, and modern research has caught up to what those traditions knew.
In a tier 1 randomized, placebo-controlled human trial, people with functional dyspepsia who took mastic reported meaningful improvement in stomach pain and, relevant to us here, heartburn.
The simple act of chewing gum after a meal has been shown in human studies to reduce post-meal acid in the esophagus: you make more saliva, you swallow more often, and that helps sweep acid back down where it belongs. Chew mastic and you get that mechanical benefit plus the resin itself.
Best form: 100% dried mastic resin and chewed as gum.
Choosing Quality Versions of These Herbs
Here's the honest truth after my 31 years working with these herbs: form and quality decide whether they do anything at all.
Whole-leaf aloe instead of inner-fillet is a laxative instead of a soother. Regular licorice instead of DGL brings a blood-pressure risk. High-heat processed aloe vera and amla loses much of the bioactive compounds that makes it worth taking. And the herbal market is full of underpotent, adulterated, or mystery-sourced versions of every herb on this list. Then they are often wrapped in affiliate-driven "top 10" roundups with no practitioner vetting.
That's exactly why I made my Herbal Sourcing Guide where I show the specific forms, quality markers, and vetted suppliers I actually trust for these herbs and dozens more. Plus there are zero affiliate links, so what you're reading is my honest judgment, not a commission.
Supportive Lifestyle Practices
Herbs work best alongside a few well-supported habits. None is a cure, but each addresses a mechanism behind reflux:
- Finish eating 2–3 hours before lying down. An empty stomach at bedtime is one of the most reliable ways to ease nighttime symptoms.
- Elevate your head in bed 6–8 inches. A wedge works better than stacked pillows.
- Try sleeping on your left side. This tends to keep gastric contents away from the esophageal junction.
- Eat smaller, slower meals. Overfilling your stomach and rushing digestion both raise the odds of reflux.
- Stay upright after eating. Skip the post-meal recline or nap.
- Know your triggers. Common ones: very acidic foods, fried and high-fat meals, spicy food, chocolate, peppermint, onions, garlic, carbonated drinks, alcohol, and tobacco.
- Consider cold-brew over hot-brewed coffee. Cold steeping pulls out far fewer of the acidic compounds that irritate a sensitive stomach.
- Tend to stress. Because the gut–brain axis amplifies symptoms, slow belly-breathing before meals, mindfulness, and good sleep genuinely help — the same reasoning behind lavender above.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long before these herbs make a difference?
It varies by person and by how consistently they're used. Demulcents like licorice root, and chewing mastic gum, are often felt immediately, while soothing support from aloe and antioxidant-driven support from amla are more gradual and cumulative. Herbs also tend to work best as part of the everyday habits above, not in isolation.
Can I take these herbs together?
Yes. But the right combination, amounts, and timing for your situation is exactly why a personalized plan from an herbalist can be useful.
Are these safe to take with acid-reducing medication?
The honest answer is: ask your healthcare provider. Herbs can interact with medications and reflux medication is sometimes managing something that needs medical oversight.
What's the difference between DGL and regular licorice root?
DGL has had glycyrrhizin removed which is the compound in regular licorice that can raise blood pressure and lower potassium with sustained use. For ongoing digestive support, DGL is the form to look for.
Is this a substitute for seeing a doctor?
No. Persistent or severe heartburn, and especially warning signs like trouble swallowing, unexplained weight loss, vomiting, or black or bloody stools, needs prompt medical evaluation. Reflux symptoms can overlap with conditions that require real diagnosis.
Meet the Herbalist
My name is Tristan and my herbalism training began in 1995 when I was 15 through the expert guidance of my Grandmother who was a master herbalist.
She and other great teachers taught me how herbs can support healthy digestion, everyday comfort, and restore underlying functions of the stomach and esophagus.
This article is a distillation of my decades of research (and is updated when new research comes in), personal experimentation, and work with over 400 clients.
My Credentials
~ Certified Holistic Herbalist
~ Certified Holistic Health Practitioner
~ Master’s Degree in Nutrition
~ Certified Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner
~ Certified Natural Chef
© 2026 Tristan Anderson LLC
This herbs for acid reflux article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult with your healthcare provider before consuming herbs if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.