Combat Food Poisoning at Home

Most of us have suffered through food poisoning at one time or another. Food poisoning is caused by bacteria or other toxins in food. Some of the symptoms are nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Food poisoning should not be ignored.

When you are suffering from food poisoning, your body will lose more water than normal. So try to stay well hydrated by drinking at least eight glasses of water throughout the day. The water will help flush out the toxins and bacteria causing your symptoms. Along with water, you can also drink diluted fruit juice and broth. You can also start treatment immediately with simple and readily available ingredients from your kitchen.

1. Ginger

Ginger is an excellent home remedy for curing almost all types of digestive problems related to food poisoning.

You can drink one cup of ginger tea after eating lunch or dinner to stop heart burn, nausea and other symptoms associated with food poisoning. To make ginger tea, boil one teaspoon grated ginger in a cup of water for a few minutes, add sugar and your tea is ready

Add a few drops of ginger juice to one teaspoon of honey and swallow it several times a day to reduce inflammation and pain.

Eating raw ginger increases the acid level in your stomach, which will help you digest your food more quickly.

2. Apple Cider Vinegar

Though acidic in nature apple cider vinegar has an alkaline effect due to the way it is metabolized in the body. Thus, it can alleviate various food poisoning symptoms. It can soothe the gastrointestinal lining and kill the bacteria, giving you instant relief.

Just mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in a cup of hot water and drink it before eating any solid food to prevent acid indigestion.

Alternatively, you can drink two tablespoons of undiluted apple cider vinegar.

3. Fenugreek Seeds and Yogurt

Yogurt is another anti-bacterial agent that can counter attack the bacteria that cause food poisoning. You can take one teaspoon fenugreek seeds along with a tablespoon of yogurt. You just need to swallow the seeds and need not chew them. The combining effect of fenugreek seeds and yogurt will give you an immediate relief from stomach pain as well as vomiting.

4. Lemon

The anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial properties in lemons can give you much relief. The acid in lemons helps kill bacteria that cause food poisoning.

Just add a pinch of sugar to one teaspoon of lemon juice and drink it two to three times a day.

You can also sip on warm water with lemon juice to clean out your system.

5. Basil

Basil is an excellent herb that can cure infections caused by food poisoning. You can get the benefits from basil in several ways.

Drink basil juice with a tablespoon of honey several times a day.

Put a few drops of basil oil in one liter of drinking water. Drink it slowly throughout the day to kill bacteria causing stomach pain and other problems.

Add basil leaves, some sea salt, and a pinch black pepper to three tablespoons of plain yogurt. Eat this three to four times a day until your symptoms are gone.

6. Garlic

Garlic is also very effective in fighting food poisoning due to its strong antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal properties. It relieves symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain by destroying unhealthy microbes in the intestines.

Eat one fresh garlic clove, swallowing it with water. If you can tolerate the smell of garlic, you can also try garlic juice.

Alternatively, you can make a mixture of garlic oil and soybean oil and rub it on your stomach after eating.

Personal favorite:

If you feel a bit queasy, a strong cup or two of fresh ginger root tea may be sufficient to ward off further discomfort. Ginger is loaded with potent anti-inflammatory compounds that help to quell nausea and gastric distress. You can drink ginger tea as often as you like. Often, this does the trick. I recommend the natural ginger tea made from root that you can easily buy at the market..