Best Drug-Free GERD Supplements For Daily Use

Fast Facts:

If you want a drug-free GERD supplements that you can add to your daily routine to reduce GERD symptoms, look for natural ingredients like alginate, DGL, or slippery elm.

• Alginate supplements like Reflux Gourmet are best for GERD symptoms after meals when relief is needed.
• Products with slippery elm, like Stomache Smoothe from Soothe Naturals helps relieve feelings of rawness and irritation that often accompany GERD.
• DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) supplements help encourage healing and protection of the intestinal and esophageal lining.

Looking Beyond GERD Medications

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is becoming increasingly common. 20% of the US population deals with it every day. Many people start self-treating with traditional antacids, and many others use drug-based treatments such as PPIs, prescribed by their healthcare provider. Both of these routes have their place and can offer substantial relief, but they’re not for everyone. 

Jumping right into a long-term medication is not always the ideal first line of treatment. It may be needed to quell unmanageable symptoms or tackle complex health situations, but it doesn’t have to be the answer for everyone. Before buying stock in Tums or committing to a PPI regimen, it might be worth looking at a more natural path of treatment.

What a lot of people don’t know is that there are more natural options out there. We’re often pressured into medications without researching other solutions. In this article, we’re going to dive deep into the world of drug-free GERD support supplements so that you can find the fit for you. Some of these supplements are effective as front-line resources to stop reflux on the spot, while others work by protecting and healing the intestinal lining for long-lasting relief.

How Drug-Free GERD Supplements Work

Before jumping into specific supplements, you need to know how drug-free GERD supplements work, what they can do, and what they can’t do. 

Let’s talk acid suppression versus mechanical protection. 

Take Tums, for example. Tums are an antacid that neutralizes stomach acid, which alleviates feelings of burning and upset stomach. However, antacids do not actually stop the reflux. They simply make it more bearable. Our stomachs need some acid in order for us to digest our food, so getting rid of all acid is not a viable long-term solution. Neutralizing the acid helps for a time, but getting rid of too much of it can negatively affect digestion. Antacids mask symptoms, rather than actually getting rid of them.

Mechanical protection is a different mechanism entirely. It involves creating a physical barrier of some kind to protect all or part of the GI tract. Alginates and products like DGL and slippery elm all do this in different ways. Alginates create a raft on top of the stomach’s contents to keep acid in the stomach where it belongs, rather than allowing it back up through the esophagus. 

DGL and slippery elm both create a protective layer or barrier along the walls or lining of the GI tract. This can help protect the lining and, in some cases, help repair it. 

Mechanical protection typically lasts several hours, which is often longer than most antacids. They also flush from the body more easily than medications, meaning that there is less buildup and fewer side effects as well.

What to Look for in a Daily GERD Supplement

I based my recommendations for daily GERD supplements on four key criteria:

1. Safety – The supplement needs to be safe for long-term daily use; a bonus if it is safe for special populations, including teens, pregnant women, and seniors.
2. Method of action – The supplement focuses on mechanical protection, rather than acid suppression to promote safe and effective treatment.
3. Evidence-supported Ingredients – The active ingredients in the supplement should be tried and tested. I also looked for supplements with fewer additives and other inactive ingredients.
4. Ease of use – The best supplement is one you’ll actually use, so I looked for supplements that were pleasant (or at least easy) to take with minimal interruptions to your day.

Best Drug-Free GERD Supplements

Reflux Gourmet: Best for Daily Support and Immediate Relief

Reflux Gourmet is an alginate-based supplement that stops reflux in the stomach. It’s active ingredient alginate forms a raft that floats on top the contents of the stomach, effectively keeping acid in the stomach rather than letting it come up the esophagus and cause heartburn. Alginate has been used for decades and is a well-tested ingredient. 

The raft itself is a physical barrier, so it’s not going to change the chemical makeup of the stomach’s contents or pass into the bloodstream for systemic side effects. It works quickly, within 30 minutes, and is best taken after a meal. After several hours, the raft dissolves and is excreted from the body with other waste products. This is something users love, because it means that there’s no buildup or long-term side effects that you see with many other drug-based medications.

Reflux Gourmet’s take on an alginate supplement has quickly become a favorite of many who suffer with GERD symptoms. It’s all natural and is considered safe for children and pregnant women.

It comes in two flavors: Vanilla Caramel and Mint Chocolate, which is a nice departure from typical fruit or chalk-flavored reflux supplements. They also offer it in single serve pouches, which users find are great to use on-the-go or when eating out.

It is available for $28 per tube or $32 for a 25-count pack of the single serves on Amazon.  

Stomach Soothe: Best for Soothing Irritation

Stomach Soothe is a unique blend of whole foods and offers a different take on gut health for people with GERD. Its key ingredients include arrowroot, apple, green banana, L-glutamine, slilppery elm, and papaya. Blended together, these ingredients provide relief from minor GERD symptoms. It is not going to stop reflux in the same way that alginates do, but instead focuses on soothing and helping heal the lining of the stomach and esophagus. 

It contains nutrients that support the digestive system to promote overall health. For those experiencing GERD symptoms, arrowroot and slippery elm are the key ingredients. They work together to soothe acid reflux symptoms and coat the stomach and esophagus to protect them from stomach acid.

Its instructions recommend that Stomach Soothe should be taken in the morning on an empty stomach. This is very different than most post-meal options, and makes it a great option for daily GI support because it’s easy to add into a morning routine and helps reduce discomfort throughout the day. That being said, it can be used if there is an immediate need, but it may not provide the same level of relief as other reflux-specific supplements.

Stomach Soothe comes in one flavor, which the company describes as earthy or oaty. Most users recommend mixing it with water, while some prefer it mixed in with a juice. It creates a think, drinkable consistency, much like a thick smoothie. 

It is available for $39 per pouch from Soothe Naturals.

Nature’s Way DGL: Best for Supporting Mucosal Lining

DGL, or deglycyrrizinated licorice extract, comes from licorice root, which has been a part of many herbal remedies and commercial supplements for years. It is often used to soothe the stomach lining, decrease inflammation, and encourage healing of the digestive track.

The glycerrhizin compound found in licorice root has been known to elevate blood pressure and cause fluid retention, but is removed in DGL, making it safe for longterm consumption without the negative side effects that traditional licorice root has.

Much like Stomach Soothe, DGL is more of a complementary supplement rather than a first-line of support like Reflux Gourmet. It stimulates mucosal production in the GI tract to help protect and heal the lining of the stomach and esophagus. This makes it an excellent choice for individuals who already have damage or irritation along the digestive track, and for those who want to avoid the irritation entirely. 

DGL from Nature’s Way comes in licorice flavor as a chewable tablet. It does best when taken after a meal to support the digestion occurring.

It is available for $15.49 per bottle on Amazon.

Final Verdict: Best of the Best for daily GERD Support

There is no one answer to all of GERD’s unpleasant symptoms. The most effective GERD treatment is usually a mix of supplements and medications as needed to support GI health. Start your day with supplements that promote healing and protection of the GI tract. They’ll help you get moving in the right direction. For those times when GERD symptoms strike, be prepared with alginate therapies like Reflux Gourmet that can tackle symptoms fast and give you the chance to enjoy your food again.