Best Natural Alternatives to Omeprazole

Anyone prescribed omeprazole? Oh, wait, 12.8 million people in the US alone are taking it. It is the most commonly prescribed PPI today. In fact, it is the most widely prescribed PPI across 23 countries. But just because something is a popular prescription doesn’t mean I want to take it. 

As a certified nutrition coach, I always encourage my clients to focus on their long-term health, reading the labels on their “healthy” foods, and knowing what impact medications can have on health. So it makes sense that I do the same. 

A few months back, my doctor tried to prescribe omeprazole after I complained of a few bad cases of heartburn. It wasn’t anything chronic, and it didn’t disrupt my day, but it was enough that I felt the need to mention it. But I didn’t want to jump straight into prescriptions with known side effects like:

1. Respiratory infections
2. Headaches and dizziness
3. Gastrointestinal issues (definitely not trading nausea and heartburn for nausea and cramps)
4. Vitamin deficiencies
5. Infections 

The way I see it, prescriptions are great to save your life, but the more our bodies rely on an outside source for something that should be done on the inside, the less our bodies work to solve problems. That’s why I started looking at the best natural alternatives to omeprazole. I found a lot of things on the market, each with difficult goals and uses. 

My Top Picks

My top picks are:

1. Reflux Gourmet: They offer gel-type products, and you just squeeze out a 5 ml teaspoon amount before/after meals or before bed. They also have gum you can chew throughout the day. 
2. NOW Foods Supplements: NOW Foods has a highly regarded line of supplements for all things, and it’s easier than drinking a ton of ginger tea. 
3. Terra Health: Terra Health has capsules with natural ingredients, a good option for chronic issues, as the claims are an improvement over the span of several months. 
4. Soothe Stomach: A nice powder you mix like protein powder to make a *thick* smoothie. A good way to boost your vitamins while also coating your throat. 

So let’s see how they compare:

Reflux Gourmet

I totally love this option the most. Why? It is the only one on the market today that is designed by reflux doctors to provide a completely safe and natural alternative that uses alginate therapy.

They are the only company today that offers alginate therapy chewing gum in addition to the gels. All of these product lines contain things like sodium bicarbonate and sodium alginate, with proprietary alginate blends.

Alginate is uniquely situated to provide relief for reflux and to reverse the damage caused by the previous symptoms. In fact, over the course of my research, I discovered dozens of studies where alginate-based products were used for medical, prescription relief, and found to be significantly more effective than PPIs with fewer side effects.

Alginate works like a floating raft, one that creates a viscous or gelatinous barrier that floats on top of the stomach acid. So, not only do the other ingredients help reduce nausea and coat the inside of the throat and esophagus to reduce inflammation, but the “raft” helps create a barrier to immediately reduce future symptoms. That barrier stops the cause, the rising stomach acid contents, from making their way into the esophagus at all. 

So this product has the honor of being made entirely in Northern California, with natural products that are safe for long-term use as well as pregnant or nursing women. It was made by experts in the field, and it uses one of the most highly regarded, though not readily available, products across the reflex treatment market: alginate. 

How to Use:

With the gels, you simply squeeze out a small teaspoon and take it before or after meals, before bed, or whenever. They even have travel packs that will conform to TSA guidelines, so you can be comfortable when you fly. If you opt for the gum, you chew it whenever you need it.

Ingredients:

• Dextrose
• Grapefruit seed extract
• Alginate complex (with sodium alginate and sodium bicarbonate)
• Ginger extract
• Aloe 

Key Claims:

• 100% natural
• Made entirely from safe ingredients, even for pregnant or nursing women
• No known side effects
• Can relieve hunger pains from intermittent fasting
• Good flavor
• The only alginate therapy chewing gum on the market

Price: 

$28 for 8-ounce gel packs or $22 for bicarbonate gum

Terra Health

Terra Health offers safe, natural ingredients derived from leafy greens and beet root. The thing is, it doesn’t work immediately. It is meant to be a gradual form of improvement.

There are two products that they sell for this:

1. Acid Relief
2. Reflux Inhibitor

Both are meant to be taken together as a way to help you rebuild your stomach lining and your esophagus, and transition off of PPIs like omeprazole. 

I started to feel better after about 3 months, so it’s really meant for people who need to combat pretty frequent acid reflux and who are willing to do the work and stick with it. 

Because it is designed to be a regular, natural alternative, it comes at a discount if you purchase a regular subscription, and in theory, it is a solution that is safe for long-term use because it comes from natural ingredients, but that does mean you are somewhat reliant on it for long-term relief. 

When you look at their ingredients, you’ll see that some of the things are silicone dioxide, the primary ingredient in glass, but also used as an anti-caking measure or a food stabilizer, which is probably why their website boasts that you can get relief without chalky or cakey pills and products. 

That weird flex aside, the other key ingredients are really good products that I fully stand by. Slippery elm extract, also found in the Soothe Stomach smoothie mix, is a very powerful ingredient for coating the lining of your throat, esophagus, and stomach. It helps make a protective layer that reduces inflammation, and it’s made even more efficacious when combined with liquorice extract. These are the two most prominent ingredients in a lot of throat coat tea. 

Aloe vera works very well at reducing inflammation, and the chamomile extract can serve as a good alternative to drinking gallons of chamomile tea every day. 

How to Use:

When you start taking both of the products under the heartburn relief kit, you’ll start feeling much more comfortable when you eat by around 4 weeks, and by around 8 weeks, they claim that you won’t have to plan your meals around heartburn, and by 12 weeks, you won’t have to deal with acid reflux.

Ingredients:

• Chamomile extract
• Licorice extract
• Cellulose
• Magnesium
• Aloe vera extract
• Lemon balm extract
• Slippery elm extract
• Silicon dioxide 

Key Claims:

• Vegan friendly (as in, it likes vegans? Waves to them on the street?)
• 60-day money-back guarantee 
• Offers fast-acting comfort, heals and protects the stomach lining, and helps transition you off of PPIs

Price: 

$46 for heartburn and reflux relief pulls on a subscription, or $99 for one-time purchases

Soothe Stomach

This is an herbal supplement that comes in powder form. The idea is that you mix it until it is a very thick, very thick drink. You might be tempted to water it down because you think it’s too thick, but their website urges you not to do this. Once it is so thick you’re not sure you can drink it, then you have to down it pretty much immediately before it separates and gets gross. So, time is a factor, Lois. 

I actually don’t mind the idea of mixable powder. Sometimes I prefer that to chewables or pills, but it is a little bit harder to stomach both literally and figuratively several extra ounces of a thick shake right after every meal.

When I looked at the ingredients, it had things like arrowroot, apple, banana, papaya, and slippery elm. So I love these ingredients and they work really well at coating the throat and helping with digestion but I will say it comes off more like a fruit smoothie that has the added benefit of helping reduce reflux. 

How to Use:

Mix between one and two tablespoons with 3 to 4 oz of water until it is a thick consistency. Don’t add too much water. Then drink it right away without letting it settle. 

Ingredients:

• Arrowroot
• Whole Apple
• Slippery Elm Bark
• Green Banana
• Papaya
• L-Glutamine

Key Claims:

• Heartburn, Bloating, & Indigestion Relief
• Promotes Good Gut Bacteria
• Soothes & Promotes Healing of GI Tract
• Gastritis & GERD support

Price: 

$39 for 10.5 ounces or $35 for subscriptions 

NOW Foods Supplements

NOW supplements is a well-known company that has been around for a long time, producing a wide array of supplements. They are highly regarded, and they have good quality control, although personally, I don’t think that a company that’s able to do everything is going to be as good as one that specializes. 

That said, they have chewables, which I like. You take them when and where you need them. This is definitely more for a preventative purpose, not for the treatment of symptoms once they have manifested.

It is clearly more preventative because of the design; According to the website, the digestive enzymes that are included in the acid relief enzyme blend can help break down your food more efficiently and, as a result, potentially reduce symptoms.

So the idea is that you take it regularly as a part of your daily routine in order to give your body more enzymes that help you process your food. In theory, the more enzymes you add to your body and the better your digestive process, the fewer symptoms of acid reflux or heartburn you will experience.

As I tell my clients, look at the ingredient label. Supplements might have things you don’t recognize right off the bat but that doesn’t make them harmful or unhealthy it’s usually something like a stabilizer. However, once I took the time to look at this label I realized there wasn’t a lot I understood other than sugar, sugar, and sugar.

How to Use:

Take supplements on a preventative basis to help improve your digestion and, in theory, reduce the risk of heartburn or acid reflux. 

Ingredients:

• Xylitol
• Cellulose
• Maltodextrin 
• Citric acid
• Magnesium
• Beet powder
• Acid relief enzyme blend

Key Claims:

• Probiotic, enzyme, and digestion support 
• No hydrogenated oils, artificial colors, or flavors 
• Products shipped directly from climate-controlled fulfillment centers 
• All ingredients are sourced from authorized US distributors 

Price: 

$13 plus shipping for 60 chewables

Summing Up

Here is what I’ve learned:

1. If you want to prevent acid reflux or heartburn, consider NOW Foods Supplements. These work well to boost overall gut health in order to reduce future symptoms. 
2. If you want to transition away from PPIs, consider Terra Health, with great ingredients, but a somewhat full time subscription/use requirement. 
3. If you want to treat symptoms and transition from PPIs without a long term subscription, consider Soothe Stomach as a drinkable alternative to pills. 

If you want something that treats symptoms in real time and helps with long term relief, go with Reflux Gourmet as it comes with the same ingredients as Terra Health, and the bonus of alginates which have been scientifically proven to treat reflux.