Better Reflux Raft Alternatives

If you’ve tried Reflux Raft with mixed results, like the product simply not working or causing side effects like nausea, you might be on the hunt for something better. Some customers have reported a lot of issues with the product simply not working for them or causing unwanted side effects and in other cases, requiring a significantly higher dose than what was recommended all to get the same type of relief.

So I started investigating alternative products that used similar or comparable ingredients but had better results. 

Top Reflux Raft Alts

What are some better Reflux Raft alternatives?

1. Reflux Gourmet
2. Reverse Reflux
3. Stomach Soothe
4. TerraHealth

I looked for a few key things when determining my favorite alternatives. 

Distribution

Firstly was the method of distribution. 

When it comes to reflux, as you know, it can start at any time. Usually it strikes after meals and that might mean a meal that you have sitting at your desk, out with friends, or at home but you need something to combat the symptoms immediately. 

I don’t like powders that you have to mix into water because that is much less approachable when you are out and about. I also don’t like them because they can be kind of chunky and difficult to mix thoroughly leaving you to choke down a powdery mess.

Main Claim

Secondly was the main claim, basically how the product works and what the key ingredients are to make it work.

It’s important to understand the main claim and key ingredients so that you can do your own research on what those ingredients actually do for your gut health or your microbiome. This helps you better understand whether a product is there to relieve symptoms immediately after a meal, to be used in the morning and night as an alternative to PPIs or something in the middle. 

Reflux Gourmet

Out of all the better Reflux Raft Alternatives, my top pick is Reflux Gourmet. Why? Because it is the only comparable product that is designed to:

1. Stop the cause of reflux
2. Aid the immediate relief of reflux
3. Repair damage from reflux

Moreover, it’s the only alternative that also uses alginate and ingredients for acid neutralization.

Reflux Gourmet basically does some of everything whereas all the other alternatives focus more on being long-term alternatives to PPIs and help achieve one or two of these things.

So how does it work?

Reflux Gourmet derives its main compounds from alginate, a derivative of brown seaweed. This is a natural occurring element that has been shown in scientific studies for several decades as highly effective against reflux.

This alginate creates a sort of gel-like raft that floats on top of your stomach contents and creates a physical barrier between the stomach content and your esophagus thereby preventing the reflux from rising.

The other ingredients include aloe vera to help with inflammation and to provide relief and repair from any stomach acid related damage in the past. Natural sodium bicarbonate and ginger and celery root together help neutralize stomach acid and improve digestive health.

What I like most is that it was designed by doctors with a lot of experience in this particular field, not just by some vague claim of an “expert” and you get all the clear information as to when and how to use it.

Main claim:

Uses natural alginate to create a “raft” that blocks stomach acids from rising into the esophagus, and combines natural ingredients to combat inflammation.

Pros:

• Comes in an easy to use gel or gum, neither of which produce chunky drinks that you choke on (hooray!)
• Affordable
• Natural ingredients that actually target the cause, not the symptom
• Made by doctors (not just “experts”)

Cons:

• Not a long term alt to PPIs

Reverse Reflux

Reverse Reflux is a unique product among the better Reflux Raft alts because it is meant more as a holistic, long term alternative to PPI medications. So PPIs are what you normally get prescribed for reflux, right, to block acid. 

Reverse Reflux offers a lot of health packages, all purportedly formulated by a “gut and health specialist” though I’m genuinely not sure what that means cause it certainly doesn’t say “doctor” on it like Reflux Gourmet. 

They have a range of health packages for things like:

• Nausea
• Leaky gut
• Inflammation
• Crohn’s 
• Mental health
• Reflux

They all have fermented ingredients that you drink in a probiotic beverage. You are instructed to start taking sips before and after each meal, and then wean yourself from your PPI meds once you “feel your body healing.” Not sure your doctor would approve, but you know your body. 

They say that with time, you can drink ¼-½ of the bottle each day. 

Basically it is a fancy kombucha with ginger as the wild fermentation from which they get their probiotics. Ginger has been shown to support gut health and in particular, support the microbiota (your gut health and all the happy little things that live in your gut) and reduce things like nausea. 

Main claim:

Uses fermented ingredients for the probiotics, to create a normal pH.

Pros:

• Lots of flavors
• Easy drink 

Cons:

• Expensive, like, wow
• Meant as a long term daily supplement 

Stomach Soothe

Stomach Soothe is a powder that you mix in water and chug (seriously, don’t sip it; like a protein shake, it gets worse with age). 

It contains natural ingredients which support gut health and reduce heartburn. The main claim to helping with reflux is arrowroot and slippery elm bark. Arrowroot has prebiotic fibers which can help with acid reflux and digestion. 

This is combined with the slippery elm bark which coats the esophagus and stomach lining. I will say that I use slippery elm a lot. I have slippery elm lozenges for days where I’ve been teaching and talking a lot, as well as throat coat tea with slippery elm. It works exceptionally well to add a coating to the throat and esophagus. It makes a sort of thin, thin slime (gross word, I know, but accurate) that offers almost instant relief from inflammation and burning. So they are spot on with that claim. 

The idea behind Stomach Soothe is to help you over several months to grow good bacteria in your stomach. So, if you use it regularly, it claims that within 10 days you will notice your reflux fading, within 6 weeks you will have some natural gut healing, and within 4 months you will have a thriving gut environment. Their words, not mine. 

Main claim:

Uses prebiotics and amino acids for gut health.

Pros:

• A powder with a long shelf life
• Lots of natural ingredients

Cons:

• The powder mixes with water and has a particularly *cough* chunky texture; chug like you’re back in college

TerraHealth

TerraHealth is a better Reflux Raft alt that, like Reverse Reflux, is meant more as a subscription, something “natural” that you can take instead of your PPIs. So really, it is meant as medicine, long term medicine. And that means long term costs still. 

It comes in a 2 part system:

1. Part 1: Acid Reflux with botanicals to soothe your digestion and help repair damage from previous reflux
2. Part 2: Reflux Inhibitor which stops acid reflux “at the source” according to their site

It’s actually kind of hard to tell how the system works though, either part of it. They have a picture of the supplement facts on the bottle but not much else.

According to the supplement facts, the primary ingredient in the heartburn relief kit is slippery elm extract which I’ve already mentioned is very effective at coating the inside of the throat and esophagus. However, please don’t mistake the function of slippery elm; it is a highly effective way to add coating and protective benefits to your throat and esophagus but it doesn’t actually stop the heartburn.

The other key ingredients include licorice extract, chamomile extract and equal parts, and then a smaller amount of aloe vera extract and lemon balm extract. These are all highly effective at combating inflammation and helping soothe throat problems.

The other part contains Betaine HCI as a primary ingredient followed by pepsin. Betaine Hydrochloride is a naturally occurring compound that is used under normal circumstances to improve digestion by actually increasing your stomach acid levels. It is a means for people with low stomach acid and increases your naturally occurring levels to help support digestion. Therefore it’s an alternative to PPIs or antacids if you are trying to promote good stomach acid production and manage heartburn.

Main claim:

Uses natural ingredients like slippery elm and aloe vera to soothe your esophagus. 

Pros:

• 2 part system for acid reflux and reflux inhibition 
• Helps rebuild your lining

Cons

• Meant as a long term daily supplement that you take for several months (in other words, pay for, for several months)

Summing Up

There are a lot of better Reflux Raft alternatives out there:

1. Reflux Gourmet: Best for people who want a product they can use to provide temporary relief and support. 
2. Reverse Reflux: Best for people who want a probiotic beverage that can help with microbiome health.
3. Stomach Soothe: Best for people who want to improve their gut bacteria long-term.
4. TerraHealth: Best for people who have low levels of stomach acid and want the protective coating of slippery elm.

The product you choose is really based on your needs but in terms of the ingredients and how it works, Reflux Gourmet is the best comparable Reflux Raft alternative and it has a much easier method of distribution but the other options on this list can be good for people looking for a long-term solution to improve their gut health and switch away from PPIs.