Benefits of Lemon Water for Overcoming Ulcer

Medical Video: No More Stomach Ulcer Use This 5 effective remedies

For those of you who have had stomach ulcers (gastritis), you must have understood that this disease can really torture the stomach. Fortunately, gastritis or heartburn is a disease that can be cured with proper treatment. You are usually recommended to maintain a balanced diet and avoid certain types of food and drinks. Many believe that one type of food and drink that you need to avoid is the one that is acidic, such as lemon.

However, recent research has revealed the fact that certain types of acids can help the stomach become inflamed to recover more quickly. Lemon that was considered an enemy of the stomach that was in trouble could actually be a safe solution.

What happens to the stomach of gastritis sufferers?

Apart from heartburn, gastritis is also often known as gastric inflammation. Gastritis occurs due to inflammation or swelling of the gastric mucosa wall. This is what causes your stomach to feel sore and sore. If stomach ulcers appear only briefly and suddenly, that means you suffer from acute gastritis. However, if the heartburn that you feel lasts long enough and often happens, you suffer from chronic gastritis.

This inflammation or swelling occurs due to several risk factors. Several types of drugs are reported to cause gastritis. This is caused by chemical reactions from certain drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen which causes infection in the stomach. Not maintaining a healthy diet and dependence on alcohol or illegal drugs can also increase your stomach's risk of developing gastritis. Another cause is bacterial infection by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori).

Ascorbic acid content and alkaline properties in lemons

Lemon fruit is rich in ascorbic and alkaline acids which are useful for the healing process of gastritis. Ascorbic acid is a chemical compound also known as vitamin C. Unlike citric acid, an additive commonly found in processed food and beverage products, ascorbic acid is a natural acid that you can get from fruits such as lemons, oranges, and kiwi.

In addition to ascorbic acid, lemon can also add alkaline minerals in the body because of its alkaline nature. Before being digested by the body, lemons are classified as acid because they contain a pH below 7. However, when the lemon is digested and enters the bloodstream, the lemon will change its nature into a base with a pH above 7. So, you don't need to worry being an acid that is harmful to the cell structure in the body.

Lemon water to treat ulcers

According to research published in the scientific journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences, ascorbic acid in lemon is very important for the stomach because of its ability to heal wounds caused by inflammation. Furthermore, this study also describes that ascorbic acid stores phytronutrient substances that function to fight bacteria H. pylori, namely bacteria that cause infection in the gastric mucosa wall. This substance makes lemon have antiviral and antibacterial properties.

The compounds contained in lemons will also trigger the production of mucus or mucus which is responsible for protecting the stomach by balancing hydrochloric acid (HCl) which is more often called gastric acid. Stomach with too much hydrochloric acid will be more at risk for injury or inflammation. So, mucus will be very useful to neutralize acid in the stomach.

When gastritis attacks, you will usually have difficulty digesting food and the food may vomit back because of nausea. The alkaline nature of lemon is effective to speed up the digestive process of food that enters the stomach so that your stomach can work better to process food.

How to make lemon water

Because lemon has good properties for the stomach with gastritis, you can try a therapy of drinking warm water with lemon juice every morning. If consumed regularly, you will feel the benefits of pain in the stomach and nausea will subside. In some cases, many reported that when stomach ulcers recur, the pain does not feel as severe as before before starting therapy with lemon water.

Making lemon water is very easy and fast. Prepare one lemon and cut in half or quarter. Squeeze the juice and mix it with one glass of warm water. You can immediately drink lemon juice or add one teaspoon of honey to make it taste sweeter. Drink this lemon water every morning when you wake up, before starting activities or exercising.

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