How to Drink Mint Juice to Cure Acidity

Remedies to cure stomach acidity are usually repellent--chalky tablets, thick liquids, artificially flavored lozenges and other hard-to-swallow medicines. If you must take these products, you may sometimes imagine how it would be if you could cure acidity by sipping a pleasant, refreshing drink. Luckily, you can. Just change the mint leaves accenting your beverage glass from a garnish to an ingredient.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Fresh spearmint or peppermint leaves
• Water
• Mortar and pestle
• Blender (optional)
• Fruit such as watermelon or banana (optional)
• Fresh basil (optional)

1. Decide what kind of mint you will use. Peppermint, spearmint or a combination are all equally effective against acidity.
2. Buy or grow fresh mint. Dried leaves don't work as well.
3. Take about 6 mint leaves and put them into a mortar. Add 2 tbsp. of warm water.
4. Use the pestle to crush the leaves well until the mixture looks like green juice.
5. Use a small spoon to sip the juice just before eating.
6. Vary the way you use the mint juice. Make tea by placing the juice or plain crushed leaves at the bottom of a cup. Fill the cup with boiling water and allow the drink to steep for 3 minutes.
7. Add 1 tsp. of lemon juice and 1 tsp. of honey to a cup of the mint tea to give the drink a slightly different taste.
8. Combine the mint juice with crushed basil leaves. Add hot water and 1 tsp. of honey (optional).
9. Stir 1 tsp. of the mint juice into a cup of regular tea.
10. Use a blender to combine the mint juice with a fruit that also helps cure acidity, such as watermelon, banana, raspberries, blackberries or a combination. Puree the mixture and push it through a strainer with the back of a spoon. Pour it over ice and sip it slowly.

Tips & Warnings

• Peppermint candy (the red and white striped kind) or a cup of hot tea laced with 3 or 4 drops of peppermint oil will also work to cure acidity, but they may take longer than fresh mint.
• When making tea, pour the hot water slowly from a height of 6 inches to 1 foot. This causes the tea to infuse faster.
• Stomach acidity has a number of causes. Keep your lifestyle healthy to prevent the problem before it starts. Serve moderate portions, eat slowly and limit smoking and alcohol consumption.
• If you suffer from acid reflux, do not ingest mint. It may exacerbate the condition.
• Mint tea and other natural preparations do not work permanently. If you suffer from severe or recurring heartburn, see your doctor.