Picot Sal de Uvas is an over-the-counter antacid used to relieve heartburn, sour stomach, acid indigestion, and upset stomach associated with those symptoms. It comes as an effervescent powder in single-use packets that you dissolve in water before drinking, producing a fizzy solution that works quickly to neutralize excess stomach acid.
What It Treats
Picot Sal de Uvas targets the cluster of symptoms that come from too much acid in the stomach. Its labeled uses include heartburn (that burning feeling behind your breastbone), sour stomach, acid indigestion, and the general upset stomach that accompanies those conditions. It is not designed for nausea from motion sickness, food poisoning, or stomach bugs, though people sometimes reach for it in those situations.
The product is especially popular in Mexican and Latin American households, where “sal de uvas” (literally “grape salt”) has been a go-to remedy for indigestion for decades. You’ll find it in many U.S. grocery stores and pharmacies that carry Hispanic health products.
Active Ingredients and How They Work
Each packet contains two active ingredients classified as antacids: about 1,949 mg of citric acid and 2,485 mg of heat-treated sodium bicarbonate. When you pour the powder into a glass of water, these two compounds react immediately, producing a fizzy sodium citrate solution along with carbon dioxide (the bubbles you see).
Once you drink that solution, the sodium citrate and any remaining sodium bicarbonate go to work neutralizing hydrochloric acid in your stomach. The chemistry is straightforward: the bicarbonate binds to hydrogen ions from stomach acid, converting them into salt, water, and carbon dioxide gas. This raises the pH inside your stomach, which is what makes the burning and discomfort fade. Because sodium bicarbonate is one of the fastest-acting antacid compounds available, most people feel relief within minutes rather than waiting the 30 to 60 minutes that some tablet-based antacids require.
The trade-off for that speed is duration. Sodium bicarbonate-based antacids tend to provide shorter-lasting relief compared to products containing calcium carbonate or aluminum-magnesium combinations. If your symptoms return frequently throughout the day, you may find yourself reaching for multiple packets.
How to Take It
To use Picot Sal de Uvas, you empty one packet into a glass of water (typically about 4 ounces), stir or let it dissolve, and drink the solution while it’s still fizzing. It’s taken as needed when symptoms appear. Because of the sodium bicarbonate content, you should not exceed the number of packets recommended on the label within a 24-hour period, and you should avoid using it for more than two weeks continuously without talking to a healthcare provider. Prolonged daily use of sodium bicarbonate antacids can disrupt the body’s acid-base balance.
Sodium Content Worth Knowing
One detail that catches people off guard is how much sodium each packet delivers. Sodium bicarbonate is, by definition, a sodium compound. With nearly 2,500 mg of sodium bicarbonate per packet, a single dose contributes a meaningful amount of dietary sodium. For most healthy adults using it occasionally, this isn’t a concern. But if you’re managing high blood pressure, heart failure, kidney disease, or any condition that requires a low-sodium diet, that sodium load matters. It can contribute to fluid retention and elevated blood pressure, especially with repeated use.
Who Should Be Cautious
Beyond the sodium issue, there are a few groups who should think twice before using this product. People with chronic kidney disease may have difficulty excreting the extra sodium and bicarbonate. Those already taking prescription medications for acid reflux or ulcers should check whether adding an antacid could interfere with their treatment, since antacids can affect how other drugs are absorbed.
Sodium bicarbonate antacids can also cause a phenomenon sometimes called “acid rebound.” After the antacid wears off, the stomach may temporarily produce even more acid than before, which can create a cycle of repeated dosing. This is more of a concern with frequent, ongoing use than with the occasional packet for a heavy meal.
How It Compares to Other Antacids
Picot Sal de Uvas occupies the fast-relief end of the antacid spectrum. Products like Tums use calcium carbonate, which also neutralizes acid but tends to work a bit more slowly and last somewhat longer. Liquid antacids containing aluminum and magnesium hydroxide offer even more sustained relief but take longer to kick in. Acid-reducing medications like famotidine or omeprazole work through entirely different mechanisms, blocking acid production rather than neutralizing acid that’s already there, and they take 30 minutes to hours to reach full effect.
The effervescent format is part of the appeal. Dissolving the powder in water means the antacid is already in liquid form when it hits your stomach, so it can coat the stomach lining and start neutralizing acid faster than a tablet that needs to break down first. For people who dislike chewing chalky tablets, the fizzy drink format feels more natural and easier to take.
If you experience heartburn or acid indigestion only a few times a month, Picot Sal de Uvas works well as an occasional, fast-acting remedy. If symptoms are showing up multiple times a week, that pattern points to something worth investigating beyond what any over-the-counter antacid is designed to manage.