Most upset stomachs resolve within a day or two with a combination of simple home remedies, smart food choices, and staying hydrated. What works best depends on your symptoms: nausea, cramping, bloating, and diarrhea each respond to slightly different approaches. Here’s what actually helps.
Ginger for Nausea
Ginger is one of the most well-studied natural remedies for nausea and stomach upset. Its main active compound, gingerol, is responsible for both the pungent flavor and the anti-nausea effect. Most clinical trials have used between 250 mg and 1 g of powdered ginger root in capsule form, taken one to four times daily. For pregnancy-related nausea specifically, the typical dose studied is 250 mg four times a day.
You don’t need capsules to get the benefit. Freshly grated ginger steeped in hot water makes a simple tea, and even ginger chews or candies made with real ginger can help settle mild queasiness. Ginger ale is less reliable because many commercial brands use artificial flavoring rather than real ginger, and the carbonation can make bloating worse.
Peppermint for Cramps and Bloating
If your upset stomach involves cramping or bloating rather than nausea, peppermint is worth trying. Peppermint oil works by relaxing the smooth muscle in your bowel, which eases stomach cramps, bloating, and gas. Enteric-coated peppermint oil capsules are the most common form and are widely available over the counter.
There’s one important catch: peppermint can cause heartburn and indigestion in some people because relaxing that same smooth muscle can loosen the valve between your esophagus and stomach. If you’re already dealing with acid reflux, peppermint will likely make things worse. Also, if you’re taking antacids or other indigestion medications, leave at least a two-hour gap before taking peppermint oil so the capsules work properly.
Staying Hydrated Matters More Than You Think
An upset stomach that involves vomiting or diarrhea can drain your body of fluids and electrolytes surprisingly fast. Plain water helps, but it doesn’t replace the sodium and sugar your body needs to absorb fluid efficiently. A simple oral rehydration solution based on the World Health Organization’s formula calls for just three ingredients: about 4 cups of water, half a teaspoon of salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar. The sugar isn’t there for taste; it helps your intestines pull the sodium and water into your bloodstream.
Premade electrolyte drinks work too, though many contain more sugar than necessary. Sipping small amounts frequently is easier on a queasy stomach than gulping large quantities at once. If you can’t keep any fluids down for more than a few hours, that’s a sign you may need medical attention.
What to Eat (and What to Skip)
The classic BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) is a fine starting point for the first day or two of a stomach bug, food poisoning, or traveler’s diarrhea. But there’s no reason to limit yourself to just those four foods. Brothy soups, oatmeal, boiled potatoes, crackers, and unsweetened dry cereals are equally easy to digest. The goal is bland, low-fat, low-fiber foods that won’t irritate an already sensitive stomach.
Once your stomach starts settling, adding more nutritious options speeds up recovery. Cooked squash like butternut or pumpkin, cooked carrots, sweet potatoes without skin, avocado, skinless chicken or turkey, fish, and eggs are all gentle enough for a recovering gut while providing the protein and nutrients your body needs to bounce back. Sticking with BRAT foods for more than a couple of days can actually slow recovery by depriving you of essential nutrition.
While you’re recovering, avoid dairy, fried or greasy foods, spicy dishes, caffeine, and alcohol. These all stimulate digestion in ways that can worsen cramping and diarrhea.
Over-the-Counter Medications
Bismuth subsalicylate (the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol and similar products) treats a broad range of upset stomach symptoms, including diarrhea, heartburn, and general queasiness. It works by reducing inflammation in the intestine, decreasing the flow of fluids into the bowel, and in some cases killing the organisms causing diarrhea. It’s approved for adults and children 12 and older.
Antacids can help if your upset stomach is driven by excess acid or heartburn. Simethicone-based products target gas and bloating specifically by breaking up gas bubbles in the digestive tract. For nausea without diarrhea, antihistamine-based anti-nausea products are available over the counter in many countries.
One thing to keep in mind: if you suspect food poisoning, anti-diarrheal medications that slow gut motility can sometimes prolong the illness by keeping the offending bacteria or toxins in your system longer. For straightforward stomach bugs, letting mild diarrhea run its course while staying hydrated is often the better strategy.
Probiotics During Recovery
Probiotics, particularly certain well-studied strains, can shorten the duration of diarrhea when started early alongside rehydration. One specific strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, has been the subject of multiple systematic reviews and is recommended by the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology for children with acute diarrhea. The evidence is strongest for hospitalized pediatric patients, and results in outpatient adults are more mixed.
If you want to try probiotics for a stomach bug, look for products that list specific strains on the label rather than just genus names. Starting them early in the illness, ideally within the first day or two, appears to matter more than the total duration of use. Fermented foods like yogurt and kefir contain live cultures as well, but during the acute phase of an upset stomach, the lactose in dairy products can be hard to tolerate.
Symptoms That Need Medical Attention
Most upset stomachs are harmless and self-limiting, but a few warning signs point to something more serious. Black or tarry stools, red or maroon blood in your stool, and vomit that contains red blood or looks like coffee grounds are all signs of bleeding in the stomach or digestive tract and require immediate medical care. Feeling unusually tired, short of breath, or light-headed alongside stomach pain can also indicate significant blood loss or severe dehydration.
A fever above 101.3°F (38.5°C) lasting more than a day, inability to keep any fluids down for several hours, severe abdominal pain that’s getting worse rather than better, or symptoms that haven’t improved after 48 hours all warrant a call to your doctor. For infants, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems, the threshold for seeking help should be lower, since dehydration can become dangerous more quickly in these groups.