Plain water is the safest and simplest drink for indigestion. It won’t dilute your digestive enzymes or slow digestion, and it helps move food through your stomach without adding acid, carbonation, or caffeine that could make things worse. Beyond water, several other drinks can help settle your stomach, while a few popular ones will reliably make it worse.
Water Is the Best Starting Point
A persistent myth claims that drinking water during or after meals dilutes stomach acid and impairs digestion. That’s not true. According to the Mayo Clinic, water does not thin the fluids your body uses in digestion or interfere with the process in any meaningful way. If you’re feeling bloated, overly full, or experiencing that burning discomfort in your upper abdomen, sipping room-temperature water is a reasonable first step.
You don’t need to chug a full glass. Small, steady sips work better when your stomach already feels uncomfortable. Cold water is fine, but some people find that very cold drinks can briefly tighten stomach muscles and feel less soothing than lukewarm or room-temperature water.
Herbal Teas That Help
Fennel Tea
Fennel has both carminative and antispasmodic properties, meaning it helps break up trapped gas and relaxes the muscles in your digestive tract. This makes fennel tea a good option when your indigestion comes with bloating or cramping. To make it at home, crush about a teaspoon of dried fennel seeds and steep them in hot water for 5 to 10 minutes, then strain. The taste is mildly sweet with a licorice-like flavor.
Ginger Tea
Ginger has a long track record for settling nausea and promoting stomach emptying. If your indigestion feels more like queasiness than burning, ginger tea is a solid choice. Slice a few thin pieces of fresh ginger root and steep them in hot water for 10 minutes. Avoid sweetened commercial ginger ales, which are mostly sugar and carbonation with very little actual ginger.
Peppermint Tea (With a Caveat)
Peppermint relaxes smooth muscle in the digestive tract, which can relieve cramping and that tight, overly full sensation. A pilot study at the Medical University of South Carolina found that 63% of patients who took peppermint oil before eating reported improvement in symptoms. Among patients with spastic esophageal disorders specifically, 83% felt better.
The caveat: that same smooth-muscle relaxation can loosen the valve between your stomach and esophagus. If your indigestion involves heartburn or acid reflux, peppermint can actually make the burning worse by letting stomach acid travel upward. So peppermint tea is helpful for bloating and cramping but a poor choice if acid is your main problem.
Baking Soda Water for Quick Relief
Dissolving a small amount of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) in water creates a mildly alkaline solution that neutralizes stomach acid on contact. This works fast for heartburn-type indigestion. The Mayo Clinic recommends half a teaspoon of baking soda powder in a full glass of water, taken no more than every two hours. The daily maximum is about five teaspoons total.
The taste is salty and slightly unpleasant, and the reaction in your stomach produces carbon dioxide, so you may burp quite a bit afterward. This is a short-term fix, not something to rely on regularly. The sodium content adds up quickly, which matters if you’re watching salt intake or managing blood pressure.
DGL Licorice
Deglycyrrhizinated licorice, sold as chewable tablets or sometimes as a tea, may help by boosting mucus production in the stomach and esophagus. That extra mucus acts as a protective barrier against acid, which can both soothe current discomfort and give irritated tissue time to heal. DGL has the compound that raises blood pressure removed, making it safer than regular licorice root for repeated use. It’s widely available at health food stores and pharmacies.
What About Apple Cider Vinegar?
Apple cider vinegar is one of the most commonly recommended home remedies for indigestion online, but there is no published clinical research supporting its use for heartburn or indigestion. The popular theory is that adding acid to the stomach helps tighten the valve that keeps acid from rising into the esophagus. In reality, that valve is controlled by a complex network of involuntary muscles, hormones, and neurotransmitters, not simply by how acidic your stomach happens to be. Drinking vinegar on an already irritated stomach lining could easily make things worse rather than better.
Drinks That Make Indigestion Worse
Several popular beverages are reliable indigestion triggers. If your stomach is already uncomfortable, avoid these:
- Coffee and caffeinated tea. Caffeine stimulates acid production and can relax the valve between your stomach and esophagus, a recipe for worsening heartburn.
- Alcohol. Even small amounts irritate the stomach lining directly and increase acid secretion.
- Carbonated drinks. The dissolved gas expands in your stomach, increasing pressure and promoting both bloating and acid reflux. This includes sparkling water, soda, and beer.
- Citrus juices. Orange juice, grapefruit juice, and lemonade are acidic enough to aggravate an already irritated stomach.
- Chocolate-based drinks. Hot chocolate and chocolate milk contain compounds that relax the lower esophageal sphincter, similar to peppermint but without the muscle-relaxing benefits elsewhere in the digestive tract.
Matching the Drink to the Symptom
Indigestion is a broad term that covers several different sensations, and the best drink depends on which one you’re dealing with. If you feel an acidic burn in your chest or upper stomach, water or baking soda water will help neutralize or dilute the acid. DGL licorice is also a good option here. Avoid peppermint, coffee, and anything carbonated.
If the problem is more bloating, gas, or that heavy, overstuffed feeling, fennel tea and peppermint tea are better choices because they relax the intestinal muscles and help trapped gas move through. Plain warm water also helps here by encouraging motility without adding anything that could produce more gas.
If nausea is the dominant symptom, ginger tea is your best bet. Sip it slowly rather than drinking a full mug at once. Ginger works partly by speeding up the rate at which your stomach empties into the small intestine, so it addresses the underlying sluggishness rather than just masking the feeling.
For mild indigestion that lasts more than two weeks, the drinks listed here aren’t a substitute for figuring out the underlying cause. Persistent symptoms deserve a closer look, even when they respond temporarily to home remedies.