Home remedies for diarrhea

The problem of inconsistent and loose stools is termed as diarrhea. Sometimes, this may occur along with symptoms like vomiting, stomach pain, thirst, fever, nausea or dehydration. This may be quite dangerous in case of children and people above 65 years of age.

 
Causes

Diarrhea leads to loss of essential fluids from the body.  In some cases, diarrhea occurs as a secondary symptom to another problem, but usually it is caused due to food poisoning, stress and emotional imbalance, bacterial infection, food allergies, eating spoiled fruits, consumption of contaminated water; or a virus. Intake of excess alcohol, laxatives and caffeine are also some of the other causes of diarrhea. Also, diarrhea is caused due to side-effect of some antibiotics. Blood or mucus in the stool is a sign of infection or parasites.

Though, some popular drugs can cure diarrhea, they disturb the natural process of cleansing of the body. The Following home remedies can be very useful in controlling the effect of diarrhea without interrupting with the immune system to perform its job.

As diarrhea helps in flushing out the bacteria or viruses that may have entered your body by the intake of bad food, it is suggested not to stop diarrhea too quickly. Thus, it is recommended to go for home remedies for diarrhea instead of over-the-counter drugs. Using herbs help to stop diarrhea by targeting on its cause.

Home remedies for diarrhea

•    Take homeopathic Arsenicum in case you have eaten spoiled food. It helps in controlling the discharge without interfering with the elimination of toxins.
•    Take four tablets of charcoal every hour. This will help in eliminating toxins from the body.
•    Drinking blackberry tea is a good cure for mild diarrhea.
•    Drink ginger tea to stop cramps and pain due to diarrhea.
•    Drink plenty of fluids. Remember to stay away from caffeine and alcohol. Ginger, ale and carrot juice are good options to make the stools less watery.
•    Prepare a soupy liquid of warm rice water. Drink 2-3 cups a day. This helps in controlling diarrhea.
•    Drink a good amount of green tea. 
•    Drink wormwood tea to treat stomach trouble.
•    Drink carrot soup.
•    Drink peppermint tea.
•    Eat boiled sweet potatoes in order to stop diarrhea.
•    Drink chamomile tea. It helps in giving relief from the pain due to diarrhea.
•    Prefer eating diet that includes rice, toasted bread with no spread, and bananas.
•    Avoid intake of sugar as it irritates the colon that is flooded by the body at the time of flushing the toxins. Consumption of sugar aggravates the pain of diarrhea.

Below given are some effective homemade recipes to cure the illness of diarrhea:

(a) Prepare a mixture of one teaspoonful of vinegar and one teaspoonful of honey in a glass of water. Drink it half an hour before each meal.

(b) Boil pomegranate peel. Cool it and drink half a cup two times a day.

(c) Grind half an apple and prepare apple juice. Drink it 2-3 times a day.

(d) Add one spoonful of milk in a squeezed lemon juice and drink it.

e) Blanch guava leaves and drink it. This will help in giving relief in    diarrhea.
(f) Mix and mash corn, garlic and potatoes. Eat this mixture. This is an effective remedy for diarrhea.
(g) Blanch two teaspoonfuls of oregano in water for around 10 minutes and drink it.
It is very important here to note that avoiding dairy products is also a proven remedy for diarrhea. This is because a prolonged illness from diarrhea makes it difficult to digest milk and its by-products. Intake of milk and its by-byproducts also causes severe abdominal cramps.

Along with resorting to the above remedies, some changes in your diet will also help you to get rid of diarrhea. Make sure that whatever you drink is in cool state. Cold fluids cause less irritation than hot fluids. Take small sips of fluids. Don't guzzle them. Sip some chicken broth. Have it lukewarm instead of hot. Keep a heating pad on your belly to get relief from abdominal cramps. Prefer foods that are easy to digest, such as soup, gelatin, rice, noodles, bananas, potatoes, cooked carrots and soda crackers.

Note: Avoid resorting to any of the above remedies in case you are allergic to them. Consult your doctor in such a case.