Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is a natural substance created by your body to buffer acid build-up. This occurs because each system in your body must maintain a specific pH level for proper function.
Manufactured baking soda isn’t new- it actually appeared on the market in 1846. By 1860, the substance made its way into popular cookbooks and by 1930 it was repackaged as a “proven medical agent” (1).
7 Surprising Baking Soda Remedies
These aren’t just surprising, they’re incredibly effective and easy to use.
Though it’s incredibly medicinal, baking soda isn’t for everyone: pregnant women, children under the age of 6 or anyone taking prescription medication should consult their physician before taking (2).
1. Neutralize Stomach Acid
Baking soda is an alkalizing agent that neutralizes excess acid in the stomach and blood.
If you suffer from stomach problems after eating acidic or salty food, use it to your advantage by drinking a mixture of ½ tsp. baking soda and 1 cup of water.
To find out if your body is producing enough stomach acid, drink 1/4 tsp. of baking soda diluted in an 8 oz. glass of cold water. Finish the glass and set your timer. You should belch within 2 to 3 minutes if your HCL levels are adequate.
2. Relieve Heartburn
Your pancreas naturally produces sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to neutralizes the excess acid in the digestive system and prevent heartburn. Your kidneys also produce the substance, albeit, in smaller quantities.
Thus, you can use it to prevent acid reflux by taking ½ teaspoon of baking soda in 8 ounces of cold water after an acidic meal. Make sure not to lie down for at least an hour after taking it to make sure your stomach acid doesn’t creep up into your esophagus.
3. Eliminate A UTI
Baking soda can work to lower the acidity of your urine to kill acid-loving bacteria responsible for your urinary tract infection. To use, drink one teaspoon of baking soda in a tall glass of filtered water on an empty stomach. Stay hydrated throughout the day to flush out the infection.
Dr. Philippa Kaye explains: “A UTI is a urinary tract infection, an infection of the bladder (cystitis), urethra (tube which the urine travels through on the way out from the bladder), ureter (tube connecting the kidneys to the bladder), or the kidneys themselves.”
“UTIs are generally a bacterial infection and tend to occur when bacteria around the anus come in contact with the genitals and then can travel up into the bladder, for example during wiping after going to the toilet.”
“Some people find that it [baking soda] helps with the pain of a UTI, and there are some cystitis relief medications available over the counter which contain bicarbonate and citrates with the aim of neutralizing acid to make the urine less painful to pass and to also change the acidity within the bladder itself to stop bacteria multiplying to treat the UTI.” (3)
4. Relieve Gout Pain
Gout is actually an inflammatory condition caused by the accumulation of uric acid in your joints. This acid can be neutralized by drinking a ½ teaspoon of baking soda in a tall glass of water once a day. If you’re suffering from an intense bout of gout, take up to a full teaspoon of the soda in water daily.
5. Heal The Cold and Flu
The 1924 book Arm & Hammer Baking Soda Medical Uses written by Dr. Volney S. Cheney, recounts how well baking soda works against the cold and flu (4).
“In 1918 and 1919 while fighting the ‘flu’ with the U. S. Public Health Service it was brought to my attention that rarely anyone who had been thoroughly alkalinized with bicarbonate of soda contracted the disease, and those who did contract it, if alkalinized early, would invariably have mild attacks.”
“I have since that time treated all cases of ‘cold,’ influenza and LaGripe by first giving generous doses of bicarbonate of soda, and in many, many instances within 36 hours the symptoms would have entirely abated.”
“Further, within my own household, before Woman’s Clubs and Parent-Teachers’ Associations, I have advocated the use of bicarbonate of soda as a preventive for ‘colds,’ with the result that now many reports are coming in stating that those who took ‘soda’ were not affected, while nearly everyone around them had the ‘flu.'”
Skeptical? Try it yourself by drinking 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in a tall glass of water every two hours for up to 3 times a day.
6. Kidney Disease
One of the main reasons your body produces sodium bicarbonate is to protect your kidneys from acid damage during digestion (5).
The National Health Institute has even conducted experiments that show that kidney dialysis using bicarbonate agents have more restorative properties than standard dialysis treatments (6).
High levels of sodium bicarbonate have resulted in a 2/3 slower decline of kidney health in patients with chronic kidney disease (7).
Plus, a study conducted by the Royal Hospital in London proved bicarbonate’s ability to slow the progression of kidney disease (8).
7. Cancer
Cancer is a disease of acidity. In fact, studies have found time and again that cancer cells tend to die in alkaline environments.
It’s believed that eating more alkaline foods, including baking soda can help transform an acidic body into an alkaline one. One man even used it to successfully manage his stage-4 prostate cancer (9,10,11).