Acid reflux (GERD)
Hot-dry stomach pattern with impaired lower-oesophageal closure — needs cooling, moistening foods, smaller evening meals, and an upright post-meal window.
Traditional ritual
Small, unhurried meals; a 20-minute walk after supper; head of the bed raised 15 cm at night; a small cup of cucumber-yogurt (mast-o-khiar) before the largest meal; sip chilled quince compote (khoshab-e beh) between meals. See a clinician about persistent symptoms, difficulty swallowing, unintentional weight loss, black stools, or chest pain that could be cardiac.
Supportive herbs
Foods that support balance
Habits to ease back
- Large late-evening meals; lying down within 3 hours of eating
- Alcohol, fried food, chocolate, peppermint (relaxes the lower-oesophageal sphincter), fizzy drinks
- Tight waistbands and heavy lifting straight after meals
Further reading
Every reference page in the Living Library is written by our editorial team, cross-checked against classical Persian medical sources and peer-reviewed modern research, and reviewed on a rolling schedule. This is educational content — not a diagnosis or treatment plan. For symptoms that concern you, please consult a qualified clinician.
Continue your journey
I'm still learning about you, so these are gentle starting points near Acid reflux (GERD). As we talk more, my suggestions will become increasingly tailored.
A natural next step, chosen with your journey in mind.
- FruitQuinceStrengthens the stomach, calms the heart.Related by season · Beh is the Persian fruit for a raw throat and an unsettled stomach, usually stewed rather than raw.
- HerbCorianderCools heat, calms the heart, soothes the stomach.A place to start · One of the safest, most useful places to begin near Acid reflux (GERD).
- HerbMarshmallowSoothes dry coughs, calms the urinary tract, softens dryness.A place to start · One of the safest, most useful places to begin near Acid reflux (GERD).
- FoodYogurt (Mast)Cools heat, settles the stomach, feeds the gut.Traditional use · Māst is at every Persian meal — cooling in the traditional scheme, and a live-culture food in the modern one.
- FoodCucumberHydrates the body, cools summer heat.Traditional use · Cooling in the Persian scheme and mostly water — the summer answer to a hot temperament.
A few natural ways to bring Acid reflux (GERD) into a conversation.
- The seed is brewed. Lightly crush a teaspoon and steep it ten minutes, or blend it with cumin and fennel for the classic CCF after-meal damkardeh.
- Flower/leaf infusion — 1 tsp dried flowers 5 min for lighter throat tea
- The everyday preparation is damkardeh: one to two teaspoons of dried flowers per cup, covered for eight to ten minutes.
- A stronger infusion has three other uses. Soak a cloth in it as a warm compress for skin or eyes. Add it to warm water as a sitz or herbal bath for cramps. Or breathe it as a steam inhalation for sinus tension and head colds.