Yield: 1 glass (8 fl oz)

Baking Soda for Heartburn: Does It Work? Dose and Risks

A sourced check on baking soda in water for occasional heartburn: the label dose, when to take it after a meal, the sodium in mg and who should ask a doctor first.

Prep Time2 minutes

Total Time2 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 fl oz (240 mL) water, 240 mL; still water, not carbonated; MedlinePlus minimum is 4 oz (120 mL)
• 1/4 tsp (1.15 g) food-grade, aluminum-free baking soda, 1.15 g; level measure, not heaped; baking powder is a different product

Instructions

1. Wait until you're not overfull. MedlinePlus says to take it 1 to 2 hours after a meal, and not on an overly full stomach. The Arm & Hammer label says not to take it when overfull from food or drink.
2. Level the soda. Fill a 1/4 teaspoon (1.15 g) with food-grade, aluminum-free baking soda and sweep the top flat with a knife. The label dose is 1/2 teaspoon (2.3 g) in 4 fl oz; our 1/4 teaspoon glass is half of that.
3. Pour the water first. Pour 8 fl oz (240 mL) of water into a clear glass. Never go below 4 fl oz (120 mL), the MedlinePlus minimum for dissolving the powder.
4. Stir until fully dissolved. Add the soda and stir until the water is clear and no grains sit on the bottom. The label says to stir until the powder is fully dissolved.
5. Sip it slowly. Drink the glass in sips rather than as a shot. Mix one glass at a time, since we found no sourced shelf life for the mixed drink.

Notes

Metric amounts are rounded. The 1.15 g figure is our division of the 4.6 g per teaspoon in our dose chart.

The 8 fl oz glass with 1/4 tsp is our recipe choice. It is not a label dose and not a rule. The label dose is 1/2 tsp in 4 fl oz (120 mL).

Nutrition values are estimates calculated from our dose chart's figures (about 27,360 mg of sodium per 100 g, 4.6 g per teaspoon). They are not measured. The glass is water and baking soda only, so everything except sodium is zero.