Lemon water to treat ulcers, is it effective or dangerous?

For those of you who have had stomach ulcers (gastritis), surely you already understand that this disease can really torture the stomach. Fortunately, gastritis or heartburn is a disease that can be cured with the right treatment. You are usually advised to maintain a balanced diet and avoid certain types of food and drink. Many believe that one type of food and drink you need to avoid is acidic, for example lemon.

Meanwhile, you may have often heard that lemon water is actually recommended to cure ulcers. Is that true? Come on, see the facts below.

What happens to the stomach with gastritis?

Apart from heartburn, gastritis is also often known as inflammation of the stomach. Gastritis occurs due to inflammation or swelling of the mucosal wall of the stomach. This is what causes your stomach to feel sore and sore. If heartburn appears only briefly and suddenly, it means you have acute gastritis. However, if you have heartburn that lasts long enough and occurs frequently, you have chronic gastritis.

This inflammation or swelling occurs due to several risk factors. Several types of drugs have been reported to cause gastritis. This is caused by a chemical reaction from certain drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen which results in an infection of the stomach. Not maintaining a healthy diet and dependence on alcohol or illegal drugs can also increase your risk of developing gastritis. Another cause is bacterial infection by Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) .

Ascorbic acid content and alkaline properties in lemons

Lemon fruit is rich in ascorbic acid and alkaline which is useful for the healing process of gastritis. Ascorbic acid is a chemical compound that is also known as vitamin C. Unlike citric acid, an additive that is often found in processed food and beverage products, ascorbic acid is a natural acid that you can get from fruits such as lemons, oranges, and kiwi.

Lemon water to treat ulcers

According to research published in the scientific journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences, vitamin C in lemons is very important for the stomach because of its ability to heal wounds caused by inflammation.

The compounds contained in lemon will also trigger the production of mucus or mucus which is responsible for protecting the stomach by balancing hydrochloric acid (HCl) which is more commonly called stomach acid. Stomach with too much hydrochloric acid will be more at risk of injury or inflammation. So, mucus will be very useful for neutralizing acid in the stomach.

Then does this mean that lemon water can treat ulcers? Not necessarily. In this study, what was effective for treating ulcers was actually vitamin C which acts as an antioxidant. The acid content itself has not been proven to be a solution for ulcers.

Therefore, the efficacy of lemon water for treating ulcers still has to be studied further. The reason is, consuming lemon when the stomach has a problem also poses a risk. Some people are sensitive to lemon acid, which can lead to more severe ulcer symptoms. Therefore, if an ulcer is recurring, you should immediately take ulcer medication or see a doctor.