Stomach Ulcers

An ulcer is an open wound in the stomach. Ulcers can cause chronic pain and discomfort, especially during/after meals, greatly affecting quality of life. They can also be a gateway for infection to enter your bloodstream; so it is best to take them seriously.

Symptoms include:

A history of acid reflux
Acute stomach pain (typically under the left side of your ribs, sometimes radiating into the upper part of the belly)
Vomit with the consistency and appearance of coffee grounds (this is the reaction between your stomach acid and blood)
Pain when eating
Dark, sticky black stools

If you begin to feel ill (headache, exhaustion, very pale skin, pain in the GI tract), seek medical attention.

Manage Your Stress

High stress levels put extra pressure on your digestive system and exacerbate any issues you may have. Ulcers specifically are associated with high stress and anxiety.

Any activity that allows you to empty your mind can help you relax. Repetitive activities one can do without having to think about them usually work well for this. These may include repetitive prayer, knitting, beadwork, gardening, cleaning, etc.

Check out our stress management page for more strategies to help you manage your stress.

Stretch

Stretching is a good way to relax your body. We've linked a tutorial for Sun Salutations here. a Sun Salutation is a basic yoga sequence that stretches the entire body. If your mobility is limited, you can focus on the pieces that work for your body until you've had a little more practice.

Stay Hydrated

Make sure you are including electrolytes with your water as they help you absorb and use your water. Below is a recipe for an electrolyte drink you can make at home.

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Changing Your Diet

Foods to Eliminate

Alcohol
Sodas/carbonated beverages
Highly acidic foods: strawberries, coffee, pineapple, green chili, tomatoes, citrus (especially lemon), hibiscus, rose petals.
Animal products: Typically red meat and cheese are the hardest for your stomach to process. Good organic eggs contain healthy fats that repair stomach lining, so keeping to one a day is acceptable. Broths are also ok.
Foods with chemical additives in the ingredients

Foods to Add

Following a diet of exclusively simple, cooked food for 3-4 weeks will keep your stomach from working so hard and becoming irritated

Applesauce or cooked fruits (apricots, peaches, mangos etc.) without spices or preservatives
Oatmeal and other well-cooked grains (rice, barley, wheat berries, tofu etc.)
Flax seed: soak overnight in a jar. Then use a blender and mix with oats and/or apples.
Bone broth/soups: bone broths extract the bone marrow in the center of the bones and the collagen from the joint tissues
Mashed potatoes without added fat
Eggs (only one at a time and well cooked)
Beans—well cooked and mashed

Take a Fasting Herbal Mixture between meals, ensuring an hour gap after consuming anything else and refraining from eating for another hour afterward. This regimen supports stomach repair.

After your symptoms have resolved and your energy is returning you can gradually reintroduce the foods you have eliminated, but should do so one at a time in small quantities to see how they affect you. Continue to avoid high acid foods, raw fruits, nuts, and vegetables in large quantities. It's advisable to stay away from red meats, alcohol, coffee, green or black teas, and animal milk products for several more months to facilitate proper stomach healing.

Herbal Fasting Mixture

Take a Fasting Herbal mixture between meals, ensuring an hour gap after consuming anything else and refraining from eating for another hour afterward. This regimen supports stomach repair.

Use 5-15 drops of the Myrrh/Goldenseal Plus Tincture in a cup and pour about ¼-1/2 cup of boiling water over it and stir vigorously to evaporate the alcohol
Add:

½ tsp. (about) slippery elm bark powder
½-1 tsp. (about) raw honey
Nopal: You can buy in chunks, or use about 1/2 tsp. of freeze dried powder (you can find it in a health food store or online)

Add water or more of any of the ingredients to get a drinkable consistency and a good flavor.

Drink slowly, taking a few minutes to drink it all so it coats the stomach a little bit at a time.

Rub Cayenne Plus and Castor oil on the stomach valve again after taking this formula.

Herbs and Supplements to Use Daily

Tea: start your day with a cup of chamomile, alfalfa, dandelion, or mint tea. Add a little honey for taste if you prefer, but no more than 1/4 tsp. Avoid herbal tea blends found in stores, green, red, or black teas, rose petals, and hibiscus. Walking a bit or sitting still for a few minutes while you drink your tea should help get your bowels moving, which will reduce pain by taking pressure off the stomach

B-12: Before your first meal of the day, dissolve a 1000 mcg B-12 tablet under your tongue. When you're ready to eat, make sure your food is warm and eat slowly.
An ulcerated stomach lining is generally unable to produce B-12, which allows us to absorb iron. Chronic iron deficiency causes extreme exhaustion and impedes many basic functions. Healing from an ulcer is not possible without B-12 and a supplement speeds up the process.

Cayenne Plus Oil & Castor oil: After you eat, combine a small amount of both Cayenne Plus Oil and castor oil and rub it in, starting at the bottom of the sternum and moving to the left along the edge of the bottom rib. Rub downwards and to the left, holding the stomach valve shut for a few seconds. Then rub in a clockwise motion (from your right to your left, down, across, and then up on your right side). and in the same direction around your umbilicus (bellybutton) in the middle of your belly.

Alfalfa: Open 2-3 capsules (½-¾ tsp. loose powder) and pour hot water over it to make a tea or sprinkle the powder into a soup. You should take 4-6 capsules throughout the day. Alfalfa is a powerful antioxidant food. It contains iron, B-vitamins, vitamin C, and all trace minerals; this is super-nutrition which helps your body repair and rebuild damaged tissues

Cayenne: Take at least ¼ tsp. of the hottest variety you can tolerate* with all meals. It is important to empty the capsules and not eat them, as they are made of gelatin (a protein, which can irritate your stomach). Later, as the stomach heals, you can take capsules when you need the convenience.

*The average bottle of powdered cayenne found in a grocery store is usually a good place to start. If you're unable to tolerate that, you can start with sweet paprika, a more mild form of cayenne.