If you want the answer without the article: chamomile, ginger, licorice root, slippery elm and fennel are the teas worth trying for acid reflux, and peppermint and heavily caffeinated teas are the two categories most often blamed for making it worse. That is the consensus you will find on every page about this.
What you will not find on most of those pages is how thin some of that evidence is, which of these teas has actually been measured in humans, and why the same cup helps one person and triggers another. I have been prescribing herbal formulas for reflux for years, and the honest version of this list is more useful than the confident one.
Which Teas Actually Help Acid Reflux?
Five come up repeatedly, and they are not equally supported. I have ordered them by how much human evidence sits behind them, not by how often they are recommended.
1. Ginger: the one with real human data
Ginger is the only tea on this list with a measured mechanism in people. In a randomised, double-blind crossover study, 24 healthy volunteers took either 1,200 mg of ginger or placebo an hour before a standard soup meal. Gastric half-emptying time fell to 13.1 minutes after ginger versus 26.7 minutes after placebo (p < 0.01), and the frequency of antral contractions rose (p < 0.005) (Wu et al., European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 2008;20(5):436-40).
That matters for reflux because food sitting in the stomach is food that can come back up. Move it downward faster and there is less to reflux.
Two honest limits. That study used healthy volunteers and capsules, not GERD patients and not tea. And no trial has directly measured oesophageal acid exposure after ginger, so the link from "empties faster" to "refluxes less" is reasonable inference rather than demonstrated fact.
There is also a group of people for whom ginger clearly backfires, and they tend to find out the hard way. Ginger is warming and pungent. If your reflux is the sharply burning kind (thirst, a preference for cold drinks, worse after spicy or greasy food), ginger can add heat to a pattern that already has too much. This is the single most common reason someone tells me ginger tea gave them heartburn.
How to use it: fresh ginger, thin slices, steeped rather than boiled hard, taken after meals rather than on an empty stomach. Start weak. If it burns, it is not your herb.
2. Licorice root: supportive benefits, with dose in mind
Licorice deserves a little more context than most tea lists give it, because the amount, frequency and way it is used all matter.
Licorice root's protective effect on the stomach lining is attributed to several of its constituents. Glycyrrhizin is also the compound responsible for most of the blood-pressure concern when intake is higher or sustained, which is why DGL is sometimes used when the goal is to reduce glycyrrhizin exposure. Glycyrrhizin's metabolites inhibit an enzyme called 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2, which can let cortisol overstimulate mineralocorticoid receptors. At sufficient exposure, this can contribute to pseudohyperaldosteronism, associated with raised blood pressure, low potassium, and metabolic alkalosis, as documented in case reports and reviewed in the literature (Frontiers in Nutrition, 2021;8:719197).
DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) is licorice with most of the glycyrrhizin removed, and it is often chosen when someone wants licorice's gastrointestinal benefits while minimizing glycyrrhizin exposure. Whole licorice is used differently in traditional Chinese formulas, where the dose, duration and relationship to the other herbs are part of the formula design.
If you have high blood pressure, take diuretics, or are pregnant, regular licorice root tea is something to discuss with your clinician. Occasional use is different from a concentrated daily habit, and total glycyrrhizin exposure matters. In a 2024 randomised crossover trial, 28 healthy volunteers took licorice containing 100 mg of glycyrrhizic acid a day for two weeks; researchers measured a mean rise in systolic home blood pressure of 3.1 mmHg, with renin and aldosterone suppressed (af Geijerstam et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2024;119(3):682-691). That study looked at a defined daily dose, which is useful context when comparing strong daily licorice use with occasional tea or with the smaller supporting amount used inside a multi-herb formula.
Why is there licorice in Liao?
That distinction matters for Liao because licorice root is one of the three herbs in our formula. The answer comes down to how Gan Cao is used inside a classical formula, rather than treating licorice as a stand-alone daily herb.
A formula is not the same thing as a single herb, and licorice is not the lead. Gan Cao (licorice root) is a classic harmonising herb in Chinese medicine. It appears in a very large share of classical formulas, usually in a supporting rather than chief role. Its job is to coordinate the other herbs, moderate anything harsh among them, and support the stomach lining while they work. In Xuan Fu Dai Zhe Tang, the formula Liao is based on, Xuan Fu Hua directs rebellious Qi downward and Dai Zhe Shi anchors it; Gan Cao supports both and guards the lining. Take it out and you no longer have the same formula that was written down in the Shang Han Lun roughly 1,800 years ago and used continuously since.
That is also why Liao uses whole Gan Cao rather than DGL. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice was developed in the twentieth century to reduce glycyrrhizin exposure, particularly when licorice is used more independently or at supplement doses. It is a useful modern option. Liao, however, is based on a classical formula in which whole Gan Cao is used in a supporting proportion alongside the other herbs, so we kept the herb in the form used in that traditional formula rather than replacing it with a modern derivative.
The part that often gets lost in simple licorice warnings is that dose, frequency and formulation all matter.
Licorice has been used inside balanced formulas for well over two thousand years, and Gan Cao is among the most frequently used herbs in the materia medica. Classical formula construction pairs a chief herb with supporting and harmonising herbs in deliberate proportion, and Gan Cao is chosen for the harmonising role precisely because it supports and coordinates rather than dominates. The tradition also developed its own cautions around licorice, including combinations to avoid and situations where Gan Cao is reduced or left out, so its use has always depended on context rather than the idea that more is better.
The exposures described in modern case reports and trials are often based on repeated licorice intake over time, frequently as a stand-alone food, tea or supplement. That is a different use pattern from a smaller supporting proportion of Gan Cao inside a multi-herb formula taken at 2 ml twice a day.
In numbers, because dose is the most useful context. We do not publish our exact extract composition, but a single 2 ml dose of Liao contains under 5 mg of glycyrrhizic acid, which puts a full day (both doses) under 10 mg. For comparison, the 2024 trial described above used 100 mg of glycyrrhizic acid a day, and European safety guidance has also used 100 mg per day as an important reference point. Liao's daily amount is therefore more than tenfold lower than that level, which helps explain why a supporting amount inside a formula should not be viewed the same way as a concentrated daily licorice habit.
Our own experience adds some real-world context, with an important limitation. Liao has sold roughly 3,000 units and we have had no customer report a blood-pressure problem. That is reassuring, but it is not a clinical trial and it does not replace monitoring in someone who already has a condition that could make glycyrrhizin more relevant. It is simply one more piece of context alongside the dose data above.
For most healthy adults, the more useful question is total glycyrrhizin exposure rather than simply whether a formula contains Gan Cao. A small supporting amount inside a classical formula is a different use case from concentrated licorice taken on its own every day. If you have hypertension, take diuretics, or are pregnant, tell your doctor what you are taking so the decision can be made in the context of your health and medications.
One practical point does not change: total intake adds up. If you are already using a formula containing Gan Cao, there is usually little reason to add strong licorice root tea every day on top of it, especially if you have high blood pressure, take diuretics, are pregnant, or have been advised to limit glycyrrhizin exposure.
3. Chamomile: traditional, plausible, unproven
Chamomile is the most recommended tea for reflux and the one with the widest gap between reputation and evidence. Its anti-inflammatory compounds, chamazulene and bisabolol, are real and well characterised. The proposed mechanism (soothing irritated oesophageal and gastric lining) is reasonable.
What does not exist is a body of rigorous clinical trials testing chamomile in reflux patients. A 2023 review of functional foods in gastro-oesophageal reflux sets out the proposed anti-inflammatory basis and is explicit that the clinical evidence behind these foods remains limited (Functional Food in Relation to Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, PMC10458865).
That is not a reason to skip it. Chamomile is gentle, cheap, has an excellent safety record and genuinely helps people relax, and stress is one of the most reliable reflux triggers there is. It is a reason to be suspicious of any page that tells you chamomile is proven to treat GERD.
4. Slippery elm: a coating, and not much else measured
Slippery elm contains mucilage, which forms a gel when it meets water and is thought to coat and protect the lining of the oesophagus. Marshmallow root works on the same principle.
The mechanism is easy to believe and easy to feel: a slippery elm drink is noticeably viscous. The clinical evidence for reflux specifically is essentially absent. There is no credible trial showing it treats GERD or reverses oesophageal damage. If you are weighing slippery elm or DGL as supplements rather than as a cup of tea, a TCM doctor's ranking of reflux supplements sets out what each is good for.
If it makes swallowing more comfortable for you, that is a real benefit and it does not require a trial to be worth the money. Just do not mistake comfort for healing.
5. Fennel: the mildest of the five
Fennel seed tea is traditionally used for bloating, gas and that over-full feeling after meals, and it often appears in blends aimed at reflux. The evidence base is traditional use and mechanism rather than trials. It is gentle, it is pleasant, and if fullness after eating is your main complaint it is a reasonable thing to try.
Which Teas Make Acid Reflux Worse?
This is the more useful half of the question, and the part most tea lists handle badly.
Peppermint: the claim everyone repeats, and what the evidence says
Nearly every article on this subject states flatly that peppermint relaxes the lower oesophageal sphincter, the muscular valve between your stomach and oesophagus, and therefore lets acid through. Spearmint is usually grouped with it and inherits the same warning, on the same reasoning. The mechanism is described in laboratory settings and it is entirely plausible.
Then somebody measured it in people.
Researchers used high-resolution manometry (a catheter that measures pressure directly along the oesophagus) in 13 healthy volunteers and 11 GERD patients, before and after infusing menthol into the oesophagus. They found no significant difference in any measured parameter. The inspiratory augmentation of the sphincter (how much the valve tightens as you breathe in) did not change meaningfully in the healthy group (8.67 vs 7.69 mmHg, p = 0.15) or in the GERD group (8.8 vs 8.22 mmHg, p = 0.43), and the strength of oesophageal contractions was unchanged in both (Bánovčin et al., Dysphagia, 2024;39(3):369-375).
This does not mean peppermint is fine. The study is small. It infused menthol directly into the oesophagus rather than having people drink a cup of tea, which is not the same exposure. And plenty of people report, reliably and repeatedly, that peppermint sets off their reflux.
What it means is narrower and worth saying plainly: the confident mechanical explanation everyone repeats is stated with more certainty than the human evidence supports. If peppermint triggers you, avoid it; your experience is better data about your body than any of this. If it does not, you are probably not doing yourself harm.
I would rather give you that than a rule I cannot support.
Caffeinated teas: a matter of degree
Black tea, green tea and matcha all contain caffeine, which is commonly reported to aggravate reflux and is one of the first things clinicians suggest cutting. Individual tolerance varies widely, and the dose and timing matter: a strong black tea on an empty stomach first thing is a different proposition from a weak green tea after lunch.
If you are going to test one variable, test this one. It is the most likely to produce a noticeable change.
The Part Most Tea Lists Leave Out: Temperature
In Chinese medicine, we do not classify a tea only by what plant it came from. We classify it by what it does to the body's internal climate, whether it warms or cools, and we pay as much attention to the temperature of the cup as to the herb inside it.
The digestive system in this framework works like an oven. It needs warmth to do its job. Cold liquids lower that working temperature, and a sluggish, heavy, bloated feeling after eating is what we would describe as Dampness accumulating. This is why I ask patients to drink room-temperature or warm water around meals rather than iced, and why the same herb served hot or iced does not behave the same way.
It also explains the contradiction that makes people give up on tea entirely. Ginger is warming. If your pattern is heat (burning, thirst, wanting cold drinks), warming ginger makes it worse, and no amount of "ginger is good for reflux" will change that. Chamomile is cooling and neutral, which is part of why it suits almost everyone.
There is an old piece of practical advice in Chinese medicine about not eating ginger at night: the reasoning is that ginger's warming, upward-moving action runs against the settling the body is supposed to do in the evening. Whatever you make of the traditional explanation, the practical version holds up: if you are going to drink ginger tea, daytime is the better time for it.
If you want to know which pattern fits you, the seven-question reflux pattern quiz walks through the same questions I would ask in a consultation, and the full explanation of the four reflux patterns covers what the clinical trials on Chinese herbal formulas actually show, including where that evidence is weak.
Seven questions, about a minute. Get your pattern and Dr. Lyda Kermani's plan for it.
Find your reflux patternTea Comparison: What Each One Is Actually Good For
| Tea | What it targets | Strength of evidence | Main caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger | Slow gastric emptying, fullness after meals | Human trial data on gastric emptying; none on reflux directly | Warming; can worsen burning-type reflux |
| Licorice root | Protecting the stomach lining | Mechanism well described; DGL better studied than whole root | Glycyrrhizin can affect blood pressure with higher or sustained intake; use extra caution if hypertensive or pregnant |
| Chamomile | Irritation, and stress-driven reflux | Mechanism only; no rigorous reflux trials | Very few; avoid if allergic to the daisy family |
| Slippery elm | Coating a raw, irritated throat | Mechanism only; no credible reflux trials | Because mucilage coats, it is usually taken a couple of hours apart from medication as a precaution |
| Fennel | Bloating and post-meal fullness | Traditional use; thin trial evidence | Mild |
| Peppermint and spearmint | Not applicable | The sphincter claim is weaker than commonly stated | Commonly reported triggers; avoid if they affect you |
| Caffeinated tea | Not applicable | Widely advised against; individual variation is large | Worst on an empty stomach |
What About Turmeric Tea?
Turmeric deserves its own note because of one genuinely strong trial that is frequently misreported.
In a randomised, double-blind controlled trial published in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, 206 patients were enrolled and 151 completed a 28-day comparison of curcumin, omeprazole, and both together, with symptom scores measured again at day 56. Symptom scores improved comparably across all three arms, and the published abstract reports no significant differences between groups and no serious adverse events (Kongkam et al., BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, 2023;28(6):399-406).
That is a real result and it is worth knowing. It is also frequently stretched past what it shows. The trial studied functional dyspepsia, not GERD. Related, not identical. And the dose was two 250 mg curcumin capsules four times a day, which is two grams daily of concentrated extract. A cup of turmeric tea is not that, and no honest reading of this trial turns it into "turmeric tea works as well as your PPI."
How to Get the Most Out of Any of These
Five things matter more than which tea you choose.
Drink it warm, not hot and not iced. Scalding tea irritates an already inflamed oesophagus. Iced tea cools the digestive system at exactly the moment it needs to work.
Time it after meals, not before bed. The American College of Gastroenterology's 2022 GERD guideline advises avoiding meals within two to three hours of lying down, which it grades as a conditional recommendation on low-quality evidence (Katz et al., American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2022). The same logic applies to a large mug of anything.
Steep weak and build up. Strong herbal infusions are medicine-strength. If a tea is going to disagree with you, you want to discover that at half strength.
Keep one variable at a time. If you change three things at once you will learn nothing about which one worked.
Give it two weeks before deciding. Herbal effects on digestion are cumulative, not immediate. A single cup tells you about tolerance, not efficacy.
For the daily habits that make the biggest difference alongside any tea, three TCM habits that speed up reflux relief covers the three I ask every patient to try first: walking after meals, warm water, and gentler food for a fortnight.
When Tea Is Not the Answer
Tea is a support. It is not a treatment for erosive disease, and it will not fix a mechanical problem.
See a doctor rather than reaching for a teapot if you have: difficulty swallowing or food sticking; persistent vomiting, or vomiting blood; black or tarry stools; unexplained weight loss; chest pain that could be cardiac, which is an emergency; or symptoms that have not responded to anything over several weeks.
If you are taking a prescription reflux medication, none of this is advice to stop it. That decision belongs to you and the clinician who prescribed it. Coming off a PPI without rebound explains why stopping abruptly usually backfires and what a supervised taper looks like.
Where Liao Fits, and What We Sell
I should be straightforward about my position here, because most pages like this one are not.
I formulated Liao, a concentrated herbal syrup based on the classical formula Xuan Fu Dai Zhe Tang, and Liao Herbal is launching a herbal tea of its own. So I have a commercial interest in you being interested in herbal approaches to reflux.
That is exactly why the list above includes chamomile, slippery elm and fennel, none of which we sell, and why the licorice section discusses both its potential benefits and the blood-pressure considerations around higher or sustained glycyrrhizin exposure. A list that happens to conclude that the author's product is best is not a list, it is an advert. If chamomile and a walk after dinner solve your reflux, that is a good outcome and it costs you almost nothing.
Where a concentrated formula differs from a cup of tea is dose. Tea is a light, daily, supportive intervention. Liao is made to a 10:1 extraction specification, meaning ten parts raw herb to one part finished extract, which is a different proposition from an infusion; how herbal concentration is measured and why it varies explains what those ratios do and do not tell you. Both have a place. They are not substitutes for each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best tea for heartburn?
What kind of tea is good for acid reflux?
What drink soothes GERD?
How much ginger should I take for acid reflux?
Why do I get heartburn after drinking ginger tea?
What are the disadvantages of drinking ginger tea?
When should I not drink ginger tea?
What is the worst drink for acid reflux?
Why do Chinese not eat ginger at night?
The Short Version
If you are going to try one tea, make it chamomile: lowest risk, broadest fit, and it addresses the stress component that most reflux advice ignores. If your problem is heaviness and fullness after eating rather than burning, ginger has better human data behind it, and drink it in the daytime.
With licorice, dose and frequency matter; if you have hypertension or take medications that can interact with glycyrrhizin, check with your clinician. Treat slippery elm as comfort rather than treatment. Test caffeine before you blame anything else. And if peppermint does not bother you, the evidence that it should is weaker than you have been told.
Drink it warm, drink it after meals, change one thing at a time, and give it a fortnight before you judge.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Lyda Kermani, DACM LAc. Last reviewed 24 September 2026.
Dr. Lyda Kermani, DACM LAc, is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine and the formulator of Liao. More about her practice: Dr. Lyda Kermani.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This article is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, particularly if you take prescription medication, are pregnant or nursing, or have a diagnosed medical condition.