Stomach flu home remedies: rice water, carrots and rest

Everyone gets one eventually, and it is as unpleasant as illnesses get without being dangerous, with one exception that runs through this whole page.

The exception is dehydration, and MedlinePlus is clear that most of the rest sorts itself out: “usually, people with gastroenteritis get better on their own, with rest and plenty of fluids and electrolytes.”

And a note on the name. MedlinePlus points out that “stomach flu” is misleading, because “it is not caused by flu viruses.” It is usually a rotavirus or a norovirus. That matters for one practical reason: the flu shot does nothing against it, and our flu remedies are for a different illness entirely.

Rehydration comes first, and nothing else is close

For an adult, drink small amounts constantly rather than a glass at once: water, weak tea, broth, and a rehydration solution alternating with them.

For an infant or a young child, use only the oral rehydration solution packets sold at pharmacies, dosed as directed. Not a homemade salt-and-sugar mix, not a sports drink, not juice. The proportions in a proper ORS are the entire point of it, and getting them wrong makes things worse.

Watch for: thirst, a dry mouth, headache, dark urine or very little of it. In a baby, a sunken fontanelle, crying without tears, listlessness, and no wet diaper for 3 hours or more.

Rice water

Cook 1.75 oz (50 g) of white rice, about 3 tablespoons, in 1 quart (1 liter) of water for 30 minutes on low heat, uncovered. Strain off and keep only the milky white liquid. Drink ¾ cup (200 ml) lukewarm every 2 hours, alternating with a rehydration solution, for no more than 48 hours.

Keeps 24 hours in the fridge in a closed bottle, no longer.

A pinch of salt and a teaspoon of honey improve it, and honey is out under 1 year.

This is the oldest thing on the page and one of the most widely used in the world. It is starch and water, it goes down when nothing else does, and it counts toward the fluids.

Cooked carrots

Steam 2 or 3 carrots for 20 to 25 minutes, until very soft, and mash them to a fine purée with no fat added. Four tablespoons, two or three times a day, lukewarm, for 2 to 3 days. Keeps 48 hours refrigerated.

Cooked, never raw. Cooking releases the pectin and softens the fiber. Raw carrot on an inflamed gut is exactly the wrong thing, and this is one of the few places where the preparation matters more than the ingredient.

The potassium and magnesium also replace a little of what diarrhea takes away.

Applesauce

Peel 3 sweet apples, Golden or Gala rather than tart ones, cut them small and cook them in ½ cup (100 ml) of water for 15 to 20 minutes on low heat until very soft. Mash finely.

Start with 2 to 3 tablespoons every 2 hours, once vomiting has stopped for at least 4 hours, then increase as you can tolerate it. Keeps 3 days refrigerated.

Bought instead of made: organic, smooth, unsweetened, no preservatives.

Roman chamomile

Steep 1 tablespoon (3 g) of dried Roman chamomile flowers in ¾ cup (200 ml) of just-simmering water for 10 minutes, covered, then strain. One lukewarm cup every 3 to 4 hours, up to 4 a day, as soon as you can keep liquids down.

Not with an allergy to Asteraceae: ragweed, chrysanthemum, marigold, arnica, dandelion. Honey once it has cooled, and never under 1 year.

Lemon balm, for the cramps

Steep 1 teaspoon (2 g) of dried lemon balm leaves in ¾ cup (200 ml) of just-simmering water for 10 minutes, covered. Two or three cups a day, between meals or when the cramps start.

Mild, lemony and calming, which counts on a day that is going badly. NCCIH has no lemon balm page, so this is tradition offered as tradition.

Thyme, sparingly

Steep 1 teaspoon (2 g) of dried thyme in 1 cup (250 ml) of boiling water for 5 minutes, covered. Two cups a day at most, morning and evening, between meals, for 3 days.

Strong, slightly bitter and camphorous. Some people find it settles things; others cannot face it while nauseous.

Activated charcoal, with a warning attached

One or two capsules, 500 to 1,000 mg in total, with a large glass of water, three times a day between meals, for no more than 2 to 3 days. It turns the stool black, which is expected and harmless.

Space it at least 2 hours from every medicine you take, and understand what that means for the birth control pill. Charcoal adsorbs indiscriminately, including your medication. If you take the pill, charcoal can reduce its effectiveness, and that is a real risk of pregnancy rather than a theoretical one.

Not with an intestinal obstruction or blockage, and not if you take medicines that cannot be delayed.

Sleep on your left side

If you are vomiting frequently, lie on your left side, never flat on your back, to avoid inhaling anything if you are sick while half asleep. A cushion between the knees makes it bearable, and keep a clean basin next to the bed.

This position also reduces reflux, for the same reason it is recommended on our heartburn page.

Coming back: probiotics and bananas

Once vomiting has stopped for 24 hours and the diarrhea is easing, start very gradually.

One tablespoon of plain organic yogurt, twice a day, or ¼ cup (50 ml) of milk kefir. The yogurt has to say “live cultures” or “active cultures” on the pot: the long-life ones sold outside the chilled section no longer contain live bacteria.

Well-ripened mashed banana, half a banana twice a day, is the other classic at this stage.

MedlinePlus supports this one: providers “may recommend probiotics”, since some studies show they can shorten how long diarrhea lasts.

Build up over 3 or 4 days. Going back to normal food in one meal is how people relapse.

When to see a doctor

For an adult, MedlinePlus says to seek attention for:

• diarrhea lasting more than 2 days;
• a high fever;
• vomiting often;
• symptoms of dehydration: thirst, dry mouth, headache, dark urine.

For an infant or child, the thresholds are much lower, and MedlinePlus lists them separately:

• any fever in an infant;
• diarrhea lasting more than a day;
• no wet diapers for 3 hours or more.

Source: MedlinePlus.

Call as well for blood in the stool or the vomit, severe or localized abdominal pain, confusion or unusual drowsiness, or an inability to keep any fluid down at all for several hours.

Older adults deserve the same low threshold as infants. Dehydration arrives faster and shows itself less clearly, and confusion is often the first sign rather than thirst.

If the fever is the dominant symptom, the age thresholds on our fever page are the ones to check. And if this keeps happening, or the gut never quite settles afterwards, that is worth reading our IBS page about: a bout of gastroenteritis is one of the recognized ways irritable bowel syndrome starts.

FAQ

Can I make my own rehydration solution?

For an adult, in a pinch, and it is what a French grandmother would have done. For a baby or a young child, no. The pharmacy packets are dosed to a standard for a reason, and an improvised mix that is too salty or too sweet pulls water the wrong way. This is the one place on this page where we would send you to the drugstore rather than the kitchen.

Are sports drinks a good substitute?

Not really. They are built for sweating during exercise, not for losing fluid through the gut, and most are far too sugary, which can make diarrhea worse. Water plus a proper rehydration solution beats them.

When can I eat normally again?

When you want to, and gradually. Start with the cooked carrots, applesauce, rice and banana on this page, add plain rice or toast, and give it 3 or 4 days. The most common mistake is a full meal on the first good day.