Healing intestines naturally after diarrhea

After a day or two, it's time to put a stop to your diarrhea and restore damaged intestinal flora. There are plenty of home remedies and methods from the days of yore that aim to do just that.

• Boil up a cup of bloodroot tea using 20 grams (2/3 ounce) of bloodroot and one cup (250 millilitres) of water, and steep for 10 minutes. You can also buy bloodroot tincture and diarrhea pills with bloodroot in a health food store or pharmacy.
• Dissolve five millilitres (one teaspoon) of powdered charcoal or healing earth in a glass of water and drink it.
• Eat yogurt that contains "good bacteria" that chases out the "bad bacteria" that caused your diarrhea in the first place. Replacing it can help you feel better faster. Look for yogurt that contains live bacterial culture, or probiotics. Look for a product with billions of bacteria in it. You need this many to effectively colonize your intestine.
• Eating 15 to 25 millilitres (one to two tablespoons) of dried blueberries is a time-honored Swedish cure for diarrhea. The berries act as an astringent, contracting tissue, reducing inflammation in your intestine and ultimately slowing diarrhea.
• Apply a little heat. Heat calms your intestine and makes you feel better. A hot water bottle or a spelt or cherry-pit bag should do the trick.
• Grandma's advice? Put two handfuls of crushed pot marigold flowers boiled in water into a cloth bag and place it on your stomach while warm. Test it with your fingertip first too make sure that it is not too hot.
• Calm your nerves. Nervous diarrhea can be treated with an aromatherapy massage. Mix three to four drops of chamomile, sandalwood, juniper or lavender oil with 10 millilitres (two teaspoons) of cooking oil and massage your lower abdomen with circular movements.

When diarrhea subsides, gradually return to a normal diet. Start with low-fibre foods such as crackers (but not whole-grain crackers), white toast, rice, boiled potatoes and chicken. Often, doctors recommend a diet of bananas, rice, applesauce and toast, called the BRAT diet (the name is an acronym for its components) for right after a bout of diarrhea. Applesauce contains pectin and other nutrients your body needs. Because the apples are cooked, they are easier to digest. Bananas are easily digested. In addition, they contain high levels of potassium, which helps replace the electrolytes you lose when you have diarrhea.

• Next, treat yourself to a clear vegetable broth or a potato-carrot soup (see recipe below) and dry toast.
• Try some cooked carrots, which are slso high in pectin — just cook and purée.
• Gradually broaden your menu with a little fat and easily digestible protein.
• Avoid milk and dairy products until the symptoms disappear. Some of the organisms that cause diarrhea can temporarily impair the ability to digest milk.
• During this time, also avoid coffee and alcohol.

This soup delivers fluid and minerals without stressing your irritated intestinal mucous membrane.

What you'll need:

• 250 ml (1 c) water
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 carrot
• 1 pinch saltBring the water to a boil. Add peeled and chopped veggies. Cook over low heat until tender, then purée and season with salt.