Heartburn is a sensation of burning in the chest caused by stomach acid backing up into the esophagus (food pipe). The burning is usually in the upper and central part of the chest, just behind the sternum (breast bone). The burning can worsen or can be brought on by lying flat or on the right side. Pregnancy tends to aggravate heartburn.

Causes heartburn
The esophagus (the tube that connects your mouth to the stomach) has a tight band of muscles at the lower end (lower esophageal sphincter [LES]) that closes after the food enters the stomach and prevents the stomach contents to reenter the esophagus. If this sphincter weakens or relaxes at the wrong time, stomach acid can back up into the esophagus, causing heartburn.

Symptoms of heartburn
The usual symptom of heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest. It can be accompanied by:
-- shortness of breath,
-- radiation to the arms or neck,
-- a sour taste at the back of the throat, or
-- a feeling of food being stuck in the throat.
-- dizziness or cold sweat.

Home remedy for heartburn
Drink chamomile tea
Chamomile tea is great for when you want to relax, and it can also help stop inflammation from occurring in the stomach. Ideally, you should drink this chamomile tea about an hour before you decide to go to bed, giving it time to work and to stop acid from easily travelling up from your stomach when you go to bed.
To make a perfect cup of chamomile tea, stir one teaspoon of dried chamomile petals into boiling water and let it simmer for around a minute over the cooker. Then, remove it from the cooker and let it steep for a minute before you strain away the petals. You can add a little lemon or even a dash of honey for extra taste, too.

Chew some gum!
Amazingly, chewing some gum can really help with heartburn! A study that was reported on in the Journal of Dental Research showed that chewing gum can help ease the symptoms of heartburn. The gum you chew needs to be sugar-free, and you need to chew for around 30 minutes.
The reason this works is because chewing gum makes your mouth produce more saliva, and slowly this saliva dilutes the acid that is travelling up from your stomach, getting rid of the source of the pain.

Aloe vera
Aloe vera is often used in cosmetics like shampoos and shower gels, but did you know you can actually consume aloe vera juice? With half a cup of aloe vera juice, you can soothe the burning feeling on your throat in a similar way that aloe vera can actually help soothe sunburn on the skin.

Baking soda
A spoonful of baking soda, or ‘sodium bicarbonate’, can actually work wonders with heartburn. This is a result of the alkaline nature neutralizing the acid that has reached up from your stomach, getting rid of the source of the problem and not just covering up the symptoms. The soda will stop the burning sensation and will stop the pain for as long as no more acid reaches up from your stomach.
Simply mix a teaspoon of baking soda into a glass of water and drink it all. You will not of course be able to simply eat the baking soda as it is too dry and will make you wretch.

Eat almonds
Replace your regular snacks with almonds and you’ll soon feel the benefit. Almonds are a perfectly natural way to soothe heartburn, and can be effective when used to replace fatty and unhealthy snacks. Eat some almonds after each meal or snack on them during the day and you will find that the acids in your stomach are neutralized and heartburn just doesn’t happen. It’s pretty amazing really but it really does work well and you won’t need to waste time and money buying expensive over-the-counter alternatives.