Raw Potato Juice for Digestive Health

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The natural antacid

I would always look at my mother with reservation every time she told stories of natural remedies. As a teenager, my job was to question the old ways. At the same time, I wasn’t averse to trying out her ancestral remedies; after all, what harm can they really do? That introduction to nature's healing powers sparked a curiosity that would be embedded in my subconscious and lead me to trust the inherited wisdom passed down through generations.

Recently, I needed a breath test from the pathologist to determine whether the bacteria residing in my gut had packed their bags and left for good. The bacteria are called Helicobacter pylori. It’s a nasty bug that causes all sorts of symptoms in the digestive system. It is very common and can live in the gut for decades before being detected.

I decided to go to a pathologist close by, one I hadn’t been to before. My new nurse was quiet, but direct with her instructions: come in, put your things there, sit here, with one eye on me, wondering why I wasn’t moving quicker. I had been fasting for the test, with no caffeine in my system, that’s why. We both remained calm as I made myself comfortable and waited for further instructions. She proceeded to take out a commercially packaged breath kit test, opening the box with a well-rehearsed explanation of the steps, the loud rattling sound from the plastic wrapping muted her every word. I cou

ldn’t hear a thing. I had to bring that to her attention, so she started again, while I leaned in, making sure not to miss any crucial steps. We finally got through that part successfully. Some of these steps had timers: do this and wait five minutes before the next step. There were two or three such steps, so rather than sit there staring at the wall and feeling awkward, I got out my earphones and plugged into YouTube. As we were coming to the last step, I noticed her mouth moving, so I set the earphones aside, she asked me,” How long have you had this?” I told her I’ve had symptoms for about a year. She responded with astoshment, “Ohwww!". She told me that she had it as well, and that it was the most painful thing she had ever experienced, and that she was not able to eat anything at all, for a long while, that was distressing to hear. I understood her pain and anguish because I had to adjust my diet 100% from the free-wheeling gastronomy buffet that I had been used to. Then she said, " Have you tried raw potato juice?... You said what? The nurse proceeded with instructions on how to make it. She told me it saved her. My inner teenager was alerted, but my outer adult said this could be great.

It works like a charm. It is a healthy and natural plant-based antacid, who knew, not me. I discovered that drinking half a teacup of warm raw potato juice before breakfast calmed my digestion and rid me of acid reflux for the whole day. If you're wondering about its taste, well, it takes a little getting used to, I held my nose the first time, and after that it tastes earthy and good for you ;)

Raw potato juice is highly alkaline and works as an anti-inflammatory. Like an antacid, it doesn't cure the underlying problem, but it does give you relief when most needed (Rodriguez Zanin, 2024). There are no reported side effects; in fact, raw potato juice has many nutritional and cancer-fighting properties (Kowalczewski et al., 2022).

Anything in excess can cause problems, so my advice is to take a little once a day, take a break after two weeks, and see how that feels.

Method for Raw Potato Remedy

• Peel half a medium to large white potato, or use a small one (do now use sweet or purple potatoes)

• Cut the potato into smaller sections and place in a high powered blender with one cup of water.

• Blend for one minute, then strain through a mesh bag or cloth.

• Place in glass container or bottle and store in fridge

• Warm half a teacup of the juice and drink befoe breakfast.

The juice will turn brownish, but its nothing to worry about.

References:

• Rodriguez Zanin, T. (2024, May 9). Potato Juice: Health Benefits, How to Make & Side Effects. Tua Saúde. https://www.tuasaude.com/en/potato-juice/

• Kowalczewski, P. Ł., Olejnik, A., Wieczorek, M. N., Zembrzuska, J., Kowalska, K., Lewandowicz, J., & Lewandowicz, G. (2022). Bioactive Substances of Potato Juice Reveal Synergy in Cytotoxic Activity against Cancer Cells of Digestive System Studied In Vitro. Nutrients, 15(1), 114. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15010114