I have not tried it yet, but plan on getting it this coming weekend.

I found this link under the GERD forum. Very informative!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/julie-chen-md/dgl-supplements_b_2976260.html

I know there is a thread here somewhere about it. Will have a look too. No first hand experience of it.

I tried it but didn't help anything for me.
I can recommend Pepzin GI, there are some posts from shihonage here about that. I'm feeling better with it and i'm taking it just since a few days.

I have been taking DGL licorice for 4 or 5 months for stomach pain due to gastritis and I am very happy with it. I used to take it 30 minutes before each meal when I stopped the PPI. Now that I take the PPI again, I take it only when my stomach hurts and it calms the pain almost immediately. Sometimes I wake up at night with light stomach pain, I take one tab of DGL licorice, the pain disappears in a few minutes and I fall back asleep. Moreover I love the taste (the sugar in the tabs helps). I completely recommend trying it.

I would like to add that I did not feel that it affects my thyroid. I feel no side effect at all whatsoever. It is a great supplement.

Ines I took this stuff for awhile sometime ago and liked it, but wasn't sure if it was actually helping. I am thinking of trying it again. I took the chewables that tasted like German Chocolate. Do you have any more advice??

Thanks

Hi littlemart,

I use the brand natural factors. I like the ingredients, the list is short and the type of sugar they use is more easily digestible (dextrose instead of mannitol and other -ol sugars of other brands).

When I was looking to buy DGL licorice, I was suprised to see some brands containing cacao powder as cacao powder is irritating for the stomach. It seems like a strange choice to make a product helpful for gastritis.

DGL licorice helps me with stomach pain only (supposedly by coating your stomach lining). I am not sure it does anything against acid production or even helping for long term healing.

If it works for your stomach pain, you should feel it quickly after taking it: a few minutes later. If you take it 30 minutes before each meal as recommended, you should feel the effect quickly as well as your level of stomach pain should be lower during and after the meal.

I found slippery elm and pepzin gi helpful too against stomach pain.

What about the soft gels that are a combination of peppermint oil, ginger oil and fennel oil? I've used them without any bad effects, but not sure they actually did any good either.

I think a lot of what we take works in the background supporting our systems and it can be hard to really know foe sure what is working unless you stop it for a while. Oh the joys of it all.

Hi littlemart,
Peppermint can cause heartburn as it relaxes the sphincter between the stomach and the oesophagus, ginger is irritating to the stomach lining like other spices, fennel might be helpful as an antispasmodic and against gas, but I hope it does not increase acid secretions like some other herbs for digestion do.
Personally if I don't feel clearly that something helps and if it might hurt me, I avoid it.

Thanks once again. My Gastro used to tell me to stay away from mint. Then he changed his tune suddenly and said a little bit might help with some of the nausea. I never asked about the other elements. But my surgeon ( going to him now instead of the gastro.... he is a gastro surgeon and does some other gastro work ) says to stay away from mint. So I was just checking with you "experts". Patients know best!

DGL can definitely help with gastric irritation. However, you should be mindful of the ingredients. Certain brands may use inactive ingredients that may cause more harm than good. Some brands that use sorbitol, for example, may cause more digestive distress because sorbitol is a sugar alcohol that is very slowly digested and only partially absorbed by the body. This helps greatly with constipation, as the excess water it draws into the intestines will soften your stool. However, it can cause some gas and bloating, which may increase irritation of the GI lining; more so if you are sensitive or have an intolerance to it. Our health needs are individually specific. You need to find what works for you.