7 Home Remedies for Diarrhea

Oral rehydration solution, eating as tolerated, and continuing breastfeeding or usual formula for infants are useful home remedies for diarrhea.

The immediate priority is replacing lost fluid and salts, not trying to stop every loose stool. The best drinks for diarrhea can help you choose fluids, but severe dehydration needs urgent medical care rather than home treatment.

What are 7 home remedies for diarrhea?

1. Use an oral rehydration solution

An oral rehydration solution (ORS) contains water, sugar and salts in proportions that help the intestines absorb fluid. It replaces some of what diarrhea removes; it does not necessarily stop diarrhea or treat its cause. Oral rehydration is an established, guideline-supported approach for preventing and treating mild to moderate dehydration.

A commercially prepared ORS is a good choice because the ingredients are measured. Follow the package directions exactly, using the amount of safe water specified. If a packet is unavailable, a standard homemade mixture is:

Water: 1 liter, about 4¼ US cups; measure 1 liter if possible
Table sugar: 6 level teaspoons, or 30 mL
Table salt: ½ level teaspoon, or 2.5 mL

Measure the water into a clean container. Use safe drinking water; if it has been boiled, let it cool first.
Add the level measures of sugar and salt, and stir until dissolved. Keep the mixture covered and discard any remainder after 24 hours.

An electrolyte calculator can provide general estimates, but it cannot determine how much ORS a sick person needs or replace a clinician’s advice. This is especially important for children.

Measure carefully: too much salt or sugar can make the mixture unsafe or less effective. Do not add extra ingredients or concentrate it. Sip frequently; if nausea makes drinking difficult, try small sips rather than a large glass at once. If you cannot keep fluids down, seek urgent care. Ask a clinician for guidance before giving homemade ORS to an infant.

2. Eat as tolerated

Food provides energy and helps maintain nutrition while the gut recovers. Most people can return to their usual diet as their appetite allows; fasting or a highly restricted diet is not generally necessary. Continued feeding is established supportive care, although no particular food has been shown here to cure diarrhea.

Start with small meals if a full plate feels uncomfortable. Rice, toast, bananas, potatoes or other familiar foods may be easier to tolerate, but you do not need to limit yourself to a short list if other foods agree with you. Keep drinking fluids alongside meals.

Avoid forcing food when nausea is severe. If you cannot eat or drink enough, feel increasingly weak, or have symptoms listed in the warning section below, contact a clinician rather than relying on food alone.

3. Continue breastfeeding or usual formula for infants

Breast milk and properly prepared infant formula provide both fluid and nutrition. Continuing normal feeds helps prevent nutritional disruption while an infant has diarrhea. This is established guidance for infant feeding, not a claim that a feed will eliminate the infection or another cause of diarrhea.

Offer breastfeeds more frequently if the baby wants them. For a formula-fed infant, prepare the usual formula as directed; do not dilute it or replace feeds with plain water. A clinician may recommend a suitable commercial ORS in addition to feeds and can explain how to give it.

Infants can become dehydrated quickly, so contact their healthcare professional promptly when diarrhea occurs. Get urgent help if the baby is unusually sleepy, feeds poorly or has fewer wet diapers, and do not wait for home remedies to work.

4. Drink other suitable fluids

For adults with mild diarrhea who can eat normally, water and clear broth can help replace fluid. Broth also supplies some salt, although its composition varies and it is not a substitute for a correctly prepared ORS. Fluid replacement is established supportive care; the evidence is not that water or broth cures diarrhea.

Take small drinks regularly, especially after loose stools. If you are losing substantial fluid, feel dehydrated, or cannot eat, use ORS rather than depending on plain water alone and seek medical advice as appropriate. Do not force large volumes of water in an attempt to wash out the cause.

People who have been told to restrict fluids, including some people with heart or kidney disease, should ask their clinician how to replace losses safely. Babies should continue their usual feeds rather than being given plain water as a replacement.

5. Temporarily avoid foods and drinks that worsen symptoms

Some foods and drinks can aggravate loose stools or cause discomfort while the gut is irritated. Avoiding a personal trigger may make eating and drinking easier, but there is limited evidence for a single avoidance diet that works for everyone.

Sugary drinks, including soda and fruit juice, can worsen diarrhea because their sugar content may draw water into the intestine. Alcohol, caffeine and fatty foods may also be troublesome. Choose water or ORS instead of sugary drinks when replacing fluid.

Some people temporarily have trouble digesting lactose after diarrhea and notice that milk worsens symptoms. If that happens, reduce the offending food for a short time and seek advice if the problem persists. Do not change an infant’s formula or stop breastfeeding without guidance from a healthcare professional.

6. Consider plain yogurt if you tolerate it

Some yogurts contain live cultures, often called probiotics. They may be an acceptable food while you recover, but their effects vary, and evidence for a particular yogurt as a treatment for diarrhea is limited. Do not count on yogurt to replace ORS or medical care.

If dairy agrees with you, try a small portion of plain yogurt with live cultures as part of a normal meal. Skip it if it worsens your symptoms. Probiotic supplements are different products, and their effects depend on the organism and dose; ask a clinician before using them for a child or if you have a weakened immune system.

Herbal products are not a proven substitute. A 2020 review of tormentil described laboratory and animal findings but noted insufficient clinical studies for diarrhea. Avoid relying on such products, particularly for children or during pregnancy.

7. Rest and reduce the chance of spreading infection

Rest can make it easier to cope with fatigue and keep up with fluids, although it does not directly treat the cause of diarrhea. There is no strong evidence that a specific amount of bed rest shortens an episode. Rest as needed and resume normal activity as you feel able.

Some causes of diarrhea are infectious. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the toilet or changing a diaper and before preparing food. Clean contaminated surfaces and avoid preparing food for others while you are ill; these steps help protect other people but do not replace treatment for dehydration.

When should you see a doctor for diarrhea?

Get urgent medical help now for signs of severe dehydration, such as confusion, fainting, very little urine or marked dizziness, or if you cannot keep fluids down. Severe abdominal pain, bloody or black stools, or a high fever also warrant prompt medical assessment.

Contact a healthcare professional promptly for an infant or young child with diarrhea, and seek urgent care if the child is unusually sleepy, drinks poorly or has fewer wet diapers. Older adults, pregnant people, and people with weakened immune systems, kidney disease, heart disease or other serious conditions should also seek advice early because dehydration may be more dangerous.

An adult whose diarrhea lasts more than 2 days should contact a clinician, even if symptoms seem manageable. Seek advice sooner if diarrhea starts during or after antibiotics, is worsening, or prevents adequate drinking. Do not stop prescribed medication without speaking to the prescriber. Severe dehydration may require treatment in a medical setting.