Here is what a study led by Farhad U. Huwez, M.R.C.P., Ph.D. from Barnet General Hospital in the United Kingdom concluded about Mastic Gum: “Even low doses of mastic gum — 1 mg per day for two weeks — can cure peptic ulcers very rapidly, but the mechanism responsible has not been clear. We have found that mastic is active against Helicobacter pylori, which could explain its therapeutic effect in patients with peptic ulcers”.
That is some pretty strong evidence and you might want to give this one a try if you think you suffer from H. pylori. It has also shown no known side effects with its use.
Mastic gum is available in chewable wafers or as capsules (like this one).
Probiotics
We have both good and bad bacteria in the body. Probiotics, which consist of live bacteria and yeast, are considered to be a healthy or good bacteria.
Several studies have reported that certain probiotic strains can exhibit inhibitory activity against H. pylori bacteria.
Contrary to popular belief, bodies do need bad bacteria inside them to function properly; the trick is keeping a healthy balance between the good and bad bacteria. Probiotics are what helps keep this healthy balance in check.
Probiotics can be found in yogurt and fermented foods (such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir and pickles). It is recommended that a person have at least 2–3 servings of these per week or you can use a probiotics supplement like this one.
Further reading: Read about fermented foods in my article Top 10 Fermented Foods and Why You Should Eat More of Them. Also find 9 reasons to take probiotics and why it’s so good for you.
Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice has long been thought of as a natural medicine around the world and there is thinking now that it helps prevent or limit H. pylori bacteria from attaching itself to the lining of the stomach.
One study from the oncology department at Peking University checked the effect of cranberry juice on the bacteria. The participants were assigned to orally receive two 250-ml juice boxes of cranberry juice or matching placebo beverage daily for 90 days. Eleven individuals from the cranberry juice treatment group and only two from the placebo group were negative at 35 and 90 days of experiment. These results are significant. The conclusion was that regular consumption of cranberry juice can suppress H. pylori infection.