Make Your Own Alginate for Reflux Control DIY

In the presence of gastric acid, alginate has been found to precipitate forming a floating thick gel which helps to prevent reflux. Such alginate formulations usually contain sodium or potassium bicarbonate; in the presence of gastric acid, the bicarbonate is converted to carbon dioxide which becomes entrapped within the gel precipitate converting it into a foam which floats on the surface of the gastric contents, much like a raft on water. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that alginate-based rafts can entrap carbon dioxide, as well as antacid components contained in some formulations, thus providing a relatively pH-neutral barrier.

Another factor that affects the alginate raft is the presence of calcium and aluminum. Calcium increases raft strength (becomes more solid) while aluminum reduces raft strength (becomes more gel-like).

To summarize, for effective alginate treatment of reflux, acid as well as bicarbonate needs to be present. The level of solidity is determined by calcium and aluminum concentrations.

One commercial product utilizing the perfect combination of ingredients is Gaviscon Advance. Gaviscon Advance is composed of 1000 mg sodium alginate, 426 mg sodium bicarbonate, and 650 mg calcium carbonate.

As such, one can purchase the following "ingredients" that make up Gaviscon Advance:

To make a "single" dose to be taken after a meal, one would mix:

• 1/4 teaspoon of sodium alginate
• 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda (1/8 teaspoon of baking soda is ~500-600 mg)
• Using a mortar and pestle, crush one 750 mg chewable TUMS antacid tablet into a powder

Mix all of this together with a few ounces of water to create a slurry which you can than swallow after a meal. Of course, doing this for every dose is a pain... So the video shown here is to make enough to make 8 ounces worth of alginate slurry that can be used for weeks before running out!

There are a few alginate products on the market to treat reflux and include the following:

For more info on reflux:

Video created by Dr. Christopher Chang:

Music Background:

#alginate #lpr #gerd #sodiumalginate #reflux

[fauquierent]

Commercial preparations of alginate for reflux control:

[casario]

Did this and worked like a charm. Tested it in vinegar compared to gaviscon dual action, and same results. Don't believe the person on here says it doesn't work as raft...it does. I did quick math and it's about 10% the price :) also, I doubled the recipe, making about 500ml.

Alginate is not a cure all for my LPR, in fact I believe stress/hyper-vigilence of symptoms is as much a cause as food, but looking at all angles and tbh the alginate, combined with diet and stress reduction, seems to help better than any med

[mariogomes]

I was at my wits end with this acid This has done the trick and has now made my days more bearable and has gotten me off Nexium and other PPI meds! Those meds were great, but I was worried about the long term effects. With this wonderful recipe, I don't even need the full recommended dosage. Two teaspoons every morning and I'm good all day!!! Again, Thank-you for sharing this with the masses! Bravo!!!

[propertymom]

Thank you very much for posting this.😊

[nannybeth]

Oh my gosh. My ENT just put me on this. And I’m so glad I can make it my self. Thank u

[MikeTrieu]

-You say to crush 8 TUMS antacid tablets, but you fail to mention what strength you used. TUMS comes in 500mg, 750mg, and 1000mg varieties.-

Edit: Nvm, in the description, you mention a single dose is one 750mg tablet. I bought 1000mg tablets. 8 x 750mg = 6000mg, so I'd use 6 1000mg tablets instead.

[SusieG]

Thank you!!!! I was looking for a recipe for a bigger batch, rather than making a zillion tiny containers 🙏🤗🤗

[casario]

Should we keep in fridge or is OK at room temperature in a capped bottle? I've made a 500ml batch which should last a month or so....

[doloresswann]

How many mg is each of those 8 tums. My tums are 1000mg each ??? I've been using 6 of those tums tablets. ??

[mbr]

I'm very appreciative of your kindness in sharing this DYI video about creating the alginate raft. I've made my own, and it seems to help. But is it alright to still take my PPI separately from the alginate raft?

[frabis]

To keep the sodium level down and more closely mimic the formula of Gaviscon Advance, what would be the required amount of potassium bicarbonate equivalent to the teaspoon of baking soda?

[cornfieldcraig]

The claim is that the video shows how to make the mixture in bulk, with the quantities shown said to be enough for weeks. However, the bulk recipe is just 8x the size of the single dose recipe, with a total volume of 8 fluid oz. It then goes on to say to take 2 teaspoons per dose. At that level, you'd be taking the same volume as the original Gaviscon Advance formula, but it would be only 1/3rd of the single dose recipe and 1/3rd of the active ingredients. Shouldn't the dose be two TABLESPOONS?

[tomabbott]

Isn't the dosage 2 "tablespoons?" per the video

[idontknow]

It won't form a raft at all.
Tried this recipe.
Tried recreating gaviscon advance(1000mg alginate, 200mg potasium bicarb, 200mg calcium carbonate).
Tried different consistency and changing amount of active ingredients.
Nothing works, result of pouring it in vinegar is always the same - it creates string/chunks of gel that float on top. This 'raft' is not homogenous and it won't stop acid from going up at all.

Tried store bought Gaviscon for comparision (couldn't get Advance) - it creates homogenous, foamy raft that has some capability to stop liquid from going through holes. It's not very strong, but it works way better that handmade.

Something more must be going on with how it's produced, because DIY gaviscon made with the same amount of alginate as comercial version will always be way more thick, to the point that it's impossible to blend. Doubling the alginate to get Gaviscon Advance is pretty much impossible. My current guess it's that blending can't be used, since it incorporates air into gel - it must be dissolved somehow, for it to have right consistency and right density of alginate

Not really sure what makes the difference, but there are also two ingredients left that could be a problem:
- Sodium hydroxide (caustic soda) - strong alkaline, not going anywhere close to that stuff, it can cause chemical burns and I am not confident enough to experiment with it. It may be used to get intensive foaming at start to create foamy raft. Maybe they use it to regulate pH as well.
- Carbomer 974P. It serves as stabilizer, emulsifier, thickener and adhesion agent. Nowhere to buy, especially in small amounts. Don't know how much is used as well.

@Edit:
I have an idea that I need to test, but I think I know what the problem was. To keep sodium alginate from gelating, you need to use purifed water, so that there are no kations for alginate to react with. If I am right and it dissolves properly (blending may still be a problem), then next you need to raise pH by adding baking soda and (I hope not needed) NaOH. Then you can add calcium carbonate - it's only soluble in ph <= 7, so it won't create calcium kations, and will not react with alginate, therefore not thickening it. After solution hits the stomach, acid will change pH, dissolve calcium carbonate and start thickening reaction.
Waiting for purified water and I am gonna test it, maybe it will be possible to DIY actuall gaviscon advance, not this crap on video

[hunt]

Refrigerate between uses?? Enquiring minds would like to know...

[tracybiediger]

Should you drink a sip of water after taking this to wash it down, as you’d do with Esophageal Guardian?

[EJ-VBikes]

Thank you for this video. I'm confused however because I watched your other video on how sodium alginate works and you said taking antacids will neutralize the effect of sodium alginate and it will therefore not be able to create a raft. Calcium carbonate is an antacid so why do you include it in this recipe? Thank you.

[Wacholderwald]

Must this mixture be refrigerated? You are not supposed to refrigerate Gaviscon Advance.

[iamfantastico]

This recipe makes no sense. Please clarify. First of all, Gaviscon Advance contains 1000mg of sodium alginate PER 10ml (2 teaspoons). One teaspoon of pure sodium alginate is approximately 3000mg, so you would need to ingest 1/3 tsp of it each time to get the 1000mg dose that is recommended. Since you are saying to put only 2 tsp of sodium alginate in this recipe, you would have to take 1/6 of the bottle each time and you would only get 6 doses out of it (and it would be more like 8 tsp!)
And secondly, Gaviscon Advance contains Sodium Alginate and Potassium Hydrogen Carbonate from what I can see. Although I have found (in Canada) a product called Gaviscon Advanced (with a d) that comes in tablet form and each tablet contains 400mg alginic acid and 200mg calcium carbonate.
When you post a recipe like this, you really should provide more explanation and detail.

[NSWSES]

Made a batch……let’s see how long it takes to fix my gerd?