Dealing with diarrhea can be uncomfortable and disruptive to your daily life. Fortunately, several evidence-based remedies can help manage symptoms and speed up recovery.
This article explores proven treatments and home remedies backed by scientific research.
Table of Contents
Effective Diarrhea Remedies
When diarrhea strikes, knowing which treatments actually work can help you recover faster. The following remedies have strong scientific support.
1. Oral Rehydration Solutions (ORS)
The most important treatment for diarrhea is preventing dehydration. Oral rehydration solutions are the cornerstone of diarrhea management.
Standard ORS vs. Low-Osmolarity ORS
Low-osmolarity oral rehydration solution can significantly reduce the duration of diarrhea and stool output in children under 10 years with acute and persistent diarrhea (1). The newer formulation with lower sodium content has replaced the standard ORS in many treatment guidelines.
For children with mild to moderate dehydration due to diarrhea, doctors recommend replacing the estimated fluid deficit over four hours with an oral rehydration solution (2).
Rice-Based ORS
Rice-based oral rehydration solutions may offer additional benefits. Studies show that rice-based ORS can substantially reduce stool output in cholera patients compared to glucose-based solution, regardless of food intake (3).
A rice-based beverage can effectively rehydrate children with acute diarrhea. In one study, 92% successfully rehydrated compared to 91% with standard oral rehydration salts, and it required less time for rehydration (4).
Homemade Solutions
For situations where commercial ORS isn’t available, homemade alternatives can help.
Homemade cereal-based oral rehydration therapy can work as well or better than prepackaged solutions in treating acute childhood diarrhea. This benefit is particularly notable in infants under 12 months (5).
Young coconut water can effectively serve as a home rehydration solution for children with mild diarrhea, alongside early refeeding (6).
2. Probiotics
Probiotics have emerged as one of the most effective treatments for various types of diarrhea. These beneficial bacteria can help restore your gut’s natural balance.
General Effectiveness
An umbrella meta-analysis found that probiotic supplementation reduces the risk of diarrhea by 56%, with a relative risk of 0.44. This indicates a strong potential for probiotics to alleviate this condition (7).
Studies show probiotics work significantly better at reducing stool frequency in acute diarrhea compared to ORS alone (8).
Specific Probiotic Strains
Different probiotic strains have shown varying effectiveness:
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus: Giving Lactobacillus rhamnosus to children receiving antibiotics can significantly reduce their risk of developing diarrhea compared to a placebo (9).
- Lactobacillus acidophilus: The DDS-1 strain of Lactobacillus acidophilus significantly reduces diarrhea and other abdominal symptoms in people with lactose intolerance compared to a placebo (10).
- Saccharomyces boulardii: This probiotic yeast significantly improves the cytokine profile and quality of life in patients with diarrhea-dominant irritable bowel syndrome compared to placebo (11).
Probiotics like Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium bifidum can significantly shorten the duration of acute diarrhea. They also reduce the number of stools in children, regardless of storage temperature (12).
The Latin American Expert group recommends probiotics such as Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Saccharomyces boulardii. These strains help treat and prevent various types of diarrhea in pediatric patients (13).
3. Zinc Supplementation
Zinc has proven to be an important treatment for diarrhea, especially in children. This essential mineral plays a crucial role in immune function and gut health.
Research shows that bundling zinc with Oral Rehydration Salts using instructional pouches significantly increases treatment adherence. This approach helps manage acute watery diarrhea more effectively (14).
Daily supplementation of 5mg of zinc during 12 months significantly decreases diarrheal disease episodes. Healthy children aged between 6 and 12 months benefit most from this approach (15).
Combining Saccharomyces boulardii and zinc reduces the duration of acute diarrhea in children by 35 to 40 hours. This combination demonstrates substantial superiority to standard treatment (16).
4. Anti-Diarrheal Medications
Several medications can help control diarrhea symptoms when appropriate. You should use these with caution and under medical guidance.
Loperamide
Loperamide is one of the most commonly used anti-diarrheal medications. Studies show loperamide 12 mg/day reduces ileostomy output by a median of 16.5%. This indicates its potential effectiveness in managing high stoma output in patients (17).
When researchers compared Lomotil and Imodium for treating acute non-specific diarrhea, they found no significant differences. Both medications showed equal effectiveness and speed of action (18).
Racecadotril
This medication works differently than loperamide by reducing water secretion in the intestines. Racecadotril resolves acute diarrhea symptoms rapidly and effectively. It produces more rapid resolution of abdominal symptoms and less constipation than loperamide (19).
Bismuth Subsalicylate
This over-the-counter medication can help with both prevention and treatment of diarrhea. For preventing travellers’ diarrhea, rifaximin is the preferred drug. Bismuth subsalicylate or a fluoroquinolone also work effectively (20).
Bismuth subsalicylate significantly reduces the incidence of diarrhea among travelers. It provides up to 65% protection compared to placebo (21).
5. Natural and Dietary Remedies
Several natural approaches can help manage diarrhea symptoms. These options are often gentler and work well alongside other treatments.
Dietary Fiber
Certain types of fiber can help firm up stools and reduce diarrhea duration. Soy polysaccharide significantly reduces the duration of liquid stool excretion in children with acute, watery diarrhea (22).
Pectin can significantly reduce symptoms and improve quality of life. Patients with diarrhea predominant irritable bowel syndrome benefit from pectin supplementation (23).
Lysine Supplementation
This amino acid may help reduce diarrhea episodes. Lysine supplementation significantly reduces diarrheal episodes in children, with an odds ratio of 0.52. This indicates a lower risk of diarrhea compared to those receiving a placebo (24).
Traditional Medicine Approaches
Some traditional treatments have shown promise in clinical studies. Cupping moxibustion significantly improves clinical symptoms and quality of life in patients with functional diarrhea. The experimental group achieved a clinical cure rate of 73.1% compared to standard treatment (25).
SGIP acupuncture treatment effectively alleviates symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea. Patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome show better results with acupuncture than pinaverium bromide (26).
Preventive Measures
Prevention is often the best remedy for diarrhea. Simple hygiene practices and water safety measures can significantly reduce your risk.
Hand Washing
Hand washing promotion reduces diarrhea episodes by about 30%. This works in both child day-care centres in high-income countries and communities in low- and middle-income countries (27).
Hand washing significantly reduces the incidence of diarrhea among children. Households practicing hand hygiene have a 30% lower rate compared to control households (28).
Water Treatment
Safe water is essential for preventing diarrhea. Households that implement point-of-use water treatment and safe storage experience 44% fewer diarrhea episodes. This reduction occurs compared to control households (29).
Using an improved water container significantly reduces diarrheal disease by 31% in children under 5 years. Research in a refugee camp setting confirms this benefit (30).
Special Considerations
Some treatments require special attention to specific conditions or patient groups. Different causes of diarrhea may respond better to certain treatments.
Radiation-Induced Diarrhea
For patients undergoing radiation therapy, specific interventions can help. Selenium supplementation during radiation therapy significantly reduces the number of episodes and severity of radiation-induced diarrhea. Cervical and uterine cancer patients particularly benefit from this approach (31).
Sucralfate significantly prevents irradiation-induced diarrhea and bowel discomfort. Patients undergoing radiotherapy for pelvic cancer benefit from this medication (32).
Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea
When antibiotics disrupt your gut bacteria, diarrhea often follows. Probiotics show promise for preventing pediatric antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Per protocol analysis shows significant results favoring probiotics (33).
Refractory Diarrhea
For diarrhea that doesn’t respond to standard treatments, other options exist. A systematic review found that somatostatin and octreotide achieved a response rate of 64% in randomized controlled trials. These medications help treat refractory diarrhea effectively (34).
Conclusion
Managing diarrhea effectively involves a combination of approaches. Oral rehydration solutions remain the foundation of treatment, especially for preventing dehydration. Probiotics, particularly strains like Lactobacillus rhamnosus and Saccharomyces boulardii, show strong evidence for both treating and preventing various types of diarrhea.
Zinc supplementation, anti-diarrheal medications when appropriate, and preventive measures like hand washing and water treatment all play important roles. You should select the right remedy based on the type and cause of diarrhea. Always prioritize rehydration and seek medical care when symptoms are severe or persistent.