How to Treat Sulfur Burps?

Sulfur burps

Foul smelling sulfur burps are an unpleasant and embarrassing experience. Sulfur burps are nothing but the excess gas trapped in the digestive system which finds an escape through the mouth. These burps may sometimes have the smell similar to the food you have consumed or that of rotten eggs.

We will discuss here what causes sulfur burps or why your burps smell of rotten egg. You can also know how to get rid of sulfur burps safely and efficiently with some home remedies.


What Causes Sulfur Burps?

Many foods and health conditions can be the reason behind these unpleasant sulfur burps. A few of the most common ones is what you will find below:

1. Consuming Foods Containing Sulfur

Consuming certain sulfur rich foods such as eggs, leafy green vegetables like kale, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and radish can cause sulfur burps. When bacteria in the digestive system break down sulfur it produces hydrogen sulfide gas. This gas often escapes your body as sulfur burps.

Sulphur is an essential element for the body. According to the journal Nutrition & Metabolism, sulfur is present in our bodies as the third most abundant mineral.

Sulfur amino acids are important for proper functioning of the cell and detoxification of the body. So you shouldn’t get rid of sulfur completely.

2. Pylori Infection

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterial infection of the stomach that can cause sulfur egg burps and not just sulfur burps. H. pylori might also indicate stomach ulcers, chronic gastritis, abdominal bloating with burping.

The Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology testified that H. pylori infections source an accumulation of hydrogen sulfide in the intestines.

3. Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

An upset gastrointestinal tract or weak immune system may cause IBS.  In such case, you may experience diarrhea after eating, gas pain in the chest, and anal leakage along with sulfur burps.

According to a study published in the Journal of Breath Research, IBS can produce high levels of hydrogen sulfide in the breath. It causes bacterial overgrowth with the consequent sulfur burps.

4. Bacterial Overgrowth

For nutrients to be absorbed by the body a bacteria must break down the compound food molecules. But, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) can cause smelly burps that have a sulfur “egg” odor. The journal Gut and Liver states that bacteria and fermentation can cause accrual of gasses like hydrogen sulfide, methane, and carbon dioxide.

Amongst other signs of bacterial growth, you may keep a check of abdominal pain after eating, diarrhea, fatigue, unexplained weight loss, and skin issues like eczema, acne, or rosacea.

5. Parasite Infection

Drinking or eating contaminated products or water can give rise to various parasite infections in your digestive system. These infections may show signs of watery diarrhea, white specs in the stool, bloating, and passing a lot of gas. According to Dr. Charles Patrick Davis, sulfur-tasting burps are a primary symptom of parasite infections.

Knowledge is the first step to change. Now you know, most of the probable causes you should also know the remedies to resolve the problem.


Home Remedies to Get Rid of Sulfur Burps

You can try some home remedies for immediate relief to combat the smelly sulfur burps.

1. Drink Plenty of Water

Water regulates the digestive system and helps in easy absorption of nutrients by our body. It serves as the detoxifying agent that keeps you hydrated.

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will safeguard the gastrointestinal system from getting affected by the bacteria responsible for bad smelling sulfur burps and help in digesting the proteins.

2. Manuka Honey

Well known for its antibacterial properties, Manuka is a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. As per Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal, ingesting Manuka honey helps in destroying H. pylori bacteria which causes gastritis and peptic ulcers.

Also, honey protects the gastric lining leading to improved digestion. One tablespoon of Manuka honey three times a day is suggested to recover from H. pylori infection.

3. Propolis

Bees form propolis which has antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. It boosts the digestive system and reduces the sulfur compounds in your burps.

4. Yogurt

Raw yogurt is a rich source of probiotics. Plain probiotic yogurt can also help to soothe your digestive system and prevent medical conditions like IBS that cause sulfur burps. Prefer consuming yogurt which has lactobacilli and streptococci bacteria.

5. Apple Cider Vinegar

Diluted Apple cider vinegar consumed early in the morning works as a stabilizing agent in your stomach. The acetic acid content in it raises the number of intestinal bacterias’ like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria.

According to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, apple cider vinegar eases the swelling in the stomach and improves digestive abilities.

Add one or two tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar to a glass of water. Have this combination two times in a day.

6. Chamomile Tea

A natural anti-inflammatory remedy for many digestive disorders. It is a superb herbal tea to calm down your stomach, prevent nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

7. Peppermint

Peppermint oil added to a cup of herbal tea can help you get rid of sulfur burps. It has gastroprotective effect in our body as reported by the book, Molecular Targets and Therapeutic Uses of Spices. It was also recorded that peppermint inhibits the production of hydrogen sulfide.

8. Baking Soda

Having baking soda along with water is a natural deodorizer that is also effective in curing plenty of digestive issues. It balances electrolytes of upset stomach, cures heart burns and relieves ulcer pain.

Add a pinch of baking soda to a glass of water to prevent smelly burp. It controls many acids in the body and provides relief from acid reflux.

9. Drink Green Tea

Green tea contains many antioxidants that can help to protect your body against medical conditions. With its deodorizing impacts on halitosis, green tea can aid to diminish the sulfur compounds in the mouth. You can drink green tea two to three times per day.

10. Olive Oil

Olive oil facilitates easy digestion and thus must are to be used in cooking daily meals.

11. Fennel Seeds

The fennel seeds are an excellent way to make your digestive juices flow and make digestion easier. Fennel has anethole, limonene, and cineole, which have anti-flatulence, antioxidant and carminative effects.

12. Ginger or Ginger Tea

Ginger can alleviate the symptoms of nausea, bloating, and helps with digestion. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and helps curb sulfur burps.

13. Honey and Lemon

A mixture of honey and lemon in a glass of luke warm water calms down the bloating and burping.

14. Brown Rice

Being a fibrous, protein-rich source of food, brown rice improves metabolism and digestion. Eating brown rice twice a day can prevent smelly burps.

15. Lime Juice

Start your mornings with fresh and diluted lime juice for a healthy stomach.

16. Avoid Canned Foods

Canned foods are high in preservatives and must be prevented. Including fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet to prevent these burps.

17. Avoid Alcohol

Give up alcohol altogether to get relief from sulfur burps.

18. Reduce Intake of Sulfur-Containing Foods

Nutrition consultant Dr. Elizabeth Ward remarked that garlic and onions are the worst offenders that source sulfur burps. They are rich in sulfur, and their consumption must be limited.

19. No Sugary Food

Minimize the intake of foods that have high amount of sugar to avoid accumulation of gas in the abdomen.

20. Avoid Large Meals

It takes longer for your bodies to digest large meals. Your body produces more gas when your stomach is not able to digest these foods.


Getting Rid of Sulfur Burps: Prevention Tips

You can also choose to take preventive measures and avoid the smelly sulfur odor of sulfur burps. In this view, following points shall be noteworthy:

  • It is advisable to include plenty of fibrous foods in your diet.
  • Stay away from foods rich in protein such as poultry, eggs, and red meat, etc.
  • Start to have fresh fruit juices regularly.
  • Go for smaller meals spread across the day rather than having two or three large meals in the day.
  • Before cooking beans; soak them thoroughly for about three hours to remove the soluble carbohydrate. This particular sugar leads to the formation of gas in the stomach.
  • While having your food, please make sure that you chew it well before swallowing.
  • Include adequate exercise in your routine. Walking, yoga and jogging, etc., are all work outs that can treat/prevent the problem.
  • Identify the foods, drugs that cause allergic reactions to you and immediately eliminate them from your diet.
  • You should take some antibiotics, to treat GIT.
  • You should also try to remove sulfur proteins from your diet.

The sooner you start to use the knowledge gained, the quicker will be the relief for you. All the remedies discussed here are reliable, and hence, you can safely go for any of them.

Also Read: Natural Remedies to Treat Canker Sores on the Tongue


When to Seek Medical Help?

In the prejudice of maintaining good health, one should always watch out for any other symptoms actively. If you have been burping for over two days, you may go for over the counter medications.

Your health consultant may suggest Pepto Bismol, antacids, antibiotics, antiparasitic medications such as, Alka Seltzer, etc. to balance your digestive system.

If you believe that these Sulphur burps are symptoms of some other underlying problems, for instance, Crohn’s disease, acid reflux, H Pylori, Giardia parasites you may seek the attention of the specialists.

You can consult a gastroenterologist if your burps come with bloating, nausea, fever, and fatigue.


Sources:
Erin, “How to get rid of Sulfur Burps”, Authority Remedies web site, January 8, 2016; https://authorityremedies.com/how-to-get-rid-of-sulfur-burps.
Menon, S.,“How to Get Rid of Sulfur and Egg smelling Burps”, Wellnessbells web site, June 19, 2016; http://wellnessbells.com/sulfur-egg-smelling-burps.
Barua, A., “How To Get Rid Of Sulfur Burps Fast”, Fashionlady web site, June 15, 2017; http://www.fashionlady.in/how-to-get-rid-of-sulfur-burps/103121.
Hills, J., “Sulfur Burps: Causes and Effective Natural Cures”; Healthy and Natural World web site; http://www.healthyandnaturalworld.com/get-rid-of-sulfur-burps, last accessed September 14, 2017.
“Sulfur Burps,” Medical Treasure web site; http://medicaltreasure.com/sulfur-burps/, last accessed September 14, 2017.

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Dr. David Cummings, MD

David Cummings, MD, is a medical reviewer and editor at Daily Health Cures. David received his medical degree from the University of Illinois.