Sulfur Burps: Causes, Home Remedies, And Lifestyle Tips

Burping is quite normal, as long as you don’t do it in somebody’s face or too loudly in a packed place! There’s nothing wrong with letting out the gas buildup in your tummy. The problem occurs when that tiny belch starts to smell like rotten eggs, making you and those around you extremely uncomfortable. Such burping is what’s called sulfur burps.

Usually, you let out a few of these disgusting smelly burps and gradually stop. Sulfur burps ideally don’t need medication. However, if the issue lasts despite you not eating anything much, something is amiss. To stop/prevent sulfur burps, you first need to understand what causes it in the first place.

What Causes Sulfur Burps?

1. Health Issues

A digestive issue has only two outlets from your system, and sulfur burps are one way your body is trying to tell you that something is wrong. Some of the health issues that can cause such smelly burps are:

• Irritable bowel syndrome
• Indigestion
• Food intolerance, for example, toward lactose or gluten
• Peptic ulcer
• Acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Inflammatory issues like gastritis
• Infections due to Helicobacter pylori bacteria
• Giardiasis

2. Foods And Drinks

Food habits are the root cause of most health issues and, consequently, a way of treating them, too. This applies to sulfur burps as well. Intake of certain foods and drinks can cause you to give out smelly burps. Some such products are:

• Sulfur-rich foods such as cruciferous veggies, high-protein foods, allium veggies like onions and garlic, and eggs
• Fried and processed foods
• High-fat and high-fiber foods
• Dairy products
• Beer
• Carbonated drinks

3. Other Factors

Stress and anxiety

Extreme and continuous stress buildup can cause gastritis, acidity, heartburn, and more. Most of the time, stress makes people smoke, drink alcohol, and practice unhealthy habits in general. All of these naturally lead to sulfur burps.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is usually accompanied by a slow digestion, nausea, and just digestive issues in general. Sulfur burps might come with the package. Discuss with your doctor on how to avoid/treat this.

Prescription Drugs That Contain Sulfur

Certain drugs can make you burp that smell horrible soon after you take the medication. In such cases, observe which pills make you burp and discuss with your doctor to find an alternative remedy.

Natural Remedies For Sulfur Burps

Sulfur burps are mostly about discomfort and a bad taste in your mouth. To treat this, some simple home remedies that can be readied in a jiffy fit the bill better than any medication. Here are some natural remedies you can try to stop your smelly burps:

1. Water

Yes, it’s as simple as that! Drinking a lot of water will dilute your stomach’s contents, soothe any irritants, and reduce the chances of bacterial infections.

Directions

• Drink sufficient water throughout the day.
• If you’ve had extremely oily, greasy foods, drink a glass of tolerably hot water to clean your food pipe and stomach and prevent resulting digestive issues.

2. Green Tea

While drinking water is just fine, green tea will take it a step further.Rich in antioxidants and commonly used for weight loss, green tea can also be used to treat digestive issues. According to studies, green tea relieves irritable bowel syndrome, a common cause of sulfur burps, by reducing inflammation.[ref]Green tea. University of Maryland Medical Center.[/ref] It will also expel toxins from the body, boost your digestion, and thus keep digestive issues, and sulfur burps, at bay.

Directions

Adults can drink up to 2–3 cups of green tea every day. However, remember to choose caffeine-free green tea as excess caffeine can worsen issues like acidity and heartburn.

3. Fennel

Fennel seeds are an age-old natural remedy used, especially on children, to treat issues such as constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, heartburn, gas, bloating, and mainly, flatulence. Almost all of these are common causes of sulfur burps. They contain an abundance of minerals, fat-soluble and water-soluble vitamins, and essential amino acids, all of which strengthen your tummy and relieve your smelly burps with no side effects.[ref]Badgujar, Shamkant B., Vainav V. Patel, and Atmaram H. Bandivdekar. “Foeniculum vulgare Mill: a review of its botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, contemporary application, and toxicology.” BioMed research international 2014 (2014).[/ref]

Directions

• If possible, slowly chew on a few fennel seeds.
• Swallow a few seeds with water and let it work its magic in your stomach.
• Boil a few fennel seeds in water, strain, and drink the water like tea.

4. Manuka And Regular Honey

With its amazing antibacterial properties, manuka honey can soothe digestive issues and prevent infections by killing harmful bacteria such as the H pylori.[ref]Al Somal, N., K. E. Coley, P. C. Molan, and B. M. Hancock. “Susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori to the antibacterial activity of manuka honey.” Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 87, no. 1 (1994): 9-12.[ref] Similarly, regular honey also has antibacterial properties that relieve your digestive system.[ref]Brudzynski, Katrina, Kamal Abubaker, and Danielle Miotto. “Unraveling a mechanism of honey antibacterial action: polyphenol/H 2 O 2-induced oxidative effect on bacterial cell growth and on DNA degradation.” Food Chemistry 133, no. 2 (2012): 329-336.[/ref]

Directions

• Just eat 1 tsp of manuka honey, 3 times a day, to get rid of sulfur burps.
• Mix lemon juice and honey with water and drink when suffering from sulfur burps. Lemon juice, similar to honey, is antibacterial.

5. Ginger

Ginger has been a traditional home remedy for digestion-related issues for ages now. It’s anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties along with a rich load of antioxidants treats nausea and vomiting, indigestion, bloating, and belching as well.[ref]Haniadka, Raghavendra, Elroy Saldanha, Venkatesh Sunita, Princy L. Palatty, Raja Fayad, and Manjeshwar Shrinath Baliga. “A review of the gastroprotective effects of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe).” Food & Function 4, no. 6 (2013): 845-855.[/ref]

Directions

• Boil some ginger in water, strain, and drink the infused water. Adding it to milk tea is a good remedy for cold but doesn’t work here as milk could make you burp more.
• Suck on a piece of ginger to relieve gas buildup.

6. Cumin

Cumin is a herb commonly used as a home remedy for issues like diarrhea, gas, bloating, and indigestion, in general. It also works as an immediate remedy for stress-induced gastritis, IBS, and H. pylori infection.[ref]Abdel-Sater, Khaled A. “Gastroprotective effects of Nigella Sativa oil on the formation of stress gastritis in hypothyroidal rats.” International journal of physiology, pathophysiology and pharmacology 1, no. 2 (2009): 143.[/ref] [ref]Agah, Shahram, Amir Mehdi Taleb, Reyhane Moeini, Narjes Gorji, and Hajar Nikbakht. “Cumin extract for symptom control in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: a case series.” Middle East journal of digestive diseases 5, no. 4 (2013): 217.[/ref] [ref]Salem, Eyad M., Talay Yar, Abdullah O. Bamosa, Abdulaziz Al-Quorain, Mohamed I. Yasawy, Raed M. Alsulaiman, and Muhammad A. Randhawa. “Comparative study of Nigella Sativa and triple therapy in eradication of Helicobacter Pylori in patients with non-ulcer dyspepsia.” Saudi journal of gastroenterology: official journal of the Saudi Gastroenterology Association 16, no. 3 (2010): 207.[/ref]

Directions

• To diluted yogurt, add 1 tbsp of cumin seeds and drink. The yogurt will boost the growth of good bacteria in the stomach.
• Chew on a spoonful of cumin seeds to you relieve all the gas in the stomach.

7. Anise

With a taste like that of black licorice, you’ll either love or hate anise. Be that as it may, anise is said to improve digestion, relieve gas and reduce sulfur burps.[ref]Anise. University of Michigan.[/ref]

Directions

• Crush anise seeds, boil in water, strain, and drink the tea.
• Drink a maximum of 3 cups of tea per day.

8. Caraway Seeds

Caraway seeds, like cumin, are also a traditional medicine used to treat digestive disorders. Caraway has been used to relieve diarrhea, dyspepsia, bloating, and other digestive issues that also cause sulfur burps.[ref]Johri, R. K. “Cuminum cyminum and Carum carvi: An update.” Pharmacognosy reviews 5, no. 9 (2011): 63.[/ref]

Directions

• Boil caraway seeds in water, strain, and drink the infused tea.
• Drink up to 4 times a day.

Tips To Prevent Sulfur Burps

Lifestyle choices have as much ability as foods to cause sulfur burps. Here’s what you can do to prevent them:

1. Quit smoking.
2. Avoid chewing gum for long periods.
3. Do not suck on hard candies for long.
4. Avoid eating too fast or while talking.
5. Eat light and small meals; do not overeat.
6. Avoid foods with preservatives.
7. Avoid foods that cause sulfur burps.
8. Eat sugarless or less sugary foods.
9. Do not use a straw to drink beverages.
10. Stop drinking alcohol and carbonated beverages.

Sulfur burps usually do not last long and go away once the root cause is resolved. The cause can be figured out by understanding the symptoms. However, if you continue burping for longer than a day and despite dietary changes, visit a doctor.