How to Stop Diarrhea: 8 Home Remedies & Treatments

How to stop diarrhea involves simple strategies like staying hydrated, eating foods that help firm up stool, and using probiotics to restore gut balance. These approaches can help reduce symptoms and prevent dehydration, which is one of the main risks of diarrhea.

Diarrhea is often caused by viral or bacterial infections from contaminated food, but it can also result from medications like antibiotics or food intolerances. Identifying the cause is important, as some cases may require medical treatment instead of home remedies.

Most episodes last 3 to 4 days, but knowing how to stop diarrhea quickly can help ease discomfort and support recovery. In more severe cases, symptoms like dehydration, fever, or blood in the stool may indicate the need for medical evaluation and treatment.

What helps with diarrhea?

Some ways to help stop diarrhea fast include:

1. Drinking guava leaf tea 

Guava leaf tea has astringent properties that help reduce the amount of water in the stool, which can help control diarrhea. It also has an antispasmodic effect that may reduce abdominal cramping and pain.

To prepare this tea, add 15 g (about 2 tablespoons) of washed guava leaves to 500 mL (2 cups) of boiling water. Cover and let steep for about 10 minutes, then strain. You can drink 3 to 4 cups of this tea per day.

Check out other teas for diarrhea with medicinal properties that may help relieve symptoms.

2. Eating apples without the peel

Apples without the peel, whether raw or cooked, are another good option to help ease diarrhea. When peeled, apples contain only small amounts of insoluble fiber, the type of fiber that speeds up intestinal transit and can make diarrhea worse.

In general, you should choose fruits without the peel, seeds, or pulp, as these parts contain the highest amounts of insoluble fiber.

3. Drinking a homemade saline solution

To replace the water and mineral salts lost during diarrhea and help prevent dehydration, you can use a homemade saline solution or oral rehydration solutions.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), oral rehydration solutions are the standard treatment to prevent and treat dehydration caused by diarrhea, as they effectively replace lost fluids and electrolytes. These can be prepared at home, bought at the pharmacy, or taken as electrolyte drinks.

It is recommended to sip these solutions in small amounts throughout the day to replace the fluid you think you have lost in your stools. However, you should avoid drinking more than half a glass at a time.

4. Avoiding high-fat foods

High-fat and spicy foods should be avoided when you have diarrhea, along with sauces, stock cubes, alcohol, sodas, coffee, green or black tea, milk, raisins, plums, beans, and ice cream.

In addition, try not to eat foods that produce gas and can increase discomfort, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and corn.

5. Drinking chamomile tea

Chamomile tea is rich in phenolic compounds such as apigenin and quercetin, which have anti-inflammatory and calming effects. This tea can help decrease stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract and relieve cramps caused by diarrhea.

To make chamomile tea, add 1 tablespoon (4 g) of dried chamomile flowers to a cup of boiling water. Cover and steep for 5 minutes, then strain and drink up to 4 cups per day.

6. Taking probiotics

Probiotics are beneficial ("good") bacteria that live in the intestine and support gut health. You can get them from certain probiotic foods, especially fermented foods like natural yogurt, kombucha, and kefir. They are also available as supplements sold at pharmacies, such as Florastor.

These bacteria help restore and maintain healthy intestinal flora, help prevent and fight intestinal infections, and can also support digestion and the immune system.

7. Drinking coconut water

Drinking coconut water can also help when you have diarrhea. It helps replace mineral salts such as potassium and sodium that are lost in the stool, which is important for preventing dehydration symptoms.

8. Using antidiarrheal medication

There are several medications that can be used to treat diarrhea, but they should only be taken under medical guidance. A doctor will consider the cause of the diarrhea, your medical history, your current symptoms, and the specific type of diarrhea you have.

Some medications a doctor may recommend include:

• Loperamide (Imodium), which slows intestinal movements so that stool stays longer in the intestine, allowing more water to be absorbed and making the stool harder.
• Racecadotril (Hidrasec), which reduces the secretion of water into the intestine, helping to firm up the stool.

You should not take any diarrhea medicine without speaking to a doctor first. If the diarrhea is caused by an infection, these medicines can actually make the condition worse.

When to see a doctor

It is important to see a healthcare provider for diarrhea that is frequent or occurs with symptoms like blood or pus in the stool, fever, vomiting, abdominal pain, or significant weight loss.

According to the CDC, signs of dehydration such as intense thirst, dry mouth,, drowsiness, or confusion require prompt medical evaluation, as dehydration is a major complication of diarrhea and can become life-threatening if untreated.