I know, the first thing you think of when someone mentions raw cabbage juice is, YUCK! I did too until I tried it.
Some time ago I struggled with low stomach acid. To repair the condition I took Betaine HCL pills. The theory being that HCL taken with meals provides the necessary acid for the stomach to digest the food. Doing so regularly will retrain the stomach to produce the proper amount of acid.
It worked. It has been about 2 years since my bout with low stomach acid, but a few weeks ago the symptoms began to reappear. Fortunately, this time I knew what was going on. The advent of midsection bloating and food remaining in the stomach for an inordinately long period of time were symptoms I’ve been through before. This time, however, I wanted a more natural solution to the problem.
Enter Raw Cabbage Juice
Imagine my surprise when I read that raw cabbage juice taken before meals increase stomach acid production. How cool is that? So, I tried it. I fixed up a protein-rich breakfast of eggs, cheese and sausage. I juiced the equivalent of ¼ of an organic cabbage, which yielded about 8 oz of juice. I drank the juice (which didn’t taste as bad as I thought it would), ate the meal and my stomach operated as it should.
Being thrilled with the results, I did more research. According to the Doctor Yourself website, 4 glasses of raw cabbage juice a day is a hospital-tested protocol for gastrointestinal problems.
According to a report on the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health website, the average healing time for duodenal ulcers using raw cabbage juice was 10.4 days. This is compared to a 37-day healing time using standard therapies. That’s a significant difference!
Okay, let’s take a look at this from another angle. The very same report states that patients with gastric ulcers healed in 7.3 days using raw cabbage juice versus 42 days for those patients treated using standard therapies. They attribute the healing properties of cabbage to vitamin U. For lack of a better letter, U stands for ulcer (go figure).
Dr. Garnett Cheney of Stanford University discovered the healing effects of cabbage juice back in the 1940’s. He wrote a 478-page manual entitled Medical Management of Gastrointestinal Disorders that was published in 1950. I’ve linked to the online version of the manual. Finding an actual hard copy isn’t so easy.
Nature vs. Synthetics
After 3 days, my stomach was back to normal. The first day I drank three glasses of cabbage juice, the second day two and the final day one (not 
having an ulcer, I didn’t think I needed to drink 4 glasses a day for 10 days). It is my intent to continue drinking cabbage juice from time to time because it’s easy to do and good for the stomach. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
I could have gone to the health store and purchased a bottle or two of HCL, but I chose instead to buy cabbage. There’s no guesswork with cabbage. You either drink it or you don’t. With HCL capsules, you have to first figure out how many capsules to take at each meal. Once you’ve calculated the correct dose, you have to monitor your stomach’s reactions. If you begin to feel a burning sensation, then it’s time to reduce the dose.
Cabbage juice is much easier. Juice the contents of ¼ cabbage and drink. Do this for a few days and you’re done. I believe that nature has a remedy for everything. We just have to spend a little time looking for it.
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Hello Felicia,
After flipping through a number of sites on the Internet dealing with stomach issues, I “stumbled” on yours! And yes I am one of those who suffers from a very sensitive stomach and gastritis. Your comments above about what you personally went through in getting you digestive system rectified and keeping it that way, is what stood out about your blog. At present, I am going through what appears to be another bout of gastritis/acid reflux. Sadly, and especially since I gotten into my early 60’s, my bouts seem to have become more frequent. It has been said on a number of sites that discuss this issue that as we age, our ability to produce sufficient stomach acid and enzymes decreases. And think this is what’s happening to me. The cabbage juice regimen got my attention because years ago when I had this problem, I tried it for a few days and the issue did seem to resolve not long after starting the “protocol”. So, your comments have inspired me to try it again!!
There is just one question that I have about the statement you made about your “cutting out most carbs”. I am very confused about what these “carbs” are. And since I am a relatively “slender” person, I don’t want to cut out too many things that would help me keep “up” my weight. So if you don’t mind me asking, exactly what carbs did you cut out????
Hi Robert,
The carbs I cut out were mainly processed carbs, pasta, bread and grains. Although, I had a slew of carbs this Thanksgiving, but in general I tend to stay away from them.
Early this year I did an experiment where I dropped all carbs and felt great! I extended the experiment for 90 days and had never felt better. After the 90 days, I slowly started reintroducing various foods and took note of which foods seemed to cause problems for me. After reintroducing everything, I realized that my body functions best on a very low carb way of eating.
As far as weight goes, yes, I did lose a few pounds when I gave up all carbs, but not too many. I actually looked more toned and fit than anything else.
Hello again Mrs Felicia! I just thought I’d pop in again to receive some wonderful advice on health. I too had been struggling with a sluggish digestive system and taking HCI was getting rather expensive and at times uncomfortable since sometimes I over did it and ended up with heartburn.
I’ve taken aloe vera in the past to heal gastritis and while it worked beautifully there is a bit of risk with toxins from the aloe plant if consuming too much over time. My gastritis is not at all bad anymore but from time to time I get quite bloated and I worry about it coming back with a vengeance.
I used to make myself red cabbage soup when I was feeling particularly ill, and coupled that with jicama, lime, and hot sauce. I’m wondering if boiled cabbage has the same effect? I ask since I haven’t invested in a juicer yet. Also, does red or green cabbage matter? I like red for it’s tartness.
Thanks once again for providing your insight and sharing your discoveries!
Hi Sam,
Sorry for the late response. When our digestion is off, it seems like everything else is slightly off. Back when I wrote this post, I was suffering and the cabbage juice helped. It doesn’t matter whether you use green or red cabbage. Like you, I prefer the red.
If you don’t have a juicer, I would eat it raw. Try making coleslaw. Just make sure to chew it well to mimic the effects of juicing.
Since I’ve cut out most carb from my diet stomach distress is no longer an issue. I’m amazed at how much a difference it has made. I’ve been meaning to write a more detailed post about it. I think your comment is inspiring me to do so.
Let me know how it goes.
Thank you! You don’t have to worry about rushing a response on my part. If you’d given me your phone number I’d still use this forum as I am exactly the type of person not to want to impinge on your daily life. I especially feel bad since you are doing all this without being paid, so please don’t interrupt your day for me.
I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier but I’ll try and use my blender and a sieve to extract juices from the cabbage. My mind’s been on other things too much to focus on diet I suppose. And, as much as I love coleslaw my family wont love my company afterwards!
Thank you and I hope you stay cool in this weather!
Hi Felicia,
I just read studie about cabbage and garlic juice and it looks cabbage juice doesnt increase but decrease stomach acid. It doesnt mean that its not working but the mechanism how and what exactly going on there is the queastion.
link to study:
https://www.academia.edu/21873084/Effect_of_garlic_and_cabbage_on_healing_of_gastric_ulcer_in_experimental_rats
Thanks for your comment and the link to the study. I’m not quite sure how cabbage works, but I know first hand that it does work. If I were a scientist I’d delve deeper into the question of exactly how cabbage does what it does to the stomach. However, since I’m not a scientist, I’m just happy to know that it works. 🙂
I’m currently suffering from ulcer ,the pain is unbearable ,making it hard for me to sleep and it gets worse at night . I get nausea and end up vomiting but with the help of anti biotics and cabbage juice I’m starting to feel a bit of improvement
Glad to hear you’re feeling better, Isa.
I had drank a whole head of cabbage every day for about 30 days, now I believe I am over producing stomach acid? Do you believe this is a possibility? Had horrible stomach pains on empty stomach
Thanks!!
James, there is the possibility that you over did it. From the research that I’ve done, 5-10 days is usually enough to resolve most issues.
Here’s an excerpt from Dr. Andrew Saul’s site Doctoryourself.com.
“To give you an idea of the therapeutic potential of vegetable juices, consider the work of Garnett Cheney, M.D. He had 100 peptic ulcer patients drink a quart of raw cabbage juice daily. The patients reported dramatically less pain, and X-ray examination confirmed faster healing time. There was no other change in their diet, and they did not have drug therapy. 81% of the patients were symptom-free within one week; over twothirds were better in just four days. Average healing time for patients given standard hospital treatment was over a month. (Cheney, G: “Vitamin U Therapy of Peptic Ulcer,” California Medicine, vol. 77, number 4, October, 1952)”
Here’s the link to the full text: http://www.doctoryourself.com/colitis.html
I bolded the section regarding the duration of time it took to heal peptic ulcers. As you can see healing took place anywhere from 4 days to a week.
James be careful that could be gastritis. I had cabbage juice and cause of the gas it causes it ripped my stomach apart. Juicing is very concentrated the amount for one cup isnt what we would eat in a sitting.
…update be careful with the cabbage juice. Since its so concentrated you shouldnt use alot or multiples cups per day. It helped my acid reflux but worsened my gastritis. Ripped it apart.
Thanks sis, true GOD supplies what we need naturally! You have only to seek and ye shall find the knowledge. Bless.
I am only sixteen and I have been struggling with what seems low stomachs acid for over a month now. I am going to try this – I have high hopes and faith!