What is Baking Soda?
You probably already own this one. The box of baking soda in your kitchen cupboard shows up in Ayurvedic home-remedy teaching as a simple antacid and a helper for the stomach, the bean pot and the bath.
Baking soda is not a herb. It is a mineral salt used in cooking, listed in our sources under the names Pakanasoda and Kshara (Kshara, the Sanskrit word for an alkaline substance). It belongs to the category of kitchen medicinals: everyday pantry items that Ayurvedic practitioners use for small, practical jobs.
What makes it worth a page is how specific those jobs are. Our sources describe it easing acidity, gas and indigestion, making heavy beans lighter to cook and digest, and supporting the skin through a warm bath.
The guidance is short and modest, and this page keeps it that way. Where our sources say nothing, we say nothing.
Benefits of Baking Soda
The uses recorded for baking soda come from Ayurvedic kitchen-pharmacy teaching rather than from the classical texts. They fall into three clear groups.
Acidity and Heartburn
Baking soda is described simply as an antacid. A small pinch taken in warm water with lemon juice is the remedy given for acid reflux (Amlapitta, literally "sour bile", the Ayurvedic name for acid indigestion).
Gas and Indigestion
The same drink is recommended for gas and flatulence and for indigestion (Ajirna, food that has not been properly digested). One preparation covers all three complaints, which is part of its appeal as a first step.
Lighter Beans
When cooked with garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or black beans, baking soda makes them lighter and makes the cooking easier. Our sources list this alongside its antacid uses, so it is a digestive aid as well as a kitchen trick.
Skin Health
Half a cup of baking soda added to a bath is said to help circulation and leave the skin soft. Our sources also describe it relieving skin infections, hives and rash (Udarda, the Ayurvedic term for raised, itchy wheals), and helping to keep the skin healthy and clean.
How to Use Baking Soda
Baking soda is used in three simple ways. The amounts below are the ones given in our sources; nothing more precise is recorded, so we have not added any.
| Form | Dose | Best For | When to Take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drink: baking soda in warm water with lemon juice | A pinch in 1 cup of warm water, plus the juice of half a lemon | Acidity, gas, indigestion | When symptoms appear |
| Bath | Half a cup added to the bath water | Circulation, soft skin, rash and hives | At bath time |
| Cooking aid | Added to the pot | Making garbanzo or black beans lighter and easier to cook | While cooking the beans |
The lemon juice in the drink acts as the vehicle (anupana, the liquid or food a remedy is taken with). Our sources do not give a lemon-free version, a larger dose, or a daily routine, so treat this as an occasional remedy rather than a regular supplement.
Properties and Uses
When cooked with garbanzo or black beans, baking soda makes them lighter and facilitates the cooking process. It is also an antacid.
A pinchful with one cup of warm water and the juice of one-half lemon relieves acidity, gas and indigestion. Half a cup of baking soda in the bath helps circulation and makes the skin soft.
Baking soda relieves skin infections, hives and rash and maintains the health and hygiene of the skin.
Source: Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing, Chapter XIII: Kitchen Pharmacy (Medicinals)
Safety & Side Effects
Our sources describe baking soda only in small, occasional amounts: a pinch in a cup of water, or half a cup in a full bath. They do not list contraindications, drug interactions or overdose signs, and we will not invent any.
That silence is not the same as a guarantee. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate, a mineral salt rather than a plant, and it is best kept to the small amounts described here.
- Stay with a pinch for the drink. Do not scale it up because the first dose did not help.
- If acidity, gas or indigestion keeps coming back, see a doctor rather than repeating the remedy every day.
- If you take regular medication, follow a low-sodium diet, or have kidney or heart problems, ask your doctor before taking baking soda by mouth.
- For a skin infection that spreads, weeps or comes with fever, get medical care. The bath is a support, not a treatment for a serious infection.
Recommended: Start Here
If you want to try baking soda today, start with the simplest recorded remedy: the warm lemon drink for an upset stomach.
The drink: stir a pinch of baking soda into one cup of warm water and add the juice of half a lemon. Sip it when acidity, gas or indigestion shows up. Our sources give it for all three.
The kitchen habit: next time you cook garbanzo beans or black beans, add a little baking soda to the pot. It makes them lighter and the cooking easier.
A plain, food-grade box is all you need. If you cook beans from dry, a bag of dried chickpeas lets you use the kitchen habit straight away.
Find Food-Grade Baking Soda on Amazon ↗ Dried Garbanzo Beans ↗
Safety note: keep to a pinch, use it occasionally, and see a doctor if symptoms keep returning or if you are on medication or a low-sodium diet.
Baking Soda vs Other Herbs & Supplements
Baking soda is a pantry salt, not a herb, so the useful comparisons are about how it is used rather than which plant beats which. Here is what our sources support.
| Comparison | Baking Soda | Alternative | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baking soda vs lemon | The antacid part of the remedy | Lemon juice is the other half of the same drink | Partners, not rivals. The recorded remedy uses both together in warm water. |
| Drink vs bath | A pinch by mouth for acidity, gas and indigestion | Half a cup in the bath for circulation, soft skin, rash and hives | Choose by the problem: stomach complaints call for the drink, skin complaints for the bath. |
| Baking soda in the pot vs as a remedy | Added while cooking garbanzo or black beans | Taken on its own when symptoms appear | The cooking use works ahead of time by making beans lighter; the drink is for when discomfort has already started. |
For herbs that work on the same complaints, see the indigestion and acid reflux pages, which compare the options in more depth.
Baking Soda for Specific Populations
Our sources do not give separate guidance on baking soda for any specific group. What follows is cautious framing, not recorded dosing.
Pregnancy & Nursing
No guidance is recorded. Ask your doctor or midwife before taking baking soda by mouth while pregnant or nursing. Using it in cooking is a different matter from taking it as a remedy.
Children
No child dose is recorded, so do not adapt the adult drink for a child on your own. Check with a paediatrician for a child's stomach complaints or skin rashes.
Elderly
Older adults are more likely to take regular medication or follow a low-sodium diet. Ask your doctor before using the baking soda drink.
Athletes
Our sources record no use of baking soda for exercise or performance. The uses described are digestive, culinary and for the skin.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is baking soda really part of Ayurveda?
It appears in Ayurvedic kitchen-pharmacy teaching, the practice of using everyday pantry items as simple remedies. It is not a herb, and it is not one of the substances described in the classical texts we draw on. Think of it as a modern kitchen helper used in an Ayurvedic way.
What does Kshara mean?
Kshara is a Sanskrit word for an alkaline substance. Our sources list baking soda under the names Pakanasoda and Kshara. The English name, baking soda, is the one you will see on the box.
Why add lemon to baking soda?
The remedy as recorded uses both: a pinch of baking soda in a cup of warm water with the juice of half a lemon. That combination is what our sources give for acidity, gas and indigestion. They do not describe baking soda in plain water, so we stay with the lemon version.
Can a baking soda bath help with hives?
Our sources say half a cup of baking soda in the bath helps circulation and softens the skin, and that baking soda relieves skin infections, hives and rash. If hives come with swelling of the face or trouble breathing, get emergency care straight away.
Why do people add baking soda to beans?
Cooked with garbanzo beans or black beans, baking soda makes them lighter and makes the cooking easier. It is a small kitchen step that our sources group with its digestive uses.
How to Use Kshara) by Condition
Explore how Kshara) is used for specific health concerns — with dosage, preparation methods, and classical references for each.
Medical Disclaimer: The information on this page is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Ayurvedic treatments should be pursued under the guidance of a qualified practitioner (BAMS/MD Ayurveda). Always consult your healthcare provider before starting any new treatment. Content is sourced from classical Ayurvedic texts and may not reflect the latest medical research.