Home Remedies and Herbs for Food Poisoning

Food poisoning is a condition also known as foodborne illness. It occurs when you consume food that’s been contaminated by bacteria, parasites or viruses. Typically, food poisoning is linked to improper food handling at restaurants or grocery stores. However, you can also get food poisoning at home if you don’t properly cook your meals.^1,2

Food poisoning is not usually serious and typically passes within a day. However, in rare cases, food poisoning can require hospitalization.²
 
What Causes Food Poisoning?

Food poisoning is caused by ingesting food that has been contaminated.^1,2 Typical food poisoning causes from contamination include:

• Undercooked meat
• Improperly stored foods
• Eating food handled by someone who has an illness
• Cross-contamination between surfaces

An example of cross-contaminated food is when someone uses a cutting board to prepare raw chicken. Then, when the cutting board is reused to prepare other food that won’t be cooked, it can cause the raw food to be contaminated from the harmful chicken bacteria.¹

The primary sources of contamination that lead to food poisoning causes include:

• Salmonella
• Campylobacter
• Listeria
• E. coli
• Shigella
• Viruses like norovirus and rotavirus

Food Poisoning Symptoms
 
Food poisoning symptoms depend on the type of contamination you're exposed to. Food poisoning symptoms typically come on very suddenly, often within a few hours of eating the contaminated food.

Common food poisoning symptoms include:

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Watery or bloody diarrhea
• Abdominal cramps
• Fever

References

1. https://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Food-poisoning/Pages/Causes.aspx
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-poisoning/symptoms-causes/syc-20356230