Anorexia nervosa or anorexia is an eating disorder. This disorder causes the body weight to become abnormally low. The affected person has a fear of gaining weight and a misleading perception of body weight. A person with anorexia nervosa suffers from negative body image issues. The disorder causes a person to use extreme measures to control their weight and body shape. These drastic measures can disrupt other activities of their life. Extreme measures can include a severe restriction on the quantity of food the person, excessive control on the calorie intake, and use techniques such as vomiting, consume laxatives, excessive exercises, extreme diet aids, enemas, and diuretics to rapidly lose weight.

People with anorexia usually follow a binge-and-purge routine; they tend to overeat and then use extreme purging techniques to get rid of the calories consumed. The root cause of anorexia nervosa is often undiagnosed emotional or psychological distress. It is an unhealthy way to cope with emotional issues that involve equating weight with self-worth. Anorexia nervosa should be treated at the earliest to prevent the condition from spiraling. It is necessary to identify the symptoms early and consult a doctor for the most effective treatments for anorexia nervosa. Apart from this, a few lifestyle changes can also work as home treatments for anorexia nervosa.

• Eat spicy food: One of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa is a loss of appetite. Appetite can be improved by eating spicy food. This is one of the most effective treatments for anorexia nervosa that leads to the development of a healthy appetite. Spicy food can be consumed twice or thrice in a week. Use garlic and ginger to a regular diet to add spiciness. These will also help in digestion by stimulating the release of digestive juices.
• Have small meal portions: A person with anorexia develops a general aversion to food. Having small portions of food at frequent intervals would be helpful. Avoid food packed with calories. The small portions should comprise of food that is easy to digest. The size of the portions can be increased to normal slowly over time.
• Have plenty of soups: Appetite can also be improved by drinking a lot of soups. Soups are good appetite stimulators. They are packed with essential nutrients that help in improving overall health as well. Fresh soups are preferred than preserved canned soups. Canned soups are not healthy and are usually not very flavorsome. It is best to have fresh vegetable soups that are mildly spicy. Chicken soups are good options as well.
• Drink herbal teas: This is one of the popular home treatments for anorexia nervosa. Herbal teas help to improve appetite, stimulate the release of digestive and bile juices, and cause general upliftment of mood. The different options in herbal tea include ginger tea, blessed thistle tea, green tea, chamomile tea, and lemon tea.
• Add fruits to diet: Certain fruits such as apples and sour grapes help in digestion and improve appetite. These are excellent home treatments for anorexia nervosa. The juice of sour grapes has a lot of nutrients and improves the functioning of the digestive system.