Homeopathic Gas Relief

As frequently as gas occurs in the average person, it nevertheless remains as embarrassing as it is physically uncomfortable. People are capable of producing anywhere from one to four pints of gas per day. The two most common causes of gas are the air swallowed while eating and drinking, and the digestion of food by bacteria in the large intestine. Aside from gastrointestinal distress caused by serious underlying diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, most gas and/or bloating can be cured fairly quickly and naturally with common herbs and spices.

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Ginger

• Ginger is a pungent, yellow-green rhizome which is easily found in the produce section of supermarkets. As a medicinal root, ginger is frequently taken for nausea and upset stomach, but it is just as effective for gastrointestinal distress. Gas that has occurred as a result of digestive tract lining irritation can be quelled by ginger, as it increases salivary and stomach secretions, which coat the digestive tract and soothe it. Shredding a one inch piece of ginger root on a cheese grater, and adding it to two cups of boiling water with honey and lemon, makes an effective and natural gas relief tea.

Bitter Herbs: Gentian, Centuary, Chamomile, and Mugwort

• Like ginger, bitter herbs induce the secretion of digestive juices which can help alleviate gas pain. Gentian, a bitter flowering plant which is used to flavor some liquors as well as the soft-drink Moxie, is very effective at calming an upset stomach as well as reducing or eliminating gastric distress. Centuary is another popular bitter herb for treating digestive and gastric ailments, and is also used as a laxative.

  Chamomile tea is often drunk in the evening to soothe tension at the end of the day and promote healthy sleep, but its bitter qualities also stimulate the gastric juices that help ease the digestive irregularities and irritation that cause gas. Mugwort, a more tolerable relative of wormwood, has the same anti-gas properties.

  All of these herbs are more easily found in dried tea formats at health food stores and the natural sections of chain supermarkets.

Spice Seeds: Fennel, Caraway, Cumin, and Anise

• The essential oils in fennel seeds and cumin seeds have anti-spasmodic effects on the intestinal smooth muscle, and are used to prevent intestinal gas to great effect. The essential oils in anise seeds and caraway seeds also have intestinal anti-spasmodic properties. Fennel, anise, and caraway seeds have been acknowledged by the Commission E of Germany, an herbal medicine guide, as being highly effective gastrointestinal distress reducers. Caraway is most frequently found in baked goods, such as Irish Soda Bread, while cumin and star anise are more often found in Indian and Asian foods.