Home Remedies for Getting Rid of Gas

Flatulence--affectionately known as gas--elicits responses such as disgust, embarrassment and laughter. Most people release gas even if they do not like to admit it, but excessive gas causes bloating and discomfort to your stomach. If you are looking for a way to reduce gas, try some of the following home remedies.

Diet

• Diet adversely affects gas habits. Avoid these items that may increase your flatulence frequency: Carbonated beverages, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, dried beans, oats, potatoes and yeast-containing foods like bread and cheese. Also, limit intake of essential and monounsaturated fats.

  Eat foods that result in low gas levels, such as bananas, citrus, eggs, grapes, hard cheese, meat, non-carbonated beverages, peanut butter and yogurt (made from live bacteria).

  Drink lots of water to avoid gas build up. Eat small meals, as well as a small snack between meals. Eat slowly, as you have a tougher time digesting food you gulp down and it can cause you to swallow air leading to more gas. Once you finish a meal, drink a glass of hot water to help you burp and remove gas.

Asafetida

• Control gas with asafetida, a spice that acts as an anti-spasmodic, anti-flatulent carminative. Put a pinch of the asafetida powder (beware of the strong odor) on the palm of your hand and add a few drops of water. Apply the resulting sticky paste on the skin of your stomach and belly button, then let it dry.

  Aside from topical usage, you can ingest asafetida to help your gas issues. Dissolve two small pieces in half a cup of water (with some brown sugar) and drink. Or, mix a pinch each of asafetida and rock salt with a 1/2 teaspoon of dry ginger powder, and add the mixture to a cup of warm water and drink.

Ginger and Cardamom Seeds

• Outside of usage with asafetida, ginger works well for gas. Boil two small pieces of dry ginger in diluted milk and add a pinch of rock salt. Drink warm before bedtime and feel less gassy.

  Use ginger as a gas remedy in these other ways: Mix 1 teaspoon of fresh, grated ginger with 1 teaspoon of lime juice (or soak ginger slices in lime juice) and eat after a meal; put ground ginger root in boiling water, add honey and drink; grind together 1 teaspoon each of pepper, dry ginger and green cardamom seeds, add a 1/2 teaspoon of the mixture to water and drink one hour after a meal.

  You also can soak 1 teaspoon of grained cardamom seeds (without ginger) in a cup of water for 10 minutes, straining the liquid and drinking three times daily. Or, grind fresh cardamom seeds and put 1 teaspoon in a cup of boiling water; let it sit for 10 minutes and drink three times daily.

Other Remedies

• To help lessen your flatulence and improve your digestive abilities, crush two garlic cloves in Bengal gram water. Upon waking in the morning, eat them on an empty stomach. Consuming a couple doses of garlic soup also may help: Grind a few garlic with some black pepper seeds, coriander seeds and cumin. Mix in about 6 oz. of water and bring to a boil.

  If you want to use cumin solely, roast 1 teaspoon in a pan. When the cumin's red, add two cups of water and boil for five to 10 minutes. Once the cumin blends into the water and the boiling water reduces to one cup, let it cool a bit and drink.

  Like cumin, ajwain has antiflatulent properties that will help control your gas. Prepare it in the same manner as cumin, or soak a few pieces of pineapple overnight in the ajwain-water mix. In the morning, squeeze the pineapple pieces, extract it all into the mix, filter and drink. If you are pregnant, do not consume pineapples, as they have abortifacient properties.