A gassy stomach can strike anytime and can be very embarrassing, to say the least. It is actually quite a painful experience often leading to stomach cramps, bloating, heaviness and heartburn.
Medically known as flatulence, it is a condition where excess gas gets collected in your digestive tract. But to deal with the problem, it’s first crucial to understand why it occurs.
Gas can collect in your digestive system in two ways. While eating or drinking, you swallow the air that causes the oxygen and nitrogen to enter your body.
The second and more important reason is when you digest your food; gases like hydrogen, methane or carbon dioxide are emitted and get accumulated in your stomach.
If not released or in excess, these gases can cause a lot of discomfort. A lot also depends on your daily food choices.
High carb foods like beans, cabbage, chickpeas, and lentils or sugary fruit juices are not easily digested by the stomach.
They pass through the colon which contains a lot of bacteria that help in breaking down the food while releasing gases that can accumulate and make you feel uneasy.
Although everyone experiences gas, some people are troubled by it more than others. At times, excessive gas can become uncomfortable or even painful.
The good thing is that you can reach out to a lot of kitchen ingredients to get rid of gas trouble naturally. Here are the some best home remedies for gas that work without fail.
Home Remedies for Gas, Pains and Bloating
Combine Lemon & Baking Soda : The juice from lemons mixed with baking soda creates carbon dioxide, which is great for digestion.
This mix is great for bloating and flatulence and starts working immediately. Baking soda acts as an antacid, so it can help relieve gas.
Apple cider vinegar and water : Apple cider vinegar is another remedy for flatulence. It treats gas and soothes stomach. It is advisable to use apple cider vinegar for the remedy but if you do not have it, you can use regular vinegar.
Take a glass of warm water and add two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to it. Drink it once a day, preferably in the morning.
Ginger tea : Sipping on ginger tea is beneficial, as ginger is known to be useful in the breaking up and expelling of intestinal gas.
cinnamon, fennel, basil and cumin : The herbs in your kitchen that add flavour to your the dishes can be of great help when you are suffering from stomach gas.
Many of the herbs are carminative in nature, i.e. they help in the expulsion of gas and reduce bloating and distension. Some of the useful carminative herbs are ginger, cinnamon, fennel, basil and cumin.
Consuming these herbs helps in the rapid movement of food from the stomach to the intestine and causes gut contractions to relieve gas.
The use of cumin in the preparation of dishes and intake of a small quantity of fennel right after meals can help you get rid of a bloated stomach.
Yogurt and Buttermilk : The use of probiotics like yogurt and buttermilk also helps in relieving gas and supports digestion.
Probiotics are substances that contain ‘good’ bacteria which are the natural inhabitants of our gut and are responsible for maintenance of its health.
Yogurt and buttermilk are natural probiotics which contain Lactobacillus and Bifido bacterium, the ‘good’ species of bacteria which fight the gas-producing harmful bacteria and prevent them from sticking to the walls of your stomach.
Whole fat milk can lead to the accumulation of gas, especially in people who suffer from lactose intolerance. Yogurt and buttermilk are healthy alternatives that can be easily digested.
Garlic, black pepper and cumin seeds : Garlic is another option to treat the gas problem. It contains healing property and helps in proper digestion. Add garlic to your meals and soups to reduce the formation of gas.
Take a cup of water and boil it. Now, take a few cloves of garlic and grind it. Add the ground garlic into the water. Add a few black pepper corns and cumin seeds.
Let it boil for coupel of minutes and then take it off the fire. Strain the drink and let it cool. Drink this thrice day.
Aloe Vera Juice : The benefits of aloe vera for the skin are widely known but there are not many people who know that aloe vera juice is a great home remedy for treating gas.
It has been proven in a trial conducted on patients that aloe vera juice indeed helps you get rid of gas and associated pain significantly.
Ginger, cardamom and fennel : Ginger is a miracle herb and is used in home remedies to treat diseases like headache, tummy ache and sore throat. It can also be used to get relief from the gas problem and it is an effective remedy for indigestion.
Take a teaspoon of ground ginger, one teaspoon of cardamom and fennel seeds. Mix all the ingredients together and take a teaspoon of this mixture and add it to a cup of water. Also, add a pinch of asafoetida or hing in the water.
Drink this solution twice daily. You can also chew a piece of ginger or drink ginger tea to help proper digestion and control gas production in the stomach.
Papaya : One of the beneficial effects of this fruit is relief from stomach gas. Papaya is not only rich in anti-oxidants but also papain, an enzyme that aids the digestion of dietary proteins and prevents the formation of excessive gas in the stomach.
Papain supplements are available in the market but the whole fruit itself has several benefits.
Warm lemon water : Lemon helps in digestion as it contains acid that triggers formation of hydrochloric acid, which breaks down food. Lemon is also effective in the treatment of gas and bloating.
Take a glass of warm water and add around two tablespoons of lemon juice into it. You can also add three lemon wedges instead of lemon juice. Stir it and drink this lemon water in the morning on an empty stomach.
