6 Home Remedies For Flatulence

The embarrassing and humiliating problem of flatulence can be reduced by understanding the causes, making some simple changes and using herbs to alleviate the intestinal gas.

Undigested foods, such as plant fibers, ferment in the colon and produce intestinal gas.  If your body cannot completely break down substances like gluten from wheat or sugar from dairy products or fruit, you may produce excess gas.  Carbohydrates like beans may cause excess gas.  Swallowed air can migrate to the colon and cause flatulence.

If you drink a lot of carbonated beverages, drink through straws, smoke or have ill fitting dentures you may be swallowing excess air.  Cut down on the offending substances. Eat and drink slowly to keep from swallowing too much air.  Slowing down and having a relaxed meal may help cut down on excess flatulence.

If wheat or dairy products cause problems, you can cut down or eliminate them from your diet.  Experiment with gluten-free products.  If dairy products are indigestible, switch to lactose-free products.  Making changes to your diet may cut down on episodes of flatulence.

No matter what the cause of your intestinal gas, you can get relief with these herbal flatulence remedies.  Teas made from peppermint or spearmint help to relieve gas pain and expel gas from the intestine.    Teas made from aniseed, fennel or caraway are also excellent flatulence remedies.   Sweet cicely is another herb seed that can be made into a tea or simply chewed to relieve flatulence.

Candida yeast overgrowth in the intestine can cause gassiness.  Cut down on sugar to starve the yeast and use beneficial bacterial cultures to balance the intestinal flora.  This yeast problem often follows a course of antibiotic treatment.  Organic yogurt contains some of the good bacteria we need to stay healthy.

An often overlooked flatulence remedy is simple exercise.  Lie on your back, raise one knee to the chest, hold for a count of ten, release and repeat with the other knee.  Do this several times to move excess gas through the intestine and relieve gas pains.  A short walk around the block after eating can be helpful, too.