Home Remedies for Gas Pain

Gas is nothing but the presence of air in the digestive tract. Many reasons for gas accumulation in the digestive tract include improper food, improper digestion, and an unhealthy lifestyle. It is seen that foods rich in carbohydrates are known to cause more gas than foods rich in protein or fat. Hence, it is advised to have a healthy diet comprising fewer carbohydrates, especially for people prone to gas and gas-related health issues.

The accumulation of air in the digestive tract is known as gas. It is seen that generally, people get away from gas by either burping or bypassing gas through the anus. The combination of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and methane is collectively known as gas. Some people also have the presence of sulphur in their flatus.

Gas pains can be troublesome. The pain can be so intense that you feel it’s a severe illness. The following passage provides possible home remedies for gas pain relief, causes, and symptoms to help you acknowledge the problem.

List of Home remedies for Gas pain

1. Ginger

The carminative effect of ginger helps break up and force intestinal gas from the body. It was further proved to be effective due to its potent antiulcer activities (1).

Another study conducted by the Medical Association of Thailand further cements the effectiveness of ginger. As per the study, it was found that ginger is highly effective in expelling gastric gasses. It also recognised its highly efficient antiflatulent properties (2).

Below are the 2 application methods –

• Make a mixture of ginger powder, pounded carom seed(ajwain), and black salt in equal quantities. Take the mixture after a meal (1 gram) for fast relief from gas pain.
• Take a small piece of ginger. Sprinkle a few drops of lemon juice over it. Add a pinch of black salt and take this while having a meal.

2. Cinnamon

Cinnamon bark is believed to possess many medicinal properties, as per Indian Ayurveda. In the 19th century, physicians from the US also used it for various medical conditions. “German Commission E” recognized ginger to be effective in the treatment of flatulence, bloating, and in the treatment of loss of appetite (3).

• Make a powder from cinnamon and boil it in a glass of water. Take this while it is a warm half hour before a meal. This will prevent the formation of gas.

3. Asafoetida

Asafoetida, popularly known as Hing in India, is used while preparing food as a spice. It is also used while cooking to neutralize the gas-causing property. Though further research is required in this regard to prove it scientifically. However, it has proved to be very effective as per traditional practices.

• Make a powder out of 2 grams of Asafoetida (Hing) and mix it in warm water. Take about 20ml of it twice a day.

4. Fennel

• Prepare a mixture of 10 grams fennel, 10 grams cumin, and 5 grams anise. Mix them in a boiling glass of water. Leave it for 20 minutes. Take a cup of this mixture 30 minutes after the meal.
• Try peppermint, chamomile, or fennel teas to relieve gas pain. Peppermint contains menthol, which appears to have an antispasmodic effect on the smooth muscles of the digestive tract. This is one of the most effective home remedies for gas pain.

5. Cumin

• Black cumin could be ground and mixed with honey. One can use it for the treatment of flatulence.
• Additionally, mixing thyme, ajwain, and mastic in equal amounts in the above mixture could increase its effectiveness. One could take this before breakfast and in the night. 3.5 grams of the mixture could be taken at a time.
• One could also mix black cumin and ajwain in equal quantities. Take it at the start and the end of the meal. This is very effective and has been used since ages to cure gas problems.

In a study, it was found that bloating treatment with Cumin extract was beneficial. It reduced symptoms like mucus in stool, incomplete defecation, abdominal pain, bloating, and fecal urgency. [4]

6. Carmint

A study was done to find the effect of Carmint on IBS symptoms. In a study, 32 IBS patients experienced less abdominal pain and bloating than those on a placebo. The results showshow that Carmint benefits IBS patients when paired with loperamide or psyllium. These benefits are attributed to its antispasmodic, carminative, and soothing properties. [5]

7. Removing toxic material from Colon

Suppose you experience a burning sensation while passing stool and the stool is foul-smelling. In that case, it is a sign that your Colon contains toxic material. Follow a fasting program to eliminate these toxins.

• Do not eat food when you are tensed, upset, or overtired
• Do not drink liquid while eating food as this prevents proper digestion by diluting stomach juices
• You can temporarily cut high-fiber foods and gradually increase the intake over the weeks.
• Eat several small meals instead of eating two or three larger ones daily.
• One of the simpler and effective remedies for gas is to increase the amount of fluid you drink, especially water.

8. Gas Causing Foods to Avoid

Avoid consuming foods that affect you the most, such as high-fiber foods, dairy products, soda-content drinks, beer, and other food products that cause excess gas. Some of the top foods to avoid are given below –

• Lentils and beans as they contain indigestible sugars, which leads to gas production.
• Fruits and veggies like carrots, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, prunes, and apricots.
• Sorbitol and artificial sweeteners are difficult to digest. They are digested by bacteria, which results in gas. [6]
• People with meteorism or tympanites should avoid dairy products as these lead to bloating.
• Wheat, due to its gluten content, also causes gas.
• Foods containing carbohydrates cause gas. On the other hand, protein, as well as fats, cause less gas.
• Sugar such as raffinose, fructose, lactose, and sorbitol. Raffinose contains a large quantity of complex sugar. One comes across fewer amounts in cabbage, sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, other vegetables, asparagus whole grains, and other vegetables. Fructose is found naturally in onions, pears, artichokes, and choke. It is also used as a sweetener in soft and fruit drinks. Sorbitol is a sugar found in its natural form in fruits such as apples, peaches, pears, and prunes.
• Soluble fiber is dissolved easily in water and tends to take on a gel-like, soft texture in one’s intestines. This is mostly available in oat bran, peas, beans, and most fruits. Soluble fiber gets broken down once it reaches one’s large intestine and produces less gas. Insoluble fiber passes through one’s intestines and produces less gas. Some of the vegetables, as well as wheat bran, contain such kind of fiber.
• Eating foods like squash and cucumber is generally considered safe due to its high water content. However, they also cause bloating and gas due to their interaction with stomach temperatures. [7]

9. Yoga for the digestive system – Mayurasana

Mayura in Sanskrit means peacock. Mayurasana (the peacock posture) helps properly function the digestive system. It enhances the circulation and supply of blood to the digestive organs and hence could prevent lots of digestive-related problems.

• Kneel keeping your knees twelve inches apart
• Place the hands on the floor between the knees with your wrists facing forward and fingers pointing backward
• Support both sides of the navel with your elbows
• Balancing on your hands, raise your body and legs horizontally. First, raise the upper part of your body and then the legs
• Stretch your legs a little wide like the letter V
• Remain in this posture for a few seconds
• Return to the original position by slowly folding your legs and placing your knees on the ground. Then sit on your soles

10. Change in Habits

One can take medication, change one’s diet and lifestyle to reduce stress and ensure less intake of swallowed air. Limiting high-fat foods is also very good. Bad food habits, anxiety, and other causes result in abdominal pain. Improved diet and practices can help in dealing with this health condition.

More about Gas Pain

Prevention from Gas

Let us have a look at some of how stomach gas can be prevented –

• Eat Slowly: Eating fast can interfere with proper digestion of food.
• Walk: Walk for a minimum of 500 mtrs after meals.
• Reduce Fatty Foods: Digestion is slow if you take a lot of fatty foods.
• Avoid food : With the trial and error method, you can find which foods affect you most. Avoid them.
• Reduce Smoking: While inhaling smoke, you can swallow air too hence avoid it for quick relief.
• Straw: Avoid straw while drinking. You might swallow air while using a straw for drinking liquids.

Causes of Gas Pain

Below are some of the primary causes of gas pain –

• As we eat or drink, we also swallow air. Sometimes, we may swallow air when we are nervous. This air finds its way into your lower digestive tract.
• One of the main causes of gas pain is when bacteria in your colon ferment carbohydrates that are not digested in your small intestines.
• Even some healthy foods such as beans, peas, and whole grains can cause gas to form, as these foods are high in fiber.
• Dairy product consumption can also cause gas formation. It may be because your body cannot break down dairy foods’ sugar (lactose).
• Certain medicines, such as antibiotics and constipating drugs, also cause gas pain as they disrupt the normal bacterial flora in your bowel (part of the intestines).
• Artificial sweeteners like sorbitol and mannitol in some sugar-free foods can also cause excess gas if your system cannot tolerate it.
• Do eat in a hurry. Eating when you are on the run and under stress can interfere with the digestion process and cause gas.
• Smoking can also increase the amount of air you swallow.

Symptoms of Gas Pain

The primary gas pain symptoms include sharp pains and jabbing cramps in your abdomen, and these pains can change location quickly. Sometimes, the pain is so intense that you feel it is a severe illness like a heart problem, back pain, and many others. This generally occurs when gas builds up in your intestines and is not expelled. The voluntary or involuntary passing of gas, either as belching (burp) or as flatus (gas generated in or removed from the digestive tract), is also a symptom of gas pain.

Bloating and Gas Pain

Many people feel they pass gas or burp very often, which can be embarrassing and cause much discomfort. The average adult tends to pass about 1 to 3 pints of gas daily, which comes out of the anus about 14 to 23 times a day. Burping occasionally before having one’s meal is quite normal.

The amount of gas one produces depends upon one’s diet and other factors. Of course, most individuals who complain of excessive gas pass the usual amounts.

Source of gas

Swallowing air is the most crucial source of the formation of the gas. It is, of course, quite natural to consume small amounts of air while eating, drinking, and swallowing saliva. One may swallow more air when eating food rapidly, chewing gum, gulping liquids, and even smoking.

Most of the air is got rid of through belching, which results in only a relatively small amount of air passing through the stomach into one’s small intestine. One posture affects how air passes into the small intestine.

Belching

Belching is either voluntary or may occur unintentionally. Involuntary belching is quite normal after one has one’s meals. This releases the air that enlarges or stretches one’s stomach. Belching is familiar with certain foods that tend to relax the ring-shaped muscle. Located at the lower end of our esophagus, it tends to join the stomach. Such foods are chocolates, fats as well as peppermint.

Indigestion

Some carbohydrates are not easily digested, and this results in gas. Quite several vegetables contain raffinose, such as Brussels sprouts, cabbage, asparagus, whole grains and broccoli. These cause a lot of flatulence and gas. Consuming a large amount of lactose can cause gas production.

Diseases

Those suffering from certain diseases such as scleroderma or diabetes usually experience the slowing down of the small intestine. This can result in the growth of bacteria inside of one’s bowel. This causes poor digestion of nutrients as well as carbohydrates. These can also cause gas production.

Functional dyspepsia

This refers to persistent pain in the upper part of the abdomen. Nerves that carry messages from our bowel movements tend to be overactive in the case of IBS. Many people complain of bloating.

Irritable bowel movement

This can also cause gas production and bloating. Many changes in one’s bowel movement include diarrhea or constipation. Nerves that carry messages from one’s bowel may be overactive.

Anus irritation or esophagus

Those with irritation around their anus due to hemorrhoids or several other problems may also face much discomfort and gas passing. Those who suffer from irritation of the esophagus also experience burping, which is quite painful.

Diet restrictions

One must avoid foods that tend to aggravate the condition. Foods include dairy products, milk, some types of fruits, vegetables, artificial sweeteners, and even carbonated beverages. One must maintain a record of foods that bother a person.

Conclusion

Gas pain can be more than just uncomfortable; it can disrupt your daily life. Fortunately, simple home remedies like ginger, fennel, and yoga poses offer natural relief. Studies highlight these methods’ effectiveness in expelling gas and alleviating discomfort. Embracing these remedies alongside dietary adjustments can significantly reduce symptoms, making them a go-to solution for many.

References

1. Ann M. Bode and Zigang Dong. – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/
2. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20420113
3. School of Medicine and Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy; Senior Scientist, Jean Mayer, US Department of Agriculture, Human Nutrition Center on Aging, Tufts University – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5085873/
4. Internal Medicine Department, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3990147/
5. The Research Center for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases (RCGLD), Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16868824/
6. Lisai Zhang; Omeed Sizar; Karla Higginbotham. – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430851/
7. Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4893422/