Passing wind is a normal part of digestion — most people do it 10 to 20 times a day. It becomes a problem when it
is excessive, smelly, painful or comes with bloating. Usually the cause is what and how we eat, and simple changes
help. Ayurveda links gas and bloating to disturbed Vata and weak digestive fire, and has a rich kitchen
tradition of digestive spices.
What causes gas?
Gas in the gut has two main sources: air we swallow, and gas produced when bacteria in the large intestine
ferment food that the small intestine couldn't digest. Swallowed air mostly comes back up as burping. Fermentation
gas — hydrogen, carbon dioxide, methane and small amounts of sulphur gases that cause the smell — is passed as
wind. Bloating, a feeling of fullness or tightness, often reflects a sensitive gut rather than an unusually large
amount of gas.
Freshly cooked, simply spiced meals eaten at regular times are the foundation of Ayurvedic care for digestion (agni).
Where gas comes from
Reducing swallowed air mainly helps burping; changing which foods reach the large intestine mainly helps wind and bloating.
Common triggers & conditions
Foods: pulses and beans, onions and garlic, cabbage and cauliflower, some fruits (apples, pears), wheat in large amounts, and sweeteners ending in “-ol” (sorbitol, xylitol)
Lactose intolerance: common in adults in India — milk, tea with lots of milk, kheer or ice cream cause gas, cramps and loose stools; curd and paneer are usually tolerated better
Constipation: stool sitting longer in the bowel ferments more
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS): bloating, cramps and changing bowel habits; see our page on irritable bowel
Less commonly: coeliac disease, bacterial overgrowth, giardia infection, and some medicines (metformin, fibre supplements, some laxatives)
When to see a doctor
Unexplained weight loss, blood in the stool or black stools, or anaemia
A lasting change in bowel habit, especially after age 50
Women over 50 with bloating on most days for 3 weeks or more — this needs checking, as it can be an early sign of ovarian cancer
Severe or worsening abdominal pain, vomiting, fever, or inability to pass wind or stool (seek urgent care)
Diarrhoea that lasts more than a few weeks, or wakes you at night
Assessment & treatment
Most people need no tests. A doctor may check for anaemia, coeliac disease, or lactose intolerance, and look for
infection if there is diarrhoea. Treatment is mainly dietary: a food-and-symptom diary to identify triggers; a
trial of reducing lactose; treating constipation; and, for IBS, a supervised low-FODMAP diet with a
dietitian. Peppermint oil capsules and simethicone help some people.
Ayurvedic view
Kindle digestive fire (agni) → restore the natural downward movement of Apana Vata → avoid foods and habits that generate gas → calm the mind.
Ayurveda describes gaseous distension of the abdomen as Adhmana and retention of gas and stool as
Anaha, both disorders of Vata in the gut. Irregular, hurried or cold meals, dry and raw food,
incompatible combinations, suppressing the urge to pass wind or stool, and anxiety are all considered causes.
Treatment uses warm, freshly cooked food, digestive spices (deepana, pachana) and
carminatives that release trapped gas (vatanulomana).
Eating habits that help
Eat slowly, sitting down, and chew well; don't talk with your mouth full.
Keep regular meal times; avoid very late, heavy dinners.
Soak pulses for several hours, discard the water, and cook them well with hing, ginger and cumin. Moong dal is the easiest to digest.
Prefer cooked to raw vegetables when bloated.
Increase fibre gradually, not all at once, with plenty of water.
Cut down on fizzy drinks, chewing gum and sugar-free sweets.
Walk for 10–15 minutes after meals (shatapavali), and don't hold in wind.
Kitchen remedies
After meals
Fennel (saunf)
Chew ½–1 tsp of fennel seeds after a meal, or sip fennel water.
Carminative
Ajwain & jeera
½ tsp ajwain with a pinch of rock salt and warm water, or cumin–coriander–fennel tea, for bloating.
In cooking
Hing (asafoetida)
A pinch in dal tempering reduces gas from pulses. Compounded hing usually contains wheat flour — people with coeliac disease need pure or certified gluten-free hing.
Before meals
Ginger
A thin slice of fresh ginger with a few drops of lemon and a pinch of salt stimulates appetite and digestion.
Classical formulations such as Hingvashtaka churna and Avipattikara churna are used by
practitioners. Some formulations contain salt, which matters with high blood pressure or kidney disease. Take
them on a qualified practitioner's advice.
Find Gastroenterology / Hepatology / General Medicine / Dietetics Specialists
Showing results for “gastroenterology hepatology general medicine internal medicine dietitian nutritionist ayurveda digestion flatulence IBS GERD”.
