Any of the essential oils described as carminative will help to expel gas from the digestive system, and ease the pain that accompanies it. They can be massaged into the abdomen in a carrier oil, always working round the tumnmy in a clockwise direction. Aromatherapy can soothe your process of digestion. Essential oils like: Peppermint, Orange and Camomile oils can help in curing indigestion.

If flatulence is a temporary problem, following a meal containing some particularly gas-inducing food, this is all the treatment that should be necessary, but if it is a constant condition, the use of essential oils should be reinforced by dietary changes, and possibly a colon-cleansing programme supervised by a qualified nutritional adviser or a medical herbalist.

Excess gas is sometimes experienced after a course of antibiotics, because these kill off millions of the helpful bacteria in the gut, along with the invading organisms for which they are prescribed. This makes digestion inefficient and leads to some putrefaction in the colon. A course of yoghurt tablets, lactobacillus tablets or even large amounts of natural live yoghurt will quickly put this right. Using the essential oils as recommended above will ease the intestines until the helpful flora have been re-established.

See also Indigestion