A fart (flatus) is made up of several gases (hydrogen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and the flammable and smelly methane). A certain amount of flatulence is normal (between 200–2 400 ml daily). A source of hilarity among small boys, excess flatulence can be a social encumbrance. Two-thirds of the wind you expel is formed by bacteria in the bowel, while the rest is made up of air that you swallow. Excess gas in the abdomen causes bloating. And yes, men do fart more than women.
Horace Fletcher, an American obsessed with mastication in the 1930s, defined a proper chew as 32 times with each mouthful: one chew for every tooth. Obviously, this leaves little time for living between mealtimes! In the 21st century, ten thorough chews per mouthful is generally adequate.
My grandfather used to say, ‘Wherever you may be, let the air go free’, and certainly it is healthier to do so rather than try to retain the air. However, the following recommendations will hopefully relieve the problem of excess flatus.
James Green, an American herbalist said, ‘the mistake of eliminating the bitter flavour from our daily experience is like eliminating one of the colours of the rainbow’. Unfortunately, in Australia, bitter foods are thin on the ground. Grapefruit, chicory, radicchio, endives, cress, olives, hops (say yeah for the cleansing ale) and coffee are the only bitter foods that spring to mind. In England, a salad made from bitter lettuce leaves was traditionally eaten before the meal, rather than with it as we do today. Bitter herbs form the basis of European digestifs and aperitifs such as Campari and good old Angostura bitters. In the interest of harmony and health, Chinese cuisine often includes a bitter element such as bitter melon, said to relieve the body of internal heat.
Taste buds are bundles of nerve endings, located all over the tongue. Their job is to interpret tastes from the chemicals in food, revealing whether food is yuk or yum, and more specifically sweet, salty, bitter or sour. Bitter buds are found at the back of the tongue, sour to either side, sweet at the tip and salty in-between. Bitter taste buds connect to the vagus nerve, a nerve that stimulates the functioning of the digestive organs, stomach, pancreas, gall bladder and intestine. One of the main tenets of natural therapies is to improve digestion, and stimulating the vagus nerve will do this – and explains why bitter herbs have been prescribed since Hippocrates.
Symptoms of a digestive system crying out for bitters include bloating, burping, flatulence and constipation. These symptoms in particular indicate low stomach-acid production. Other signs include peeling fingernails, dry lips and increased susceptibility to parasitic and fungal infections and a tendency to food poisoning (gastro). As we age, stomach-acid production tends to drop. This inhibits the absorption of nutrients, especially protein, iron and B12.
Tickling the tastebuds with foul-tasting herbal concoctions is a favourite sport among herbalists. The main bitter herbs include gentian, goldenseal, wormwood, St. Mary’s thistle and dandelion root. The idea is to taste the bitterness. The bitterer, the better! A teaspoon of herbal bitters in a wineglass of water sipped before dinner will train your digestive system into healthier habits. Bitters enhance your appetite, but will not cause you to overeat.
Note: People with stomach ulcers or women who are pregnant should not take herbal bitters.
Blend the following oils with 20 ml of sweet almond oil and you will have a fantastic blend possessing antispasmodic, digestive, stomachic, carminative and therapeutic properties. Excellent for treating heartburn, indigestion and flatulence, use as an abdominal massage or warm compress.
