Home Remedies for Foul-Smelling Gas

Probiotics

• Your intestines rely on some types of bacteria to digest food. If lactobacillus and other helpful intestinal bacteria become depleted, it can contribute to flatulence, as well as other intestinal problems. Replenish this bacteria by eating yogurt with live, active cultures once a day. You can also take probiotic supplements to add more helpful bacteria. These supplements contain concentrated lactobacillus and other live helpful bacteria, which can help your digestion and improve flatulence.

Food Sensitivities

• If your gas is unusually pungent, get tested by a healthcare practitioner for food sensitivities. According to the Chicago Reader newspaper column The Straight Dope, flatulence can be caused by dietary imbalances in people unable to properly metabolize certain compounds. For example, lactose-intolerant folks who consume too much milk and milk products can develop frequent and pungent gas. Keep a food journal, writing down what you eat at every meal, your moods and how your digestive system is working. If you feel gassy after a particular meal, your head feels cloudy or your body feels "off" in some way, try eliminating the foods you ate in the meal one at a time to see if your flatulence improves. If it does after you remove a particular food, you've found the culprit. Leave that food out of your diet to eliminate foul-smelling gas.

Fatty Food

• When food breaks down in the intestines, it produces a number of gasses including hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane. The odor doesn't come from any of these gasses, however, but from volatile chemicals produced when breaking down fatty or protein-rich foods. Reduce stinky gas by reducing your consumption of red meat, butter and other fatty foods.

Ginger Remedies

• A number of different herbal remedies have traditionally been used to treat flatulence, according to the natural medicine website Home Remedies. Ginger is one of the most common ingredients and can be taken at any time to help relieve gas. Cut several slices of fresh ginger and soak them in a bowl of lime juice while you have your meal. After the meal, pull out the ginger slices and eat them to soothe your stomach. Alternately, mix 1 tsp. of ground pepper with an equal portion of dried ginger and green cardamom seeds. One hour after a meal, stir 1/2 a teaspoon of the mixture into a full cup of water and drink. If you get gas at some other time, add 1/2 teaspoon of dried ginger along with a pinch of asafoetida and a pinch of rock salt to a cup of warm water. Stir it and drink the mixture. Use caution, since rock salt has an extremely pungent odor that you may find unpleasant.