Fermented drinks that wake up digestion when meals leave you gassy and heavy.
Food Remedies
Main remedy
Fermented drinks like spiced buttermilk, jaljeera and kanji carry live probiotics and cooling spices that settle the stomach, ease gas and kindle a dull appetite. A small glass with or after a meal is the gentlest digestive there is.
A cumin-and-mustard fermented water that eases gas and bloating — sip a small glass before a meal.
Traditional
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मसाला छाछ · Spiced buttermilk
Thin spiced buttermilk after a meal — the finest and safest digestive in Ayurveda, cooling and probiotic.
Traditional
पुदीना छाछ · Mint buttermilk
Buttermilk churned with mint and cumin — cools the stomach and freshens a heavy meal.
Traditional
कढ़ी पत्ता छाछ · Curry-leaf buttermilk
Buttermilk tempered with curry leaves and hing — probiotic and good for acidity.
Traditional
अदरक छाछ · Ginger buttermilk
Buttermilk with grated ginger — warming to the gut, relieves gas and nausea.
Traditional
CautionNot in large amounts alongside blood-thinning medicine. Stop before surgery.
नमकीन लस्सी · Salted lassi
Salted cumin lassi — settles the stomach after a heavy meal and replaces lost salts in summer.
Traditional
मठा · Matha
Very thin spiced buttermilk drunk through the day — light, cooling and endlessly digestive.
Traditional
हरी मिर्च कांजी · Green-chilli kanji
A sharp fermented chilli water — a spoon kindles a dull appetite.
Traditional
दही सोडा · Curd soda cooler
Whisked curd topped with soda and cumin — a light probiotic fizz that settles the stomach.
Traditional
जलजीरा · Probiotic jaljeera
Mint-and-cumin water lightly fermented — cooling, appetite-kindling and digestive.
Traditional
इमली-अदरक शरबत · Tamarind-ginger cooler
Tamarind and ginger simmered and lightly soured — appetising and digestive.
Traditional
CautionNot in large amounts alongside blood-thinning medicine. Stop before surgery.
सौंफ जल · Fennel cooler
Fennel steeped and lightly fermented — cools the gut and sweetens the breath after meals.
Traditional
On this page Documented — There are human studies behind this ingredient for this particular complaint. Traditional — Carried by tradition and experience; modern evidence for this particular complaint is limited.
All of this is what others have found — tradition, shared experience and the studies done so far. It is not advice given to any one person. Before changing your diet, and especially if you take any medicine, ask your dietician or doctor.
Naturopathy
Take buttermilk drinks by day at room temperature — never at night or heated.
Keep the sourness mild if you have acidity, and always drink these fresh.
Bhojanveda
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